Note to Editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Cllr Ntombi Mokoena and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Diphapang Mofokeng. See attached pictures here, here, and here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Phumelela will take urgent action to secure Iphondle High School in Warden and push the municipality to immediately clear the overflowing illegal dump site next to the school grounds.
This illegal dumping has plunged the school, its learners, and its staff into a severe safety and hygiene crisis. The destroyed fence offers zero security, and the uncontrolled waste is a breeding ground for disease, posing an unacceptable and life-threatening risk to our children.
Our investigation confirms that the Phumelela Municipality’s persistent failure to govern effectively is the direct cause of this crisis.
The illegal dumping site, which has been allowed to grow for years, is situated near a community in an informal settlement that the municipality has actively neglected by failing to extend basic, essential services, such as refuse removal, to the residents.
The safety of our children and the integrity of public property are non-negotiable. The DA calls for the following urgent steps to be taken by Mayor Mbuyiseni Kobeni and the municipal administration without delay.
We demand:
- Phumelela Municipality deploy resources today to immediately clear and clean up the illegal dump site.
- The municipality must address the immediate threat; basic refuse removal and sanitation services must be provided to the residents in the affected informal area immediately.
- An immediate explanation from the relevant political heads on the unacceptable delay in handing over the approved land parcels.
The DA will immediately initiate direct engagement with the affected community, including the residents of the informal settlement, to ensure their grievances are heard and their voice is amplified.
We will be working hand-in-hand with the informal settlement dwellers to ensure they know how to manage their waste in the interim best and that their voices are heard while we pursue answers from the municipality.
We will hold the Phumelela Local Municipality fully accountable for this failure of governance, which has put the lives and futures of our youth at risk.