Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Cllr Stone Makhema and Afrikaans soundbite by Cllr Jacques Barnard. See attached pictures here and here.
The DA will write to the Metsimaholo municipal manager to improve refuse collection and removal in the areas of Amelia and Iraq. These are after residents in those areas raised numerous complaints. The areas have been serviced through skip bins, which have contributed to additional litter, pollution and an unclean environment.
During our recent oversight visit, we learnt from nearby residents that it has been months since the skip bins were emptied. This has angered these residents, as it has contributed to unhealthy living conditions, and the smell has become unbearable.
They are calling on the municipality to establish a schedule for waste removal, as they fear the situation will worsen during the festive season.
On one occasion, the five skip bins surrounding a High school in Amelia were so full that rubbish was thrown onto the ground outside, as there was no more space inside. Our hearts go out to the learners and teachers who are forced to endure such conditions in their places of learning and work.
The DA is now calling for equal service provision for all residents. We cannot have residents in these areas subjected to skip bins, and in other regions, the municipality provides house-to-house waste collection. We need a schedule like other residents, as this is also a cause of the mushrooming of illegal dumping sites in our areas.
The municipality must immediately act to resolve this matter. The response that the contract for the previous company that provided skip bins has expired is a result of poor planning, neglect, and a lack of care for the community. The same pace they employ to cut service to our people without notice must be the same pace for restoring proper service to our people.
We will always stand for equal service delivery for all and fight for the rights of our people.