Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Selmé Pretorius and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Kabelo Moreeng. See attached pictures here, here, and here.
– Northern Landfill faces closure within six months.
– Municipality admits landfill management capacity failures.
– DA demands oversight and contingency plans.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will submit questions to Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, conduct oversight on the municipality’s waste management operations, and seek urgent clarity on contingency measures following revelations at Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) that the municipality lacks the capacity to properly manage its landfill sites and that the Northern Landfill faces closure within the next six months.
We are deeply concerned by revelations made during Mangaung’s recent appearance before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), where the City Manager admitted that the municipality lacks the capacity to properly manage its landfill sites and revealed that the Northern Landfill is facing closure within the next six months.
During the hearing, the City Manager stated that Mangaung has received a letter from the relevant department requiring the closure of the Northern Landfill within six months. He further acknowledged that the municipality does not currently have the capacity to operate and manage its landfill sites effectively.
The City Manager further described the challenges at the Southern Landfill as “deep challenges” and referred to it as “a den of thieves”, highlighting serious concerns regarding security, criminal activity, environmental compliance and operational management.
These revelations should alarm every resident.
Waste management is a core municipal responsibility. Residents pay rates and taxes with the expectation that refuse will be collected, landfill sites will be properly managed, and environmental laws will be complied with.
Instead, Parliament heard that the municipality lacks sufficient internal capacity to manage its landfill sites, the Northern Landfill is facing closure, and the Southern Landfill continues to experience severe operational and security challenges.
It was also revealed that the municipality is considering placing landfill management in private hands due to its lack of the necessary skills and capacity to operate these facilities effectively.
These admissions raise urgent questions:
- What is the municipality’s contingency plan for the closure of the Northern Landfill?
- What will the financial implications be for residents?
- Where will waste currently disposed of at the Northern Landfill be accommodated?
- How much additional investment will be required?
- What measures are in place to prevent further environmental non-compliance?
The reality is that Mangaung cannot continue operating in a perpetual crisis-management mode. The municipality requires professional management, proper planning, strong oversight, effective environmental compliance and the technical capacity necessary to perform its basic functions.
For years, residents have witnessed declining service delivery, deteriorating infrastructure and growing governance failures. The SCOPA hearing has now confirmed that these problems extend to the municipality’s landfill operations.
The DA believes that local government should focus on delivering services, protecting public health, maintaining environmental standards and managing public resources responsibly.
The upcoming local government election allows residents to choose a municipality that plans ahead, fixes problems before they become crises and delivers the professional administration that communities deserve.
If we want a municipality that works, we must build one.