The City’s Urban Waste Management Directorate is actively working to resolve the refuse collection delays currently affecting informal settlements across the city. City teams are extending their internal resources to also service the areas normally done by contractors.
In a statement, the City noted the severity of the refuse collection delays. It added that the most affected areas or parts thereof include Khayelitsha, Delft, Wallacedene, Driftsands, Fairdale, Dunoon, Atlantis, Philippi, Gugulethu, and Langa.
Unfortunately, cleansing services in these areas have been impacted since July 1, 2023. Nevertheless, the Urban Waste Management Directorate is taking several measures to address the issue promptly. They are deploying cleansing workers from other programs in the city, including specialized cleansing services equipped with heavy lifting machinery to tackle dumping hotspots.
Unfortunately, there are simply not enough staff available to realistically compensate for the absence of normally planned programmes currently. Therefore, deployed cleaners are working over weekends to address the situation at a faster pace.
Nevertheless, it added that the Urban Waste Management Directorate is committed to resuming normal cleansing services. This will be with immediate effect and all other available options are being explored. These include alternative cleansing services in the affected areas during August.
The City further acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and is working diligently to expedite a solution.
