Refuse collection in Manenberg temporarily halted, due to ongoing gang violence in the area

Refuse collection in Manenberg has been temporarily halted, due to ongoing gang violence in the area. The City of Cape Town informed residents that waste collection services in the area have been suspended until further notice.

PICTURE: City of Cape Town

Mayco member for Urban Waste Management, Grant Twigg, said the refuse collection staff have to work in the crossfire between gangs regularly, and this is presenting an unacceptable risk to their safety. He said the City’s refuse collection staff are having to work in the crossfire between gangs regularly, and this is presenting an unacceptable risk to their safety.

‘’Over the coming week, Urban Waste Management officials will seek to urgently engage relevant stakeholders around possible interventions to assist with the return of services to the area. Updates will be released in due course.’’

‘’I assure the residents of the area that this decision has not been taken lightly. Staff members working in the area have shown their commitment to serving the community under very unsafe conditions in recent years. The City will explore new strategies for servicing the area that can improve the safety of those who provide services,’’ said Twigg.

The municipality appealed to residents to refrain from dumping for as long as they can.

‘’The area will be prioritised to have their bins emptied as soon as possible. The City will provide updates when these are available. Please ensure your bins are out and available for collection when requested,’’ said Grant Twigg, Mayco member for Urban Waste Management.

Crime activist group, Fight Against Crime SA (FACSA), expressed outraged by the municipality’s decision to halt refuse collection

‘’While we understand that city workers cannot be expected to risk their lives, this withdrawal of essential services exposes the double standards of the City’s crime-fighting claims. During the recent by-elections, City officials flooded Manenberg with Metro Police, Law Enforcement, and Traffic Services—giving the illusion that safety would come with the vote. Yet now, when the community needs protection the most, the City retreats, leaving residents to fend for themselves. If basic services cannot be delivered due to crime, are ratepayers then justified in withholding their payments at month-end?’’ said the group in a statement.

‘’FACSA calls for the immediate deployment of the SANDF to stabilize the area. This would allow SAPS to focus on thorough investigations and ensure that arrests lead to successful prosecutions by the NPA. Right now, SAPS is overwhelmed with murder dockets, yet criminals continue to act with impunity. We urge the Manenberg community to engage the City of Cape Town aggressively. The City must act with urgency—Manenberg residents deserve more than empty promises and abandoned services,’’ it added.

The National Coloured Congress says it’s disappointed.

‘’Just a few months ago, the DA made bold promises, sending their officials to Manenberg with the assurance that they would fix the community. Fast forward to the present, and we are now confronted with the shocking cessation of urban waste services in the area,’’ said Eben Muller, NCC Cape Metro region.

‘’Gang violence in Manenberg is not a new phenomenon… With the holy month of Ramadan approaching; we ask: how safe will our people be in an area where crime has escalated at an alarming rate? Not only is Manenberg facing a health hazard due to the uncollected waste, but the community also has to endure an environment of skyrocketing crime on the Cape Flats,’’ he added.

 

Done By: Mitchum George