Two Pikitup trucks were burnt in the early hours of Wednesday morning in Diepsloot while councillors, residents and a business chamber in Randburg and surrounding areas say garbage has not been collected in the area for the past three weeks. Gauteng police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said a case of malicious damage to property has been opened . “Two trucks belonging to Pikitup were burned at a depot in Diepsloot in the early hours of Wednesday.
No one has been arrested and the cause of fire is unknown at this stage,” she said. Ralf Bittkau of Ward 101, which covers Northriding, Olivedale, Bromhof, Bushhill and Sharonlea, told Sowetan they are on the third week of garbage not being collected. “On top of everything else, we had two burnt trucks in Diepsloot.
It’s very difficult and frustrating for residents … they are complaining about being charged for a service that is not being delivered. So we would like to see a refund on the money we pay for this service.” Bittkau said this comes after Pikitup casual staff members downed tools on Thursday last week, particularly at the Randburg depot, demanding permanent employment after having worked for the company for many years.
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“When [DA federal leader] Hellen Zille visited the depot early last week, the manager promised he would return on Friday with a response from top management. We waited for him but he never pitched. These issues go as far back as 2023, and three years later nothing [permanent employment] has changed …
it’s really frustrating.” Moshen Naicker, chairperson for the Northriding Residents Association, described the impact of garbage not being collected in his community as “despicable”. “We were given false hope last week by Pikitup that the problem will be resolved amicably and quickly, but that has not been the case. Our area is serviced on Tuesdays, now its two Tuesdays with no collection.
Rodents are now coming into the area, posing health risks, and there’s an inconvenience of having to endure the stench.” Naicker said residents have since organised a private refuse collector, which cost them about R2,500 for 28 bins last week. He said they now have to pay another R2,800 this week to the city for the service not rendered. David Foley, the Ward 94 councillor for Fourways, Lonehill, Witpoort and Kyalami, said his ward is affected by all three depots that have issues, including Randburg, Malboro and Midrand. Richard Ntanjana, interim CEO of the Randburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said poor enforcement of municipal bylaws and uncollected refuse have made the area “no longer business-friendly”, with garbage and bad smell discouraging customers from entering shops.
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