Job-seekers disrupt Pikitup waste collection in parts of Joburg

Heaps of uncollected rubbish lining the streets in parts of Joburg continue to drive residents up the wall as Pikitup battles to clean up. The dumped rubbish is the outcome of a protest by frustrated job-seekers from Diepsloot, Cosmo City and Zandspruit who marched to the Pikitup Randburg depot on Tuesday last week to demand jobs. Police had to be called to disperse them, and they took out their frustration by strewing rubbish in the Randburg CBD, Cosmo City and Diepsloot.

When Sowetan visited these areas on Thursday, piles of rubbish lay along the roads together with unemptied bins. In Zandspruit, residents claim disruptions in the refuse collection service started inJanuary. Hendrik “Mpopo” Molapisi, 35, a Zandspruit resident, said the uncollected rubbish was affecting them badly.

“We are suffocating, breathing rubbish every day, not to mention the flies that are usually here when it’s hot,” he said. “We are exposed to germs. I mean, almost every corner of our community has become a dumpsite.

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There is rubbish everywhere outside our homes, near schools andparks.” Buchule Raba, president of the Cosmo City Residents Association, told Sowetan that many bins remain unemptied. He said residents on Wednesday united in cleaning South Africa Drive — a road that is the heartbeat of the community. “On Wednesday, community members took the initiative to clean their own streets after waste collection was disrupted.

In several parts of Cosmo City, dustbins remain full and are waiting to be collected due to the ongoing challenges affecting the Randburg depot. “While we appreciate the community’s willingness to step in, waste management remains the responsibility of the City. We therefore urge the City of Johannesburg and Pikitup to urgently resolve the situation and restore normal service delivery.” According to Raba, the protesters were, in fact, Pikitup casual workers who are tired of being hired via sub-contractors. Zanele Nkomo, a business owner running a food stall from a caravan, said uncollected rubbish affects her as this is often dumped in front of her establishment.

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