Hundreds of fed-up residents from at least 12 informal settlements in Khayelitsha on Thursday marched to the community training centre to hand over a memorandum of demands calling for their refuse to be collected.
The residents said they were living in filth as their waste had not been collected in two months.
Site C resident Lukhanyo Mfuleni said they marched to demand better service delivery.
“I am a resident of D section, in an informal settlement called Shukushukuma, and that place is like a pigsty due to the waste not being collected.
If I’m correct, it’s two months or close to two months now,” he said.
“You can imagine, the biggest township with that many people and waste not being collected, it’s a disaster. We feel that the City doesn’t care about Khayelitsha.
“We got together and marched because we are fed up with living like animals. All informal settlements and the areas around them here in Khayelitsha are filthy.
“The contract for the sub-contractor ended, and ever since we haven’t had cleaning services. Even the toilet cleaners are now in their last month.
How will it be when they stop working? It’s not nice here, the germs. Even animals wouldn’t live here.”
Community activist from Taiwan informal settlement, Ndibulele Wababa, accused the City of wanting to use Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers and of paying them less.
“The City doesn’t care about those who live in informal settlements, and we are calling for equality. The same effort they put in other places, they must also put in Khayelitsha.
“We have given the City seven working days to respond. We can’t live like this.”
The City’s mayoral committee (Mayco) member for urban waste management, Grant Twigg, said the memorandum was received by subcouncil 10 officials. He said there were delays preventing the collection of refuse in some areas.
“The subcouncil received the memorandum. The issues highlighted include waste collection, electricity and other things,” he said.
“In some of the areas there is still a contractor that is working and collecting the waste, it’s not all contractors that stopped working. We are fully aware of the delay in some areas. The residents did decline the EPWP rates and we are working to sort that out.”
and we are working to sort that out.”
Subcouncil 9 ward councillor Khaya Kama said the “whole of Khayelitsha” was a “pigsty” due to uncollected waste.
“The turn-up should tell you that we are all affected. It's a huge march because people understand that the conditions are a health hazard,” he said.
Cape Times