Tebogo Dikale

Tebogo Dikale

Tebogo Dikale 

Province         North West 

District            Bojanala 

Municipality   Rustenburg 

Town               Phokeng

Date                17 June 2024

Illegal Dumping images around Phokeng.

Illegal dumping sites become problematic in Phokeng, the population is growing in all area sections, and this becomes one factor that grows in each section and the very same people are neglecting where they stay thus creating a dumping site next to their yard, this establishes the place to be an unclean and not friendly environment.

The authority sometimes deploys necessary vehicles to clean these illegal dumping but often resurfaces again. We have a company that collects garbage each week, but the situation doesn’t change. I managed to speak to one resident who stays in the yard next to the illegal dump. Lesego stays in Saron Section and has a baby girl. She raised a couple of issues, one of them being bottles of beer and plastics that are left next to the yard for too long and eventually become too much. Thus, creating a problem of illegal dumping. “I don’t know where to complain as I am not from around and believe my concerns won’t carry much weight” ” she said. I mentioned the local councilor to her for complaints or community leaders, but she’s not familiar with how to go about it. 

Kgomotso Moleofane who also stays in the same section and street, raised concerns about plastics coming into his yard and that doesn’t sit well with him, he had this to say, “They are problematic as I have to clean them after two days or so often”. At times he feels like talking to neighbours about it which creates infighting.

Ntsweng Section is one section that is affected by illegal dumping. This section is where the burial site is located and has a dam and a river nearby. Illegal dumping causes all manner of things, clean water from the dam gets contaminated by these illegal dumping even if at times it gets cleaned, it’s not enough. A community member will be cleaning his/her yard and when finished will take everything in plastics with the car and dump them to the dam side. I’ve witnessed this happen a couple of times.

 These illegal dumping sites cause a few things.

*Tavern Owners

*Community infighting 

*Littering by motor cars 

*Lack of information 

*Ignorance 

*Tavern Owners need to be taken to task for their bottles not to leave the premises.

*Lack of information, information needs to be accessible for better understanding and communication if such a problem persists. There are boards of NO Dumping, particularly on those sides where the problems are happening, but they are not helping the situation get better because people are doing it.

 

We have an environmental office at Civic Centre, Royal Bafokeng Administration. I called them about this matter to hear from them directly, to have their view on this problem and what measures they have to solve this matter, but I could not get one from them when writing the story, only reception answered.

I call it ignorance and a lack of knowledge from the community’s perspective. From the authority’s point of view, the Royal Bafokeng Administration needs to do more in terms of campaigns, inviting all stakeholders that are creating this problem and raising awareness about Clean Environment. 

Collecting garbage alone is not enough as illegal dumping is ongoing.