Durban - MILLIONS of rand have been set aside by the eThekwini Municipality to restore the functionality of the Buffelsdraai landfill site in Verulam.
The City said in a report to council yesterday that a budget should be allocated to cater for emergency work packages required to get the site back into operation.
The landfill was in the news recently after violent clashes between security and waste pickers that left one person dead and several injured.
The report on the matter required that approval be granted for the provision of all emergency work packages required to bring the Buffelsdraai landfill site back into operation, to provide for safety measures during the operations, coupled with the approval of the capital budget in the amount of R80.4 million and the operating budget in the amount of R24.5m, subject to savings being identified by the deputy city manager in the Finance Unit.
“The site in question was vandalised in July 2023 and as a result, it was closed and unable to operate as the waste disposal facility.
“The municipality was unable to intervene at that stage as the area was declared a crime scene,” said the report.
City councillors said while the site was insured, the municipality needed to invest its own money to bring the landfill into operation while the investigation by the insurer was pending.
Regarding the waste picker integration process, the report said, it was advised that the municipality was exploring partnerships with the private sector, and that the limitation regarding the organisational structure of the Cleansing and Solid Waste Unit was hindering progress, as it was not geared for the work at hand and the transformation of the waste management sector.
DA councillor Mzamo Billy said it is was almost four months since the illegal invasion and the vandalism of this crucial municipality property, and yet it was only now that funds were being requested from the council.
“This means that there is absolutely no work happening to fix the Buffelsdraai landfill site to date. Non-operation of this site sadly means the City is spending more money on fuel to dispose of waste in other landfill sites at a higher cost than usual because of the distance being travelled.”
He said the reality was that the City had failed to properly safeguard landfill sites.
This included the Springfield landfill site, which had also become a health hazard, he said.
“The City has failed to cater for recyclers and waste pickers who desperately rely on waste to make a living. This is purely because of the lack of planning, poor management and adhering to the required compliances,” said Billy.
ActionSA councillor Zwakele Mncwango said with a proper plan, the municipality could create many jobs, especially for unemployed youths, as the recycling business was booming.