Bloem’s garbage fiasco | ‘Metro is trying to mislead the court’

• AfriForum says the metro in Bloemfontein’s affidavit distorts the seriousness of the garbage crisis and tries to mislead the court.

• Residents still pay for garbage collection despite unreliable service and often have to use private providers.

AfriForum is preparing to take the Mangaung municipality to court over the ongoing collapse of waste removal services in Bloemfontein. The organization says the metro’s latest affidavit distorts the extent of the crisis and tries to mislead the court.

Sello More, the metro’s municipal manager, submitted an opposing affidavit last week stating that garbage disposal is not in crisis. The metro also maintains that residents must still pay for the service – even if they use private service providers.

AfriForum strongly rejects this position and says the reality on the ground paints a very different picture.

According to the organisation, waste disposal in Bloemfontein has been unreliable and sporadic for years, with serious consequences for residents’ health, safety and the environment.

The metro attributes the problems to operational challenges, including fuel shortages and broken down trucks, but says it is not as serious as claimed.

However, AfriForum maintains that the situation is a full-scale crisis that requires urgent attention.

Christo Groenewald, AfriForum’s district coordinator in Bloemfontein, says the metro’s oath does not reflect the reality that residents face on a daily basis.

“Out of desperation, many residents have already contracted private service providers to remove their rubbish, but despite the space that legislation creates for exemption, the metro refuses to give permission for this,” he says.

(Foto: NationalCoGTA/ X)

He labels this as an unacceptable practice where residents in effect pay double for a service that is no longer reliably provided by the metro.

AfriForum’s court application seeks to confirm three core principles: that residents do not have to pay for services that are not provided; that they have the right to use alternative service providers; and that the metro must be held accountable for the failure to ensure basic service delivery.

Although the metro claims that procedures exist to deal with disputes, AfriForum believes that these mechanisms fail in practice, especially in the midst of the ongoing crisis.

The organisation’s legal team will soon submit a replicating affidavit, after which a court date will be set.

“AfriForum will continue the case to ensure that the metro fulfills its constitutional obligations and restores service delivery. The harm to residents’ health and the financial burden that poor service delivery entails can no longer be tolerated,” says Groenewald.