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The residents of Matjhabeng Local Municipality are frustrated by the municipality's continuous failure to collect refuse. This has caused major inconvenience, health risks, and a complete breach of the municipality's duty towards its citizens. Please see pictures here, here and here.

Despite the DA's repeated attempts to raise this issue with the relevant authorities, we continue to have difficulties receiving regular refuse collection services. The persistent and repeated failures in waste management have reached an unacceptable level.

The municipality has displayed a complete lack of accountability and disregard for the well-being of its residents. The mounting piles of garbage have transformed the once-clean communities into unsightly, unsanitary environments, attracting vermin and posing a serious threat to public health.

Schedules for refuse removal are not properly circulated and are rarely adhered to. Backlogs, breakdowns, and strikes are always the culprits. Residents have been left in the dark with no clear understanding of when the refuse collection services will be restored to normalcy. The lack of accountability and action taken to address this situation has eroded our trust in the municipality's ability to fulfil its fundamental responsibilities.

The municipality must prioritise this matter and allocate the necessary resources and manpower to resolve the refuse collection crisis immediately. It is essential that the municipality takes swift action to rectify the situation and ensure that regular and reliable refuse collection services are reinstated in our neighbourhoods.

The DA will call upon the municipality to provide regular updates and open channels of communication with the affected residents, outlining the steps being taken to address this issue and a realistic timeline for resolution. Transparency and accountability are crucial in rebuilding the trust between the municipality and its residents.

The DA remains committed to maintaining a clean, safe, and healthy living environment for all residents of Matjhabeng. We urge the municipality to recognize the urgency of this matter and take prompt and decisive action to rectify the refuse collection failures and prevent a further decline in the quality of life for our community.

Issued by René Steyn - DA Councillor Matjhabeng Local Municipality