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The degradation of Barkly-West due to poor waste management by Dikgatlong municipality is extremely worrisome.

Even though the refuse truck is in use, garbage collection is inconsistent and has not been done in the town centre for months. Businesses continue to discard of their garbage on the street and the litter gets dispersed around town. They also use the refuse as fuel to make fires. This poses an additional health and safety threat to the businesses, the surrounding communities and the children.

While both honeysuckers are operational, the backlog for the drainage of sewage is huge. Businesses have reported giving up on laying complaints regarding sewage flowing behind their premises because the municipality simply doesn’t get to all the work.

In addition, the honeysucker doesn’t even attempt to drain sewage from a settlement in close vicinity of the river anymore, because the roads have become so overgrown. As a result, sewage is left to run down the streets.

It is clear that Dikgatlong is facing a crisis that requires urgent attention before the situation spirals even further out of control.
The DA has met with the Municipal Manager in respect of finding a solution to the town’s waste problem. The municipality however remains hamstrung by a capacity problem.

Other than budgeting for an additional honeysucker and refuse removal truck in the new financial year, the DA has proposed that the municipality convenes a month of action, whereby it engages with neighbouring municipalities as well as affected stakeholders, for the shared use of additional honeysuckers, rubbish trucks and capacity, to clean up the town.

It is time to think differently if we are to save our collapsing towns. It is also necessary to roll up our own sleeves and therefore the DA is also planning our own a mass clean-up campaign in Barkly-West in the next month.

Issued by Delmaine Christians MP - Constituency Head of Diamond South