Bridgetown residents have accused the City of Cape Town of flouting its own anti-dumping by-law after they found what they refer to as an illegal landfill site.

However, the City denies this, saying the site is not a landfill but is instead being used to dry out river waste before it can be hauled away to a landfill.

Trucks have been seen dumping refuse on the empty land between Loerie Road and the N2, and the dump has grown quickly, say residents.

Bridgetown Community Development Forum community liaison officer Nazeem Felander said the refuse was from dams and canals.

“We were told that the ward councillor was aware of this and had been in meetings with the contractor, but when we approached him, he said he knew nothing about it. We are trying to get hold of the project manager to find out if this contractor is affiliated to a tender.

“According to the contractor, the reason they dump here is because the landfill sites do not accept wet refuse. However, when I spoke to one of the superintendents of the Bellville landfill site, he said they accept any refuse, as long as your paperwork is in order.

“I also spoke to the superintendent of the Hanover Park solid waste department, as this area falls under them, and he told me he is aware of this dumping here. I want to know how the City can approve a landfill site in a residential area?”

The dumping site is near Star College, Cypress Primary, the Cape Town Association for the Physically Disabled as well as the residential area.

Shahied Davids, a member of the Bridgetown Neighbourhood Watch, said criminals used the heaps of dirt to hide behind.

“We are almost in winter, and we still have to struggle with mosquitoes and flies. There is also a terrible stench and apart from the health implications, some criminals also use the heaps to hide behind. My question is whether City employees have done this illegally? How can they dump on a wetland? One of the trucks that was spotted dumping here had the City of Cape Town logo on. Even if the City gave them permission to dump here, they haven’t spoken to the community. There has been no community engagement. Even if this is a City-owned piece of land,” Mr Davids said.

Mr Felander said it would take a long time for all of the refuse to be removed.

“I was told it would take at least three months to move this refuse away from here, and that is if about 10 trucks of refuse are removed daily. Since our complaints, one truck comes in every third day, and they take one load away, so this is going to take much longer than three months.

“When we complained to the health inspector and we gave the name of the contractor, we were told that the person is a senior official within the City and not a contractor. The Bridgetown community is very much disappointed that the City allowed whoever to dump there,” Mr Felander said.

Ward councillor Rashid Adams said he had become aware of the situation on a community group chat.

“The amount of rubble there is horrifying. There are allegations that City officials are aware of this. I was told that when contractors clean out debris from a river, it takes about three days to dry. I am concerned that it has been there for a very long time. I have made enquiries and I have not received feedback about a timeline for all of it to be removed. I need to find out who gave permission and I am in contact with the City’s water and sanitation department,” Mr Adams said.

In response to questions from the Athlone News, mayoral committee member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien said in a statement that landfills, in line with national legislation, could only take waste from rivers once the moisture content was 40% or below.

“The City’s catchment, stormwater and river management (CSRM) branch used this site as a drying location before carting it to the landfill site. It is important to note that this is not a landfill site, but a holding location for drying river waste before transfer to landfills. The CRSM has started the process of transporting some of the material to the landfill sites after reaching the correct moisture content. This work is ongoing until the end of this financial year, which is on Sunday June 30,” he said.

Bridgetown resident Nazeem Felander looks over a polluted Black River, which runs alongside the dumping site.

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