JOHANNESBURG - Residents in Randburg say they are fed up with mounting piles of rubbish as refuse collection delays leave streets littered with waste, raising concerns about public health and safety.
Bins in parts of the area have reportedly gone uncollected for 13 days, leaving residents frustrated and demanding urgent intervention.
In a statement earlier this week, waste management entity Pikitup said it was working to restore normal refuse collection services, attributing the delays to reduced operational capacity.
“Reduced operational capacity resulted in some scheduled collections being delayed, leaving waste uncollected in certain areas,” the entity said.
But residents say the problem is not new, describing repeated delays and promises to restore services that have left communities waiting for weeks.
One Randburg resident who spoke to eNCA described the situation as “absolutely atrocious”, questioning why residents continue to pay for a service they are not receiving.
The resident said the overflowing bins were particularly concerning because of the proximity of two schools.
“There are 50 dustbins standing outside Rand Park Primary. We’ve got the high school with another two and a half thousand kids,” the resident said.
The piles of rubbish have also raised hygiene concerns, with residents reporting nappies among the waste and warning that the conditions could attract insects and promote the spread of bacteria.
Residents say the prolonged presence of bins outside homes poses an additional security risk, as criminals could use them to climb over fences and break into properties.
“We’re in a catch-22 situation here,” the resident said, calling for urgent action to address the recurring problem.
Ward 98 councillor Beverly Jacobs said the latest disruption reflected longstanding service delivery challenges in the City of Johannesburg.
Jacobs said residents had experienced the latest round of delays for more than two weeks, while the broader problems had persisted for approximately two years, with disruptions becoming increasingly frequent.
She attributed the situation to what she described as poor governance, concerns about the city’s finances and a lack of communication between the municipality and Pikitup.
READ MORE | Overflowing bins: Pikitup promise falls flat as rubbish piles up
Jacobs said residents continued to pay for basic services despite not receiving the level of service they expected.
She added that residents had submitted petitions to both the city and the Public Protector but claimed their concerns had been ignored.
While Pikitup says it is working to restore normal operations, residents want to see those assurances translated into action.
The mounting frustration in Randburg has renewed questions about the reliability of basic municipal services and accountability to the communities that depend on them.