Residents of the Pine Acres informal settlement in Philippi say they have been living without proper waste management services for nearly a decade, forcing families to exist among piles of uncollected rubbish surrounding their homes and walkways.

Community members have raised serious concerns about the health and safety risks posed by the ongoing lack of refuse collection, saying waste has built up to the point where residents are forced to breathe in the stinky air and step over rubbish just to leave their homes.

In a video shared with IOL, one resident, Mavilyn Sias, describes how waste has accumulated directly outside her dwelling.

She says that the garbage is very close to people’s homes, “you step out of your home and into the filth”.

The footage shows refuse piled close to homes, at the doors, in between dwellings, with no visible waste removal services in operation.

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“There is no service from the city and so people have created a system where holes are dug and when the garbage piles up, they set it alight. Our community has 55 informal homes and you can imagine what it is like to have 55 garbage holes in a small community,” says Sias in the video.

Residents say the situation has left them angry, frustrated, and feeling ignored by the City of Cape Town.

Another resident, Keith Blake, claims repeated attempts to engage the City of Cape Town’s waste management department have failed.

According to Keith, emails shared with the media show that he has been raising concerns with the city for years, with one of the emails dating back at least two years.

“The city has still not provided dirt bags for Pine Acres informal settlement in Philippi after many emails and promises,” Keith said.

“Yet pictures show EPWP workers using multiple plastic bags to clean sand in non-residential, middle-class areas, while Pine Acres, where the need is desperate, is ignored.”

He alleges that Pine Acres has been denied basic services such as dirt bags and clean-up programmes, despite numerous emails and assurances from city officials.

Blake further alleged that while some neighbouring areas receive regular cleaning services and waste bags, Pine Acres residents have been denied these basic resources for years.

“This is about dignity,” he said.

“Pine Acres is clustered with dirt because residents are denied simple plastic bags and a clean-up via the EPWP programme. The most vulnerable members of the community are being left behind.”

Residents are calling on the city’s leadership, including the mayor, to visit Pine Acres and witness conditions first hand.

The City of Cape Town asked for 24 hours to do their own investigations and collect data before responding to any questions regarding the alleged lack of waste collection and the claims made by residents.

This is a developing story.

lilita.gcwabe@inl.co.za

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