The City of Cape Town spends R100 million annually to clear illegally dumped waste, addressing more than 800 complaints.
This, while the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment DFFE said over 400 complaints were received nationally, with 52 municipalities having cases against them for non-compliance in curbing the on-going issue.
The City of Cape Town said their Urban Waste Management By-law Enforcement Unit continued to make inroads in combatting illegal dumping in the past year and issued 604 fines issued for illegal dumping, amounting to a total value of R1 223 500, while 865 illegal dumping complaints were attended to, and 385 compliance notices issued to offenders.
The City said they annually spent R100 million on illegal dumping.
“The public can submit photographs of offenders in the act, accompanied by identifiable details, such as vehicle registration numbers, which can significantly aid in applying the law effectively and ensuring cleaner and healthier communities,” it said.
“We cannot have an officer on every street corner, but with the community's eyes and support, we can create cleaner, safer neighbourhoods.
“Those convicted of an offence could be fined up to R5 000, have their vehicle impounded, or face a two-year prison sentence.
“In addition, for every report that leads to a fine and conviction, the City is offering a reward from R1 000 up to R5 000, depending on the offence. Photographs that help identify the culprits assist in obtaining convictions.
“Littering and dumping is a wide-spread problem across Cape Town, with the City spending more than R100 million each year to clear illegal dumping.”
Hotspots for dumping include Dunoon, Wallaceeden, Elsies River, Atlantis Industrial Area, Wynberg, Retreat, Parkwood, Vrygrond, Muizenberg, Strandfontein Road, Eerste River, Blackheath, Blue Downs, Kalkfontein, Wesbank, Kuils River, Duinefontein Road, Old Lansdowne Road, Swartklip Road, Philippi East, Eisleben Road and AZ Berman Road in Mitchell's Plain.
Last month in Strandfontein, in a shocking video shared on TikTok, a Bay View resident shared how six bags of pig parts were dumped on an open field, leaving residents gagging and reeling due to the stench of decomposition, and called for the City and the ward councillor, Elton Jansen to react.
Jansen on Monday said the matter was resolved but that they could not establish where the pig parts had emanated from.
“It was attended to the next day after I reported it. The origin could not be determined,” he said.
In a parliamentary question and response, DFFE Minister Dion George said insufficient waste collection usually leads to illegal dumping, as municipalities have been facing a strain in recent years due to a constrained fiscus and non-payment of services by rate payers.
“In cases where waste contractors are found dumping waste at sites not authorised for this purpose, a complaint should be lodged with DFFE,” he said.
“The DFFE will ensure that the matter is referred to the relevant institutions mandated to initiate enforcement interventions.
“In relation to the dumping of general waste at undesignated sites, the provincial environmental departments and relevant units in the different municipalities are primarily responsible for addressing this issue.”
He said the 52 cases highlighted in a portfolio committee meeting held in March was still under investigation by the respective provincial environmental departments, and the final outcomes regarding the individuals who may be prosecuted have not yet been determined.
“Regarding the six cases involving Section 105A plea and sentence agreements (Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Free State), it is important to note that these matters were settled by the municipalities themselves rather than by the individuals implicated in the wrongdoing,” he said.
Member of the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Siyabonga Mkhize, asked George about the enforcement mechanisms implemented to curb illegal dumping in the past three years, and what the minister found to be the reasons that the total number of dumping hotspots had increased instead of decreasing.
He also asked what mechanisms were put in place to address non- compliance by waste contractors who dumped waste at undesignated sites, given that 52 criminal cases have been opened against municipalities for noncompliance across the country.
In his response, George said the Environmental Crimes and Incidents Hotline analysed complaints to determine which organ of the state has the legal mandate to respond to the specific type of complaint and then formally refer such to the relevant national, provincial or local authority for further inspection or investigation.
"An analysis of complaints received through the hotline, relating to illegal dumping and waste, show a steady increase in the number of reports - year on year, signifying an increasing awareness of these types of contraventions by members of the public and the willingness to report them through the Environmental Crimes and Incidents Hotline."
According to the data shared, during the three-year period of 2021 to 2024, 420 incidents were reported to the department, with the period of 2023/24 recording 228 incidents.
George said the department also developed a model for waste by-laws to assist municipalities to develop by-laws and address illegal dumping.
“Enforcement mechanisms are in place to address illegal dumping, both on a national as well as a local authority level,” said George.
“Local authority by-laws contain similar prohibitions, for example, the City of Cape Town's Integrated Waste Management By-law, 2009 (PG 6651; LA 18633 of 21 August 2009) provides that no person may drop, throw, deposit, spill, dump, store or in any other way discard, any litter or waste into or onto any public place, municipal drain, land, vacant erf, stream, water etc.”
Cape Argus