Press Realse By: Cllr Anphia Grobler – DA Councillor in Steve Tshwete Local Municipality
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Steve Tshwete will write to the Municipal Manager, Mandla Mnguni, demanding answers about the delayed refuse removal services and schedule disruptions that are occurring throughout the municipality.
The DA finds it extremely concerning to note that a recently released Annual Report (2024/25) for the municipality reiterated the challenges that residents are facing as they noted a 60% shortage of municipal-owned refuse removal trucks.
Given the above shortage of compactor trucks and ongoing challenges within the municipality’s fleet, they undertook a lease agreement with a service provider. However, residents were faced with disrupted schedules and delayed refuse removal services from November last year because the lease that they had with the service provider had lapsed
Despite stating that these issues would be resolved when an adjustment budget would be tabled by the end of February 2026, the issue persists. The DA expresses concern that this failure has resulted in residents experiencing not only delays in refuse removal, but also an increase in illegal dumping and theft of green wheelie bins.
Additionally, the lack of operational streetlights has contributed to feelings of insecurity among residents, who must retrieve their bins at various hours of the night.
It must be noted that the municipality’s failure to stick to the refuse removal schedule not only created a health hazard and an environmental disaster, but it also contravenes the residents constitutional right to an environment that is not detrimental to their health.
It can never be business as usual, Steve Tshwete Local Municipality has failed to devise a solid plan for efficient refuse removal. The DA maintains that residents cannot continue to bear the consequences of avoidable administrative failures, especially since they pay for reliable, consistent waste collection and deserve nothing less.
We will not relent; we ensure that there is a clear strategy that addresses the shortage of compactor trucks in the municipality.