Press Statement by Maureen Scheepers: DA Councillor in eMalahleni
- Residents are plagued by inconsistent refuse collection for over two months.
- Seven refuse removal trucks are out of commission because of repairs and maintenance.
- DA leads picket demanding action on stalled refuse collection.
20 August 2026
Release: Immediate.
The Democratic Alliance in eMalahleni submitted a letter to the Municipal Manager, Sizwe Mayisela, demanding urgent action as refuse collection falls weeks behind.
Over the past two months, residents across the municipality have been plagued by sporadic refuse removal. Although the municipality has cited fleet problems as the reason, we maintain that this excuse is no longer acceptable given the duration of the crisis.
In our engagement with the relevant department, we discovered that more than seven refuse removal vehicles is currently in the workshop for repairs and maintenance.
This points to serious mismanagement of the municipality’s fleet. Instead of ensuring that repairs and maintenance is done in a controlled manner, the municipality has allowed the situation to deteriorate to the point that there are not enough operational vehicles to maintain the refuse collection schedule.
As a result of the above, there is a refuse collection backlog of approximately two weeks in some parts of eMalahleni, while other areas are facing backlog of three weeks.
Residents of eMalahleni should not bare the brunt of municipal mismanagement. Proper fleet maintenance, preventative maintenance and contingency planning are core municipal functions.
Yesterday, the DA led a picket at the Waste Management Depot in Louis Street to bring attention to the ongoing refuse collection crisis and demand action from the municipality.
The people of eMalahleni pay for municipal services and have every right to have those services to be delivered consistently, effectively and responsibly.
The DA will continue to hold the municipality accountable and we will not accept excuses, while residents are left with weeks of uncollected refuse.
For media queries:
Maureen Scheepers
DA Councillor in eMalahleni
082 565 6770