The current rubbish collection chaos, which has seen bins sitting out on pavements for four days or more after the scheduled weekly collection, could be set to continue if rubbish agency Pikitup’s own admissions are anything to go by.
The delays could snowball, as depots in Joburg battle to clear backlogs which have been building up since the start of the month.
Broken promises
Pikitup spokesperson Muzi Mkhwanazi promised service rounds would be completed by Monday, according to reports received from teams on the ground.
However, his words rang hollow with residents in some areas, who were promised by Pikitup’s social media team that their bins would be collected on Saturday, yet were still sitting in the streets on Sunday night.
Mkhwanazi said whatever was not completed on the scheduled day would be attended to the following day.
“In a given normal day, if we are not able to complete a round, what normally happens [is] that the following day we will service that round,” he said.
“If it is two days, it becomes difficult because we are chasing yesterday’s round, trying to finish the current day’s rounds and the following day’s round so it becomes an issue.”
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Mkhwanazi said the delays were due to the introduction of new fleet contracts for trucks belonging to the removal entity and that new people employed on the logistics side did not understand the logistics of Pikitup.
He did not explain why this had not been covered in contingency planning, either by the utility or the company which won the fleet contract.
Other communiques issued by Pikitup referred to the cause of the delays as “the introduction of a new ad hoc fleet service providers [sic]”.
Social media reacts
A number of frustrated residents aired their anger on social media platforms.
Crozier Mark tweeted: “It would help if the Pikitup contact centre was actually taking calls!” while Cynthia Hobbs said: “So here we are. No refuse removal because Pikitup don’t have trucks.”
Devan Naidoo asked: “When can we expect refunds for refuse removal?”
There had been no new communication from the Pikitup social media team since Friday afternoon.
However, before they knocked off for the weekend, they were full of praise for the Norwood, Waterval, Zondi and Midrand depots for their alleged alacrity in dealing with the backlogs.
Kudos to Norwood depot who have almost normalised waste collection in their area of service. The depot has managed to clear the majority of its backlogs, except Troyeville which will be serviced tomorrow, meaning normal waste will resume on Monday @CityofJoburgZA— Pikitup (@CleanerJoburg) November 4, 2022
A “community notice” posted on social media referred to additional problems, including “internal labour relations in some depots”, but that also promised the backlog would be cleared by Sunday.
However, in many areas, with bins still on the street last night, residents feared they would have to wait until the next collection date, a full week later, for their refuse to be collected.
The areas affected by the delays included Midrand, Randburg, Southdale, Bosmont, Melville, Northcliff, Troyeville, Emmarentia and Parkwood.
Meanwhile, as the scuffle for political power in Johannesburg continued, residents were worried about the impact on service delivery.
The City of Joburg requested a R2 billion loan to keep it afloat, with Mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse saying the city’s finances were not in a favourable position.
“It is a matter we are trying to resolve.”
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