How you can expose illegal dumping in Joburg

25 January 2017 - 21:35 By Shenaaz Jamal
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A file photo of the Johannesburg skyline.
A file photo of the Johannesburg skyline.
Image: Gallo Images/ Thinkstock

The Democratic Alliance has wasted little time in cracking the whip on tidying up the City of Joburg.

The newly-elected administration has borrowed a leaf from the City of Cape Town as it implements an action plan and hotline to identify and prosecute the culprits who dump waste and junk around the city.

The Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s By-law Management Unit has initiated a Community Active Programme‚ encouraging residents to jot down clear details about illegal dumping and report them to officials.

Residents are urged to take clear photos of culprits‚ number plate details and the nature of waste dumped with time and dates so that culprits are tracked down.

MMC for Public Safety Michael Sun said that some operators would charge anything from R600 to R2‚000 for waste to be carted off and dumped around the city.

“Waste is dumped in open fields‚ parks and even into the river systems which in turn pollutes our environment and contaminates our valuable water resources‚” said Sun.

“For too long‚ illegal dumpers have prospered at the expense of our City and the health of our residents and environment‚” he added.

Residents are encouraged to send their tip offs to Deputy Director Zed Mangaliso on WhatsApp or SMS to the number 082 779 1361.

-TMG Digital/The Times

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