A surprise crackdown on illegal dumping on the banks of the Jukskei River in Alexandra on Thursday morning resulted in Johannesburg metro police department (JMPD) officials impounding eight dump trucks and fining five drivers.
The covert operation was organised by the City of Joburg’s environment and infrastructure services department, during which MMC Michael Sun visited the scene and met community members who were anxious to show him the extent of the dumping scourge.
The problem came to light when social workers from NGO Khulisa Social Solutions began working with waste pickers in the area who call themselves Water Warriors, grouping together to tackle cleaning the river.
Sun picked up on a media report about the Water Warriors and the trauma they face as they encounter not only hazardous waste and illegal dumping in their community every day, but also mutilated animal remains, witchcraft paraphernalia, aborted foetuses and other disturbing material dumped in the river.
Sun’s department teamed up with JMPD and Pikitup to blitz the area where Lenni Drive, Marlboro Road, the Gautrain and the highway intersect with hundreds of homes and the river.
The undercover team drove out to catch offenders in the act. Metro officials in unmarked cars entered first. Sun and some officials waited a short distance away. Waste pickers, council officials, social workers and journalists all headed out to watch the action.
TimesLIVE Premium photographer Ziphozonke Lushaba borrowed a large blue overall that gaped over his slender frame, allowing him to carry his camera around his neck unnoticed. Another lensman carried his TV camera in a large KFC paper bag.
The team headed off and encountered community spokesperson Monday Nyathi.
MMC Michael Sun, out in Alexandra on an illegal dumping crackdown. #Jukskei #dumping pic.twitter.com/hBHfTxoPDB
— Gill Gifford (@GiffordGill) August 18, 2022
“If you are coming here with solutions, you are more than welcome. But please don’t bother if you are not going to do anything to help. We have been reporting this problem many, many times for maybe 10 years,” Nyathi yelled.
“We don’t want to fight with you. But if you come here you must come and introduce yourself and say something so we can talk properly. Us and you. Don’t go and run away and do nothing,” he told council officials.
Waste picker Janky Matlala pointed out regular raids were needed to make any headway. He pointed out people in the distance on their cellphones, saying they were tipping off those planning to dump.
“The big problem is corruption. You can impound this truck today, but I can promise you tomorrow he will be back,” Matlala said.
Sun told the community Thursday’s raid was the first of an ongoing series of actions to tackle the problem. He then headed out to the Marlboro Gardens police station to confront the arrested dumping offenders.
“I am not here to fight with you,” he told the community. “I am here to fight with these drivers and the truck owners who are causing this problem.”
Facing the apprehended drivers, he shouted out at them: “I have been down at the river and I have seen what is going on there and what you are doing. How would you like me to take this truck here and drive it to your house and dump this big load in your yard?”
The raid saw the impounding of eight dump trucks and five drivers each fined R5,000. Plans were made for a community meeting to thrash out solutions with officials to come up with sustainable strategies to clean up the Jukskei.
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