It’s a mess in Mangaung: Bloemfontein residents pay while refuse bags pile up

Many residents of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality have been without reliable refuse collection for almost two weeks. Refuse bags are piling up in front of houses, in streets and on sidewalks and the smell is spreading through the neighborhoods. AfriForum once again calls on the Mangaung metro to urgently approve a process that will allow residents to make use of private refuse collection services without also paying for unreliable municipal refuse collection.

According to AfriForum, the Mangaung Metro’s continued failure to provide refuse removal services in Bloemfontein is no longer just a service delivery problem, but a crisis that affects residents’ quality of life and the health of the environment.

“There comes a point where residents’ patience runs out. People pay their municipal bills, keep their end of the bargain and still try to keep their homes, streets and neighbourhoods tidy. Yet they are rewarded with piles of rubbish, stench, decay and a municipality that fails to fulfil one of its most basic duties. This is visible evidence of a metro that is failing its residents,” says Christo Groenewald, AfriForum’s district coordinator in Bloemfontein.

Amid the Mangaung Metro’s failure to provide services to paying residents, AfriForum’s refuse removal service removed 75.04 tons of refuse in Bloemfontein in May this year.

AfriForum believes that the metro cannot continue to expect residents to pay for a service that is not reliably delivered. Where the municipality fails to meet its duty, residents should have the right to be exempted from the relevant tariffs and to make use of alternative, reliable services.

AfriForum therefore encourages members to join AfriForum Vullisverwydering (refuse removal) by visiting www.vullisverwydering.co.za. Members can also apply for exemption from municipal refuse removal rates through this platform.