• Illegal dumping and poorly managed waste are endangering Tshwane’s communities, rivers and environment.
• Tshwane needs reliable waste collection, stronger enforcement, recycling infrastructure and support for legitimate recyclers.
• Residents, communities, businesses and government must work together to reduce landfill dependence and restore the city.
Cleanup and Recycle Week is an important reminder that keeping Tshwane clean is not simply about picking up litter — it is about protecting our communities, our rivers and our environment for future generations.
Yesterday, the DA visited a shocking illegal dumping and recycling site along the Hennops River, where enormous quantities of waste have been accumulated. The site is a stark example of how illegal dumping and poorly managed waste can destroy neighbourhoods and place people and the environment at risk.
The DA’s environmental policy supports expanding recycling and composting, integrating small businesses into recycling value chains, supporting community-led projects and shifting waste away from landfill dependence. The DA’s 2026 Local Government Manifesto also proposes exploring public-private partnerships for waste and recycling collection services.
Tshwane needs a practical, sustained approach: effective waste collection, enforcement against illegal dumping, support for legitimate recyclers, recycling infrastructure and partnerships with communities and the private sector. The DA will continue taking this issue to the ground.
The ANC-led City itself has acknowledged that illegal dumping, low recycling rates and insufficient recycling infrastructure are major challenges. But residents deserve to know what interventions were implemented, what enforcement took place, how many offenders were prosecuted, and why these sites keep growing in the inept hands of the ANC-led coalition.
A clean Tshwane is not a luxury. It is a basic requirement for a healthy, dignified and working city.
I encourage residents to start their own clean-up campaigns and restore the beauty and safety of their neighborhoods.