City Law Enforcement officers joined Bonteheuwel residents to clean up the canal last Saturday.
Old fridges, microwaves, lounge suites and blankets were pulled from the canal and, along with other rubbish, filled seven trucks, said Bonteheuwel ward councillor Angus McKenzie.
“Keeping our community clean is all of our responsibility and reporting illegal dumping is critical in ensuring we keep it clean. Bonteheuwel is diong it’s part in creating a cleaner and safer city. Let’s continue to keep Bonteheuwel clean,” he said.
Dumping hot spots included Als Avenue, Assegai Avenue, Bramble Way, Kersboom Street, Vlamboom Square and the canal.
The City spent R350 million a year cleaning illegal-dumping hot spots across the metro, he said.
Mr McKenzie said that a cleaner Bonteheuwel was a safer Bonteheuwel because clean areas forced out criminal activity while dumping hot spots attracted it. Residents should play their part by sweeping in front of their homes, picking up litter and reporting those who dumped illegally.
Bonteheuwel resident Sumaya Davids, who has stayed in Bonteheuwel for 54 years, helped with the clean-up. She said that dumping was mainly found on the corners of Syringa and Taaibos streets, the corner of Terblans and Turksvy roads, Vlamboom Square, the corner of Smalblaar Road and on the field opposite Cedar Primary School.
Ms Davids said that people dumped because they got paid to do so, and drug addicts burnt their scrap on open fields.
“Over the last year, dumping has gotten worse,” she said. “I think the solution to dumping is to turn dumping spaces into veggie gardens. The community must work together to stop this illegal dumping. If they see people dumping, report them, or if you know they want to go and dump, stop them in their tracks like I do.”
She said if a dumping spot was cleared today it would be dumped on tomorrow.
Miskah Martin, from Bonteheuwel, said that dumping would forever remain an issue because residents paid drug addicts to dump their rubbish.
“People who don’t put out their dirt give the drug addicts R5 to empty their bins on any vacant site. We can name and take pictures, but the people do not care,” she said.