More than R91 million has been spent by Emfuleni Local Municipality on grass cutting and clearing dumpsites, yet communities remain overrun by waste with illegal dumping spilling into parks and main roads. The municipality has admitted it is operating with just 38 workers and four tractors.
This was confirmed in replies in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, which revealed that R46,855,216.93 was spent on grass cutting over three financial years, while a further R45 million went towards clearing dumpsites, despite conditions on the ground continuing to deteriorate.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) Emfuleni mayoral candidate Kingsol Chabalala said the figures point to serious governance failures and possible misuse of public funds.
“The DA can reveal possible misappropriation of funds in Emfuleni after posing questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, inquiring about the money being spent on maintenance with no discernible impact.”
He said residents are paying the price for systemic collapse.
“This alludes to the continued financial mismanagement and maladministration by the ANC-led Emfuleni municipality, this ineptitude is unfairly subsidised with taxpayers’ money,” he added.
Municipal spokesperson Makhosonke Sangweni defended the municipality’s approach, citing a lack of internal capacity as the reason for outsourcing.
“The Municipality is making use of external contractors for grass cutting services due to lack of internal capacity.”
He explained that the Parks Section is responsible for Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging and Sebokeng, covering approximately 2,916 hectares, making internal service delivery difficult with current resources.
“With a total of 38 machine operators, where 6 are permanent employees with 32 being on acting and 4 tractors available, it is impossible to render any meaningful service.”
Sangweni said 23 service providers had been appointed under a three-year contract, with their scope including the removal of grass and unwanted vegetation across the municipality.
“A total of 23 service providers, whose three-year contract expired in November 2025 were appointed… No specific area was allocated to each service provider,” he said.
He added that the scale of the municipality and budget limitations meant services could not be delivered consistently.
“Due to the vastness of the area and budget constraints, maintenance on a regular and on-going basis was not possible. All the areas received two cuts per growing season,” he added.
Sangweni said oversight mechanisms were in place, with designated municipal officials responsible for monitoring the quality and progress of work, supported by signed performance assessment reports between the department and contractors.
He added that documentation exists to confirm completed work.
“Yes, a Performance Assessment Report was signed… coupled with before and after pictures… when work is completed,” he said.
However, the municipality acknowledged a major disruption in service delivery.
“The contracts of the appointed contractors expired in November 2025, and the new appointments were completed in April 2026. This resulted in a period of 4 months where there was no activity.”
While officials attribute some deterioration to this gap, residents said the problem runs far deeper.
That failure in basic maintenance is now most evident in the municipality’s escalating dumping crisis.
Despite millions spent on clearing dumpsites, illegal dumping has intensified spreading into parks, open spaces and now main roads, creating both environmental and safety hazards.
During an oversight visit by The Star, waste was found spilling into key routes, partially blocking roads and forcing motorists to slow down or divert. Parks have been overtaken by refuse, while some dumping sites are located dangerously close to public facilities.
At a site near a clinic in Zone 11, Sebokeng, the impact has become unavoidable.
“It’s unbearable. The smell hits you before you even reach the clinic. People come here for help, but instead they are met with filth and flies,” a resident said.
Residents said the crisis is now disrupting everyday life.
“Dumping has spread into the roads and parks. You can’t walk freely anymore, and cars have to navigate around waste. It’s completely out of control.”
Residents said even their own attempts to intervene have failed.
“We tried to clean the dumping site when it started spilling into the road, but within days it was back. People keep dumping because nothing is enforced.”
The situation is further worsened by limited refuse collection capacity. The Star previously reported that the municipality had only five operational refuse trucks, severely restricting its ability to manage waste effectively across communities.
The Star
masabata.mkwananzi@inl.co.za