Residents staying next to the road leading to Univen farm from the main Punda Maria road are up in arms about the Thulamela municipality.
This follows a spate of illegal dumpings taking place along the road, which has been reduced to a dumping site. Construction companies and residents from the surrounding areas have turned the main road from Muledane leading to the Univen experimental farm into an illegal dumping area.
What is left of the road, which is about a kilometre long, is a small path as both sides are laden with rubble of left over from construction sites and stinking grime from homes. The illegal dumping area has become a source of concern for residents living near the area. They are complaining and fear that the rotten waste could lead to an outbreak of diseases.
Residents who stay at Maungani just opposite the illegal dumping site say they started noticing trucks and other vehicles offloading rubbish at the site at the beginning of the year, but they did not panic as it was on a very small scale. Ms Shonie Mulaudzi (25), a student at one of the local colleges, said the area had become "a living hell" as they must use the road daily on their way to college. "Things are bad here as people dump whatever they feel, from dead animals to their own home bins that they empty there. We have to endure the stench here all the time and it becomes worse when it is hot and windy."
She expressed the fear that some people could get sick and that the unhealthy situation could lead to the spread of diseases. "We are appealing to the authorities, who seem to be turning a blind eye to the illegal activities that are taking place there, to enforce the laws and fine those who are turning the road into a dumping site," she said.
Ms Martha Makaulula (35), who works at the local industrial area, said the situation was becoming unbearable as more and more were using the site instead of the legal one at Muledane. "Please help us out of this mess. Please monitor this area, and you will be surprised as to how many people use this area."
Thulamela municipality's spokesperson, Nndwamato Tshiila, said they were not aware that such an illegal activity was taking place there. "The problem with illegal dumping is the fact that those who are involved do so under the cover of darkness. It is illegal just to dump things everywhere, whereas we have a designated dumping area that people should use. We are now making an appeal to the public that whoever sees any illegal activity should report it to the municipality," said Tshiila.
He further indicated that they were going to sit down with Univen and see what they could do to turn the situation around.