Garbage issue to be 'solved within a year'
Okahandja tackles rubbish
The town's chief executive says there is finally light at the end of the tunnel for Okahandja's litter problems.
“[It's] sad to see the piles of rubbish lying there, not being removed. Everything that ends up in the river flows to the Swakoppoort dam, which is already so polluted," a resident of Okahandja told our sister publication Republikein by email."We have residents who are actively helping to solve the problems, but if the municipality removes garbage, the next day there is garbage that the municipality did not put there," says Charl Coetzee, a representative of the Okahandja Rate Payers Association (Orpa) and a member of the town's municipal council.
“One problem created another; because we have historically had problems with garbage, this has created a trend and a tradition of littering among residents. We also have a culture of finger-pointing. There are people who sit and watch, but the only way we are going to solve these problems is if those people get off their high horses and help," he says.
According to him, the new residents who flock to Okahandja also put more stress on the historical problems that the town's leadership is trying to solve on a limited budget.
"People flock to Okahandja and the problems are exacerbated, because many of the people who flock here are unemployed. They contribute to the garbage problem, but not to the town's capital, so we are not balancing our economy at this stage," said Coetzee.
Within a year
Alfons Tjitombo, Okahandja's chief executive, says the municipality is aware of the garbage problem and that the town's solid waste management systems should be operational within a year.
"If the previous leaders did not put systems in place, you will inherit an unfavourable legacy and this will be detrimental to your systems. Our previous leaders did not have plans in place to manage solid waste, but we have come up with various strategies to tackle the issues such as where to take the rubbish and from the landfill, among others,” he said.
Tjitombo says the municipality plans to close the current landfill. "The current landfill is at its maximum capacity and is located near a residential area, especially for residents with a very low income," said Tjitombo.
According to Tjitombo, the municipality is also buying wheelie bins in phases and adding more vehicles to its fleet to manage rubbish.
"There is a lot of money involved, but it has to be done."
According to Tjitombo, public education will contribute to alleviating the town's garbage headache. "The public must be educated to not litter. Littering can only be tackled when we have the capacity and that capacity is bins and education,” he said.