By Bernell Simons

Landfill sites in Mangaung remain in a state of crisis, with criminal activity, illegal occupation by waste pickers and persistent fires continuing to undermine waste management efforts in the metro.

The issue was thrust back into the spotlight earlier this month during a three-day conference led by Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Bernice Swarts in Bloemfontein.

 The gathering brought together stakeholders from national, provincial and local government to confront long-standing failures in the system.

At the centre of the debate is the ongoing marginalisation of waste pickers.

Speaking on behalf of the African Reclaimers Organisation, Luyanda Hlatshwayo said government has failed to act on warnings raised more than a decade ago. He highlighted that policies to formally integrate waste pickers already exist but are poorly implemented, leaving many operating in unsafe and unregulated conditions.

Oversight inspections conducted by the Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment revealed the extent of the dysfunction.

Officials identified broken fencing, uncontrolled access points and the emergence of informal settlements within landfill sites — conditions that enable both criminal activity and illegal dumping.

Deputy director-general for chemicals and waste-management in the department of forestry, fisheries and environment, Mamogala Musekene confirmed that vandalism and weak access control continue to compromise safety and effective site management.

Musukene says landfill sites are no longer just waste facilities, but hotspots of lawlessness and environmental risk.

“It spans years of ignored warnings, now culminating in a worsening crisis in key landfill sites in Mangaung.

“This is the result of poor enforcement, lack of coordination and failure to implement existing policies and it is rooted in collapsing infrastructure and systemic neglect, he said.