Civil rights organisation AfriForum has launched an initiative to audit the minimum requirements as prescribed by national legislation on the management of landfills.

AfriForum says it will ensure that landfills comply with this legislation and that every landfill has a permit. This licence may contain specific conditions for the landfill. The list of conditions may vary, from the type of waste which may be dumped to additional water tests which must be done at adjacent boreholes.

AfriForum Provincial Coordinator for Limpopo Morné Mostert explained that, after completion of the audit, the report will be studied in depth by the organisation’s environmental specialist. “Should the result be positive, AfriForum will issue a certificate to the responsible authority. Should it be a poor result, the authorities will receive a warning to comply with regulations,” Mostert said.

After visiting landfills, the group identified several problems. “After our visit to the Warmbaths (Bela-Bela) landfill we realized that drainage presents a big problem. Should the rains really come down, the access roads will be unusable. This will lead to waste being dumped along the routes. The Municipality must do something about this issue,” said Tinus Ras, Chair of the AfriForum branch in Warmbaths.

Tjaart du Plessis, chair of the AfriForum branch in Nylstroom said that during a visit to the Nylstroom (Modimolle) landfill, they found medical waste on the site. “In terms of their licence this is illegal and may pose a huge danger to the community.”