The Council of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has fast-tracked the implementation of a comprehensive illegal dumping strategy that was approved last month.

Executive Mayor Benson Fihla recently requested that management develop a template that will allow the council to track the progress of the implementation of council decisions that were passed.

A phased-in approach will be taken to implement the comprehensive strategy that will require extensive financial resources to fully implement. The roll out of a weekly garbage collection service to all households in Nelson Mandela Bay will be implemented in phases depending availability of funds. A whistle-blower policy will be developed with regard to illegal dumping – this could include incentives to the members of the public who can provide proof of illegal dumping – and a single, centralised unit will be responsible for the implementation to avoid grey areas and bottle-necks.

The strategy will be implemented in three phases: immediate, short-term and medium- to long-term actions. Immediate actions will include enforcement, awareness, a by-law fines schedule and the identification of redundant municipal land. Short-term actions will comprise of community and public awareness, hot-spots management and community employment projects. Medium- to long-term actions will consist of infrastructure requirements, change of service delivery frequency, the formation of a dedication unit to deal with illegal dumping and public-private partnerships, amongst others.

According to Portfolio Chairperson for Public Health, Cllr Patricia Ndlovu, the council approved, amongst others that the City Manager Mpilo Mbambisa intervene and address the stalemate between two supply chain management committees regarding the approval of tenders to appoint community-based contractors.

Ndlovu said service levels agreements must be drafted while the awarding of tenders are concluded to ensure it is ready for signature when the tenders are awarded. Funding must also be secured to ensure that additional rangers can be appointed to combat illegal dumping.