Reports have been coming out of Durban over the last two weeks that uMlazi residents are furious over uncollected domestic refuse that’s been piling up outside their homes.

Men claiming to be uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) veterans allegedly threatened refuse collectors at gunpoint and told them not to continue carrying out their work.

News sources indicate the MK vets are working in conjunction an organisation called the Umlazi Business Forum, a non-profit organisation claiming to, “promote, regulate, and protect professional interests.”

Protestors say their actions are a result of tender allocation irregularities, believing that an uMlazi refuse collection job that was awarded to another contractor last year should have been awarded to them instead.

Yesterday, the City of eThekwini released a statement informing citizens that refuse collection had resumed, noting that a massive accumulation of uncollected bags has led to the process taking much longer than usual.

People affected by the protest number about half-a-million.