Update | 3 March 2025:
The City of Cape Town confirmed that it restored its refuse collection services in Manenberg on 3 March 2025, with any backlog that may have occurred being cleared.
In response to the safety risks which initially caused the suspension, the City stated: ‘Going forward, daily safety assessments will be done in Manenberg before collections staff enter the area’.
The City also added: ‘Shootings may cause delays in refuse collection, but the City will return as soon as it is safe to do so and clear any backlog’.
The City of Cape Town has issued a statement informing Manenberg residents that waste collection services are being suspended until further notice as a result of the spike of ongoing gang violence in the area, reports Cape {town} Etc.
According to the City, its waste collection staff have had to work in the crossfire between gangs regularly, which ultimately presents an unacceptable risk to their safety.
‘I assure the residents of the area that this decision has not been taken lightly. Staff members working in the area have shown their commitment to serving the community under very unsafe conditions in recent years,’ said acting MMC for Urban Waste Management Councillor Siseko Mbandezi.
‘The City will explore new strategies for servicing the area that can improve the safety of those who provide services.’
The City’s statement added that Urban Waste Management officials will seek to urgently engage relevant stakeholders around possible interventions over the coming weeks and will provide updates in due course.
‘During this time, we ask residents to please refrain from dumping for as long as they can. The area will be prioritised to have their bins emptied as soon as possible,’ added Mbandezi. ‘Please ensure your bins are out and available for collection when requested.
Manenberg Community Police Forum (CPF) Deputy Chairperson Vanessa Adriaanse told IOL that they don’t blame the City for its decision given the intensity of violence currently present in the area.
‘We don’t blame the City for not wanting to come into the communities with the situation in place, because one needs to keep in mind that the workers need to put food on the table for their families, but one can never expect someone to stand up in the morning and go to work knowing that the bullet might hit you because of the ongoing senseless shootings,’ said Adriaanse.
‘Manenberg police station is understaffed, which makes it difficult to conquer such a war,’ she added. ‘They are shooting daily. We don’t know what is making these gangsters so heartless because they don’t even care anymore whether it’s day or night.’
The City’s statement follows a week after the third quarterly crime stats revealed that the Western Cape recorded the highest number of gang-related murders, with 263 counts reported between October and December 2024.
Apart from Manenberg, the police identified Bishop Lavis, Mitchell’s Plain, Kleinvlei, Delft and Elsies River as ‘Cape Town’s own murder meccas’.
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Picture: Brenton Geach / Gallo Images
