Note to Editors: Please note Hannah Lidgett, MPL sound bite in English
A recent DA oversight inspection of the Newcastle landfill site has uncovered alarming and serious environmental and health risks to residents as a result of non-compliance.
The visit has revealed a site riddled with failures (view here and here) including fires – first reported in early September – which continue to smoulder due to the absence of a daily cover, a minimum legal requirement.
Further non-compliance includes;
• Leachate visibly pooling without containment
• Smouldering waste emitting chemical odours and;
• Refuse left uncovered in direct violation of basic landfill regulations.
Critical infrastructure has also collapsed with the municipality operating with only two functioning compactor trucks and most plant equipment lying broken or leased. Furthermore, no daily cover has been applied on site since mid-2024 and operational funding is virtually non-existent.
Despite a R123 million municipal waste budget, only R180 000 is allocated for landfill operations with the bulk of the funding going to salaries. The DA, as has submitted a written parliamentary question requesting a breakdown on salary expenditure to establish how many positions are directly linked to the landfill operation.
During a KZN conservation portfolio committee meeting held last week, it was established that KZN’s Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) had already issued a 24-hour cease-operation notice. Yet, the municipality continues to flout compliance on the grounds that there is no alternative disposal site. This mismanagement reflects years of under-investment and disregard for environmental safety.
The DA will recommend that the municipality submit quarterly compliance reports to the committee and immediately implement EDTEA’s directives – including covering smouldering waste and reinstating daily cover. We will also call for urgent investment in equipment, leachate management and waste separation at source to reduce landfill pressure and generate revenue through recycling.
Newcastle’s landfill has been in operation for 55 years – far beyond its design life – and without immediate intervention, it will continue to endanger both the environment and public health. As a responsible partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), the DA will not allow this municipality to continue risking the safety of its residents through negligence and inaction.