Molteno residents left with overflowing rubbish after months without collection

Streets and dumping sites in Molteno are overflowing with uncollected refuse after months without a single municipal collection in Wards 28 and 29 of Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality.

Residents say refuse trucks that service Queenstown / Komani no longer come to Molteno, leaving households to live alongside mounting piles of waste.

Sello Lose, a resident of Ward 29, has lodged a formal complaint to Acting Municipal Manager Apiwe Mkhangelwa demanding urgent intervention.

In a letter dated this week, Lose states that no refuse trucks have serviced residential areas in Molteno for months, creating a serious health risk for children and the elderly.

“Streets and dumping sites are now overflowing. This poses a serious health risk,” the complaint reads. “We observe municipal refuse trucks actively servicing Queenstown, while Molteno is completely ignored.”

Photographs taken on 24 August 2026 and attached to the complaint show illegal dumping sites overflowing with domestic waste.

Residents argue the failure violates Section 24 of the Constitution — the right to an environment not harmful to health — and the municipality’s duty to provide basic services.

They are demanding three things: a written explanation for why Molteno has been excluded, a dated action plan for resumption of collection, and an emergency clean-up of existing dump sites.

Lose has given the municipality seven working days to respond, failing which residents say they will escalate the matter to COGTA, the South African Human Rights Commission, the Public Protector and the media.

Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, which governs Komani, Molteno and Tarkastad, has a long history of service delivery and financial challenges, having been placed under intervention multiple times.

At the time of going to press, the municipality had not yet responded to queries.

Municipal spokesperson Lonwabo Kowa said the municipality is currently experiencing a breakdown of the refuse-collection vehicle servicing the area.

“A process of appointing a contractor for repairs is underway and the service will soon be revived. Additionaly, the Municipality has purchased two new refuse trucks which will be delivered later this month. This will help improve the refuse collection service around the Municipality,” he said