Residents in Florida express concern over the untidy state of the area
Pikitup waste removers are reportedly seen at taxi ranks and stations, absconding from duty.
Residents in Florida have expressed concern over the appalling state of their area, citing poor management by Pikitup.
According to businessman and resident Louis van der Merwe, most streets in the area are scattered with litter, and are often left unswept by the waste management entity for long periods of time.
“There seems to be poor operational planning and a disconnect between the entity’s management and the ground level. Our streets are unkept and waste is seldom collected on time.
Daily routines such as picking up litter are ignored. Our public bins are overflowing. Often, we see Pikitup workers and waste removers at taxi ranks and stations, absconding from duty. This is a grave concern,” he said.
Image: Supplied
Van der Merwe also said that the councillor for Ward 70, Caleb Finn, has been instrumental in taking the waste management entity to task.
“Councillor Finn has been very instrumental and helpful in bringing our challenges forward. We have escalated the matter to the both the regional and chief operational managers of Pikitup. In fact, the former regional manager of the entity’s Roodepoort depot, Stella Wilson, assured our community prior to her departure that street-sweeping would be reintroduced. We don’t know why this was stopped in the first place,” he concluded.
Also Read: Clean up campaign launched in Florida
The acting regional manager of Pikitup’s Roodepoort depot, Welcome Zwane, confirmed that he is aware of these concerns, and added that the entity would work tirelessly to ensure that they are addressed.
“I can neither confirm nor deny that workers are absconding from duty, but we can confirm that Pikitup has been notified of the issues confronted by residents in Florida. We have put a system in place to ensure that most of the affected areas are attended to. As I speak to you, some of the areas which were highlighted in the complaints by residents have already been cleaned up” he said.
Zwane added that the entity would be meeting with some of the area’s residents during a site inspection scheduled to take place next week.
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