Turmoil in Cape Town as Mayor Moves to Suspend Waste Director Amid Disarray

Cape Town faces a critical management crisis as waste removal services in the townships collapse amid accusations of bribery and poor oversight. In a move to confront this crisis, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has advanced a motion to suspend Executive Director: Urban Waste Management, Luzuko Mdunyelwa. The council, in a confidential meeting, has approved this proposal, indicating the gravity of the situation.

Waste collection issues have plagued Cape Town's townships, despite approximately R500-million spent on contractors tasked with cleaning up. From July 2021 through June 2023, contractors were hired, but ineffective results led to additional municipal staff intervention.

This situation worsened as extortion rackets threatened the safety of contractor employees, causing some to abandon their responsibilities. These criminal threats and intimidations contributed to a failure to service certain localities, as Crossroads and Nyanga have seen with dumping grounds on open fields alongside overflowing rubbish containers.

The municipal response involved internal transfer of waste management responsibilities to Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management Grant Twigg in July 2023. However, this strategy triggered internal resistance, and allegations of administrators accepting kickbacks from contractors arose. The transition to internal services also revealed insufficient city resources, such as a shortage of refuse trucks and personnel.

Daily Maverick's report articulates Twigg and Mdunyelwa’s central role in the crisis, as they initiated a new waste management model without proper authorization. A forensic investigation highlighted this unauthorized change and responding to the implications, City Manager Lungelo Mbandazayo insisted on reinstating external service providers.

Under public and political pressure to address these failures, Mayor Hill-Lewis defends his team's attempts to improve waste removal. Still, he acknowledges the planning deficiencies and denies administrators are obstructing progress. Meanwhile, rumours of financial benefits derived from contractor employment by city officials are under scrutiny; the Mayor assured they would be investigated if evidence emerged.

The overarching goal remains clear: to achieve clean informal settlements with reliable waste services. As Hill-Lewis waits for Mdunyelwa's justification against suspension, Cape Town’s residents look for actual improvement in their community’s sanitation services.