EDEN NEWS - Should the Eden regional waste disposal site project not kick off now, it will be environmentally disastrous for the municipalities of Mossel Bay, George, Knysna and Bitou (Plettenberg Bay).
Concerns about construction and annual running costs, apparent lack of consultation, a proposed by-law by the Eden District Municipality (EDM) that will discourage the recycling of refuse, and fears that the new landfill will not be ready when the PetroSA facility is closed on 31 July 2018, have been raised repeatedly by the George and Mossel Bay municipalities.
But, these concerns have been met with threats from both EDM Mayor Memory Booysen and the ministry of Local Government, who insist on compliance.
(See the related report by George Herald journalist Michelle Pienaar on page 3.)
Cooperate or ...
In a media statement on 21 July, Western Cape MEC for Local Government, Minister Anton Bredell, said the site is vital to address waste management and environmental concerns and that municipal leaders are fully aware of this fact.
"Given the urgency of this project that is at a critical stage, the department and I will not hesitate to act if local authorities do not cooperate and comply with their constitutional mandate in this regard.
"Leaders stand for public office because they are willing to also make the difficult decisions that benefit their communities in the long run. In the Western Cape we are proud of our leaders that understand they serve the communities of today and tomorrow. I look forward to the ongoing co-operation in this matter."
Asked what exactly the minister meant by the phrase, "I will not hesitate to act", Bredell's spokesperson, Rudolf van Jaarsveldt, said the statement is not a threat. "It should be considered to be a definition of intent. The minister will not hesitate to apply the law and to act in the best interests of the public in the Eden District.
"In terms of the Duty of Care requirement contained in section 28 of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Nema), the provincial minister has the responsibility and mandate to act and even consider laying criminal charges against municipal officials that are deemed to be in contravention of Nema or its regulations," Van Jaarsveldt said.
Costs
The George and Mossel Bay municipalities have raised serious reservations about the affordability of the proposed new site. These two municipalities will collectively contribute most of the waste and fork out the most rands.
Even so, during the Municipal Managers' Forum and the District Council Forum meetings held on 5 July, the mayors and municipal managers of all four municipalities reiterated their support for the facility. One of the issues of grave concern, however, is an apparent lack of consultation between the EDM and participating municipalities and the unexpected increase of about 300% in projected costs since 2014.
At this stage the annual projected cost of the new landfill to George will be an unaffordable R31-million, based on current tonnage. George's waste disposal and transport costs for the current financial year (2017/2018) amounts to R11-million.
Earlier this year EDM assured the Mossel Bay council that their annual cost, in a worst-case scenario, would amount to R15-million. However, the municipality has since been advised by the EDM that the cost for the new facility would be R23 264 465 by 2019/20. Van Jaarsveldt said the 300% escalation is because the tender process for the regional waste facility had not yet started in 2014, and figures then were only estimates.
"Since 2013, amendments to the National Department of Environmental Affairs' regulations on landfill sites and containment barriers caused changes in terms of the classification system of landfills, which escalated the cost. This is a matter that the provincial department is still in the process of negotiating with the national department. However, any revision of the 2013 regulations remains a national government prerogative."
He said if municipalities minimise their waste, they will save. "This has been the key message that provincial government has been communicating to the municipalities for more than seven years," Van Jaarsveldt stressed.
Admin fee
The administration costs levied by EDM further impacts the affordability of the site.
Van Jaarsveldt said EDM has modelled a number of contract administration cost scenarios and it remains open for negotiation. "I have therefore encouraged EDM and the municipalities to continue negotiating to get an acceptable level of service, as well as agreement on a reasonable 'agency fee' for EDM for managing and overseeing the regional waste site contract on behalf of the municipalities."
No money
He said the Departments of Local Government and Environmental Affairs and Development Planning investigated all options to alleviate the cost burden, including looking at the nationally funded Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) process to try to obtain additional funding, without success.
"The fiscal reality in South Africa is that there is no money available from provincial government or national government to fund this local government mandate."
Refuse removal, refuse dumps and solid waste disposal are, according to the Constitution of South Africa, an exclusive competence of local government.
By Friday 4 August EDM will have awarded the tender for the construction of the new site. However, it is not clear whether a budget confirmation was done beforehand, or whether the contract stipulates terms "subject to available budget".
Read previous article: Stern warning over landfill site
ARTICLE & PHOTO: NICKEY LE ROUX, MOSSEL BAY ADVERTISER JOURNALIST
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