A two-year-long pong

KNYSNA NEWS - The bad odour coming from the piles of rubbish dumped behind Hornlee resident Fanie Kiewiets' home in Sunridge Street can be smelt metres away from the home.

He and his family have had to live with the bad stench since 2018, which is when Kiewiets started reporting the problem. He has eight emails wherein the municipality merely acknowledged receipt and did nothing about it, he says, the latest being as recent as 28 February.

Speaking to Knysna-Plett Herald (KPH) about the situation, Kiewiets said he has given up on the municipality ever fixing the problem.

Residents also dumping
Kiewiets said this started when the municipality was going to build a sports facility in Hornlee two years ago. "When they cleaned the area where they were going to build the facility, they took all the dirt and dumped it at the back of my house. The rubbish has since mounted as Hornlee residents have joined in dumping their rubbish," he said.

He added that when it rains, water from the Bigai River gets into his house as parts of its banks are blocked by the rubbish. "We have to try and stop the water as the stinking rubbish is directing the water straight into my yard. My wife and children are sick because of the rubbish. I have tried everything to get help from the municipality but they just ignore me," he said.

Kiewiets said he has no option but to force the municipality to do something through his lawyers.

'Garden refuse, nappies, plastic bags…'
When KPH visited Kiewiets's house there were piles of rubbish already covered in grass, and new rubbish consisting of garden refuse, nappies and plastic bags among many other items thrown at the back of Kiewiets home.

Their neighbour Colin Michaels said he can't sit and have lunch outside his house because of the bad smell. "When it rains, sewage gets into our houses and the rivers. That's how bad the situation is. I have personally complained to the municipality but nothing has been done. This shows they don't care," Michaels said.

Another Hornlee resident, Errol Cunningham, said he can smell the bad odour a kilometre away.

"Since the municipality started dumping rubbish near the river, we have seen all sorts if things, from dead dogs to old pipes and rotten vegetables. I can smell the dead animals and rot from my house which is a kilometre away, I don't know how those closer to the rubbish survive," he said.

'Someone must be held accountable'
He added that all the rubbish dumped on the banks of the river is not only polluting the river but causing problems to the people living closer to the river. "People are also dumping. I've asked for a no-dumping sign from the municipality but they don't care. Someone must be held accountable for this," he said.

The municipality's spokesperson Christopher Bezuidenhout said the trend of dumping domestic waste and building rubble is a phenomenon warranting tremendous concern.

"It is, however, important to acknowledge that it is unrealistic and unwise for the municipality to address this challenge as an organisation alone, since the root of the problem lies with the individual self.

"Measures – notably regular cleanups by municipal departments and at huge costs to the ratepayer, other governmental organisations and NGOs – fail to adequately control, mitigate and ultimately stop these activities," Bezuidenhout said.

He explained that the protection of the town's natural resources and important ecological infrastructure is the responsibility of not only the municipality but also all its residents. "If one considers these resources as important in terms of their intrinsic value, it does not need a lot to recognise that they are the basis for Knysna's economy and the livelihood for all who live in it.

"Report illegal dumping via Whatsapp to 081 556 9374, or any other complaints to our newly formed complaints committee," Bezuidenhout said.

Rubbish dumped behind the house of Fanie Kiewiets