Africa-Press – South-Africa. Emfuleni Municipality in Gauteng has consistently failed to deliver critical services, such as waste removal, resulting in refuse piling up in the streets.
At the same time, the municipality reportedly spent close to R700 million on overtime pay for its cleaning and environmental services over the last six years.
EWN reporter Alpha Ramushwana spoke to 702 about how the build-up of waste and sewage has affected the residents of the municipality.
“I visited a home in the Debonair Park community, which is now almost non-existent because sewage has blocked the entire gate,” Ramushwana said.
“They can’t access their own home, and they can’t even park their own vehicles in their yard. So they’ve resorted to parking their vehicles next door.”
According to residents, the buildup of sewage has been a problem since 2015, with no improvements made despite money supposedly spent on contractors.
The sewage has also affected businesses in the area, including an elderly woman who was forced to close her daycare centre after knee-high sewage entered the building.
The residents of Emfuleni also face other infrastructure issues, including deteriorating roads and large potholes, as well as health problems caused by sewage and waste.
The Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance revealed that the municipality has spent R694 million over the last six years on overtime pay.
While much of this money was supposedly spent on workers in the municipality’s cleaning and environmental services, residents say there has been no visible improvement.
Ramushwana interviewed Emfuleni municipality spokesperson Makhosonke Sangweni, who said he does not believe the municipality could have spent that much money on overtime.
Sangweni told Ramushwana that while the municipality is willing to commit to addressing these issues, it does not currently have the necessary resources to do so.
“The example he gave was that if the municipality has 100 residents and only 2 are paying, then they’re not going to have enough money for whatever they need to pay for,” Ramushwana said.
AfriForum takes action
Civil rights organisation AfriForum has taken legal action against Emfuleni Municipality over its continued service delivery failures.
The organisation filed an application under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, demanding an explanation for the municipality’s shortcomings.
In a statement released on 24 March 2026, AfriForum district coordinator Maree van den Berg said residents in the municipality have resorted to dumping their own refuse at landfills.
“The Emfuleni Local Municipality has far too long treated municipal refuse removal as an afterthought, rather than a priority,” Van den Berg said.
“Communities are forced to live among refuse, while municipalities continue to spend taxpayers’ money without the necessary transparency or accountability.”
AfriForum has demanded complete transparency from the municipality regarding its ability to deliver sustainable services, as well as the state of service delivery over the past 12 months.
The organisation pointed to irregular expenditure in the municipality, including R16 million spent on a fleet of 17 vehicles, of which only 6 were delivered.
These vehicles were slated to significantly improve service delivery in the municipality, but have since been plagued by issues of vehicle breakdowns and diesel shortages.
AfriForum has launched waste-collection drives and other community cleanup projects to mitigate the effects of poor service delivery in the area.
The organisation has also called on residents of Emfuleni to sign a petition to force the municipality to resume its refuse collection service.
“AfriForum is committed to holding the municipality accountable for its failure to deliver basic services,” Van den Berg said.
Rand Water recently attached the municipality’s bank account, with Emfuleni reportedly owing the water utility R1.8 billion.
This came after Rand Water demanded that Emfuleni immediately pay R448 million of this debt, to which the municipality said it could only pay R200 million.
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