Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork

Chapter 6: Down at the dumpsSobantuSobantu looks onto the dump and the sewerage works across the river on the one side,and onto an industrial estate across the Byrnespruit on the other. Residents say they aresurrounded by pollution. The river is polluted by leachate and the stream by industrialeffluent. Those who used to fish stopped doing so when they found fungal infectionson the fish. The township is also plagued with rats, flies and mosquitoes from thedump. In summer, the smell is unbearable, particularly when sunshine follows rain andcontaminated water evaporates from the garbage, or when the smoke from periodicdump fires blows across the settlement. According to Naidoo, Sobantu is not in thepath of the prevailing wind. Nevertheless, the 2005 audit report found the highestrates of dust deposition in those parts of Sobantu closest to the dump. Residents saythere is a high incidence of respiratory ailments which are then associated with, andexacerbate the effects of, Tb.Councillor Ngubane has lived over 50 years in Sobantu. He remembers when ithad a clean environment. He also remembers when the people had jobs. In the lasttwo decades, Pietermaritzburg’s shoe industry has closed down as have several otherfactories. The impression of full employment, however, was an apartheid illusion.Sobantu was used as a labour dormitory and those who were surplus to requirementswere kept out by influx control. Some industries are now returning but they are mostlyhigh tech and do not employ people from Sobantu.The dump has always provided a supplementary livelihood for some and cheap goodsfor others. Those who pick have contacts in the dump or in factories disposing rejects.They always seem to know when the high value goods such as chocolate and chickenfeed will be arriving.Unlike many later settlements in South Africa, Sobantu has always had its wasteremoved and its streets swept. The service was previously managed locally at municipaloffices in Sobantu and the workers were part of the community. Now, however, theservice is centralised. The street sweeping gangs are sent in periodically and are notresponsive to residents.- 156 - groundWork - Wasting the Nation