JOHANNESBURG - The City of Johannesburg said on Thursday that its waste management company Pikitup, which has seen an exodus of managers, will collect garbage over the festive period.
This comes after board chairperson, Washington Nyabeze, announced that he was taking on a role at a company that does business with government and thus agreed to resign because of the conflict of interest.
Pikitup managing director, Lungile Dhlamini, also resigned to take up a position in the private sector. Christa Venter, the chief operations officer, has also accepted a position in government in the Eastern Cape.
Nico de Jager, member of mayoral committee for environment and infrastructure services, said the City has put in place a contingency plan to ensure that service delivery was not affected.
"Environment and infrastructure Services department acknowledges the recent resignation of individuals within Pikitup management but assures residents that this will in no way hamper service delivery this festive season," said De Jager.
He said Dhlamini had assured him and the City that he will ensure a smooth transition and that service delivery would not be adversely affected.
"Pikitup will make use EPWP [Expanded Public Works Programme] workers over the festive season to help keep the city clean."
But the African National Congress in Johannesburg has criticised the Democratic Alliance-run administration.
The ANC has called on Mayor Herman Mashaba and De Jager to furnish residents with reasons for the resignations of its managers and to resolve issues affecting smooth operations at Pikitup.
"These resignations are especially worrying because the entity has for months been battling to keep up with the delivery of service in various areas in the City. These developments are likely to cause further injury to the already limping horse that is Pikitup," said the ANC.
"It is neither reasonable nor acceptable that residents have to bear the brunt of the City’s inefficiencies in running the waste management entity. We hope that this matter will be resolved expeditiously in the interest of the residents."