Date: 2026-01-11 07:42:18

City Acts Against Improper Waste Disposal Captured On Video

ETHEKWINI NEWSFLASH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CITY ACTS AGAINST IMPROPER WASTE DISPOSAL CAPTURED ON VIDEO

Following an internal assessment, the City has established that the individual seen in the circulating video is an employee of a contracted waste service provider.

A formal meeting was convened on 08 January 2026 between senior officials of the Waste Management Directorate and representatives of the contractor to address the incident and agree on corrective actions.

During the meeting, the City expressed serious concern regarding:

• The improper disposal of waste into stormwater infrastructure

• The potential damage to municipal infrastructure

• The negative environmental impact

• The reputational harm caused to the Municipality

In terms of Clause XI of the penalties section of the contract, which prohibits the deliberate disposal of refuse into stormwater infrastructure, a financial penalty has been imposed on the contractor.

The contractor has further confirmed that disciplinary action has been instituted against the employee concerned, and a notice of suspension has been issued. 

In addition, the contractor has been instructed to issue a formal written apology to the City, which will be delivered at the sitting of the upcoming Portfolio Committee.

To address the immediate impact of the incident, the contractor has also been instructed to urgently implement remedial actions, including the cleaning of the affected stormwater drain, to mitigate any environmental or infrastructural damage.

To prevent similar incidents in the future, the Municipality will implement the following measures:

• Convene further engagements with all Waste Management contractors to reinforce operational, environmental, and safety procedures, as stipulated in Service Level Agreements and contracts

• Issue a formal communication to all contractors, highlighting this incident and reinforcing compliance requirements

• Enforce the contractual requirement that contracted workers may not wear PPE bearing eThekwini Municipality or Waste Management Directorate branding. 

All contracted workers must wear PPE clearly branded with the contractor’s name or contract number to avoid public confusion.

The City accepts responsibility for services rendered on its behalf and has taken action in line with the contractual agreement with the contractor, while strengthening controls to ensure that such incidents do not occur again.

The City remains committed to maintaining a clean, safe, and sustainable environment and will not tolerate any actions that undermine environmental protection or public trust.

Residents are encouraged to report incidents of improper waste disposal through official municipal reporting channels.

ENDS

Issued by eThekwini Municipality’s Marketing and Communications Directorate.