South Africa – Community Members Remove Vagrants from Illegal Dumping Sites

By: Thandeka Kosa, South Africa

Robbery, house breakings and general crime has led to Sharpeville, Gauteng, community members acting in stopping ‘lawlessness’ in their area.

Community leaders together with the community members took it upon themselves to raid illegal dumping sites in and around Sharpeville, where vagrants have decided to build illegal structures and turned them into homes.

The structures which are built with materials that are dumped at these illegal sites, such as corrugated iron (zincs), plastics and cardboards were either destroyed or burned to the ground.

One such illegal dumping site that was raided was the one outside Vuka Section, between the Vuka and Vanderbijl park graveyards.

Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, community leader, Baba ‘Biblos’ Lebona said: “They were raiding these dumping sites made around Sharpeville, and specifically the one in Vuka Section, because the community complained about the sites being used for illegal activities by those that have now turned them into their permanent homes.”

Amongst the vagrants that were found, were women. Most of the vagrants claimed to come from the township of Sharpeville and claimed to be making a living by recycling materials that were dumped at the illegal dumping sites.

Lebona further stated: “Community members coming from working and crossing through the two cemeteries are robbed on a daily basis, and that this is also the same with students using the nearby footpaths making their way to the Vaal University of Technology (VUT).