BHC flats turned into dumping sites

KAGISO ONKATSWITSE
Staff Writer | Wednesday January 9, 2013 00:00

 

Mmegi has learnt that people residing in Phase 2, Block 5, Phase 4, Maruapula and Village flats are experiencing problems with uncollected refuse.

Some residents of these locations have informed this publication that they always try to prevent people who do not live in the flats from dumping garbage in their bins. Kgomotso Lesolopo, who stays at the Phase 2 BHC flats, which are fondly know as Ko-Machaeneng, said people come from as far as ZCC to dump goat skins, dead pets and bring big black bags containing smelly materials.

'We do not have dogs here as BHC does not allow pets in high-density areas, but you can sometimes find a dead dog or cat in the bins.  We have no gardens, we do not use big black plastic bags because the bins are just on our doorsteps,' she said.

Lesolopo said it was a mission to stop these individuals from using their bins. 'When we try to stop them, some of them say they are from BHC houses in Phase 2, but we always tell them the bins are specifically for flat tenants, not for public use,' she said.

Some tenants explained that they are often overwhelmed by the bad odour that emanates from the bins. 'We end up with fly infestation in our houses. Once you take a plate of food, flies hover over your meal. Is this what we should be subjected to while we pay rent?' questioned one apartment resident.

A war of words erupted among some Block 5 residents who tried to stop a man who came with a van full of waste material to dump at their residence bins. As the exchange of words ensued, the culprit told the residents that he also pays council rates and as such, was entitled to use the skip dustbins.  He told the residents that the council told them to dispose of the rubbish at the nearest skip bin. Another resident who preferred anonymity said he thinks BHC is least concerned with the health and security of their tenants.

'The only thing they are good at is to evacuate you if you default payment for just one month,' he said. 'How can such a big organisation fail to protect it's clients? Does their property management exclude rubbish bins?' he fumed. He suggested that BHC should secure its property and put security guards in place to avoid intrusions.

For his part, Moshi Sefhemo said he feels insulted. 'This rubbish issue annoys me. Imagine me removing rubbish from my house and taking it to the BHC office yard. What would I be communicating to BHC? Would that not mean that they are a dumping site? This is how we are made to feel in this area, our homes have been turned into a substitute dumping site,' he said.

Mmegi has since established that there are no measures in place to monitor the use of the skip bins. Some are located inside BHC plots, but the plots do not have gates or security guards to regulate and monitor the situation, while some bins are positioned a few steps away from the apartments, which makes it worse for residents to cope when there is a rubbish spill over. 

This reporter caught up with BHC officers emptying a skip bin in Phase 2. The officers were not comfortable with being photographed because they were not in proper work attire.  'We are only responsible for emptying these bins,' one of the two men said. The BHC Customer Care Manager, Tumo Kgatlwane has acknowledged the problem of rubbish brought to BHC flats by non-residents. Kgatlwane said Gaborone City Council's failure to service the community timeously means that rubbish piles in their yards, and in desperate efforts, they resort to taking their rubbish to dustbins like those at BHC flats.  'This is wrong and reflects a lack of respect for our tenants,' said Kgatlwane.

He said as BHC they are trying to deal with this matter. 'We had one truck before, but we procured an extra truck to service our clients. Unfortunately, the two trucks are overwhelmed by this trend,' he said. Kgatlwane further said that BHC is embarking on densitification project, which is aimed at improving old high density areas. He gave an example of the 'diSweets' flats in Phase 4, which will see the open spaces closed off with extra units, and security gates installed to reduce unmonitored traffic of people.

Kgatlwane said that by February, they would be engaged in campaign meetings with the tenants of BHC apartments. One of the issues on the agenda will address rubbish dumping and collection. They urge tenants to record the number plates of the vehicles that carry refuse to BHC flats, to make it easier for the culprits to be located.

Gaborone City Council spokesperson Seeletso Lekgaba, denied allegations that the council has directed the public to use any of the nearest skip bins to dispose of waste. She also said that they had not received any complaints from BHC. She however noted that at times they experience a back log of refuse not collected on time and this may be the reason some people resort to using the skip bins at BHC flats.

'We do not encourage residents to use properties owned by private institutions.  We also don't have any arrangements with BHC to collect rubbish dumped by non-residents of flats, but BHC remains the custodian of areas where they have apartments to keep the area clean.  People should not use paying rates as an excuse to commit illegal dumping,' she said.

Lekgaba noted that if caught, the culprits could be prosecuted. 'We only service residential areas, and we do not empty skip bins, except those at Bus rank and Old Naledi,' she added. She advised that BHC put security measures in place to secure their properties, to curb the illegal use of their bins.