Major security upgrades at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s Arlington Landfill Site will commence next month as the Metro seeks to address the long outstanding safety concerns at the busy facility.

A total of R15.6million has been budgeted for phase 1 of the upgrades during the current financial year while the entire project is estimated to cost more than R65million.

The upgrades which will be implemented in phases include the construction of a new solid concrete 6kilometre radius fence that will replace the damaged concrete palisade fencing currently in place.

Speaking during the handover of the site on Wednesday, 20 September 2023, NMBM Public Health Mayoral Committee Member, Cllr Thsonono Buyeye said: "This is a major milestone for our City as residents and the Municipality have been wanting this development for years. There have been so many criminal incidents that have taken place in this facility including robberies and, in some cases, even deaths. The issue of access control is a compliance issue but our biggest concern was that it had serious safety implications for our employees and residents.”

"While safety and security systems were in place including security guards and fencing, over the past few years it has become evident that there is a need for major upgrades. So, we are very happy to have reached this stage after years of seeking funding. As a Metro we have declared a war against illegal dumping, but when people want to dump legally in such facilities it becomes a risk and this development seeks to address that. Many cases of cell phone robbery, stabbing, mugging have been reported to SAPS and statistics from SAPS are available.”

The timeframe for phase 1 is from 1 October 2023 until 30 April 2024 and will be implemented by ZKS Construction who were officially introduced to the community and officials on Wednesday.

As part of the upgrade work, the Metro will install new gates, a security watch tower, CCTV cameras and additional ablution facilities for use by recyclers on site.

 NMBM Public Health Executive Director, Sizwe Mvunelwa said the involvement of all stakeholders was critical for the success of the project.

"The work ahead is massive, but we are up to the task as the Municipality, but we can’t do it alone. We need the community to work with us to protect the workers on site as we all know this area is rife in criminal activities. We want the project to run smoothly so we don’t want any delays as this is long overdue and much needed,” said Mvunelwa.

Ends.

Issued by the NMBM Communications Office.