Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s Urban Management Directorate has recruited 36 more auxiliary officers to add to its designated Urban Waste By-law Enforcement Unit.
The unit currently has 23 officers and 36 auxiliary officers to assist the department in enforcing by-laws that uphold the directives and efforts of Urban Waste to create and keep the city clean and green.
According to the City’s Urban Waste Management Mayoral Committee Member Grant Twigg, the City of Cape Town has spent more than R300 million a year to resolve the insistent issue of dumping and littering across the metro.
Officers from the unit also host educational awareness drives and participate in community engagement sessions with residents and businesses around illegal dumping hotspots.
At the weekend, Twigg announced news of the department’s latest initiatives to tackle the growing problem of urban waste. The directorate had recruited additional auxiliary officers who would be deployed across various areas in the city.
Twigg said: “Our Urban Waste By-law Enforcement Unit has been doing exceptional work out there, working to raise awareness and engage with residents and businesses around illegal dumping hotspots.”
During March and April 2023, the Department of Urban Waste recorded a total of 23 fines, to the value of R57 500, issued for littering and illegal dumping. In addition, 23 notices were issued to transgressors to appear in court, and 79 service requests were attended to.
Fines issued by officers were done during routine patrols, as well as special operations focussing on the streets of Bellville and Cape Town Central Business District.
“To keep up the momentum, the additional officers we are bringing on board are set to begin training in the upcoming months, following which they will assist the unit. Our officers are committed to fighting illegal dumping at the source through their clean-up and education efforts, but they cannot have eyes on every street corner.”
“We are calling on residents to help us by recording evidence for us to use during prosecution. We need to work together as a city to curb this occurrence, hold each other accountable and create an environment we all want to live in,” Twigg said.