Rubbish piling up in South African city after waste collection services collapsed

The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality has experienced a collapse of its domestic waste collection services, resulting in delays in waste removal.

Several areas of the municipality have reported that refuse is being removed days or even weeks after its scheduled collection.

Even after the municipality published an updated collection schedule, some areas have said their refuse was only removed days after the revised collection dates.

Mangaung is one of South Africa’s eight metropolitan municipalities, home to the country’s judicial capital, Bloemfontein.

The Free State Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs (ARDEA) began a preliminary investigation into the issue in August.

This came after a formal complaint was raised against the Municipality by some of its councillors on 29 July 2026.

The complaint was supported by the Municipality’s own operational records, showcasing persistent domestic refuse collection failures, growing backlogs, and environmental concerns.

On 1 September, Free State MEC for ARDEA Elzabe Rockman said the investigation had already uncovered non-compliance with the National Environmental Management: Waste Act.

At the time, the Department said its investigation into Mangaung’s domestic waste management operations was 60% complete.

It also said its assessment of statutory compliance was 60% complete, and its recommendations for sustainable compliance were 50% complete.

The final report remains to be released almost a month after the promised reporting deadline, with no explanation given for the delay despite multiple enquiries.

Mangaung Ward 23 councillor Tjaart van der Walt said the delay was particularly concerning when the Department’s own investigation had found non-compliance with environmental legislation.

“Residents should not have to endure repeated refuse collection failures, accumulating waste and illegal dumping while an investigation into potential statutory violations remains unresolved,” van der Walt said.

“Environmental oversight is not merely to identify non-compliance, but to ensure it is corrected.”

Van der Walt called on the Free State ARDEA and MEC Rockman to urgently release the overdue investigation report, or give an explanation for the delay in its publication.

He said the Department should disclose all areas of non-compliance identified under the Waste Act, and identify measures to correct these with clear implementation timelines.

Additionally, he said it should be clarified whether compliance notices, directives, or other enforcement measures had been issued or were being considered.

Finally, he called for the establishment of a transparent monitoring process to ensure Mangaung implemented the necessary corrective measures.