'Fed-up' Newcastle residents dump trash on municipality's doorstep

"Fed-up” residents have dumped their rubbish on the Newcastle municipal office's doorstep after receiving notice that refuse collection was on hold. 

“I don't think that anyone would be picking it up because the refuse workers are on strike,” one resident told TimesLIVE on Monday. 

The northern KwaZulu-Natal town has been plagued by a municipal strike which has left residents without services.

“We are just fed up. There are no services in this town. Our rubbish is piling up. It felt good to dump those bags there (outside the municipal office building)," another resident said. 

On Friday, the municipality said on its Facebook page that the refuse collection service was “currently on hold” due to unplanned industrial action.   

“Residents are kindly requested to put their plastic bags back in their yards and take them out again on the scheduled day next week. This applies to residents whose collection days are Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause,” it said. 

Municipal spokesperson Dumisani Thabethe could not be reached for comment.