DA outlines plan to improve safety at Arlington tip

The DA in Nelson Mandela Bay has called for urgent intervention from the city to ensure the safety and security of residents using the Arlington tip, the city’s biggest disposable waste site.

In a statement released by the party on Tuesday, the site was described as “no-go area” due to the increasing levels of crime in the area.

The visit by DA councillors Leander Kruger, John Best, Nqaba Bhanga, Retief Odendaal, Tracy Weise on Tuesday sought to address concerns raised by residents who frequent the tip.

While the city’s leadership including interim mayor Tshonono Buyeye were also on site on Monday to hand over 102 bibs and identity cards in what he described as a “short-term” solution — only allowing  those with the IDs and bibs access to the site — Buyeye said they would build a concrete wall around the facility as a long-term solution.

Municipal spokesperson Mamela Ndamase said security guards were on site and safety and security portfolio head  Queenie Pink had committed that security guards would be dispatched for day and night shifts.

However, according to the DA statement, the wall would cost about R46m to construct and the money had not been budgeted for in the 2020/2021 financial year.

The visit by the city’s leadership was subsequently described in the statement as a hastily planned, adding they had been raising concerns about the Arlington site for more than a year including tabling a motion in council in June 2019 calling for urgent security upgrades.

Some of the short-, medium- and long-term solutions that the DA proposes include:

• Repairs to the existing cement palisade fence, with daily patrols to identify any new damage, so that immediate repairs and maintenance can take place;
• Metro police and security mobile response units to conduct regular, random visits at Arlington;
• A visitors register to be implemented;
• On site security to be increased and to conduct regular patrols, especially around dumping sites;
• Installation of alarms/panic buttons;
• Installation of CCTV and lighting;
• Public health to ensure sufficient staff to monitor access control and legislative compliance including being adequately equipped with 4x4 vehicles and TLBs [tractor loader backhoe] to do so;
• To commence with the procurement process of erecting a minimum of two security watchtowers; and
• To replace the existing palisade fence with a solid concrete fence — in the long term.

In the statement attributed to Kruger, he said the proposals had been forwarded to the city manager’s office for consideration and implementation.