“The rich will always be able to dispose of their waste”: a view from the frontlines of municipal failure in Makhanda, South Africa

Abstract

A significant proportion of South African municipalities, who hold the mandate for providing solid waste management (SWM) services for millions of South Africans, appear to be on the brink of collapse. On the frontlines of municipal failure, the city of Makhanda, following two decades of poor governance and mismanagement, has found itself unable to fulfil its mandate, with the state retreating on SWM service provision, and disruptions to waste management services becoming a daily reality. Drawing on embedded, qualitative fieldwork, this article examines how differently placed residents have experienced disruptions to SWM services. This work explores how residents of Makhanda’s two halves: the affluent and predominantly white neighbourhoods in the west, and the poor, non-white townships in the east, have (or have not) adapted to manage and dispose of their own waste during periods of disruption. Findings suggest that disruptions to waste management service provision have been broadly experienced by residents. However, the consequences of interruptions to municipal collection have not been evenly borne, as more resourced, western residents have been more successful at managing their own waste disposal, while the residents of Makhanda’s townships are less capable of coping, with affected communities coming to resemble a dumping ground, and residents having to adopt unsafe or environmentally harmful disposal practices. These findings are important because they shed light on the challenges of creating cleaner, more equal communities without healthy municipal participation in waste management services, while raising important considerations for a South Africa facing the possibility of widespread municipal collapse.

Disposable Diaper Usage and Disposal Practices in Samora Machel Township, South Africa

“…This indicates that its function has changed: These areas are now designated dumps. Repeatedly cleaning the dump was also seen by the participants as creating job opportunities for the unemployed [12].…”

“…More than one-third (35.1%) of households had to rely on communal or household refuse dumps, whereas 1.6% of households had no facilities at all. Godfrey et al [10], Schenck et al [11], Kalina et al [12], and Rodseth et al [13] have ascribed the waste mismanagement performance of municipalities in South Africa to failures in governance and organizational weaknesses, inappropriate service delivery, and aspects such as corruption. Regrettably, little has changed over the years [9], so waste management services will probably continue to deteriorate [10][11][12][13].…”

“…Godfrey et al [10], Schenck et al [11], Kalina et al [12], and Rodseth et al [13] have ascribed the waste mismanagement performance of municipalities in South Africa to failures in governance and organizational weaknesses, inappropriate service delivery, and aspects such as corruption. Regrettably, little has changed over the years [9], so waste management services will probably continue to deteriorate [10][11][12][13]. To complicate matters, a major factor that is overlooked in waste management services delivery statistics is the backyard dwellers, or tenant population, who mainly reside in the townships of South Africa [14][15][16] and are not adequately serviced by municipalities.…”

The impact of failure to make payment behaviour on the profitability of South African municipal electricity suppliers.

“…As a result, it emphasizes the necessity of municipal agencies managing their partner interactions as effectively as possible (Mazele & Amoah, 2022). On the other hand, the contingency theory of management proposes that successful managers are decided by how their leadership style fits a specific scenario inside a corporation (Kalina et al, 2023). These contingencies are tied to numerous conditions, such as a shortage of materials, social and environmental issues, political issues, new technology, and an organization's structure and scope (Giddy et al, 2022).…”

Introduction: The Waste of Conflict. The Conflicts of Waste

“…In places where public waste has broken down, such as in the South African city of Makhanda, the affluent parts of the community have been able to organize ways to dispose of their waste, which were not open to the poor. 29 Thus, globally and nationally, the wealthier parts of society not only produce more waste, but they also have more say regarding how it is managed. In other words, waste serves as a marker of power relations, both between and within countries.…”