Farmers would never do this in their own suburbs, say Eastern Cape residents
- Residents of Patensie, Eastern Cape, say farmers dumped truckloads of rotting fruit, nets and other farm waste on land earmarked for a housing project.
- Kouga Local Municipality removed 14 truckloads of waste and says the illegal dumping has been referred to law enforcement for investigation.
- Acht Boerdery says it has a longstanding arrangement to provide waste fruit for animals and denies dumping the nets and cables. Waterwiel Boerdery says it only left flood-damaged netting at the site after people requested it, and has since removed the material. Quacha Boerdery did not respond.
Residents of Patensie in the Eastern Cape have accused farmers of dumping truckloads of oranges and lemons, as well as farm equipment on land near their homes. They say farmers "would never do this in their own suburbs".
The rotting fruit attracted insects, as well as pigs and cattle, and created a heavy stench over Ramaphosa Village. Meanwhile, discarded nets, cables and irrigation pipes littered the site.
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The Kouga Local Municipality has cleared the area, removing 14 truckloads of waste.
The open land in Stuurmanskop is earmarked for a housing project.
Community leader Eric Blaauw posted on the What's Happening in Patensie Facebook page on 19 July: "New illegal dumping site by our farmers around Patensie. This is not good at all for the health and safety of our kids. This area is for housing development, not dumping. We're really being undermined."
Ward 10 councillor Mbandana Msingathi Gerald said he was alerted on 19 July to complaints about the stench from rotten lemons. Residents accused Acht Boerdery and Quacha Boerdery of dumping the fruit.
"I contacted local farmers' association chairperson Grewar Oosthuizen and gave him the names of the alleged dumpers. He promised to act immediately. Nets, wires and irrigation pipes were scattered across roads in Ramaphosa Village," Gerald said.
He said cattle ate the oranges but not the lemons.
Residents had previously buried fruit and vegetables at the site, but this stopped once the site was designated for housing.
Gerald said Patensie's only dumping site closed a year ago. Residents now have to travel 15km to Hankey to dispose of waste, and many cannot afford it. He said there is no local transit site, which is a serious issue for a town that exports fruit internationally.
Kouga Local Municipality spokesperson Monique Basson said officials had acted immediately after seeing reports on social media.
Basson told GroundUp: "We removed 14 truckloads of waste. The waste management section conducted a site inspection which confirmed illegal dumping.
"The matter was referred to law enforcement for investigation with the aim of identifying those responsible and taking legal action in terms of municipal by-laws," she said.
Acht Boerdery director Christof Opperman said the farm had a longstanding arrangement with the local livestock farmers' committee and the councillor's office to provide waste product for cattle, pigs, goats and chickens in an area where the animals already graze.
Opperman said recent floods and market pressure linked to the conflict in the Middle East had affected export and juicing channels, leaving fruit it believed still suitable for livestock.
"We also use the Hankey municipal dump for other waste and were not advised that the livestock product was excessive," he said.
Opperman said the farm was not involved in dumping the nets and cables. "We remain committed to sustainable farming and would not knowingly endanger the community, its people or its animals."
Opperman said staff may take waste fruit home for personal use and for their livestock, while remaining waste fruit is taken to the agreed grazing area and residual waste is mulched.
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Charl Malan of Waterwiel Boerdery said his farm only dropped off flood-damaged covering nets at the site after people requested them. He denied dumping any fruit.
"After the floods, people asked me for netting that was damaged. After it was dropped off in heaps, it was scattered around by people taking the nets. I was unaware that fruit was dumped there. That must have happened afterwards and was not done by me," Malan said.
Malan said he did not anticipate the netting would become a health hazard.
Malan said the farm regularly experiences vandalism and theft. He said he hoped giving away damaged netting would reduce theft from the farm.
Malan said that as soon as he became aware of the problem, he sent his own workers and machinery to remove the netting. GroundUp saw workers using one of Malan's tractors to collect the nets.
Quacha Boerdery did not respond to requests for comment.
