Pikitup running on reduced capacity as 147 routes remain outstanding

Pikitup has told residents that it is operating with reduced operational capacity, leaving at least 147 collection routes outstanding across the city as it works through a recovery plan.

Service disruption and the cause

Ward councillors warned residents earlier in the week about refuse collection problems after Pikitup reported cash flow shortages that were preventing it from paying service providers. Fuel shortages were also cited, with a ward councillor saying there was only enough fuel for limited daily collection rounds.

“As a result, Pikitup machinery will not be operational in several depots. Key landfill sites will remain closed, except for the disposal of soil and builder’s rubble,” Ward 89 councillor Zander Shawe said.

Extent of the backlog

Pikitup confirmed that reduced capacity had delayed some scheduled collections, and that available resources were being prioritised and deployed to affected areas. The recovery schedule named eight depots with outstanding rounds: Roodepoort, Randburg, Meadowlands, Zondi, Southdale, Norwood, Marlboro and Waterval.

Those eight depots account for 147 outstanding routes. Randburg had the largest backlog with 35 outstanding routes, followed by Roodepoort with 25. Pikitup said the vast majority of outstanding routes require two loads each, leaving the backlog of loads to be dumped at close to 300.

Recovery steps and resident appeal

Pikitup said teams were focusing on outstanding collection rounds and restoring normal schedules, and that it was attempting to normalise the service as soon as possible. The entity asked residents who could to remove their own refuse and to use Pikitup’s integrated waste management facilities to dispose of excess household waste during the recovery period.

City leadership and audit pledge

While residents contend with mounting rubbish, Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero hosted Gauteng local government colleagues to sign a pledge to improve audit results. The signing took place in the presence of representatives from the Auditor-General of South Africa, National Treasury, the South African Local Government Association and the Department of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs.

Morero recommitted to the Joburg 2040 Growth and Development Strategy, saying the strategy recognised that its ambitions depended on good governance. “GDS 2040 understood that no other ambition in the strategy can succeed without good governance. You cannot build a world-class African city on unreliable financial records,” he said.

Reflecting on progress, Morero said more honest questions were needed about whether the city had kept its promise. “More than 10 years later, have we kept that promise? The truthful answer is: not always, and not consistently… A signature costs nothing. What will matter is what we do tomorrow, and every working day after that,” he concluded.