Sese dirt: tainting Jwaneng�s shining diamonds

Lebogang Baingapi | Friday September 22, 2017 16:06

In the early 80’s the area was home to cattleposts and ploughing fields for Moshupa people, but today many people flock to this village due to shortage of accommodation and high rentals in Jwaneng.

Littering has become an eyesore and is hard to ignore. The village has two busy bars and a series of beer depots as well as small tuckshops that sell braai, potato chips and other refreshments in front of these bars. As you enter the village, you are confronted with used baby disposable diapers, overflowing litterbins and scattered plastics, papers and tins as well as overflowing waste cages. The situation is not only hazardous, but it is a cause for concern to Kgosi Justice Motlhalane who said there is no improvement even after the council introduced a waste collection van.

“I am singing the same song of cleanliness in kgotla meetings and I have advised my fellow tribesmen in the village to do so at their respective wards because residents do not attend the main Kgotla meetings. I will also request experts in waste management to come and teach them about the dangers of waste,” Motlhalane said.

He added that even after donkey carts and Ipelegeng trucks have collected waste, there is no visible change. He said because of the ever-increasing population, government should also increase the number of litter pickers and Green Scorpion personnel. The Village Development Committee chairperson, Toba Rabasimane also revealed that they have taken it upon themselves to teach the community about waste management and paying for waste collection.

“We have three vehicles which are engaged on a three-months’ contract to collect waste three times a week. There is however no improvement in waste collection because Sese is growing every day and it is unsightly. Of late, there has been shortage of refuse plastics and the situation was even worse because the refuse collectors were not able to collect rubbish,” he said.

Toba said the donkey cart collection programme is ongoing, but the amount of dirt generated is defeating the government’s efforts. He further noted that every six months there is a new contractor that relocates to Sese, which leads to more people. The population of the settlement is currently estimated to be around 4,000.

 “We also have a lot of dogs in the village which spill the dustbins day and night. This leaves the village dirty because residents dispose of used baby diapers in dustbins instead of taking them to the clinic for proper and safe disposal,” he said. The principal public health officer at Mabutsane Sub-Council, Goitseone Ramphu admitted that Sese was growing at a rapid pace and issues of waste are bound to arise. He said they have agreed to maximise their visibility in the village by collecting waste on a fortnight basis. He however accused the residents of poor response to anti-littering.

“We have a Green Scorpion group, an anti-litter group and police volunteers who should also assist in the situation. We are however ready to take action and charge anybody who litter or dispose of waste in an unacceptable manner,” Ramphu said.Meanwhile, Mabutsane Sub-Council recently hosted the world clean-up campaign in Sese in an endeavour to teach the residents about waste management that includes recycling of waste to make artefacts. Sese village got the last position in the cleanest village competition while Maokane emerged number two and Khakhea was crowned the champion.