10 Dec 2023

A seemingly forlorn weather-beaten sign board that the Kgatleng District Council purposely erected to warn the public against illegal and indiscriminate waste disposal, now stands as a disused blank slate. 

The text has paled away. A stone’s throw away, it’s a jumble - heaps and heaps of rubble that includes disposable diapers and an assortment of household appliances in varying stages of disrepair.

The refuse defile the environment, indicating that the warning sign either never served its purpose or it gradually ceased to, overwhelmed by negative human attitudes towards the environment. Wind-blown multi-coloured plastic bottles, cans, disposable foam plates, ice-pop, candy and biscuit plastic wraps remain trapped along parameter fences and on umbrella thorn trees. Heaps of black refuse bags are a common sight along bus stops.

Sadly, residents seem a little disinterested or have haplessly resigned themselves to this eyesore as they uncharacteristically go about their daily routines that Friday morning when we visit the village. As part of a reality check, Bokaa Senior Chief Representative, Sue Mosinyi takes DailyNews reporter Ndingililo Gaoswediwe and photographer Ogopoleng Kgomoethata on a tour of the village.

“Littering and illegal dumping of waste cannot be narrowed down to Bokaa, but it’s rather a national concern,” reckons Kgosi Mosinyi, echoing President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s sentiments when he delivered his State-of-the-Nation address last November. 

The president said, “…one of the challenges that we face as a nation is environmental pollution. It is regrettable that our environment is filthy because of dumping of waste and littering along the roadsides and other public spaces.”

Bokaa, a fast-growing village, lies in the outskirts of Gaborone in Kgatleng and has 9 150 inhabitants, according to Statistics Botswana’s 2022 population census. 

Its proximity to the city, says Kgosi Mosinyi, comes at a cost, something that has aggravated the filthiness of areas around it.

He points fingers at people from Gaborone and nearby villages who prefer dumping litter at the Pilane landfill than elsewhere. The landfill sits at the periphery of Bokaa. 

With multitudes resorting to shortcuts than driving all the way to Gamodubu landfill, he says some fail to abide by the bye-laws governing the use of the dumping site, thus end up discarding litter everywhere. 

He says the influx has also shortened the lifespan of the landfill. And there is a clear correlation between population growth and increase in pollution.

Kgosi Mosinyi adds that Bokaa vegetation is predominantly umbrella thorn trees that trap an assortment of litter. 

In addition, piling of black refuse bags along bus stops as well as indiscriminate disposal of disposable diapers frustrates efforts of keeping the village clean. 

On the northern side of the village, lies a piece of land that Kgosi Mosinyi estimates to be about seven hectares. People have turned the place into an illegal dumping site.

 A large patch of this land are burrow pits. “Di burrow pits tse ga di a allocatiwa, ga di na ditso sentle,” he explains.  

On the opposite direction, lies a large body of water–Bokaa Dam. 

Kgosi Mosinyi laments that the dam has not been spared the littering. People have vandalised the fence to carry out illegal activities such as bowsing water, hosting picnics and performing rituals, leaving litter such as bottles and plastics bags strewn around.

To restore Bokaa back to its glory days, Kgosi Mosinyi says beginning June, each kgotla has been assigned to cut some small umbrella thorn shrubs and the exercise is expected to be complete this November. 

On the issue of burrow pits, he appeals to construction companies to help with rehabilitation given the urgency to put the land to good use.

“Khansele le yone e okeditse batho ba Ipelegeng; 16 ke ba litter picking, 16 vegetation control, 4 green scorpion,” he says, adding that the reintroduction of green scorpions will help in educating the public and enforcing the law against indiscriminate waste disposal. 

He nevertheless expresses gratitude towards Kgatleng District Council for having appointed Envesys Services to rehabilitate the Pilane landfill because it will curb fire outbreaks that had become common, resulting in air pollution.

Dimension Data, whose cycling route passes by the dam, also helped pick litter around the dam. Kgosi Mosinyi further applauds one resident, Ms Kgalalelo Kemiso, for the birth of Imagine Bokaa, a project whose aim is to instil and foster a culture of caring for the environment.

“I noticed that gradually, our surroundings were getting dirtier and dirtier and this prompted me to start this campaign about caring for the environment. I have always been a person who is bothered by unkempt surroundings,” says Ms Kemiso.  

She explains that the project is in two phases. The initial step entailed clean-up campaigns and so far, two have been held. The second phase will be planting of trees in the village.

For the project to become a success, Kemiso has engaged the village leadership, Village Development Committee, Kgatleng District Council, Department of Forestry and Range Resources and the community.

Kgatleng District Council’s spokesperson, Ms Segametsi Kebonang clarifies that the area designated for waste disposal within the Mochudi planning area is the Pilane landfill and no other place.

“Disposal of waste at the mentioned burrow pits is, therefore, illegal and those found dumping waste shall be liable to a fine as per Waste Management Act and the council (Refuse) Bye-laws”.

She says culprits dispose off litter when bye-law officers are off duty although authorities continue to carry out patrols besides educating the public on the importance of keeping the environment clean.

“Rehabilitation of burrow pits is an activity enforced by Department of Mines as they are an entity issuing mining permits. It is a requirement before acquiring a mining permit to submit an after-use plan of the site to department,” she explains.

Like any other general waste, Ms Kebonang says illegal dumping of disposable nappies is still common especially in major villages. 

However, she encourages the public to remove the faecal matter from the nappies, wrap in plastic bags and safely dispose in refuse bins awaiting collection.

She cautions that nappies from Home-Based Care clients are categorised as clinical or hazardous waste and should not be mixed with general waste, and the District Health Management Team has engaged private refuse collection service providers for removal of such waste.  

Despite villagers continuing to improperly discard waste, Ms Kebonang says the council promotes the use of refuse drums in residential areas for temporary waste storage and “our refuse collection service fees are affordable at P120 for a one-year refuse collection service contract.”

For commercial waste collection, she says the council took a deliberate decision to withdraw from the exercise in order to empower local waste collection service providers. 

Therefore, during inspections, environmental health officers have a responsibility to monitor that businesses comply.

To address the prevailing conditions, she says the council continues to conduct patrols in selected hot spots and to encourage members of the community to report any acts of indiscriminate waste disposal to the Environmental Health department or to the nearest police station.

Though making efforts, Ms Kebonang laments shortage of vehicles to conduct law enforcement activities and patrols and frequent breakdown of machinery used to remove illegal waste dumps. 

Shortage of funds to expand private refuse collection services and low community participation in village clean-up campaigns are the other impediments to progress. Ends