Illegal dumping in Lombardy East has reached alarming levels, prompting a ward committee member to launch an online petition calling for urgent intervention from the City of Johannesburg. Theo Lengwati, a ward committee member responsible for the health portfolio, said the petition was started after repeated attempts to escalate the matter to various municipal departments yielded no results.
"The issue has escalated to several departments over the years, but nothing has been done.
"The online petition was a way of escalating the matter to higher authorities collectively so that the seriousness of the issue can be highlighted and solutions can be provided," said Lengwati.
The petition centres on a piece of land in Lombardy that was originally intended to serve as a community soccer field. Instead of becoming a recreational facility, residents say that over time, the area has gradually been overtaken by illegal dumping, transforming the proposed sports ground into what they now describe as an unofficial landfill.
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Ward councillor for Ward 81 (Lombardy East), Joanne Horwitz explained, in a separate interview with video journalist Kgothatso Manzere, how this problem came about in Lombardy.
"This problem started when I received a request from Johannesburg Development Agency to say they need to remove construction material within Alex to construct housing. They proposed to bring it through this section behind the City Power sub-station, crush it down flat to build a soccer ground, which sounded exciting to me, and I was more than happy to let that happen," she said.
Horwitz said that they need all departments to come together and solve the issue as the land is owned by the Johannesburg Property Company and City Power.
"City Power is supposed to secure the property properly, but because they are bankrupt and have no resources, they can't secure it," she said.
The online petition has gained significant traction, with more than 1 700 people signing in support. Lengwati said the growing concern among residents led to the formation of an illegal dumping committee, created to focus specifically on addressing the issue.
One of the major concerns raised is air pollution. Lengwati explained that rubble dumping creates excessive dust and unpleasant odours, which directly affect nearby residents and businesses.
"People can't hang their laundry outside because it gets dusty, and they can't open their windows because of the dust," he said.
The dumping site is located dangerously close to the Jukskei river, raising serious environmental concerns. Lengwati warned that continuous dumping is contaminating the river, making it unfriendly to aquatic life such as fish, crabs, and frogs.
"The river might end up being useless for community use because everything falls straight into it," he said.
While no serious health complications have been officially reported, Lengwati noted that residents have complained about persistent dust and noise, particularly when trucks arrive to offload waste. As a result, residents have had to adjust to living in an environment characterised by constant dust, noise pollution, and limited ventilation, even during hot weather.
Lengwati said the issue has been reported to the authorities, including the ward councillor, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), and the Environmental health office. He added that JMPD and environmental health officials visited the site once and made promises to address the problem, but no action followed.
"They came once and made promises, but nothing was delivered after that," he said.
The petition warns authorities that if they do not resolve the issue, then the residents intend to pursue a class action lawsuit against the City.
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He added that the space has the potential to be transformed into a valuable community asset, suggesting developments such as a sports facility for youth, including a soccer pitch, netball court, or tennis court.
Residents say the issue is no longer just about illegal dumping, but about their right to live in a safe and healthy environment.
Attempts to get comment from the City's officials have failed despite repeated efforts. On 20 January 2026, OCN sent an email to the CoJ spokesperson, Nthatisi Modingoane, requesting comment but none was forthcoming. Follow-up attempts were made, including through the Mayor's office. The latter office referred the enquiry back to Modingoane. Although Modingoane acknowledged receiving the enquiry, no response had been received Pikitup was also approached for comment but did not respond.
