Residents demand immediate action to address persistent waste management failures, voicing growing concerns over health risks and municipal neglect as illegal dumping escalates in Gqeberha.

The pungent smell of rotting waste hits you before the rubbish comes into view. Then come the flies and gnats, swarming around mounds of uncollected refuse piled just metres from people's front doors and the spaces where children play.

Residents in parts of Gqeberha's northern areas, and across the city, say rubbish piles, foul odours and vermin have become part of daily life as illegal dumping and irregular waste collection continue.

For residents in Helenvale, the problem has become far more than an eyesore. They say the mounting uncollected waste poses a threat to their health, undermines their dignity and quality of life and persists despite repeated appeals to City officials for intervention.

Kobus Road resident Cecily Vosloo, 76, said an illegal dumping site opposite her home has become a permanent neighbourhood feature due to erratic refuse removal.

"We have asked so many times for them to clean it up and for our refuse to be collected regularly to avoid this problem. Sometimes it takes close to three months before the municipality comes [to] do something about this dump. But while we wait, we have to look into this refuse," she said.

When Daily Maverick visited the area recently, the...