07/12/2025
Posted on behalf of Rieger's
It is with great frustration and disappointment in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) that we write this post. We speak in solidarity with all those affected herein and to further create awareness of what is transpiring in our local community. Those residents who make use of the tip site facilities at the Rieger's Gonubie Tips on Main Road, Gonubie, particularly the Gonubie residents, know that there is an ongoing struggle between The Rieger Group (Vaduba Investments) and BCMM regarding the Municipality's failure in its obligation to make payment to Vaduba Investments per contract for the running of the tip site for the public benefit. It has become public knowledge that BCMM is in months of default in respect of honoring their contractual payments to Vaduba Investments, which has left Vaduba Investments with no other recourse to get relief other than the closing of the tip site to the public. We believe Vaduba Investments have explored all administrative processes and connections available to it to try get payment from BCMM, including proceeding with legal recourse, yet this has been unfruitful in achieving a positive outcome. Through appeals from the local community and ward councillors, the Riegers Gonubie tip site had remained open despite lack of payment. Unfortunately, at this point, it is no longer viable for the Rieger Group to continue operating the Gonubie tip site at its own cost. We believe that the operational costs, including employees wages, equipment and machinery maintenance costs, rates, and diesel costs, are extremely high and can no longer be carried by Vaduba Investments. The concerning thing is that BCMM's solid waste department is allocated an annual budget which is made available to the department mid-year, and which amply provides for the Municipality's ability to honour its contractual commitments under this Department. It is evident that mismanagement and incompetence in the Solid Waste Department is rife, and forms the basis of the dilemma being faced. BCMM is quick to campaign against illegal dumping in our local community, yet they fail to provide viable solutions to curb the problem and workable solutions like supporting a workable and compliant tip site. The Rieger's Gonubie tip site is one of the only legally compliant tip sites in the Buffalo City area, yet BCMM does not look after this endeavor nor put their efforts into prioritizing this contract. It is time that we as a community stand together and hold BCMM accountable for their poor actions and failure in service delivery. The current BCMM management is failing us! Let our voices be heard.
