--- title: "When the trucks stop: How a broken fleet is fuelling Emfuleni’s waste problem" description: "Garbage is piling up next to schools, homes, and clinics in Emfuleni because some of the municipality’s waste collection trucks and equipment are broken and idle. This photo essay captures the mounting crisis, and the communities left to live in its aftermath." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "PHOTO ESSAY" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-07-24-felix-emfuleni-waste/" published: "2025-07-24T22:14:47" updated: "2025-07-24T22:14:51" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 257 --- # When the trucks stop: How a broken fleet is fuelling Emfuleni’s waste problem > Garbage is piling up next to schools, homes, and clinics in Emfuleni because some of the municipality’s waste collection trucks and equipment are broken and idle. This photo essay captures the mounting crisis, and the communities left to live in its aftermath. Published 25 July 2025, 00:14 SAST · Updated 25 July 2025, 00:14 SAST ## Key points - At the Duncanville depot, a fleet of wheel-less vehicles is giving new meaning to the term "going nowhere fast," while nature seems to have taken the wheel—literally. - Duncanville depot showcases a fleet of municipal vehicles stripped of wheels, highlighting neglect and disrepair. - Refuse collection trucks and excavators languish, gathering dust and illustrating the municipality's operational challenges. - A tree envelops an abandoned excavator, symbolizing nature reclaiming what has been left behind. - The situation raises concerns over the efficacy of Emfuleni municipality's management and service delivery. ## Content ![A new excavator has it wheels removed at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/pNQD3O_VyZ7Ox6r47ixJCpwn-Qo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_0794.jpg) *A new excavator has it wheels removed at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![A refuse collection truck has its wheels removed at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/tS1nj7gNsqF3gdo2Obo6jwf8Qs0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_0818.jpg) *A refuse collection truck has its wheels removed at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![A tree grows around an excavator that has it wheels removed at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/tS0uiJ-PR3iDYGSRhksnbSIvTFg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_0846.jpg) *A tree grows around an excavator, with no wheels left, at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![Tractors with removed wheels at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/zvkwWkpqGLAt803x0TUpbK1RRaA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_0871.jpg) *Abandoned tractors at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![Tractors with removed wheels at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/jIFnAREeTdEEFWuaJ8xrhwYqQz0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_0876.jpg) *Abandoned tractor at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![A tractor without wheels at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Ls_EJoM9TtJlkWnXzrmu8e-u-do=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_0889.jpg) *A tractor without wheels at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![A teeper truck has its wheel removed at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/yaR82OsijJKar7uw7ugAGqc1K5U=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_0805.jpg) *A truck standing still at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![Broken fleet of trucks and excavators at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/uu52xapXyG3GS3_SwiF8n6ek1qc=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/IMG_4944.jpg) *Broken fleet of trucks and excavators at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![Vehicles belonging to the Emfuleni municipalty are gathering dust at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Te3umkC05E41u5ji4bH9EEKcXJs=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_0778.jpg) *Vehicles belonging to the Emfuleni municipality are gathering dust at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![Broken fleet of trucks and excavators at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/rPzpSB3YJF0wRqx1YxkmsLWNoF8=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_0898.jpg) *Broken fleet of trucks and excavators at the Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![Entrance of Emfuleni Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/p6cvpdnv7tSI33bL6sxrX8T8Fss=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_0908-1.jpg) *Entrance of Emfuleni Duncanville depot on 14 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla).* ![Uncollected waste at the entrance of Sharpville township in Vereeniging on 15 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/s7eNmExXT2v6siEfzDnHx063O6A=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_1076.jpg) *Uncollected waste at the entrance of Sharpville township in Vereeniging on 15 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![Uncollected waste at the entrance of Sharpville township in Vereeniging on 15 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Dfmdrb0sAv-9eUnRUxOeuedRsXc=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_1092.jpg) *Uncollected waste at the entrance of Sharpville township in Vereeniging on 15 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![Residents have to deal with the smell of uncollected rubbish in Sharpville township, Vereeniging on 15 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/cQWxChNavw2gNywn4o9dKiKldqk=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_1152.jpg) *Residents have to deal with the smell of uncollected rubbish in Sharpville township, Vereeniging on 15 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)* ![Residents have to deal with the smell of uncollected rubbish in Sharpville township, Vereeniging on 15 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/xnJ-m8ZMqNPlDvW6ou-PnzcpJf0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/WFD_1180.jpg) *Residents have to deal with the smell of uncollected rubbish in Sharpville township, Vereeniging on 15 July 2025. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla). DM*