Kweneng District Council (KDC) is threatening to take legal actions against government departments owing disposal charges at Gamodubu Regional Land Fill amounting to over a million pula. Princes Marina Hospital and Scottish Livingstone owe close to half a million each.
The council has requested the departments to settle their bills by 30th June 2014 failing which legal action will be taken against them without further notice. 
The bills have accumulated from last year.
Kweneng District Council Chairman Motlhophi Leo told The Telegraph that the maintenance cost of the landfill is high and this has affected the council budget.
“We should be sharing the costs with those who are using the landfill. Now instead of using our budget for other developments we maintain the landfill that is being used by the government departments and other companies from all over the corners of this country. These departments do not want to pay, we have engaged them in so many occasions but they just do not want to pay. It will not be nice to drag the same government that we are working for to court but that is where we are heading,” he said.
Kweneng District councillors support their chairman. They want a new system where departments will pay before disposing rubbish.
“The Land fill is under Kweneng District Council. The responsibilities in terms of managing and taking care of the landfill rely with Kweneng District Council. The health hazards that might be caused by the said landfill affect the people of Kweneng District. We cannot allow a situation whereby departments from as far as Gaborone dispose their rubbish there and fail to pay disposal charges. How are we expected as the Kweneng council to maintain the landfill? I think it is time we change the system. All this departments must pay before they dispose their rubbish. That is the only way we can solve this issue,” Botswana National Front councillor for Thamaga, Tona Selala said in an interview with The Telegraph.
Botswana Congress Party (BCP) councillor for Mmopane Phagenyana Phage said the situation around the landfill area is bad. He fears that the landfill will not last for a longer period of time if Kweneng District Council does not take action against Government Departments who are not paying disposal charges.
“I have personally requested council to engage the council attorney on this matter. I still say only the courts of law can assist us with these Government Departments. We cannot allow a situation where over a million pula is flushed just like that. We have to maintain the landfill. Recently people around that area were complaining of flies. This is because of poor maintenance. I say let’s take them to court,” he said.
