AfriForum’s 2025 landfill site audit, released today, paints a sobering picture of waste management in South Africa. Of the 169 landfill sites assessed nationwide, only 22% – fewer than one in five – met the minimum legal standards for responsible waste management.
The audit found that 131 sites failed to comply with even the most basic operational and environmental requirements designed to protect communities and ecosystems from pollution and mismanagement.
Gauteng and the Western Cape emerged as the only provinces where the majority of sites achieved a pass mark. Gauteng maintained its position as the top-performing province for the second consecutive year, scoring an average of 84% compliance.
The Western Cape followed with 66%. Notably, 19 of the 38 sites that passed the audit were located in the Western Cape.
In stark contrast, landfill sites in the Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape remain in what AfriForum describes as a “state of collapse,” with more than 90% of audited sites in these provinces failing the audit.
The Northern Cape recorded the worst performance, with an average compliance score of just 13%.
Nationally, the average compliance score rose slightly to 42% – a four-point increase from 2024, and the highest recorded in the past five years. But AfriForum warns that this modest improvement should not overshadow the broader systemic failures in the sector.
“Municipalities are supposed to protect communities against pollution, yet most landfill sites are lawless and dangerous,” said Marais de Vaal, AfriForum’s advisor for Environmental Affairs.
“With only 22% of sites passing this audit, it is clear that the majority of municipalities are incapable or unwilling to perform this basic function of service delivery.”
The most common issues identified across failing sites include broken or absent weighbridges, inadequate access control and security, and the illegal dumping of hazardous materials due to poor oversight.
Many sites also lacked proper waste compaction and coverage, had uncontrolled fires, and allowed informal recyclers to operate in unsafe conditions without protective equipment or municipal registration.
AfriForum has pledged to submit the audit findings to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, calling for immediate intervention and accountability from local authorities.
The organisation also continues to promote community-based solutions as a way forward.
“The only sustainable way to meet communities’ needs for responsible waste management is to establish closer collaboration between municipalities and communities,” said de Vaal.
“Due to municipalities’ continued lack of proper service delivery, individuals are left with no other choice but to establish alternatives to achieve community self‑reliance.”
AfriForum said it currently runs a range of grassroots waste initiatives, including a community waste removal service in Bloemfontein and recycling drives in various towns across the country.
