Gafsa picks it up for Pikitup as a loader
Gafsa Smit, Emily Wellman Bain, Pickitup, Anthony Selepe, loader, waste, landfill, women's month
The Northcliff Melville Times met with Gafsa Smit (55) who works as a ‘loader’ for Pikitup, to better understand the job that is so important within our city.
Loader is the term used for individuals who accompany rubbish trucks and phycically load the black Pikitup bins into the truck for emptying.
Smit said being interviewed for Women’s Month was a privilege as people often assume this is a man’s job. “I’m so proud of the work we do to keep our city and communities clean. It’s a very physically demanding job but not too stressful. It keeps me fit and I love it. If I did not, I wouldn’t have done it for 12 years!”
She described a busy home life that she manages with a demanding job with responsibilities toward her children and grandchildren that keep her on her toes.
Early each day, their truck with a team consisting of a driver, team leader and two loaders departs from the Waterfall depot on its mission to collect our rubbish.
The route is largely determined along refuse collection schedules for suburbs and includes detours for the collection of rubbish in places that the community reported as dirty.
An average day will see the truck absorb over 1 000 bags of refuse. When it reaches capacity, the rubbish is taken to the Marie Louise landfill site in Dobsonville, Soweto.
Tshilidzi Thouhakale, who drives the truck, laughed when asked if he had worked with other female loaders. “I have, they sometimes work harder than the men.”
They seemed to be a tight-knit team who kept their word that they couldn’t have a long meeting. They needed to ensure they kept to their schedule so the community does not worry if their trash will be collected.
Pikitup spokesperson Anthony Selepe said, “Loaders are our front-line workers who do backbreaking work and help us remove waste from the city. They are an integral part of our operations and we are grateful for ladies like Gafsa who work hard for us and the city.”
Smit said, “I wish people would take more pride in where they live and not just litter and make some areas dirty and horrible for others to be in. We have such a beautiful city, let’s all try to do our part and keep it clean.”
Related articles:
Public meeting invitation for Ward 98, Fairland Pikitup municipal dump
