Waste pickers seek assistance to continue working in harmony
"We are really struggling because they don't tell us when they come. They just come here, destroy all our things, take our refuse, and don't tell us where to go. We end up sleeping on the streets," said the recyclers.
Informal waste pickers sleep with one eye open as they occupy land unlawfully to make a living.
The land which is used by waste recyclers to collect and recycle plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and cardboard boxes near Randburg Taxi Rank belongs to the City of Joburg’s Department of Transport.
On May 2, Randburg Sun visited the area and spoke to the recyclers operating on the land illegally to earn a living.
Klaas Tumiso is one of the waste pickers from Lesotho and has been collecting recyclables since he came to South Africa in 2009.
“I was fascinated by this other man from our village who was doing the job by seeing huge changes in his life, such as being able to renovate his house and buy livestock. Then I decided to come to SA and started doing the job.”
The 36-year-old wakes up at 4:00, Monday to Wednesday, and walks on the streets looking for garbage. He spends seven hours on the roads with an empty stomach hoping that after gathering the trash, he will go to the scrapyard, sell it, and buy something to eat.
“I collect garbage around Randburg, Hyde Park, Brixton, and Sandton. Even though it’s a difficult job, it is better than working for someone or a company.”
For his load of recyclables, he could make R4 000 in a month and send half of it home to support his family.
“The JMPD says we are polluting the place and we are trespassing. However, we are just helping because we sell the trash after collecting it,” said 40-year-old Tswelipane Motema, another Lesotho man living on the land.
Motema started picking up trash last year in 2022, after he left his job as a builder at a construction company due to not getting paid.
The recyclers claim that they are cleaning the streets and trying to earn a living by collecting waste. They demand a place where they can continue to operate as they are evicted from the land by the JMPD, as they occupy the land unlawfully.
However, Metro police disagree. “Regional metro police members have not removed anyone. We warn them through the City of Johannesburg Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (CRUM) and JMPD operations to move from the place, failing to do so, an operation is conducted and the area is cleaned,” said spokesperson Xolani Fihla.
“ Waste sorting is as good as littering… there is a by-law against residing in a public open space. The property belongs to Johannesburg Property Company (JPC).”
JPC spokesperson Lucky Sindane said that the land is not designated for recycling and it is earmarked by the City’s Department of Transport.
“If they are occupying the land illegally, the JPMD will enforce the City’s by-laws and remove them. They can approach Pikitup to assist them with getting a place to collect waste because it is the entity responsible for waste management.”
Meanwhile, the waste pickers said that they will continue to operate on the land as they have nowhere to go.
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