Metro, waste pickers meet over Clubview removal

The Tshwane metro has warned that if waste pickers at a so-called sorting station in Clubview continued to sort and store waste at the site it would have no choice but to intervene.

The metro said it would do this by continuously removing the waste from the site itself.

A meeting between metro officials, concerned activists and waste pickers was held last week on Monday afternoon.

“The metro wants to provide alternative waste-sorting facilities for recycling operations by waste pickers across the city,” said metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo.

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Mashigo said a notice issued to the waste pickers at the sorting station in Clubview recently was not intended to remove them from the site.

“The notice does not address the issue of illegal land occupation,” he said.

“This is a different process.”

Instead the notice warns the so-called “Bagerezi” to cease the illegal sorting and storage of waste as it was in contravention of the waste management act.

“Sorting and storage of waste is considered a listed activity for which a permit must first be obtained in terms of the act,” Mashigo said.

“The notice does not necessarily mean the land occupiers will be moved as part of this process.”

The “Bagerezi” previously voiced their concerns about where they would be moved to.

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Having to move to areas such as Mooiplaas, where competition might see their business suffer, had them concerned.

But, said the metro, it was searching for properties which would be appropriate for recyclable waste sorting and storage and Mooiplaas was not one of them.

“This will be communicated to the waste pickers as they are being stopped from sorting and storing waste at sites that are not appropriate.”