Kwa-Thema – The closure of the Reitfontein dump site has left over 4 000 recyclers in the cold and without a source of income.
Last month, angry residents blocked the entrances to the dump site and refused trucks access to the facility.
They demanded the site be permanently closed because they could not stand its foul smell. The site is one of the biggest dumping sites in Ekurhuleni and services communities in the east.
Visiting the site, heaps of refuse covered the open space just outside the entrance, and there were makeshift shacks.
The homeless recyclers who previously lived inside the dumping site now reside there. The recyclers redirect private vehicles to an illegal dumping site outside the Reitfontein dumping site.
ALSO CHECK: After his tribute concert, the Jobe Foundation renovated the home of the late Vuyo Mokoena
Recycler Moses Golden Dube said it was unfair that their work was affected because the residents complained about the foul smell at the dumping site.
“The nearby houses of the residents complaining about the foul smell found this dumping site operational, but now they want to shut it down.
“They demanded the site be covered and rehabilitated, but upon meeting all their demands, they demanded it be closed permanently.
“They are not considering the livelihood of the people working on-site and their families,” he said.
Moyo added that he used to make R1 200 a day from recycling, but at the illegal dump site, he was lucky to make R50.
“I have worked at the dump site since 2010. I can’t move to the dumping site in Germiston and other neighbouring areas because they are far and difficult to penetrate.
“Gangs run the dumping sites. Not just anyone can walk in and start working. They would kill you and leave you to rot on-site without ever being found,” he added.
After visiting the site, the MMC of Environment and Waste Management Services, Eunice Matloga, promised to meet and engage with the residents to find a way forward.
