Wasting the Nation.indd - Groundwork

Chapter 6: Down at the dumpswaste a day. However, as there is no weighbridge, it is impossible to calculate the exactamount of waste entering the landfill site.Since at least 1980, but probably much longer, pickers have worked the dump to earna livelihood, selling to a variety of middlemen. Up to 2004, various companies haveintermittently held rights, given to them by the municipality, to the recyclables inthe dump. Samson comments that up to this stage the municipal efforts to formaliserecycling amounted to “nothing more than placing tremendous pressure on thereclaimers to sell to one particular middleman”.In 2004, the recycling company A-Z abandoned its operations at the dump. In theresulting gap, the pickers organised themselves into two groups: Ikageng composed ofolder men and women recycling a wide variety of materials; and Ditamating composedof younger men focusing on scrap metal. There was some friction between the twogroups which is why they organised separately. Each group also established their ownmarkets, selling directly to buyers of recyclable materials.However, in 2006, the municipality awarded a 5 year contract to a black empowermentgroup, called Phutang and consisting of two black professionals from Zamdela, withan exclusive right to recycle materials from the dump. Phutang was established with aloan from Sasol granted through the Sasolburg Rejuvenation initiative. This process,Samson concludes, was not fair:First, Phutang had no relevant expertise in recycling or business moregenerally and prior to receiving support from Sasol/Rejuvenation had noaccess to capital required to run a business. Second, support from Sasol/Rejuvenation played a critical role in ensuring that Phutang received thecontract. Third, the contract was awarded without being publicised or putout to tender. Fourth, the reclaimers were completely excluded from theseprocesses and discussions.The reclaimers find it ironic that they were excluded in favour of Phutang on thegrounds of ‘black economic empowerment’. While the reclaimers are also black, inthe eyes of the municipality they did not appear fit for a deal worth millions of Randswhen, as one official put it, they don’t even own a motor vehicle. Neither were theyseen as stakeholders in the decision despite the fact that they are in fact the onlyrecyclers on the site, with experience in working there going back between eight and- 168 - groundWork - Wasting the Nation