By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero says the City is looking to convert reclaimed illegal dumping sites into community-based waste management and enterprise hubs, arguing that the initiative could stimulate economic growth, create jobs and contribute to gross domestic product (GDP).
Speaking at the launch of the Waste to Work Programme in Braamfontein on Thursday, Morero said the City of Johannesburg, in partnership with the National Empowerment Fund (NEF), intends to use municipal land to support young entrepreneurs in the waste management sector.
The programme celebrated its first group of graduates, who will receive support to establish waste management businesses.
Morero said the City had established a dedicated team to identify suitable municipal land that could be leased to entrepreneurs for between five and 10 years, allowing them to secure funding from financial institutions.
“I’ve made that decision, and the team is now operational. Every Wednesday they meet with me to provide feedback,” he said.
He said reclaimed dumping sites could be repurposed for businesses such as buy-back centres, car washes and other community enterprises proposed by young entrepreneurs.
“As we allocate land, part of the goal is to address illegal dumping in townships and clear those spaces so they can be used for productive purposes,” Morero said.
He said the approach would reduce the City’s expenditure on clearing illegal dumping sites, which he estimated costs between R5 million and R10 million annually, while also limiting spending on infrastructure and rental costs.
Morero also questioned the City’s reliance on conventional refuse compactor trucks, saying they are expensive and often unable to access narrow roads in informal settlements and townships.
He said smaller waste collection vehicles, such as tuk-tuks, could provide a more practical alternative.
“This tuk-tuk can access areas where compactor trucks cannot. It may be smaller, but it gets the job done,” he said.
“The advantage is that waste is already separated at source, meaning there’s no need to compact it.”
Morero said discussions with Pikitup had identified opportunities to restructure the City’s waste economy to create greater participation for small businesses.
He said Johannesburg spends about R125 million a year on compactor trucks and could redirect part of that budget to pilot community-based waste management initiatives.
“We can reinvest around R30 million in targeted areas to give young entrepreneurs an opportunity to demonstrate new solutions,” he said.
Morero added that township waste pickers who separate recyclable material at source require equipment, infrastructure and financial support to expand their operations.
He said the initiative could generate employment while improving household incomes and property values in township communities.
“The impact will be job creation and economic growth because people earning an income in townships are also able to invest in improving their properties,” he said.
He urged graduates to advocate for greater economic participation rather than focusing solely on service delivery challenges.
“Fight us about the economy. We’re budgeting R8 billion for capital expenditure and allocating about R1.2 billion to Pikitup for waste management,” Morero said.
“Don’t fold; challenge the City to rethink how it manages waste.”
Morero said government was committed to working with the private sector and communities to develop a more integrated waste management system.
He added that the City plans to remove about 2,000 waste accounts linked to illegal dumping sites from Pikitup’s management and is working with the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) to make municipal land available for a wider range of youth-led enterprises.
He wished the programme’s graduates success and said the City would continue supporting them as they establish their businesses.
