WASTE collectors and recyclers at Ngozi Mine have expressed apprehension over eviction from their workplace and homes amid claims that government plans to take over the area.
Ngozi Mine waste recycler Efford Ncube told Southern Eye that despite the uncertainty, waste pickers continue to work because recycling is their only source of livelihood.
“Yes, we are still doing waste recycling because we live off it,” he said.
“We use the money to send our children to school and cover family expenses. We literally survive on it.”
He said although waste pickers faced numerous challenges, their biggest concern was the possibility of losing their homes and source of income.
“We are frightened because we hear that the government has plans to take over the Ngozi Mine area.
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“We fear that if they come here, where will we go? How are we going to survive?” Ncube said.
“Our only plea is that they tell us how they intend to proceed. If they plan to relocate us, they should say so. Otherwise, we fear ending up with nowhere to live.”
Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights director Khumbulani Maphosa said waste pickers would likely continue with their activities because they depended on them for survival.
“The last time I saw them was in August last year and they were still operating because they survive from this work. It sustains their day-to-day lives,” Maphosa said.
He added that he was not in a position to provide an update on the situation because he had stepped back from engaging with the group for personal reasons.
Councillor Dumisani Nkomo (ward 5) recently urged Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to acknowledge and formalise the work of waste collectors, who play a critical role in keeping the city clean.
Addressing a full council meeting, Nkomo said the local authority should recognise what he described as “non-formal waste pickers”.
Like many local authorities across Zimbabwe, BCC continues to struggle with growing mounds of uncollected refuse accumulating on streets, open spaces and sanitary lanes.
Waste collectors have helped to ease the burden by collecting recyclable materials at no cost, reducing the volume of waste while generating income through resale and recycling.
Bulawayo deputy mayor Edwin Ndlovu urged waste collectors to formalise their co-operatives to ensure they are recognised during policy formulation.
Ndlovu said formalisation would make it easy for the local authority to engage with waste collectors on issues affecting their livelihoods and operations.
The Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights has called on BCC to develop policies that protect and promote the interests of waste collectors.
The organisation has since launched the Bulawayo Women’s Waste Café Project, a pilot initiative aimed at developing a gender-responsive, human rights-based approach to protecting and promoting the rights of women and girl waste pickers in Zimbabwe.