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25 year-old
Sgavi Skosana from Soshanguve Block KK collects bottles from a landfill site to
make a living.
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A landfill
site in Soshanguve Block KK does not nly serve as a waste disposal site.
Residents
rely on the landfill site to put food on their table.
25 year-old
resident, Sgavi Skosana has been collecting cans and bottles for the past four
months in order to support his family.
Skosana said
on a good day, he made more than R200.
“I have two
children and a girlfriend. My family and I use the money I make to buy the
basics such as paraffin and maize meal,” said Skosana.
He said he
was also able to put one of his daughters through primary school.
39 year-old Jack
Mumakwe said he was aware of the dangers that came with working at the
landfill.
“0I know that
I can get sick anytime. I can contract
TB because there is a lot of dust here. We sometimes do not use gloves when we
collect waste,” said Mumakwe.
Another
resident, Clement Makune, said the landfill had become a business opportunity
for him.
The 27
year-old Makune sells cold drinks, sweets, fruit and bread to locals who visit the
waste site.
“I have been
selling here for seven months and I feed my family through the profit I make,”
said local businessman, Makune.
“I cannot
collect cans and bottles due to my chest problem, so I thought of another way
to make money.”
Kabelo
Matsaung, another waste collector said he had been collecting waste for three
years.
He said the
job was sometimes unpleasant.
“I sometimes
come across dead animals in plastic bags. I also have to deal with the foul
smell of rotten food but that never stops me to come here because I am able to
feed my family,” said the father of four.
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| Doctor Ntsako Nkanyane from kafalong hospital |
Doctor Ntsako
Nkanyane, of Kalafong hospital in Atteridgeville, Pretoria said it was vital
for residents to take extra precaution.
“Landfills
are nourishing environments for various kinds of bacteria which can cause
diseases. Residents may fall ill through inhalation, hand to mouth and through
disrupted skin barrier,” explained Nkanyane.
She added
that malaria was also a cause for concern as mosquitos thrived in such
environments.
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