Stories of people and places:

Don’t litter because you think it’s creating jobs

Why do people litter? This question was the focus of a 2022 study published in the South African Journal of Science. Over 300 residents in a number of lower-income communities were surveyed to understand their subjective perceptions about why people litter. Their responses were then categorised into five themes. Interestingly, a unique theme that emerged during the study is that people believed littering creates jobs for other people. This theme is evident in other parts of the country too. The following anecdotes illustrate perceptions about the link between littering and job creation.

Karoo

When people in the Karoo talked about the problems and politics of their small towns, many talked about garbage, and its removal. Many pointed to the litter on the side of the roads as an example of all the ways the municipality was failing them. Middle class people would walk around saying: “Look at this rubbish. It’s a disgrace!” A few industrious citizens organise drives, clearing litter along the river banks and national highways. But they [the local government] don’t want us to,” one woman said, bowing and shaking her head. “They say we are taking people’s jobs.”

The people whose jobs she said she was accused of ‘taking’, were government-employed street cleaners. Some of these were municipal workers. Others were hired through public employment programmes like the Community Works Programme (CWP). “It’s two days of work per week”, one municipal representative said.

“It’s even less than minimum wage, but it’s trying to give everybody some money. I support CWP. But they’re actually doing the work that our labour force in the municipality should be doing. My feeling is that they should be doing other work, like taking out weeds.”

 

Saulsville

Many Saulsville residents in Tshwane (especially young men) are unhappy about projects that work to clean the local environment. Some think these projects have won big tenders even when they have not. For recent unemployed migrants living in the informal areas of Saulsville, it is easy to resent others who seem to be gaining access to opportunities.

Share this:

You might enjoy these other stories:

Illegal dumpers set fire to waste: A Bhekisisa investigation

Illegal dumpers set fire to waste: A Bhekisisa investigation

A Bhekisisa Centre for health journalism investigation has found that residents are getting sick and struggling to breathe because of the air quality around an illegal dump site in Kya Sand, north west of Johannesburg. Residents from informal settlements and gated...

read more
Published: 16 July 2023

Share this: