The City of Johannesburg wanted to move 71 waste pickers from the city to a place where they are said to be unable to continue picking waste for a living. However, the Court ruled that they have a right to earn a living and that they must be provided with suitable alternative accommodation within 60 days. The waste pickers sort the rubbish they have collected which can be sold to recyclers.
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The waste pickers were evicted from a property in Midrand in 2019 and the court ruled, that the municipality provide them with accommodation. The property owners, Rycloff, which owns the Midrand property, applied to evict 71 people who earn a living from waste picking. They had built shacks on the property to live there with their families.
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The City of Johannesburg identified Kya Sands as an alternative after Rycloff evicted them. However, this meant, they would no longer be able to continue working. The City appealed against the ruling in the Supreme Court of Appeal. However, the waste pickers, represented by the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), argued that the right to earn a living flows from the constitutional right to dignity.
Bongi Sikelo 
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