Two informal recyclers were shot and killed at the Robinson Deep landfill site, south of Johannesburg, in what is thought to be a territorial dispute between rival waste picking groups. The two men were gunned down by unknown assailants on Thursday.
Michael Sun, Johannesburg’s MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Service Department (EISD) condemned the violence and called the killings “unacceptable”. Sun said: “Senseless violence has taken the lives of two individuals trying to eke out a living in the informal waste economy. This is completely unacceptable.”
He added: “Pikitup [waste management service] has been trying to provide conducive environments in support of the waste recycling sector but criminal elements continue to filtrate into our facilities,”
Police are investigating a case of double murder. Sun said although the informal waste picking economy is an opportunity for economic development, it must be conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner. He added that his department will be intensifying security measures at the landfill site following the murder of the two men in what appears to be a turf war.
“We will now request for the assistance of police to conduct random searches for weapons and other contrabands on persons entering our facilities and ensure that all re-claimers operating on-site adhere to the rules and regulation of the site,” he said.