Waste pickers battle heading to ConCourt
Lawyers for Human Rights want to take its battle to have waste pickers recognised as an essential service to the highest court in the land.
This comes after the organisation's bid to recognise waste collectors as an essential service was denied by the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.
Attorney Louise du Plessis says they wants to challenge the decision at the apex court as they believe that waste collectors fall under the provision of essential workers.
"We went to court to demand a declaratory order, but among that declaratory order, we asked that their movements are limited, for example, in the areas that the dustbins are cleared.
"The position of the minister and the municipality was that it is only the municipality which can fulfil the function of waste management. Therefore, our clients do not fall in that scope," says Du Plessis.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries says it will request funding from the Solidarity Fund to assist hundreds of waste pickers who will be without income during the national lockdown.
Environment Minister Barbara Creecy says the situation waste pickers find themselves in is as a consequence of recyclables not being included in the list of the essential services.