Will global promises deliver local justice for Kya Sands?

Image supplied.

Global leaders will talk about sustainability in conference centres. We are pleading for it in our homes.

A decade of neglect: How Kya Sands became a wasteland

The Kya Sands landfill was officially decommissioned in 2010. Yet, by 2014, it had been reactivated illegally by organised syndicates – known locally as “Waste-Lords” – who now control a parallel waste economy.

Kya Sands is just one of at least 10 illegal dumpsites in the area, forming a vast, unregulated waste economy, with up to 200 trucks a day dumping household, construction, toxic, electronic, and even medical waste.

Operators charge R300–R800 per load, generating an estimated R20–R30m a year.

Each night, after anything of value is stripped, the remaining waste is set alight – a ritual of destruction designed to make space for more dumping.

The human and environmental toll

Burning waste releases benzene, ethylbenzene and other toxins linked to cancer, heart disease, respiratory illness, diabetes, and immune system damage.

Globally, air pollution claims the lives of over 6.5 million people each year – and in Kya Sands, the crisis is immediate, daily and does not discriminate.

Toxic smoke drifts across Fourways, Cedar Lakes, Bloubosrand, Cosmo City, Northriding, Chartwell, Riverbend, Zandspruit, and beyond – affecting more than 150,000 people from informal settlements to established suburbs, all breathing the same hazardous air.

The environmental impact is devastating. Many dump sites are located on wetlands, often without liners and regulations, allowing pollutants to contaminate soil and groundwater.

Our air, land and water are compromised – yet enforcement remains absent.

Despite glossy strategies and recycling rhetoric, thousands of tonnes of waste are still dumped and burned illegally every day – right next to people’s homes.

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A broken system: The economics of crime and neglect

With half of Johannesburg’s official landfills at capacity and only two sites left for nearly six million residents, Johannesburg’s waste crisis has reached a breaking point.

As legal options disappear, waste is diverted into illegal channels – fuelling the rise of criminal dumping syndicates and turning communities like Kya Sands into toxic dumping grounds.

Despite public commitments to recycling and waste-to-energy, thousands of tons of waste are being dumped and burned illegally every day, right next to people’s homes.

Dada fiddles while Kya Sands burns

Despite years of complaints, petitions, inspections, and “strategic plans”, the City of Johannesburg and its agencies have repeatedly failed to act.

Meetings and public statements have amounted to little more than municipal greenwashing – gestures meant to create the appearance of progress while the crisis worsens.

In 2021, officials inspected the site. In 2022, they promised action. Nothing changed.

Now, with the G20 spotlight on Johannesburg, the City has suddenly announced a R150m “rehabilitation plan” for Kya Sands.

After more than a decade of neglect, this feels like sustainability theatre – action designed for optics, not outcomes.

Meanwhile, the “Waste-Lords” profit, communities suffer, and law enforcement turns a blind eye. The system is broken.

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Community fights back

The Kya Sands Burning Wasteland Community Forum (KSBWCF) refuses to accept inaction.

In 2024, the NPC won a high court order compelling the City to conduct comprehensive air quality testing.

The City missed deadlines – and has still not complied. Further litigation is now underway, involving twelve government entities.

More than 11,600 people have signed our petition demanding action.

Independent air-quality tests confirm the presence of dangerous pollutant levels directly linked to the illegal dumping and burning.

What needs to happen now

The community’s demands are clear and urgent:

• Enforcement and accountability: Dismantle criminal dumping networks and protect whistleblowers.

• Coordinated municipal and government action: A cross-departmental plan with clear timelines, public accountability, and ongoing court supervision.

• Immediate remediation: Close all illegal dumps, rehabilitate the land, restore the rule of law.

• Future planning: Develop sustainable, well-managed waste facilities that protect both people and the environment, with long-term monitoring to prevent another crisis.

Rallying for real change – from global promises to real action

The G20 Summit is South Africa’s chance to demonstrate genuine leadership on sustainability. But credibility starts at home.

Kya Sands is a test: will municipal and national leaders move beyond greenwashing and sustainability theatre to deliver real, measurable action?

The world will see through sustainability slogans if our communities continue to choke.

Visit www.kya-sand-burning.com to learn more, join the conversation on social media, and sign the petition at https://www.change.org/StopDumpingBurningFourways.