Civil society engagement with local government: African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO)
Presenter: Luyanda Hlatshwayo
Discussant: Melanie Samson
Date: 14 May
Time: 1 – 3pm
Venue: PARI offices and online
Register here to attend in person
Register here to attend online
Luyanda Hlatshwayo is a street reclaimer and activist in the African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO). He currently serves as ARO’s Coordinator and Business Development Manager.
Melanie Samson is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg and the coordinator of the AROUJ Reclaiming Praxis Network. She works closely with ARO and reclaimer movements across Africa.
Abstract: The Africa Reclaimers Organisation (ARO) is a mass based, democratic movement of reclaimers, with members in Johannesburg, Mpumalanga and Cape Town. ARO emerged out of an organising process that started in 2016 to counter attempts by the City of Johannesburg and Pikitup to contract private companies to collect the recyclables that reclaimers depend on for their livelihoods. ARO succeeded in stopping all but two of the contracts and subsequently launched a powerful ‘recycling with reclaimers’ initiative in which reclaimers partner directly with residents to provide recycling services that circumvent the state’s attempts to dispossess reclaimers. ARO is currently struggling to ensure that the extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations requiring industry to pay reclaimers for the services they provide are implemented and that municipalities meaningfully partner with reclaimers.
About the series:
Building on our previous seminar series which offered scholars, researchers and activists a space to share their ongoing work, either by discussing work in progress or presenting upcoming and new publications on the City of Johannesburg, the next series turns the focus to the work and experiences of civil society organisations. As Johannesburg continues to face intersecting crises of governance, service delivery and urban inequality, civil society organisations play a pivotal role in keeping local government accountable – and in promoting innovative ways to respond to urban crisis.
In 2026, civil society organisations will lead the conversation, presenting their experiences, strategies and challenges in navigating urban crisis in Johannesburg. This is particularly important as we move towards local government elections towards the end of the year.
