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Waste Picker becomes AUTHOR

Waste Picker becomes AUTHOR

Funds Raised:
R 200
Fundraising Target:
R 30 000

Personal message

Nhlanhla, reached out to us with the exciting news that he had written a book about his life on the Pietermaritzburg landfill site. Thomas has an incredible story to tell about how he ended up living on the landfill site and picking waste to survive. 

Do you know what a waste-picker experiences on the landfill site? The truth is no-one really does unless you've not only worked on landfills but lived there too!
The story he has to tell will have you on the edge of your seat and how does someone with the capacity to write an entire memoir fall through the cracks because our government has let us down?
 
The story of a waste-picker is a Universal one.

Thomas spent 9 years there and his story is an important message to everyone.

We are raising money to cover the printing of and publishing of his story "The Secret Life of a South African Waste-Picker".

"Somebody died…he was found seated on the sofa…eyes pulled out…"

…the failure of the municipality to erect a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) even though huge funding had been made available as far back as 2012. A government department was on record as having made R21 million available for the development of the MRF and…pledged an additional R90 million to the project; however for reasons known only to the municipality nothing was ever done.
 
THIS BOOK IS MY ATTEMPT TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD THE STORY OF A PEOPLE ON THE MARGINS OF SOCIETY. Nhlanhla Thomas 
 
Book Cover: Ker Stanley 

Donations

  • Feb 12, 2024 - R 200.00 Fees covered
  • "" - Anonymous

Statistics

Fundraising target

R 30 000.00

Donations to date

R 200.00

Waste Picker becomes AUTHOR Campaign

Charity Default Logo

Nhlanhla wrote a book detailing his life on the Pietermaritzburg landfill site. Thomas, with an extraordinary journey, shares his experience of living on the site and surviving by collecting waste.

Thomas reveals a perspective few understand unless they've lived and worked on landfills. His story grips you, highlighting how someone capable of penning a memoir fell through societal gaps due to governmental neglect.

Thomas spent 9 years on the landfill, his tale resonating universally and carrying a crucial message. We're fundraising for the printing and publishing of his book, "The Secret Life of a South African Waste-Picker."

The narrative includes chilling incidents like finding someone dead, eyes gouged out. It also sheds light on governmental failures, like the unfulfilled promises of a Materials Recovery Facility despite ample funding.

Through this book, Nhlanhla Thomas aims to share the marginalized's story with the world, encapsulated by the compelling cover art by Ker Stanley.