REDISA’s Stacey Jansen has responded to recent reporting about Resolve Communications and REDISA by arguing that the public debate should remain focused on South Africa’s unresolved waste tire crisis. In a letter published by IOL, Jansen said South Africa generates more than 70,000 waste tires per day and recycles less than 30% of them, creating environmental and public health risks in communities where discarded tires accumulate or are burned for scrap metal. She rejected the suggestion that the submission of a critical opinion article through a communications firm amounted to a political campaign against a minister, saying such claims distract from the larger issue of waste tire management. The response also revisits REDISA’s earlier producer responsibility model, its shutdown under the Zuma administration, and the continuing debate over how South Africa should rebuild a functioning tire recycling system.

Waste tires described as public health and environmental risk

Jansen said waste tires that are not recycled often accumulate on the urban fringe and near informal settlements. According to her letter, some are burned for scrap metal, releasing harmful pollutants into the air and creating risks for nearby communities.

She also pointed to groundwater contamination risks from poorly managed tires. The letter frames waste tire accumulation as a slow-moving environmental and public health emergency that is not receiving sufficient attention.

REDISA model cited as previous solution

Jansen argued that South Africa once had a functioning approach through the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa. She said REDISA was funded by industry through a producer responsibility levy, rather than government money, and was created to address waste tire collection and recycling.

According to the letter, REDISA established a national collection and processing network between 2013 and 2017, increased the number of tire recyclers from 12 to 32, raised the recycling rate from 4% to 55%, created more than 3,000 jobs and supported about 250 small businesses.

Shutdown and legal dispute remain central issues

Jansen said REDISA was unlawfully shut down under the administration of former president Jacob Zuma. She referred to a 2019 Supreme Court of Appeal decision that, according to the letter, condemned the liquidation as unlawful.

The letter also states that REDISA is still pursuing a damages claim against the liquidators. Jansen said the litigation referred to in the debate relates to the damages claim against the liquidators, not against the department, although the department has been drawn in because it granted the liquidators immunity.

Collection system said to remain under pressure

Jansen argued that the consequences of REDISA’s removal remain visible. She said many tire depots are filled beyond capacity, collection has collapsed and jobs once held by collectors and transporters have not returned.

She also criticized the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment for spending years attempting to produce a functioning Industry Waste Tyre Management Plan. According to the letter, the department’s current response includes a tender for 32 depots capable of holding more than one million tonnes of scrap tires.

Data and waste stream management criticized

The letter also raised concerns about the Waste Management Bureau’s data, which Jansen described as incomplete, inaccurate or outdated. She said reliable data are essential for managing the waste tire problem.

Jansen also argued that the issue extends beyond tires, saying effective management of 13 South African waste streams could add 1.5 percentage points to GDP. In her view, this represents an achievable economic and environmental opportunity that remains unclaimed.

Advocacy defended as legitimate scrutiny

Jansen said public criticism of a minister or department should not automatically be treated as a political attack. She argued that organizations ignored on the substance of their arguments may take their case to the public, including with professional communications support.

The letter states that rigorous scrutiny is justified for whoever holds the ministerial portfolio responsible for waste tire management. Jansen said the problem requires engagement and dialogue rather than silence.

South Africa’s tire recycling challenge remains unresolved

The response presents South Africa’s waste tire system as a large but solvable problem. It argues that more attention should be given to tire recycling, collection infrastructure, producer responsibility, data quality and the development of markets for recovered tire materials.

For South Africa’s circular economy, the debate around REDISA highlights the importance of a stable tire recycling framework capable of preventing illegal dumping, reducing burning, supporting jobs and moving end-of-life tires into productive recovery routes.

Article source: .