In Episode 75 of The Tyre Recycling Podcast, we speak with representatives from REDISA about the rise, collapse, and legal vindication of South Africa’s first national waste tyre management plan.
REDISA reflects on State Capture, Regulatory Failure, and the Collapse of South Africa’s Waste Tyre Plan
Stacey Jansen and Alex Erdmann provide a candid account of how political interference, regulatory instability, and state capture undermining the system—leaving hundreds of thousands of tonnes of tyres stockpiled and thousands of jobs affected.
Chapters:
0:12 Introduction and Explainer
2:38 What went wrong?
3:22 Regime wanted to get its hands on the money
4:15 Performance review goes belly-up
4:58 Minister’s conduct something to behold
5:34 Hawks were told to start investigating REDISA
6:04 No evidence found
6:46 Just another victim of State capture
7:15 Tyre manufacturers not involved in this process against REDISA
8:23 Zuma’s henchmen… cash in a bag
8:51 Threat to put REDISA team in jail
9:23 Real victims are the 3,500 people REDISA employed
11:18 Private industries not allowed to own assets but take all the risks
11:51 5.3bn Rand collected and not distributed by the government
13:03 Proposing grades of fees based on the recyclability of the tyres
14:11 Positively incentivise industry
16:06 Tyre manufacturers called for government management
17:20 Operator to hold liability but all assets to belong to the state
19:40 Welcome the withdrawal of the IWTMP
22:39 Waste depots now are far from the standard that REDISA had
24:28 The Courts have completely vindicated REDISA
26:00 After four years of government control there are 900,000 tons of tyres in storage
26:26 To make storage compliant, the government changed the rules
27:35 Recyclers having to work on their own to get feedstock and develop markets
29:30 Developing the markets is not the government’s problem
31:40 A commercial solution to waste that has environmental side effects
33:24 Penalised for doing the right thing
33:50 REDISA will fund to allow investment to a greener model
34:37 Can REDISA referee the game?
35:36 Thanks and conclusions from the discussion
