South Africa generates more than 250,000 tonnes of used tyres every year. A levy on new tyres has collected more than R5-billion since 2017. Less than half of this has reached the Waste Bureau, the state body responsible for the management of waste tyres. The bureau has failed to build a sustainable system. A culture of illegal dumping has filled that gap.

South Africa's waste crisis is impossible to ignore. Tyres dumped on the edge of towns, overflowing landfills and toxic fires are daily reminders that we are not coping. The county's waste crisis is once again under the spotlight, with the review of the National Waste Management Strategy now under way.

The problem is not just waste. It is a failure of planning, funding and leadership.

At the heart of the issue is the National Waste Management Strategy. This is not a minor document. It is a legal requirement under the National Environmental Management: Waste Act. The strategy is supposed to guide how waste is reduced, collected, recycled and safely disposed of. Done properly, it could unlock a circular economy, create jobs and help the South African government meet its duty, under Section 24 of the Constitution, to provide a healthy environment for all.

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Yet, the National Waste Management Strategy 2020 failed. The Department's own review earlier this year shows how badly. Of 67 outcomes, only three delivered concrete results. Ten showed some progress. The other 54 had absolutely no practical, tangible outcome. What counted as "success" were consultations, social media posts and policy launches -- not cleaner streets or more...