Staff Profile: Research Officer

Tasmi Quazi is the Research Officer of Asiye eTafuleni (AeT). She has a master’s degree in Development Studies, and a background in architecture and design, particularly community-based approaches.  Her master’s thesis titled “Municipal Approaches to Incorporating the Informal Economy into the Urban Fabric: A Case Study of Msunduzi Local Municipality and Hibiscus Coast Municipality”  has … Read more

Global Waste Pickers’ Day: The Plea to Formal Businesses & Government for Support

Written by Tasmi Quazi, Photographs by Tasmi Quazi, Andile Ndlovu & Ntombizandile Krakra What was an ordinary start of the month for most, was a jubilant one for a group of inner-city recyclers of Durban, South Africa. To honour Global Waste Pickers’ Day (also called Global Recyclers’ Day) on the 1st of March, the Pine … Read more

Mainstreaming the Significance of the Informal Economy through Tertiary Education

Written by Tasmi Quazi, Photographs by Tasmi Quazi & Phumzile Xulu Since its inception, Asiye eTafuleni (AeT) has engaged the interest of various tertiary institutions in learning about inclusive urban design and development with the informal economy. This interest however has deepened and intensified from 2013.  Five different educational institutions, local and international, have bought … Read more

The Emergent Importance of the Informal Economy through Secondary Education

Tasmi Quazi Last year’s national trial examination paper for Grade 12, 2012 (final year of High School) geography learners, contained an entire section worth of questions on the ‘informal sector’.  The section was worth 28 marks out of the 100 marks allocated per question. An experienced educator’s aspiration is not only to broaden the minds … Read more

Work Experience on the Streets with Goucher College

By Tasmi Quazi Last week, two Professors and eight students from Goucher College based in Baltimore, USA, spent two and a half days with Asiye eTafuleni (AeT). The visit to urban and rural grass roots organisations in South Africa was designed as part of experiential learning for a course in “Civil Society and Social Change”. … Read more

Inclusion of Waste Pickers into National and Local Government Plans

By Tasmi Quazi & Richard Dobson Paper presented at the eThekwini-University Research Symposium on 19 September 2012 NPO Asiye eTafuleni (AeT) was commissioned by eThekwini Municipality’s Imagine Durban Project to implement a pilot project to test ways of improving the livelihoods of existing waste pickers operating in Durban, South Africa. By referring to this case … Read more

Reflection on a Field Trip to AeT’s Cardboard Recycling Project

Compiled by Tasmi Quazi As part of its dissemination strategy, Asiye eTafuleni (AeT) has welcomed the challenge of presenting its project work to interested audiences, particularly students.  This is because of AeT’s belief that a young audience can influence and contribute significantly to the future assimilation of informal workers into urban environments. Accordingly, close to … Read more

Markets of Warwick Wins a Mayor’s Award for Excellence!

Tasmi Quazi On Friday evening of 7th December 2012, a significant moment and victorious closure to the year was realised for the Markets of Warwick Committee, the informal trading community of Warwick Junction in general, including Asiye eTafuleni (AeT). It was when the Markets of Warwick project received a Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the … Read more