The Lunchbox Fund and the Development Bank have committed to providing meals to Zandile Mtungata’s organisation.

East London, South Africa (21 October 2024) — Last month GroundUp reported how a woman in Duncan Village, East London, was making a huge effort to daily feed dozens of children in her community. Zandile Mtungata told us at the time:

“When people come asking for food, whoa, I am happy I see the joy and hope. Because I am their hope, I am their hope.”

But Mtungata was battling. For one thing, she needed a new stove. She complained of receiving very little assistance from government to provide food.

Following our article an organisation called the Lunchbox Fund in partnership with the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) committed to providing over one million meals until the end of 2025 to Mtungata’s outreach programme, which she calls Healing of Broken Souls, and Inenjongo, an after-school homework tutoring project also in Duncan Village.

Lunga Schoeman, programme manager for corporate social investment at the DBSA, stated:

“From October until December 2025, a total of 1,099,440 meals will be served, ensuring that these children receive nourishing, warm meals daily.”

On Tuesday, Mtungata told GroundUp the food had not arrived on Monday, 7 October, as was stated in the email to GroundUp. This was reported to the fund and a day later the delivery was made.

Mtungata says she was visited a while ago by a representative of the fund and signed documents.

She was also visited for the first time by an official from the provincial Department of Social Development and encouraged to register her organisation at their offices in East London’s CBD four kilometres away.

“But I don’t have the money to go up and down,” she said.

Support has also continued with meals and a microwave from local evangelist Matthew Peake of Helping Those in Need.

Sources: GroundUp

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Limpopo School has been going strong for nearly 20 years.

Limpopo, South Africa (10 October 2024) — The Vhutshilo Mountain School in Tshikombani village, about 30 km west of Thohoyandou in Limpopo, has been looking after HIV/AIDS orphans since 2002.

The school was founded by Sue Ann (Suzi) Cook, a factory worker from Shayandima. She noticed the plight of women, particularly grandmothers, who could not go to work because they had to care for children whose parents had died of AIDS. This was before antiretroviral (ARV) treatment was widely available. Cook was especially concerned about the young children who needed daytime care.

Cook transformed the caravan she lived in at Thathe Vondo into a pre-school, resigned from her job and started caring for the children, helping with transport, meals, clothing and medical care. She launched a gardening programme to provide fresh vegetables, distributed food parcels to families, and established the village’s first paediatric ARV programme.

Her work caught the attention of Professor Fraser McNeill, head of the anthropology department at the University of Pretoria. McNeill was conducting research on HIV/AIDS-related issues.

“Grandmothers were under stress as they had to work while taking care of sick children. It was difficult for them to administer the children’s medication regularly, and some were forgetting,” McNeill said.

McNeill shared the story of the school with his church congregation in Scotland, asking them to raise funds. In 2005, the Inverclyde congregation of the Church of Scotland built a two-classroom school at Tshikombani.

Among those who have supported the school over the years are Monica McNeill and her husband, Les. At the beginning of the month the couple visited the school from Scotland to mark their 50th wedding anniversary. A signboard was unveiled, acknowledging the Church of Scotland and specifically the McNeill family for their contributions.

Over the years, countless success stories have emerged from the Vhutshilo Mountain School, with many former students pursuing higher education and successful careers. Many return to mentor current pupils.

The school currently accommodates 130 pupils, ranging from toddlers aged one to three to Grade 2 pupils (aged seven to eight years).

Since its official opening in 2005, the school has also started admitting other learners who pay school fees, helping to break the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. Most of the children come from nearby villages such as Dopeni and Fondwe.

The school offers a range of programmes including psychosocial support services, counselling and peer support groups to help children cope with the loss of their parents and the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.

Khathu Nemafhohoni, the school’s director, said the school’s role extends beyond education. Staff also visit the children at their homes. She said shortages of funds limit the school’s ability to accommodate more children.

Cook died in 2018. “Suzi started with nothing. The Church of Scotland built on her inspiration,” said McNeill.

This story is published in association with the Limpopo Mirror.

Sources: GroundUp

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The annual event celebrating recovery from substance use started in 2015

Cape Flats, South Africa (03 October 2024) — Hundreds of people participated in the 10th annual Recovery Walk on Saturday to counter stigmas about recovery from substance use and mental illness. In the wind and rain, they walked five kilometres from Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital through Mitchell’s Plain, carrying signs. Some read: “I am a recovery superhero” and “I love the person I’ve become”.

There was some unexpected drama when the walk was interrupted about an hour in. A passerby was hit by a vehicle on Highlands Drive. She suffered a broken leg, one event organiser said. Emergency personnel came, and the walk resumed.

Warren Cornelius, from the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at the University of Cape Town, said as many as 1.5 million people – about 20% of the Western Cape’s population – have a substance use disorder, yet less than 4,000 access treatment each year.

Cornelius, who began his recovery in 2011, said “open recovery” inspires others to start on their own healing journey. “It’s not just about recovery,” he said. “It’s about instilling hope in people.”

Participants included those recovering from addiction, those with family members affected by addiction, and patients from Lentegeur Hospital.

Cornelius said the Recovery Walk has “really evolved” since the first one in 2015 in the city centre.

Juliet Yates, who is on the organising committee, participated for the fourth time. She said being open about recovery has been the “best thing” for her progress.

Marcellus Pather, who is in his first year of recovery after 40 years of substance use, said he has lost two brothers to mental illness and substance use.

“I’m grateful for my recovery,” said Pather. “Grateful, definitely, and the fact that I’m in my kids’ lives now.”

Sources: GroundUp

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Activists with disabilities are raising awareness about climate change

Johannesburg (25 September 2024) — On a warm afternoon in Tembisa, local resident Phillip Masitenyane can be found knee deep inside a garbage skip sifting for recyclable materials.

Masitenyane is visually impaired and has hearing loss. He uses his hands to feel for different materials in the rubbish – paper, plastic, metal tins and glass.

“Because I have to use my hands to touch and feel for items I don’t wear gloves, so it can sometimes be a bit dangerous if there is a sharp item or object inside here,” said Masitenyane.

Masitenyane is part of the Visually Impaired Community Development Organisation (VICDO) an NGO founded in 1995 and run by visually impaired activists in the Tembisa area.

VICDO, which advocates for the rights of people with disabilities, has recently involved itself in an environmental awareness program to promote the voices of people with disabilities in conversations on climate change.

Minah Funani (left) with Phillip Masitenyane (right) at a waste collection site at the back of a local school.

The organisation has partnered with four local schools, where the schools’ waste is sorted into recyclable materials. Members of VICDO go to the schools daily.

When they have collected a reasonable quantity of material, they take it to a local facility to process and recycle.

Visually impaired activists use their hands to feel for recyclable objects.

Minah Funani, a founding member of VICDO, said, “We are trying to learn more about these climate issues and its impact on us as people with disabilities. We are also trying to share our knowledge with other people so that we can take collective action.”

Funani recently advocated for facilities for the visually impaired to be installed at her local library. She now has access to a braille printer to produce information pamphlets about climate change, which she distributes to other visually impaired people in the township.

She also organises workshops bringing together environmental activists with members of VICDO so that knowledge can be shared.

“We need to raise awareness and educate ourselves and others in our community about these issues, because this is something that affects all of us,” said Funani.

Members of VICDO from left, Minah Funani, Mita Mukwevho, Johannes Magaela, Johannes Moseki and Phillip Masitenyane

Sources: GroundUp

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Drum majorettes drill their squad for competition.

• The Nerina Primary School marching band in Bonteheuwel, Cape Town, is in need of uniforms, equipment and funds to stay afloat.
• The marching squad started in May and has been preparing to compete in next week’s Western Province Marching Association’s two-day district competition at Rhodes High School.
• Teachers say the marching has given learners “a sense of belonging to something”.

Cape Town, South Africa (19 September, 2024)—The sound of drum majorette Nabeelah Abrahams shouting, “Squad ready?”, breaks the silence in the courtyard of Nerina Primary School in Bonteheuwel, Cape Town.

The squad of about 20 learners, from grades 4 to 7, rehearse twice a week after school. We caught up with them as they were drilling ahead of next week’s Western Province Marching Association’s two-day district competition of 17 schools at Rhodes High.

In the centre of the team standing in neat rows of three, we found Nabeelah waving her blue and white mace (a baton used by the drum major) to signal the next drill for the squad. Unlike many other drill squads, her mace is made of recyclables.

The Nerina squad started in May and the upcoming competition will be their third showcase.

“I always loved the idea of marching bands. A teacher from another school with a marching band taught me how everything is done, and put me in contact with the relevant parties. From there … it just moved fast,” said Rusdia Cloete, a grade 4 teacher at Nerina, who trains the squad.

Being part of the marching band has taught the learners – most of whom come from challenging backgrounds – discipline and respect, Cloete said. “It is all about teamwork. It teaches them to how to lead and be led. For instance, if they do not listen to each other, then the whole team will fall apart.”

“I am working with a lot of children who are looking for attention, so this marching band is their time to shine,” she said.

“It teaches them patience and to be coherent with each other. But we still got a long way to go.”

Cloete said many of their learners struggle with behavioural issues, such as discipline.

Grade 7 learner Wafika Turner said, “I enjoy it very much and I am excited for the upcoming competition.”

“I would recommend more learners to join the marching band because it teaches discipline, but it is also a lot of fun.”

Fadiel Gasant, founder of the Orient Super Band and president of the SA Marching Show Band Association., said the routines done by schools are classified as drills with learners being accompanied by drums, while marching bands showcase formations and includes brass instruments. Gasant said drills were easier for schools to arrange, because brass instruments are expensive.

As the squad moved into formation, grade 3 teacher Nicoleen Bashley explained that this is known as the grand march pass, which is when the team introduces themselves to the panel of judges.

“They will march around the field in a square formation and salute the judges as they pass. This is a sign of respect but also meant to ask the judges if they can continue to the next step.”

Bashley said the marching has given some of the learners “a sense of belonging to something”. She said they have already seen a change in some learners’ schoolwork and their personalities in class.

Bashley said most of the learners at Nerina Primary “came from difficult socio-economic backgrounds” and that at least 70% are child support grant recipients.

“They don’t have a lot, and their parents don’t have a lot.” This is why the teachers rely heavily on fundraising and donations.

“Some of the learners in the marching band did not even have decent school uniforms for their previous performances. They had to borrow and lend from friends or neighbours. So, we are trying our best to raise funds to at least get everybody a decent uniform,” said Bashley.

She said apart from uniforms, the team also needs equipment like drumsticks, transport to competitions, and snacks for the learners.

Bashley said the squad also has a BackaBuddy campaign where people can donate.

Sources: GroundUp

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Learners from township schools participate in the sports league on Fridays.

Gugulethu, South Africa (30 August 2024) — In an effort to keep primary school learners off the street where they could be recruited into crime, a Gugulethu organisation has been hosting sports tournaments.

The co-founder of Siyavuselela Sports and Life Skills in Gugulethu, says through the tournaments, young people and adults are encouraged to reclaim spaces for sports.

The man asked GroundUp not to publish his name because he is scared that extortionists in the area will target him.

He says his sports programme does not just teach children to play sport, it also aims to reduce involvement in criminal activity, enhance well-being and create jobs.

Every Friday throughout the year, the organisation hosts a league for 24 schools under the 2024 Cape Flats Schools Sports and Life Skills Tournament umbrella. Teams take part in soccer, netball, chess, indigenous games, and traditional dances.

Last weekend’s competition had 135 learners from Langa, 259 from Nyanga, 456 from Gugulethu participating, said the organiser.

“The pupils also get an opportunity to interact with children from other schools and communities… Government should adopt this programme. I don’t want to be given funds, but we want the government to assist for the benefit of the young people,” said the organiser.

He said they currently fund the Friday league practices, transport for the children and the competitions “out of our own pockets”.

Soccer player Asiphile Zilingo, 12, said, “Here I can show my abilities and compete with children from other schools, and I am learning a lot.”

Coach Sihle Luzipo from Moshesh Primary School in Langa told GroundUp that the programme helps children tackle social issues they face daily. “We want these children to have and realise their dreams,” said Luzipo.

Another coach, Solwethu Mngqungu from Zimasa Primary School in Langa, said children learned discipline through the tournament, “We are diverting their attention to sport instead of roaming the streets after school and doing nothing. The children have shown interest in this programme and we don’t want to fail them. They are hungry to play.”

Sources: GroundUp

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Numbers of breeding pairs in Algoa Bay have bounced back since bunkering stopped

South Africa (13 August 2024) — On St Croix Island in Algoa Bay, which is part of the Addo Elephant Marine Protected Area (MPA), there were 7,000 endangered African penguin breeding pairs in 2015. By 2023, the number had collapsed to 700, according to researcher Professor Lorien Pichegru. But the good news is that numbers are rising again – thanks to a tax dispute.

St Croix, only 12 hectares in size and four kilometres from the Port of Coega (Ngqura) couldn’t be in a worse spot. The African penguins on St Croix suffer, says Pichegru, from the double whammy of commercial fishing in the surrounding areas and noise pollution from ships heading in and out of the port.

Pichegru, who is acting director of the Institute for Coastal and Marine Research at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, has been knee-deep in African penguin research for about 15 years. She sometimes lives with them on Bird Island. Pichegru has published nearly 100 papers and been cited more than 2,000 times, according to ResearchGate, and is one of the world’s leading authorities on the species known as Spheniscus demersus (African penguin).

In a study published in 2022 called “Maritime traffic trends around the southern tip of Africa – Did marine noise pollution contribute to the local penguins’ collapse?” Pichegru led a team of eight fellow scientists as they researched the impact of noise in Algoa Bay.

They found that an increase in annual estimated vessel noise corresponded to a significant average decrease of penguin pairs and that the lowest recorded numbers of penguins’ breeding pairs corresponded to the period after ship-to-ship bunkering began in 2016.

Bunkering is a practice whereby ships are refuelled out at sea instead of coming into port. It’s a noisy process and increases the risk of oil spills. And in Algoa Bay all this takes place in or right next to the MPA.

The area where the African penguins of St Croix Island forage is full of ships. Source: “Maritime traffic trends around the southern tip of Africa – Did marine noise pollution contribute to the local penguins’ collapse?”

“The intensification of underwater noise levels in the African penguin’s foraging habitat was linked to the initiation and expansion of ship-to-ship bunkering activities which intensified the maritime traffic in the area,” the scientists said in the 2022 paper. “Noise levels were significantly related to the collapse of what had been the world’s largest remaining colony of endangered African penguins.”

Algoa Bay became one of the noisiest bays in the world.

Breeding pairs of penguins dropped as noise levels rose. Source: “Maritime traffic trends around the southern tip of Africa – Did marine noise pollution contribute to the local penguins’ collapse?”

But this year, the number of pairs of penguins, who mate for life, has almost doubled on St Croix. Pichegru, who has just returned from a stay on nearby Bird Island, says the number is up to 1,200 pairs.

This 71% year-on-year jump in numbers, she says, is because there has been no bunkering in the area in the last year. And this is because of a tax dispute. Earlier this year the Eastern Cape High Court heard the case, with the South African Revenue Service (SARS), which confiscated some of the refuelling vessels last year, claiming that illegal bunkering had cost the fiscus as much as R7-billion in lost revenue. The defendants said SARS’s directives about bunkering were unclear. The court found that SARS needed to clarify its regulations, a process that’s still ongoing. While this is ongoing bunkering has stopped, which is good for the penguin population.

But though the news from St Croix is good, Pichegru is still very concerned about the future of the penguins.

An expert panel appointed by former Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Barbara Creecy recommended in 2023 various measures to protect penguins.

In August that year, Creecy said the partial ban on commercial fishing for anchovy and sardine around six penguin island colonies, including St Croix would continue unless conservationists and fisheries came to agreements on new fishing bans by the start of this year. With no agreements reached, the partial bans are now in place for the next ten years.

BirdLife South Africa and SANCCOB (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) have challenged this decision in court, saying Creecy did not take into account all the recommendations of the panel. Specifically, they say, she did not take into account recommendations on how to define a “valuable area for African penguins” when considering how to balance penguin needs with fishing industry interests.

As a result, her decision was “biologically meaningless”, they say.

“I do believe penguins have a high risk of becoming functionally extinct by 2035 at the rate they’re going,” Pichegru says. And this is despite the fact that scientists are working to identify the next 5% of South Africa’s ocean that needs protection. At present South Africa has 41 MPAs covering 5.4% of the sea which is under South African law. Like many other countries, South Africa has promised to protect 30% of its sea by 2030.

Given the penguins’ core foraging range, it would be enough to extend the closures out to sea for 40 kilometres at most, says Pichegru. That’s a tiny speck of space when compared to the 1.1 million square kilometres of ocean that fall within South Africa’s exclusive economic zone but would make all the difference to the penguins.

“They can be resilient and have the capacity to produce up to four chicks a year in really good conditions, so they can bounce back should we give them a chance,” Pichegru says. “There is a realistic chance to stop them from disappearing by providing them with adequate protection at sea.”

Renée Bonorchis is a journalist and the founder of The Ocean Advocate, which is co-publishing this story. This is the last in a three-part series. Read part one and part two.

Sources: GroundUp

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

https://youtu.be/C4d4pClxzxk

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New premises will be the old Dome “on steroids.”

Cape Town, South Africa (05 August 2024) — After 16 years of thrilling audiences with dazzling performances in Cape Town’s city centre, the Zip Zap Circus is looking for new premises.

Zip Zap’s lease on the property of “The Dome” in the Founders Garden outside the Artscape Theatre comes to an end early next year. In 2020, the Western Cape Government announced that the land will be used for a high-rise, mixed-use development which will include affordable housing.

A new performance site is being discussed for the popular circus, but funds need to be raised for this. Meanwhile, the Zip Zap academy in Salt River will continue to run programmes and teach.

The Dome has been an integral part to the success of Zip Zap. “We’re very grateful for the 16 years that they’ve let us stand on that property,” said Brent van Rensburg, co-founder of Zip Zap Circus.

“We’ve made massive strides by being there… it allowed us to grow exponentially to where we are now”, he said. The Dome has also been a secondary source of income for Zip Zap, which hired it out for corporate events.

But all is not lost. The Western Cape Government has offered the circus a new site in the Artscape Theatre Centre’s Plaza forecourt.

“The vision is to build a permanent performance space,” said Van Rensburg. He said Zip Zap had a 50-year lease from Artscape, “and we are trying desperately to fundraise”.

The new “Zip Zap Arena” will offer a venue for circus arts and also for other art forms like drama, ballet, dance and opera. It will have retractable seating, making the venue suitable for a variety of events.

In order to get the project started, R65-million is needed, but the total cost will be closer to R100-million, Van Rensburg said. The income generated from the Zip Zap Arena will go back into the organisation and cover the venue’s running expenses.

Van Rensburg said the new design is modelled on an old “traditional circus tent…but with a very big modern twist”.

Zip Zap Circus was started by Van Rensburg and Laurence Estève 32 years ago. “We started with a box of costumes, a trapeze bar in the tree, and a big dream”, said van Rensburg.

They funded the circus school with money they made working as flying trapeze artists and stunt performers in movies. Today the organisation teaches roughly 3,000 students every year in a host of programmes.

Zip Zap Circus is about more than the flying trapeze artists, or the incredible athleticism seen in the circus. “It is a tool for education and upliftment”, said Estève. Zip Zap Circus runs nine programmes throughout the year and works with partners including Early Childhood Development centres, the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) and clinics in disadvantaged areas.

There is also an advanced circus programme and a professional troupe of 10 performers called “Moya”. These performers come from the different programmes, they are paid salaries and tour around the world. “They’re providing for their families and themselves. They’re making a living with their art form,” said Estève.

“I feel really sad that they’re closing the Dome, because this is the place that I started my dream,” said 22-year-old Akho Narwele. Narwele, who is from Nyanga, is one of the 10 Moya performers, and specialises in juggling with clubs. He joined Zip Zap when he was 16.

“This is where I grew up,” said Jason Barnard, who has spent roughly 16 years, off and on, with the organisation. Inspired by his grandfather who was a trapeze artist, Barnard joined Zip Zap when he was eight years old. Now 30, he is a coach and performer in the Moya team.

Barnard said he has spent half of his life at The Dome and it’s a pity that it is closing. “I hope another building gets built soon”.

“Zip Zap Circus is more than just an arts project. It changes young people’s lives,” said Marlene le Roux, chief executive of the Artscape Theatre.

“Art is a powerful vehicle to unite our nation in our diversity.”

Sources: GroundUp

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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The taxi is being piloted by AfriPaw and is aimed at providing access to its free monthly animal clinics for pets living in poor communities like Vrygrond.

Cape Town, South Africa (25 July 2024) — A handful of four-legged companions from Vrygrond in Cape Town got to test out a new bicycle taxi for pets run by the organisation, AfriPaw. The aim of the initiative is to provide access to the animal clinics for pets living in under-resourced communities like Vrygrond.

“We noticed that people were unable to come to the clinic because their pets didn’t want to walk the distance,” says Anél Wesson, Director and Co-Founder of AfriPaw. Once a month, the organisation brings a mobile clinic to the parking lot at Capricorn Primary School, where they offer vaccinations, sterilisations, and a number of other health checks.

Wesson says they found that some pet owners in the area were too old to walk to the mobile clinic. She says that after they saw a number of people bring their pets to the clinic in trolleys, they began to toy with the idea of starting a pet taxi.

Wesson says they needed the “taxi” to be simple and cheap so it could easily be operated by people from their community. While this is still the testing phase of the project, she says they are looking into which bicycle works best to pull the weight of the animals. The cart was built and designed by 4Evr Plastic Products pro bono.

Wesson says that AfriPaw is now looking for a company to sponsor the project. The setup costs for one unit is R25,000 for the first year, thereafter it would cost about R7,000 a year. This includes the bicycle, cart, cage and the wages of the rider. “We are looking to have between five and ten taxis in the first year,” she says.

AfriPaw was founded in 2017 and runs a host of programmes including the free monthly clinic, mass sterilisations and educational workshops in Vrygrond. The clinics are run with other animal welfare organisations such as TEARS Animal Rescue, Animal Lifeline and Aid4Animals in Distress. The monthly clinics serve about 650 pets including cats and dogs from the broader community. The programmes are run with the help of volunteers and ‘ambassadors’ who live in the community that get paid a stipend.

Vrygrond resident and volunteer Domaine Martin told GroundUp that pet owners in the community often struggled to get food for their companions. “Most people don’t have work, but they are trying to look after their dogs.”

“They provide a wonderful service for our animals”, says Capricorn resident Alessandro Jeftha, who brought his cat and three dogs to the clinic. He says that he is incredibly grateful for the free service.

Wesson added that the main purpose of the organisation is “to come alongside pet owners in informal settlements and under resourced areas to form relationships with them”.

She says that their ambassadors from the area educate and encourage pet owners to visit their monthly clinics. “It’s very much a community integrated effort,” she says. In the future she says that they would like to grow and replicate this model into other areas.

Sources: GroundUp

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“Now that the area has been cleaned we are grateful. We will look after it and prevent illegal dumping.”

Gugulethu, South Africa (22 July 2024) – Fed-up with rubbish strewn across their neighbourhood, Gugulethu residents rolled up their sleeves to clean illegal dumps on Thursday, Mandela Day.

Community leader Sithembele Ntaba said people decided to clean up because they want to change the image of the township.

The clean-up campaign followed pleas to the City of Cape Town to assist the community with cleaning up.

After the clean-up volunteers went door-to-door educating residents about illegal dumping and its consequences. They have vowed to police the area and hold dumpers accountable.

GroundUp attended the clean-up campaign. The dump sites were filthy and smelly.

Residents living close to the dumps complained that they cannot open their windows due to the stench. The mounds of rubbish are infested with flies and residents said their children are unable to play outside due to the filth on their doorsteps.

Volunteers participating in the clean-up said the companies hired by the City of Cape Town were not doing enough, which is why community members decided to take matters into their own hands.

Some said the companies contracted by the City of Cape Town stopped cleaning several months ago because syndicates were extorting money from them.

The City of Cape Town took part in the initiative and provided the residents with refuse bags.

Mayco member for Urban Waste Management Grant Twigg assisted with the cleanup. He said he appreciated the community initiative.

Twigg said illegal dumping was a problem not only in Gugulethu, but across Cape Town.

Ncumisa Sopangisa, principal of Intshinga Primary School in Gugulethu, said she was grateful the clean-up campaign had cleared a dumping site close to her school. Some of the school’s learners took part in the cleanup.

“The illegal dumping site next to the school was an eyesore and a bad example for the children. The waste is a threat to their health. We will take it upon ourselves to educate the children that illegal dumping is a problem and should be stopped,” said Sopangisa.

Resident Masithembe Mkosi said dumping had been ongoing for years. “Now that the area has been cleaned we are grateful. We will look after it and prevent illegal dumping.”

Sources: GroundUp

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Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.

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