Page 17 - LandscapeSA_121(digital)

PROJECT
Mosaic concrete bench with water-wise designs Mosaic concrete bench with designs appropriate to
the community culture.
Recycling workshop hosted by the City of Cape Town for the project team and other community members innovative design to repurpose it and
The vegetable garden at Chuma Primary School, adjacent to where the clean-ups take place. There are
plans to expand and improve the vegetable garden
The project team with waste collected after one clean-up
Project motivation
Illegally dumped waste, consisting of
single use plastics, building rubble,
medication and expired food, has been
a continuous issue for Busiswa Nomyayi’s
community in Griffiths Mxenge,
Khayelitsha. When it rains, sidewalk
waste is mobilised and discharged into
the stormwater system, impacting water
bodies and the underlying Cape Flats
Aquifer (CFA).
Busiswa and other women in the
community, with the support of The
Umvoto Foundation (TUF), are striving to
transform and beautify their surrounds.
Key features
TUF hosted a water stewardship training
course on how the earth, water and
science interact. Busiswa attended this
course and learned about the connection
between stormwater and waste impacts.
The group began doing regular clean-ups
on their street, removing about 60-80
bags of waste each time.
Removing building rubble was
the biggest challenge but with TUF’s
assistance, the group developed an
create mosaic concrete benches. TUF also
collaborated with the City of Cape Town
to host a training workshop on recycling
material collected during clean-ups.
Art is a key design component of
this initiative and is an effective way
to engage with communities to raise
awareness of the importance of the
environment and water systems. This was
achieved through culturally- appropriate
designs of murals and mosaic benches.
A rain garden was also constructed
along the sidewalk where waste was
often dumped illegally. This garden
consists of colourful indigenous plants
and vegetables, with plans to further
extend it. TUF and the group are also
developing a vegetable garden at the
adjacent primary school.
Main benefits
Clean-ups undertaken by Indawo,
Abantu, Injongo, eKhayelitsha have
resulted in less waste being transferred
into water systems, ultimately protecting
receiving water bodies (including False
Bay) and the underlying aquifer.
The creation of the rain garden
has increased the permeability of the
sidewalk, resulting in increased aquifer
recharge and improved flood retention.
The garden vegetation improves
stormwater quality by assisting with
nutrient assimilation from sources of
pollution.
Furthermore, the rain garden has
improved the biodiversity of what was a
barren street, with sightings of various
insects, bees and birds. Brightly coloured
murals, benches and garden flowers have
brought colour to the street.
Art has been an effective way to
Landscape SA • Issue 121 2023 15