Trash to treasure: Johannesburg's river waste transformed into art

From trash to treasure: these sculptures made from old tyres line this Johannesburg river, currently undergoing rehabilitation.

A group of about 13 local artists, known as the Alexandra River Collective, has utilised tyres, bricks, rocks, tree trunks, and other waste pulled from the Jukskei River flowing through the Alexandra neighbourhood, turning them into unique artworks.

The sculptures, known as the Alexandra River Creature Series, were inaugurated this year as part of a Canadian government-funded project, SUNCASA, that is helping to revitalise three sites, including the Jukskei River.

SUNCASA stands for Scaling Urban Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa.

One of the participating artists is Sipho Gwala, born and raised in Alexandra.

Gwala often visits the river to collect rubble for his sculptures.

He is inspired by the crabs he used to see in the river as a child.

Gwala explains how he made his crab sculptures from discarded bricks and building waste.

Many people are renovating their houses. Instead of going wide, they are going up. So, they take that trash, whether it's bricks or cement, and they throw it in the river or by the river banks," he says.

"So, I liked the concept of working with the river. It was a collaboration. Taking the brick that's eroded by the river, and then making a sculpture with it, as you can see," he adds.

Illegal dumping, pollution, and invasive non-native species are among the contributing factors to the regular flooding and degradation of the Jukskei River.

The SUNCASA project works with locals and existing local organisations and projects to mitigate flooding and improve the river area.

"The purpose of SUNCASA is to implement nature-based solutions to mitigate things like the urban heat island effect, as well as flooding along the Jukskei River. Primarily, we want to look at river rehabilitation through the work that we are doing, as well as urban greening," says SUNCASA Programme Manager Chanel Pather.

"Through urban greening, for example, we mitigate this heat effect that a very urban city, like Johannesburg, is currently facing. And the work that we do in Alexandra, together with Alexandra Water Warriors, is debris management, which assists with allowing the flow of the river to run more safely and for people not to get caught in the river itself, by removing pollutants and large debris from the river daily," she adds.

The Alexandra Water Warriors, comprising over 3,000 volunteers, have been cleaning the Jukskei River since 2019.

It is one of five local partners the SUNCASA project has boosted with training and salaries.

Co-founder of the Alexandra Water Warriors, Paul Maluleke, explains how the river cleaning project has also been a source of materials for the Alexandra River Creature Series sculptures:

"We are always cleaning the river. We are also making sure that the river flows, that the water flows freely. So, during the first rainy season, we didn't experience many challenges. The biggest challenge now is those tree logs, which we have also made a plan to make sure that we use them for repurposing, or for art installations.”

Phumzile Sizakele is a multidisciplinary artist and member of the Alexandra River Collective.

She has been working on tree trunks hauled out of the Jukskei River.

By blocking the river flow, these large pieces of wood have contributed to destructive flooding.

Sizakele is one of the artists who worked on the wooden bird sculptures, inspired by hadedas found in the area.

For Sizakele, creating art is a cathartic experience.

“As I was carving, I actually realised that it's sort of like therapy for me. Because imagine, I'm coming from home, I'm having a stressed day and whatever, and I'm here by the wood, and I'm allowed to hit as hard as I want, and chop it, and damage it, and then create something nice out of it," she explains.

Over 5,000 trees have been planted along the Jukskei River, and the riverside area has been rehabilitated, thanks in part to the SUNCASA project.

Youth activist and resident Harry Nakeng is pleased with the changes in his neighbourhood.

“Having community people cleaning, make sure that the river is clean, and taking the waste, making beautiful art, so that people could enjoy the park - so in the afternoon you'll find a lot of kids playing here, enjoying this area. So it's just amazing that the park is open," he says.

For those involved in the rejuvenation project, these riverside sculptures are a testament to turning a problem into an attraction for locals and visitors to Alexandra.