Every Wednesday and Friday, Sbusiso Malinga would walk from his home in Alexandra Township to clean up the litter trap that sits across the Jukskei River and collects hundreds of polystyrene takeaway containers that have floated downstream over the previous days. The volume of waste that built up over only a few days was vast, making his work thankless, repetitive and unending. But as a passionate advocate for change in Alexandra, he kept going, unpaid, week in and week out.
Sbusiso passed away from natural causes last week, on the 18th of July 2023, at 35 years old.
In 2022 Paul Maluleke introduced Sbusiso to me as one of the most dedicated volunteers for the Alex Water Warriors. He was the first person that I formally profiled for The Actionists.
We are publishing the profiles of Sbusiso and his colleague Paul to commemorate the important contribution that Sbusiso made, through the story of the Alex Water Warriors.
As one of the founders of the Alex Water Warriors, Paul Maluleke has built a team of volunteers who get together to clean up the Jukskei River which starts at Ellis Park and joins the Crocodile River outside Lanseria, flowing through the township of Alexandra on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
The cleanup project is born out of passion and necessity. The level of pollution from discarded plastic has reached such high levels that it affects the health and livelihoods of most people living in the community. As a passionate advocate for bringing tourism back to Alexandra, Paul knows the importance of cleaning up the river whilst also passing on new values to the next generation.
Formed in 2017 the water warriors have grown in numbers and support. From an original team of 4 dedicated volunteers, they are now approximately 700, collecting around 1000 bags of rubbish per week through their ten teams working along different sections of the river.
They recently received a recycling station from Coca-Cola Beverages SA, launched on Mandela Day, in partnership with COJ, ARMOUR and Adreach's Wastepreneurs to provide the warriors with space for weighing and sorting of recycling as well as a buyback centre to aid ongoing sustainability for them and the community.
“Sbusiso Richard Sgidi Malinga, Our Brother, son of the soul and the water. You left a legacy and you left us blessings. No words can appreciate you and the hero you were. Our Director, our litter trap expert and our Aquaman.
Rest in peace Bafo. Alexandra Water Warriors highly appreciate your leadership and the opportunities you created for so many. On behalf of Jukskei River” - Paul Maluleke
