In the township of Alexandra, Johannesburg, the local artists working together with the Alexandra River Collective are creating beautiful sculptures from the bricks, tyres, tree trunks and debris dumped in the river. These sculptures will be placed along the Jukskei River. This project is co-funded by the Canadian government under the SUNCASA (Scaling Urban Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation) initiative, which is aimed at rehabilitating three urban rivers through the use of greening, debris-management and community art combined.
Artist Sipho Gwala sources his materials directly from the riverbanks: “I liked the concept of working with the river… taking the brick that’s eroded by the river, and then making a sculpture with it,” he says. Meanwhile, the volunteer-led Alexandra Water Warriors—of which there are more than 3,000 members—have been clearing debris since 2019, helping flow, safety and now artistic reuse.
The SUNCASA programme also plants thousands of trees along the river corridor to fight urban heat-island effects and flooding risk. “Through urban greening… we mitigate this heat effect that a very urban city, like Johannesburg is facing,” says programme manager Chanel Pather.
These riverfront sculptures don’t just adorn; they redefine the way that communities interact with the environment, turning waste into wonder and hazard into habitat.
