Thembisa resident’s dream to turn a polluted riverbank into a botanical garden

Samuel Mashimbi envisions a botanical garden on a polluted riverbank in Thembisa, Ekurhuleni. He remembers spending time on the Kaalspruit as a child and now wants to restore the area as an 'urban lung'. The river is heavily polluted, with rubbish, sewage and a lack of vegetation. Mashimbi, who co-founded EnviroCare Thembisa, works to raise environmental awareness and clean up hotspots.

Researchers found built-up areas increased while vegetation and water decreased, reducing the wetland's ability to regulate flooding and provide habitat. Residents, like pensioner Gabriel Tsotetsi and Tumi Gama, suffer from blocked sewers and illegal dumping, causing health issues. Ekurhuleni's wastewater system is strained, with Olifantsfontein treatment works operating over capacity.

Mashimbi's botanical garden would provide education, but repairs to the sewer network and stopping dumping are needed first.