In Gauteng Province, the Jukskei River winds its way through the heart of Johannesburg’s inner-city neighborhoods, informal settlements and suburban areas, eventually joining the Crocodile and Limpopo rivers before emptying into the Indian Ocean. One of the biggest waterways in a city of 6 million, the river is a symbol of Johannesburg’s struggle with climate change, pollution and social inequity.

But over the past few months, it’s also become the site of a bold experiment to combine science, creativity and community action. With support from WRI, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and local partners through the Scaling Urban Nature-based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) project, communities living in Alexandra Township are reimagining riverside spaces and envisioning a future where art and nature-based solutions work together to enhance climate adaptation, gender equity and biodiversity protection.

The Jukskei River as a Partner & Source

Johannesburg’s Jukskei River has long been subject to flooding, worsened by the impact of pollution, invasive species and informal housing encroaching on its riverbanks. Communities living along the riverbanks, especially in densely populated and informal areas like Alexandra, are among the most vulnerable. In these neighborhoods, the impacts of consistent pollution and climate change are often immediate and severe, resulting in damaged infrastructure, displaced residents, and illness and injury.

In response to these challenges, SUNCASA’s local partner, Johannesburg Inner City Partnership, conceptualized the Art and Litter Trap Project. Led by artist and environmental scientist Hannelie Coetzee and implemented with help from the Alexandra Water Warriors, WRI and other local creatives, the project has produced and installed five dynamic new litter traps to catch or reroute litter and river debris.

The new litter traps, woven by hand in macrame and crocheting styles, are vandal-resistant nets that catch solid waste and debris in the river. Capable of removing up to 150 kilograms of debris, the litter traps work with the flow of the river as opposed to against it. Drawing on local knowledge, the traps were designed with river experts which empowered local crafters.

Every day, the Alexandra Water Warriors collectively remove up to 750 kilograms of waste from the five traps in the river – ultimately reducing pollution and alleviating flood risk. But the waste is not thrown away. Instead, it’s upcycled to serve a variety of needs.

Some of the waste collected is repurposed to create more litter traps. For example, a litter trap – manufactured from discarded fiber optic cables found in the river – was installed to reroute heavy debris upstream. By redirecting these heavy logs out of the river’s flow, interventions downstream are protected without disrupting the river’s dynamics. A discarded bathtub now serves as a structural component for the barbel fish trap, chosen because it resembles the mouth of a giant fish. Unlikely to be stolen, the bathtub ensures stability and sustainability to the litter trap.

More Than a Cleanup: Activated Green Spaces as a Platform for Climate, Equity & Expression

In addition to helping keep Johannesburg’s rivers clean, the Art and Litter Trap Project aims to foster what artist and writer Suzi Gablik calls a “connective aesthetic;” an approach where art, ecology and public life intersect for collective benefit.

The traps and art installations function as both flood-mitigation infrastructure and community hubs. Around the river, activated green spaces encourage the local community to deepen their relationship with surrounding natural assets. Educational activities help young people explore the links between pollution, biodiversity and climate change. For example, as part of the curriculum offered to local schools and tour guides, children and visitors learn about a local species of mongoose that naturally controls Alexandra’ rat population.

Each sculpture installed along the Jukskei’s banks tells a story inspired by Alexandra’s nature and wildlife: wooden birds made from tree root systems; goats made from broken tiles; crabs made from eroded rubble. Additionally, a mosaic portrait honoring the late Alexandra Water Warrior Sibusiso Malinga – built entirely from dumped tiles – serves as a reminder of the human commitment needed to advance environmental action.

Lesson plans, maps and a short film are part of the project’s integrated outreach effort. Together, these tools aim to shift community perceptions of waste from something discardable to something useful.

Responding to Global Priorities With Local Innovation

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) 2024 Assessment warns that piecemeal solutions will not halt ecological degradation. Instead, it calls for “transformative change” that addresses root causes like short-term economic thinking and disconnection from nature.

SUNCASA’s Art and Litter Traps Project along the Jukskei River embraces this call by integrating indigenous knowledge, local storytelling and participatory design – challenging business-as-usual approaches to climate adaptation. The adaptive, co-created infrastructure shows how art and ecology can be aligned to shift mindsets and systems.

Over the course of the project, hundreds of residents have engaged with the litter traps – as builders, artists, caretakers and learners. In its next phase, project partners will investigate the feasibility of a strategically rehabilitated riparian zone – assessing the expansion and further activation of the Jukskei’s riverbanks through active citizenry.

Urban rivers like the Jukskei can either be lifelines or liabilities. As climate change and its impacts intensify, cities need solutions that do more than manage risk: they must mend the relationships between people, nature and place.

SUNCASA, funded by Global Affairs Canada, is implemented in Johannesburg, South Africa, in collaboration with a diverse array of local partners including the City of Johannesburg, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, Johannesburg Inner City Partnership, Water for the Future, Alexandra Water Warriors, GenderCC Southern Africa and Zutari.

Hannelie Coetzee is an independent artist, scientist and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Global Environmental Change Institute.

Nozipho Sibiya-Zulu is Environmental Scientist at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Global Environmental Change Institute.

Amanda Gcanga is Urban Water Resilience Country Lead for South Africa and Senior Urban Policy Analyst at WRI Africa.

David van Niekerk is CEO of Johannesburg Inner City Partnership.

Chanel Pather is SUNCASA Program Manager at Johannesburg Inner City Partnership.