Revitalising Bellville: Spotlight on innovative rehabilitation projects

The Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP) took their partners, media members and potential sponsors to a tour around Bellville CBD, on Tuesday July 29, to showcase their projects that seek to breathe new life into the area.

Established as a non-profit company in 2012, GTP's mandate is to promote and accelerate the regeneration and upliftment of Bellville and surrounding areas.

The tour started at the public space gardens, with indigenous planting and space to sit, which GTP launched with a local insurance company at the high-traffic corner of Strand and Bill Brezuidenhout Roads in June.

The tour took a turn and went to the corner of Cross and Blackenberg Streets where two Protea sculptures and one of the 20 waste separation units are located.

These Protea sculptures were made from repurposed objects such as old street cleaning brushes and broken bins removed from the Bellville Public Transport Interchange that were replaced with new separation at source bins.

GTP chief executive, Warren Hewitt, said they were planning to build a trading station at Kruskal Avenue to protect traders and their products from inclement weather and theft. 

“Kruskal Avenue is designated for licensed traders, and they get given a bay. We are working with (partners) to design a trading station that fits trading bays in, which has security so that we can lock it. It will be weatherproof, so traders can get out of the rain and cold. We are going to put technology into the trading thing so they have, potentially, power or solar power, maybe even wifi. A lot of the traders pay the shops to keep the goods overnight because they will unpack them the next morning,” he said.

As you walk down this avenue, you will find an ablution facility on the corner, where traders and members of the public can use it at a cost of R2. 

The facility attendant, Shahied Abrahams, said getting that job changed his life for the better after surviving a long period of using drugs and being homeless.

He started working there in 2022 after he finished the Mould Empower Serve (MES) rehabilitation programme, which helps re-integrate homeless people back into society. 

“I kept going back to drugs because I thought it was the right thing to do. I had many fights with my family during that time. I ended up living on the streets, but now I am trying to fix things. Yes, it's not perfect, but this programme helped me to quit drugs and be a better person,” he said.

Tour participants were also shown murals aimed at beautifying Bellville, including the Springbok and the Good Morning Sunshine murals.

The tour then took participants to the GTP’s Bellville recycling centre, where they were introduced to ongoing recycling initiatives and the on-site food garden.

GTP runs a Recycling and Trolley Project, launched in 2019, which offers waste pickers in Bellville a dignified way to earn a living.

“We have 165 businesses that we connect them with, and they go collect recyclables from those businesses, such as cans, papers, plastic, electronic waste; anything that is recyclable,” Mr Hewitt said.

Participants receive stipends, safety training, and upgraded trolleys to improve both their working conditions and the efficiency of the project.

The manager of the recycling centre, Langanani Muleyo, said he began working as a waste picker in 2021. He was promoted to team leader and then supervisor between late 2022 and 2023, before becoming manager last year.

“I am very appreciative of the model that the GTP has, in terms of empowerment. I would not be where I am if that was not the case,” he said.