Beyond a clearer river: strengthening City and community partnering

On 1 October 2025, partners and community members gathered in the Strand area for the Soet River Clean-Up. This initiative was coordinated by the City of Cape Town’s Communications and Partnerships Branch of the Water and Sanitation Directorate. Vusa Ncanywa attended this event and reflects here about how it was more than an environmental effort; this gathering was a moment of shared learning, collaboration and community pride between the City and community members.

Litter collection in action: the Oasis and Soet River CMF (Dave Walker) with Dr Zahid Badrodien (CoCT Water and Sanitation) and Lisa Starr (HOAM).

In collaborative working, sometimes seemingly small initiatives work best at strengthening the multi-stakeholder partnering agenda. The Soet River Clean-Up demonstrates this well. By working side by side, City officials and local organisations proved that collective action creates shared ownership, fosters mutual respect and unlocks opportunities for future co-creation and co-management. This partnership approach is part of the broader Community Partnering Project between the City and the Economic Development Partnership (EDP).

The Soet River Clean-Up showcased the power of public-private collaboration. The City’s internal departments worked alongside local organisations and private sector partners including Shoprite, Southern Turf Management, Greenways Golf Estate, Dr GJ Joubert School, Plastics SA, Helderberg Ocean Awareness Movement, Strand Secondary School, Blue Planet and Oasis- reach for your dreams, Making a Change.

Reducing litter, increasing stewardship

The river clean-up was part of a wider project with the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate where the EDP is strengthening collaboration with communities to address complex water and sanitation challenges. Building on the Community Partnering Framework project and pilot of a granting mechanism, this project focuses on embedding community partnerships into operational practice.

Pupils from Dr GJ Joubert School participate in the clean-up.

The main goal of the river clean-up was to remove litter and debris and reduce illegal dumping along the Soet River by raising community awareness about river stewardship and the importance of preventing illegal dumping. Multiple City teams, community members and groups, and private sector stakeholders worked together in this coordinated clean-up effort.

Preparations began with community mobilisation led by Oasis Reach for Your Dreams and the Soet River CMF. Volunteers played an interactive game of ‘Green Bingo’ that encouraged residents to participate and adopt better waste-management habits.

On the ground, the City coordinated several workstreams to maximise the impact of this event. These included:

• Mechanical and manual removal of illegally dumped
• Street sweeping, grass cutting and weed control to improve safety and accessibility
• Restoring water flow by clearing blockages and reeds
• Rodent-control measures to address health risks
• Law enforcement and councillor coordination to ensure safety and compliance

When I saw the diversity of teams involved in a simple river clean-up, I was struck by how it showed a whole-of-society approach to restoring the Soet River. It didn’t only take one department or one community organisation to achieve a cleaner river. It took many diverse people working together to get it done.

Swop Shop: turning waste into value

Part of my reflections of being part of this event was how complex challenges can surface opportunities. For instance, one of the key partners in the event, Swop Shop, played an important role in advancing recycling and waste diversion. With a stall setup, this partner shared how waste diversion could support community members in generating income. In this partner’s model, residents can exchange recyclable materials for essential goods, connecting environmental sustainability with tangible social upliftment. Their involvement added a valuable social dimension to the clean-up, reinforcing the message that waste has value. To build on this success, City officials suggested promoting the Swop Shop initiative more widely, particularly through Catchment Management Forum meetings, to ensure that more residents understand and take part in the programme.

The day’s activities ended with a group photo of participants after a hard day of cleaning up.

Building relationships that change collaboration

The Soet River Clean-Up was supported by a project between the EDP and the City focusing on building a partnering framework within the Water and Sanitation Directorate. This framework will enhance the capacity of community-based organisations to engage meaningfully with the City, improve their financial and administrative systems, and connect them through a structured learning network. This project also works to support and strengthen existing Catchment Management Forums (CMFs) by improving governance, enabling inclusive participation and positioning them as important spaces for collective problem-solving.

Through the framework project, Oasis – Reach for your dreams – a project partner – will move onto another area where littering remains a concern to continue its outreach there. Here, it will promote the message that proper waste disposal leads to cleaner, safer and healthier neighbourhoods. To me, this project shows how the EDP works with partners to strengthen the systems required for effective collaboration that can unlock successful initiatives for inclusive and resilient economic development. I look forward to seeing what is cleaned up next!

Edited: Natalie Tannous & Lauren Arendse

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