DAY 15 - 23 Oct Wits Architecture,Planning and the Built Environment

I tried to go back to Alex to speak to more people about the sanitation problems.Yesterday, I spoke to people in Sjwetla.Today I wanted to get another view from the people in Alex Eastbank(ie the RDP houses).The people living there seemed mostly satisfied with the sanitation system-they used mainly the flush type toilets.

I visited Joburg water ( the Zandfontein branch) that deals with the Alex sanitation mainly and interviewed the depot manager,Tshediso Motlatla,a civil engineer from Wits. I briefly asked him about the present sytem and the newer technologies in the pipeline.

I need to interview him on Monday again for more information as he needed to be at a meeting later that day.

Dr Daniel Irurah from Wits Architecture was quite pessimistic about the future of better sanitation in any informal settlement.He has done extensive research on the urbanisation of informal settlements in Nairobi,Kenya,with Prof Marie Huchzermeyer from the Wits Architecture department.

He had become a bit despondent from some of the projects that did not work in Kibera,Kenya.However, he said there were some fanatastic eco-friendly methods that people in informal settlements do not appreciate,beacuse they are faced with a choice of : Do we want better housing first or better toilets first? And usually the common response is better housing.

DAY 14 - 22 Oct Visit to Joburg Water in Jhb CBD

Interview with persons from Joburg water & sanitation facilities(for Alex) in Harrison Street- Bonginkosi Xaba.
Baldwin Matsimela,the communications officer was not available.
Later in the afternoon we went to Sjwetla to speak to the people who live there and their view on the sanitation problems.

One man,Perry Njodyi explained the stench quite well.He said since his arrival at the settlement, he has lost his appetite due to the reek of the river. He prefers to eat anywhere else but not in Alex.

Many people spoke about their fears of going to the portaloos at night due to criminals lurking as well as rats that tend to bite the people.

DAY 13 - 21Oct Urbanisation of Informal Settlements by Architecture,Planning & Built Environment

I met up with persons from Architecture and the Built Environment,who had previously worked on the Global studio project in 2007. The project involved the urbanisation of informal settlements, in particular sanitation facilities.

Persons involved in this project was Dr Garth Klein,Prof Marie Huchzermeyer and Dr Daniel Irurah. Irurah was mainly involved in sustainable ecofriendly development of sanitation facilities in Kibera,Nairobi,Kenya.In South Africa,they are working on eco-friendly facilities in the Ekhuruleni(Johannesburg) area and some informal settlements in Natal.

DAY 12 - 20Oct Group meeting with supervisors

We had a short group meeting with supervisors,Margaret and Jo-anne.We confirmed the media we wanted to use and the direction of our stories that we had pitched earlier.

So far so good.

DAY 11- 19Oct : Visit to Sandton Fire Station and Disaster Management Sites in Alex

We visited the Sandton Fire Station. I was quite excited about that.
We had an interview with Fency Nkoele and Godfrey Sigudu.They are based at the Sandton Fire Station and are part of the National Disaster Management Forum.They took us on a short tour of Alex to show us structures in place to help assist with managing or controlling floods.

At the fire station they have a weather station(connected to the weather bureau),which monitors levels of the water and if levels rise very high during rainy season the emergency services are alerted,thereafter the trained volunteers that live by the banks of the river are notified to be on standby for help.

They showed us the telemetric structures,the Memeza(Call for Help) structures and the Alex Transit Villages (ATV).The former two are measures used to call for help but they have been vandalised and misused.They have cost over millions to be fitted in.

The latter (ATV) has about over 400 units,with about 15 left for emergencies.The flood victims are the first to be allocated housing,many of which are foreigners.This has left to xenophobic violence in the past because locals complain about waiting for houses for over 10years according to Fency and Godfrey from the Sandton Fire Station.

DAY 10 - 16Oct: Visiting Silvertown & the creche in Sjwetla,speaking to flood victims

We visited Silvertown and the Pikitup truck was there,doing their weekly garbage pick up. I spoke to Elin a little about the sanitation problems in Sjwetla and took some pictures to show the few portaloos,which was used for about 84 families.For Silvertown residents however sanitation seemed to be the least of their problems. They were promised by the housing department to be moved to proper housing within a year. They were more frustrated with living in their shacks for over 3 years.

We then went to the creche in Sjwetla.The principal at the school explained what the children knew about water and the river.We then walked randomly through narrow alley-ways to meet people who lived by the banks of the river and people who were victims of flooding.

DAY 9 - 16Oct: Plenary Meeting

DAY 9 - 16Oct

We had a class meeting between the four groups to discuss our ideas.
Group 3:

1)Silvertown(outskirts of Sjwetla)

2) Childrens creche in Sjwetla

3) Flood Victims

4) Church groups by the river

5) Flood Management

6) Sanitation (Present & Future)

7) Siyakana Food Garden

DAY 8 - 14Oct : Visit to Siyakana Food Garden,

DAY 8 - 14Oct

In the moring we went to meet Mandla at Bez Valley Park.He organised two ladies(Nomatemba Ncusana & Sarah Mashala) to show us how herbal salts were made.He also showed us how he prepared herbal lotions and creams.We watched a shot video clip called “The Corporation” which is about the importance and benefits of an eco-friendly industry. We also viewed a slideshow about the importance and health benfits of the Moringa leaf.

They packaged vegetables,lettuce and many other herbs and salts,ready to be delivered to childrens homes in the Yeoville and Hillbrow areas.We were given some herbal tea, made of sage, violet and lemon balm made by Mandla.

In the afternoon, we went to Sjewetla,to meet the principal of the crèche.There were about 30 children in a class.We wanted to speak to them to get to know what they have learnt about the river or even about water in general.

As we left Sjewetla, we passed by another community living almost separately from Sjewetla called Silvertown. The leader in the Settlement (Elin Chauke) told us that they were moved from proper houses in Alex CBD to these 95 shacks.They were promised RDP houses within a year but its almost been three years and nothing is happening.They have taken the matter to court.







Regarding the sanitation there are 94 shacks for 84 families.Each family consists of about 4-5 people.There are 11 portable loos for all of them with six taps (three on each side of the settlement - only three work at a time).They would like proper flushing type toilets but prefer not to have them because it might delay them further in getting RDP houses.

There toilets were cleaned twice a week,however in Sjwetla,there were more problems like not being able to use them at night for safety reasons from intruders and large rats.Also they were almost never kept clean.An appointment with Malatjie( a committee member) has been set up for next week to address the sanitation problems.

Elin said Miriam Makhubela was the Ward Councillor for this region (Ward 32) ie Alex, Westbank(Sjewetla) and that most often people were referred to Councillor Ngalonkulu (Ward 109),which includes Marlboro,Sandton and parts of Alex(Eastbank)-almost as if Silvertown does not exist and so no media will be able to address the issues,because in the first place, the wrong councillor will be interviewed.Elin said Makhubela has not visited Silvertown in a while and is not readily accessible to them for help.

DAY 7 - 13 Oct : Setting up of Interviews

DAY 7 - 13Oct

We had a short meeting with our supervisor, Margaret to recap our stories and get more direction with each of our stories.We discussed our angles.

After the meeting we tried to secure/confirm interviews with the respective people in our stories as we had planned to go back to Alex and Bez Valley tomorrow again.

DAY 6 - 12Oct : Caregiver at day care in Alex CBD,Presbytarian Church,Muthi Shop,Siyakana Food Garden.

DAY 6 -12 Oct

We had a meeting to confirm plans of action for the day in Alex.(Who we wanted to meet/speak to)
We then went to Alexandra and surrounding areas in Bez valley and spent most of the day there.

In Alex, we first went to a Day Care in Alex CBD and met a caregiver called Portia. She told us about the setbacks the day care centre experiences and her interaction with the children.

There was a problem of flooding, rodents(rats).They also have not started recycling as yet because previously the recycling containers were stolen.

She said there were people that were hired to clean up Alex and the Jukskei but they were from other communities like Thembisa or Mamelodi.She said that did not make sense because it was not sustainable- if their own members of the community were chosen it would firstly provide them with jobs, as many people were unemployed and also it would give them a sense of ownership of Alex ie this is where “we” live and that is why we will ensure it is always clean.

The refuse collection trucks (Pikitup) come everyday to pick up garbage.We visited a Presbytarian Church on 12th Ave ,the Reverend Moake Masango was overseas and so we were unable to speak to him.
We passed by a muthi shop in Selbourne street (Alex CBD) and walked in to find out from the healer, if they used water from the Jukskei in their potions.They were aware that the water is infected with harmful bacteria and could not be used for human consumption.

Later in the day we went to Siyakana in Bez Valley Park, a permaculture organic veggie patch.We met with Mandla Tshabalala,who works with Prof Rudolph from Wits Medical School on this project.There are nine people that work at this garden and the Jukskei river runs parallel to it (a bit further down in the park).Mandla who is a vegan and prepares most of his food from his very own garden.He spoke to us about the dangers of many animal products and how most of it is contaminate with hormones and chemicals,which has made disease rampant.

DAY 5 - 9Oct : Video Workshop & Other Diary Plans

DAY 5 - 9Oct

There was a workshop on videoing with Indra de Lanerolle. We were given quite a small and savvy piece of equipment and it was quite user friendly.We were given short assignments and then shown how to edit the video footage.

In addition I set up interviews for next week with the Department of Architecture at Wits to enquire about sanitation in informal settlements. Telephonic discussion with Joburg Emergency Services & National Disaster Management.I tried to get hold of the ward councillor/s of Sjewetla as well as persons in charge of servicing the portable loos. (Supreme Sanitation,Portabuild,Sathire)

DAY 4 - 8 Oct : Story Ideas Pitched to Supervisor

DAY 4 - 8 Oct

As a group we had a meeting to discuss our individual ideas for the news diary. We put the ideas together and pitched them to our supervisor (Margaret).We also discussed the media that would be suitable for each of the stories.We then looked at a comparative diary as a class,to check for any overlap of the stories.

Our group pitched flood management(from the National Disaster Management), and sanitation (the present and the future).Wits was involved in the Global Studio Project,which involves the upgrading of informal settlements in South Africa in way,such as roads,electricity and even sanitation.

Human stories about flood victims and the religious involvement like churches,mosques,baptisms,traditional healers is to be looked at.
A permaculture vegetable garden called “Siyakhana” at Bez Valley Park by the Jukskei river is being looked at.

Also, reporting on Children in Sjwetla in schools and what is their knowledge on the river and what teachers are doing to make children more aware of the dangers of the river.

DAY 3 - 7 Oct : About Maps, Environmantal Science & Water Monitering Project

DAY 3 - 7Oct

Clive Chipkin gave us a brief history of the City of Joburg with the use of maps. He included some historical origins of the Jukskei in conjunction with the Braamfontein Spruit.

He referred to the Jukskei origins more as a ditch,donga or seasonal spruit.The situation present is due to urbanisation and canalisation of the spruit. Canalisation happened because a need arose to control the water.

The source of the Jukskei is Ellis Park stadium,where water sinks into the ground and collects as a little spring. Chipkin said from the Bezuidenhout Farm the Jukskei bends round Linksfield, Gilloolys farm and swings to the North and then joins with the Braamfontein spruit (being the second major spruit) ,at the Braamfontein Station, and the crocodile river passing through the cussion Mountains (ie. Magaliesburg mountains) towards the Hartebeestpoort Dam.


Dr Deanne Drake from the Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences (APES) told us about their research conducted at the Jukskei. Their study is called the Matowanyika study where Phd students from Wits APES department are sent to the Jukskei in Alex to monitor the levels of E.Coli on a monthly basis. This needs to be done for sustainability and continuity.It was interesting to note that the Zoo Lake area showed an amount of 2800 mg/ml and the Buccleuch area showed in access of 100 000mg/ml. She also made reference to the SA Water Act(1998).


The long-term effects of E.Coli lead to Cholera and Hepatitis with symptoms such as headache, nausea, diarrhoea and stomach cramps.
Other research interests include the Psychological impacts of urban green spaces (ie the benefits of green spaces).
The effectiveness of wetlands in sequestering pollution and the “Restoration” approaches for the Jukskei.

Paula Fray from Inter-Press Services (IPS) told us about the Water Monitoring Project. She explained how to tell water stories. She covered three main aspects, the impact (how does it affect us), the accuracy(working with experts) and the human face or human interest stories.

IPS also does in-depth coverage of the diverse range of water-related issues in Southern Africa linking water to the economic development, social well-being and environmental protection. The Southern Water Works (SWW) is an initiative of IPS Africa, it is a tool for the regional water sector programme- a SADC initiative funded by Danida (ie the Danish Government)

DAY 2 - 6 Oct : Multimedia Reporting,Blogging,Assessing multimedia sites

Scott Peterson from “ The Monitor” visited us and he spoke to us about multimedia reporting.He spoke about ways to get people online (and getting them to read your website).
He is working on a project about a foster family who has adopted a child living with HIV/AIDS.
Jeanne Davies (from online media) spoke to us about how to set up blogs for the Jukskei (in-depth reporting) project.
The title of the blog is Cry the beloved river.
As four groups we were each given websites to critique.This was aimed to help us to design a suitable website for our project.Each group was given about three sites to assess.
Certain criteria was used : Which sites were relatively user friendly and attractive.The use of multimedia(audio and video quality),links, and the power of the internet(time to download).The strengths and weaknesses and if there were weaknesses how could they be improved.

Overall the common favorites were University of North Carolina’s site (www.andamanrising.org/) ,the Pulitzer center’s live with hope story (www.livehopelove.com/) and although our group thought that the mediastorm(www.mediastorm.com)site was just too busy, members of the class found some aspects that could help in our website.(like the techno effects).

DAY 1 - 5 Oct: Field-Trip to Jukskei River in Alexandra Township

Just on the outskirts of the sophistication of Sandton CBD lies an informal settlement called Alexandra. A group of us - about 20 journalism students, went on a short tour of the township.Our main concern was about the river that runs through it -the Jukskei.

Kim Kieser CEO and founder of the SOUL (Save Our Universal Land)Foundation joined us with other members of her team.

The SOUL foundation in conjunction with WET- Africa (Waterway and Environment Transformation) are committed to rehabilitation of 67km of the Jukskei River.


Urbanisation has taken place and so the water has been canalised increasing its speed to about 60 times more - making it more dangerous during the rainy season causing flash floods.

The river which flows through Bez Valley starts out at the Ellis Park below the rugby field.It flows through the suburbs of Bertrams,Bez Valley and Kensington.It passes Bruma where a lake was built, shops,businesses and a craft market were developed in this area at a later stage.From Bruma Lake the river passes through Bedfordview to Gilloolys Farm where once again it has been canalised forming a small lake in a popular picnic area.From Gilloolys Farm the river continues north,past Alexandra Township, until it joins several other rivers,such as the Olifants and Crocodile at the Hartbeestpoort Dam .The water from this dam flows into a tributary of the Limpopo River,which eventually reaches the Indian Ocean.





Alexandra township was originally built (Eastbank) for the All Africa games village in 2002 and 2003 when the informal settlement sprang up.

The place has been a dumping ground since and breeding ground for acriminal activity.It costs the council over 6 billion to fix annually.If the waste is recycled it can generate 6 billion. Eco-friendly approaches and cleanup campaigns have been put in place by the Alexandra Renewal Project(ARP).




A sytematic and sustainable change is needed from the side of the community as well.They need to take ownership of their community.The dumping and throwing of garbage need to stop. People from WET-Africa/SOUL Foundation patrol the areas(in yellow jackets) and ensure that those who dump garbage or spill chemicals into the river will be fined.





The ARP is looking at introducing, horse-riding cycling and the growing of vegetable gardens
to get the community invilved and generate income.

Kieser said:" To heal the river,you need to work with the community and get them involved."

Povery alleviation and service delivery go hand in hand.It seems like the people who live in the garbage do not see past it.Kieser mentioned the litter/garbage crisis that parts of New York was facing and how the Mayor Rudolph Guiliani at the time (2005) went about to solve the problem.
Guilani said:"If you fix a broken window,crime moves out".

Other areas that were visted were Vasco Da Gama and Hofmeyer bridges.In particular we visited Queen street(on a hill in Bez Valley) where we had aerial view of Ellis Park(sorce of the Jukskei).We went to the Bez Valley to see the storm water system,through which the Jukskei flows.An elderly man told us about the dangers that kids face(drownings) when playing nearby and open drainage system.