“We’ve been doing it for over two decades. I was standing in the strip and I saw kids playing in this dumpsite, this filthy water, and I asked myself, how is it possible that kids can play in this rubbish where my child just recently passed away? We turned the worst dumpsite in the entire region into a dump-free place and litter-free area. Children are playing freely, it’s nice, it’s really made a great and impactful difference in our community,” reflects Rashid Juma, the visionary founder of Go Green Go Clean (GGGC).

GGGC, one of Greenpop’s dedicated community partners in our transformative Heineken Green Zones project, is an award-winning environmental organisation based in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg. Their powerful mission: to uplift and beautify the urban landscape of Eldorado, upskill community members, and provide promising opportunities for local youth. Their work is a profound testament to how environmental care and community upliftment are deeply intertwined, demonstrating that opportunity blossoms from proactive environmental rehabilitation.

The Seed of a Dream: Rashid Juma’s Inspiring Vision

Rashid’s unwavering dedication and ambition to improve living conditions in his hometown were ignited by a deeply personal tragedy. In 2013, his daughter passed away after picking up a severe bacterial infection from playing in a polluted and littered area of the neighbourhood. Unable to bear the thought of other children facing similar risks, Rashid took immediate action.

As Elvis Presslin, Operations Director of GGGC, recalls, “He vowed to clean up the area so that no other child could be exposed to such filth and dirt. He first started cleaning by himself, and people thought he was mad, but soon he was joined by unemployed youngsters who could see a gradual change in the area.” What began as a solitary act of defiance against pollution soon blossomed into a collective movement.

Rashid’s dream extends far beyond waste management; it aims to empower, educate, and uplift his local community. Eldorado Park, like many under-resourced urban areas, has grappled with high unemployment rates, leading to challenges such as crime, gambling, and substance abuse. GGGC directly addresses these issues by providing newfound opportunities and engaging youth in fulfilling, constructive endeavours like mural painting and environmental stewardship. They are collectively transforming Eldorado Park into an uplifting space of promise, hope, and peace for future generations.

Why Green Spaces Matter: Addressing Urban Inequality in South Africa

Africa is experiencing rapid urbanisation, with its urban population projected to more than double between 2000 and 2030. While this brings expansion and innovation, it also threatens vital ecosystems. Incorporating natural spaces into urban landscapes is critical for ecological and social well-being.

Green urban spaces offer a wealth of benefits: they regulate temperatures, improve air and water quality, reduce stormwater runoff, lessen noise pollution, provide essential habitats for urban wildlife, combat climate change, enhance mental and physical health, and foster a deeper sense of pride, community, and home among residents.

Despite these numerous advantages, many urban landscapes, particularly in under-resourced communities, tragically lack safe, beautiful public green spaces. In South Africa, urban green spaces often serve as a stark visual marker of economic and racial inequality, with historically well-resourced neighbourhoods boasting notably more clean, green areas than their under-resourced counterparts. This disparity highlights the urgent need for projects like GGGC.

The Heineken Green Zones Project: Greening Our Cities, One Community at a Time

Addressing this critical disparity is the core purpose of the Heineken Green Zones (HGZ) project, a powerful collaborative initiative between Heineken Beverages and the Greenpop Foundation. Seeking to “make fields green with grass, not glass,” the HGZ project aims to create five new green zones in under-resourced and under-greened communities across Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, and Durban. This endeavour also aligns with Heineken’s broader campaign to introduce its 650ml returnable glass bottle, contributing significantly to reducing glass pollution across South Africa.

The HGZ project is deeply committed to fostering just and sustainable development by establishing accessible and inclusive urban green spaces. Each Green Zone is thoughtfully designed to encompass:

• A grassy recreation area for community activities.
• A vibrant biodiversity garden.
• Inspirational sculptural or mural art focused on waste reduction themes.
• Essential infrastructure to enhance usability and safety.

Crucially, the HGZ project employs a community-centred approach through strategic partnerships with organisations like GGGC. This ensures that the green spaces truly align with local needs, emphasising capacity building and skills transfer to empower community members for long-term maintenance and enhancement of their green zones.

The Evolution of the Eldorado Park Strip: A Cultural Heritage Walkway

Rashid’s vision has truly manifested in the fruits of GGGC’s work. Taking a holistic approach, the initiative has transformed the Eldorado Park strip in numerous ways. “I was born here, and instead of moving out of Eldorado Park, it is best for us to make Eldorado Park better,” Rashid states.

The once-derelict servitude and dumpsite, which Rashid initially cleaned by himself, underwent a visible and gradual change. “It became XPark,” explains Elvis, “where young painters would experiment by drawing what inspired them on the walls over the graffiti that was sprayed there.” This organic art movement laid the groundwork for a grander vision.

With the HGZ project, this vision expanded into adjacent vacant land, creating a cultural heritage walkway telling the history and story of South Africa’s first peoples, the Khoi San, through a series of murals. This complemented existing themes celebrating local champions who serve as role models to youth.

The HGZ project brought this incredible vision to life through specific initiatives:

• Art Installations: Supporting GGGC’s established art program and commissioning various local artists to bring the Khoi San narrative to life through stunning murals.
• Infrastructure: Installing secure concrete benches for seating and, critically, addressing a persistent issue of an overflowing sewage pipe. While Eskom servitude restrictions limited extensive built infrastructure, a concrete channel was constructed as an interim solution to contain waste and channel it into the local drainage system, with ongoing collaboration with local government to address the root cause.
• Biodiversity Gardens: Comprised of local indigenous plants and medicinal plants, perfectly complementing the cultural heritage theme. Training on the uses of these medicinal plants has ignited a passion in some of the site’s key stewards.
• Grassy Recreational Space: Earthworks were conducted to level the site, establishing a versatile lawn space for community use.

A Blossoming Partnership: Greenpop and GGGC

Our collaboration with GGGC has been a thrilling and enlightening development in Greenpop’s urban greening efforts, marking an exciting new chapter for us as we expand into Johannesburg. We have been endlessly inspired by Rashid, Elvis, and the entire Go Green Go Clean team, from whom we’ve learned invaluable lessons.

Rashid shares, “We learnt quite a lot of things from Chris (Greenpop’s Head of Restoration), in terms of monitoring and managing a project on the ground, teaching us about medicinal plants and their healing properties, there’s so much, we learnt so much.” This mutual knowledge exchange is a cornerstone of our community-centred approach.

Tangible Impact and Inspiring Stories

Since its implementation, the transformed site has hosted numerous community events, including weddings, memorial services, and a profoundly moving Heritage Day celebration that brought together representatives from various Khoi tribes to share stories, language, and indigenous knowledge.

Go Green Go Clean serves as an unparalleled inspiration, exemplifying the power of grassroots action and community stewardship of public open spaces. The most amazing thing is how the impact has rippled outwards:

• Kids who play in the green zones have now co-opted themselves to start picking up litter and glass in the gardens, becoming active participants in maintaining a clean and green space.
• This commitment has visibly rubbed off on adults. Rashid recounts a powerful anecdote: “We saw a couple who told our patrollers one evening around 11 pm that it was the first time in a decade that they could venture out into the servitude and experience a full moon in a clean and safe environment.”

These stories are powerful reminders of the profound human impact of well-designed, community-driven green spaces.

Envisioning a Greener Tomorrow

We admire GGGC and their valiant work in transforming Eldorado Park into the greener, brighter neighbourhood it is today. We are beyond proud to have contributed to Rashid’s vision and the greater mission of the initiative, and we are thoroughly grateful for this partnership. We look forward to growing and greening together in the future!

GGGC is a pivotal movement in local-scale, South African urban greening efforts. Together, we can plant the seeds of real, lasting change—one mural, one garden, and one community clean-up at a time. The Treevolution is truly thriving on SA soil!

Photography courtesy of RTC Studios