iThemba Phakama

Provides tricycles and safety equipment to an association of waste-pickers
2017 SAG-SEED Award Winner Waste Management Greater Cape Flats Region in Cape Town, South Africa

Through no-cost lease agreements, iThemba Phakama provides informal waste pickers with safety gear and robust, locally manufactured tricycles for transporting waste. The enterprise is financed through advertising on the side of the tricycles. The members of iThemba Phakama make a monthly contribution until they have saved enough to fund their own tricycle.

This model allows new members to enter once existing members have their own tricycles. It also enables waste-pickers to become individual micro-entrepreneurs, who salvage recycling waste and sell it to buy-back centres. 

Eco-Inclusive Impacts
iThemba Phakama capacitates urban and small-scale farmers to graduate into commercial business units using Umgibe’s cost-effective and sustainable growing system.
  • Addressing poverty in surrounding townships through formal recognition of informal waste pickers.
  • Improving the health of members by providing safety gear and tricycles, which reduce the physical exertion of gathering waste.
  • Building communal capacity on waste management through creative educational workshops.
  • Encouraging waste collection instead of burning or littering through awareness-raising workshops and offering door-to-door waste collection.
  • Reducing carbon emissions from burning and landfills by collecting waste for upcycling and recycling.
  • Rehabilitating waterways through improved waste management and awareness-raising. 
  • Reducing the number of shopping trolleys stolen from retailers.
  • Increasing income and income security of waste pickers - structured waste picking can increase daily income by 400%.
  • Creating a local supply of sorted waste products - the first step of an integrated value chain.

Multimedia

Partners

This enterprise is supported through its partnerships with various stakeholders, ranging from national and international organisations, investors, research institutes, suppliers, governmental bodies, NGOs, other social and environmental enterprises and more.

iThemba Phakama Co-operative leases the tricycles to its members.

iThemba Labantu is the local community centre that initiated iThemba Phakama and is the home base (hub) of the co-operative’s operations.

Western Cape Government’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) provided initial funding and technical assistance for scoping and project implementation.

DEA&DP, Uhambo Shonaquip and Phahama Pedal Power manufacture, maintain and supply the tricycles at reduced retail price to iThemba Phakama.

SEED Library

In the SEED Library you can read case studies and briefs and explore recent news and blog posts related to the enterprise.
Read more

Collaborate with iThemba Phakama

Use this form to contact the enterprise directly. The submission of this form notifies SEED of your contact request.
I consent to having SEED collect my details and protect my submitted data in line with privacy policy
Stephen Volanie
http://ithemba-labantu.co.za/

Meet more enterprises in the sector

Energy & Sanitation Engineering Eagle (ESEE)

2021 Winner
Waste Management Lilongwe, Malawi

Life Out Of Plastic - L.O.O.P.

2013 SEED Gender Equality Award Winner
Waste Management Lima, Peru

KingFire Briquettes

2014 SEED Africa Award Winner
Waste Management Kampala, Uganda

Botejana Enterprises

2023 Winner
Waste Management Botswana

The Rockstar Waste Services Ltd.

2021
Waste Management Takoradi, Ghana

Recycling for Environmental Recovery

2014 SEED Africa Award Winner
Waste Management Salé, Morocco and Villevieille, France, Morocco
SHOW MORE ENTERPRISES

Want to keep up to date on SEED programmes and innovative eco-inclusive enterprises?

Sign up for our newsletter to get regular updates on what is happening at SEED.
Sign up for our newsletter
Meet Us
Contact Us