Nhlakanipho from Breyten on the brink of achieving his goal of waste management

An enquiring mind and the need to better his community is what drives Mr Nhlakanipho Thomas Shabalala.

The Masizakhe Secondary School product is convinced he has come up with a plan to reduce illegal waste dumping and create job opportunities at the same time.

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Born and bred at Sterkfontein Farm outside Breyten, his journey took him across borders in his pursuit to build a sustainable plan to keep the environment clean for generations to come.

An academic, he freely admits his nose is always in a book. He furthered his studies at the University of Limpopo (UL) were he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Water Services and Sanitation.

It was there where his environmental activism evolved.

The young man from a small township in Breyten met people with similar outlooks in life prompting him to join a global community geared towards the preservation of the environment.

However, Nhlakanipho is not one to follow and carved his own route, focusing on the recycling and reusing aspect of nature conservation.

This was realized when he traveled to Suwon City, South Korea to co-present a talk at the Third World Toilet Leaders Forum in 2015.

He recalls how the trip broadened his mind to possible new ventures.

“I was blown away with all the people I met there. People with bright ideas, who are passionate about all things environment and are willing to fight for what they believe in,” he said.

Environmental activists from all over the world were in attendance with one goal in mind: Highlighting how inadequate toilet facilities are a serious issue worldwide, to persuade people that improving toilets can save lives and to come up with collaborative solutions to toilet-related problems throughout the world.

Nhlakanipho and his lecturer, Mr Trevor Mulaudzi, presented two papers titled “Urine Harvesting for Rural Community Agricultural Development” and “Faecal Sludge Management and Valorisation of Urine Nutrients in Africa”.

His weird fascination with body waste and how it can be recycled and reused stems from long hours spent researching for the presentation.

As soon as he landed back home in South Africa, Nhlakanipho hit the ground running.

With his two lecturers, Mr Mulaudzi and Prof Tubatse Khomo, they began a non-profit organisation company, aptly named Injinga Business Incubator and Entrepreneurship Development.

The company aims to provide suitable waste management through recycling and reusing which will in turn create job opportunities for the masses.

A perfect example would be the Electronic Waste (eWaste), another passion of his, where discarded computers, mobile phones, television sets and refrigerators can be collected, salvaged, recycled and used for entrepreneurship purposes.

“Talented people in the townships can make anything out of metal, steel and iron.”

“Give him or her steel and she will make an art piece or whatever they can make to sell and earn a living.”

This is unemployed Nhlakanipho’s ultimate plan to be a job creator instead of a job seeker.

The plan will not be limited to eWaste, but all kinds.

He is currently looking for believers with the right kind of pull to implement this plan and is of the belief anything is possible.

While Nhlakanipho is currently busy selling the plan, he decided to further his studies.

He has been accepted to do his Masters (MSc) degree at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, formerly known as UNESCO-IHE in the Netherlands.

However, with limited funds at his disposal, his pursuit of the degree will be nothing short of a miracle if successful.

Until such happens, he will continue with his calling of educating and raising awareness about the environment.

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