[PHOTOS] Local couple turns trash into treasure
"Our house is basically made of neighbourhood litter."
MOVING around and having no place they could call their home encouraged Sabelo Mgenge and Janine Anderson to build a house made of recyclable products in KwaNyuswa.
The ten-room house, which is made from plastic, bottles, sand, paper, cans, wire, poles, wood, rubble, pellets and stones, also includes an art and recording studios.
“We used two-litre bottles filled with 30 bags of litter which we collected from the area. Some part of the walls are made up of mealie-meal bags filled with sand,” said Mgenge.
Mgenge and Anderson, who are both artists, teach children artwork such as fine art, drawing, printing and painting every Friday after school.
The couple had big dreams for their house, which took them a year to build and they say they have not finished yet. “Our house is basically made of neighbourhood litter,” they said.
The couple’s dream is to turn the house into a centre.
“Young people in this area have no resources or platforms where they can showcase their talents. There is lot of talent in the Valley of a 1 000 Hills and we want to expose it.
“I have a strong belief that if children could be involve in something positive, there would be a decrease in young people who smoke drugs, drink alcohol and involved in crime,” said Mgenge.
The couple also have their own line of clothing, called Street Soul and Rasta Fairie, for which they make T-shirts and bags.
“We do not have many resources and would like people to sponsor us, and we will give them something in return. If someone sponsors us with painting material, we will make them a painting in return.
“If another person or company offers us fabric, we can make them T-shirts or bags,” said Anderson.
Anderson and Mgenge said they want the house to be an open venue for events, music videos, tourist activities and educational films, among other things.
The couple need people who can donate goods needed to fulfil their work for the community, such as painting material, music equipment and organic plants.
They are also in need of some material to finish the house – cement, plaster sand, tile grouting and adhesive and wood.
The couple expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Lloyd-Warren Construction, which supplied them with windows and doors which were meant for disposal.
Anyone who would like to assist can contact Sabelo or Janine on 073 334 4363 or visit their Facebook page – Art and Action African Art group.
