UTHANDO LWEMILAMBO – FOR THE LOVE OF RIVERS

Rivers show us who we really are

They show us how we’re connected to the earth and to each other

make a donation
RIVER RESCUE

Our Values

OUR VISION

Our vision is to restore the local rivers to what they once were: places where people collected clean water for washing, cooking and drinking; children played in the water, catching fish and crabs; older people sat on the banks and found peace and rest listening to the gentle sound of water.

 

OUR MISSION

River Rescue works to clean the rivers in the city of Makhanda/Grahamstown and to restore them as sources of clean water and recreation for ALL the residents of the city

Our aim is to restore the link between our rivers and our people

What we do

Our Programmes

CHANGING MINDSETS

Rivers are complex systems, and rivers that run through built-up areas are even more complex. To make a lasting difference we must change people’s hearts and minds and awaken them to their real attachment to the water on which everything depends. 

EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT

 Education through schools, clubs, churches, house-to-house surveys and presentations is the focus of our activities, together with the continuing hard work of cleaning the rivers two Saturdays a month.

WhO WE are

Our Story

The headwaters of the Bloukraans River – which runs into the sea at Port Alfred – rise in the bowl of the city. As they flow through the city, they accumulate the trash and sewage from the houses along the riverbanks.
 
For two years, volunteers from the full spectrum of residents – University students, local residents, city councillors, businesspeople and, most especially, children – have been regularly involved in the ‘housework’ of cleaning rubbish out of the watercourses. Changes have been small, but significant, and participants have learned a great deal as they’ve worked.
 
‘Pop-up’ schools have provided an opportunity to share knowledge about the rivers, the creatures that live in them, the plants that grow along the banks, and to begin to understand the connections rivers create between us all and the planet we call home.

Get Involved

Many hands make light work! Join us on one of our upcoming clean up days listed here.

Or sign up for our newsletter and we will let you know about our events in the future.

Let’s work together for plastic free rivers.

Become a Volunteer

Upcoming Events

AUGUST 10

Where: Mary Waters River (Location link)
When: 9.00
Please don’t forget to bring your:
💧 Water
👒 Hat/Cap
☀ Sunscreen
🧤 Gloves
🥾 Boots
😷 Mask
➕ As well as any additional items you think may be useful for the clean-up effort.

For anyone needing transport to the location, please meet us at the arch at 08h45. Please circulate to anyone you think will be interested 🙏

OUR STORIES

Sharing Knowledge

Sharing Knowledge

There’s a lot of attention focused on indigenous knowledge, on finding it, on accessing it, and on using it to expand what I call our ‘formal, school-based’ knowledge.

We were cleaning the river at Vukani with the usual wonderful mix of local children, local citizens and Rhodes students when a little boy (I’ll call him Sizwe) ran up to me, caught me by the hand, walked me to the bush pictured below and pointed to the grey leaves.

Back to Take Down the Flag in the Wind

Back to Take Down the Flag in the Wind

On the 10th of August 2024, the Rhodes University (RU) Honours Students from the Department of Environmental Science (DES) organised a successful clean-up in Mary Waters, Makhanda. The main objective being to remove rubbish in and around the river and promote environmental stewardship in the Mary Waters Community.