'Not all is lost' – A day of rebuilding in Alex

This article is part of our Stories of Hope series where we showcase ordinary citizens putting their values in action after the protests and unrest of July 2021. Share your story with us by sending a WhatsApp to 063 314 5178 or emailing our team at wys@heartlines.org.za.

I have never been this proud of my community, even after such a nightmare of a week, we were able to organise ourselves and step up and clean our community.

My wife and I were born and bred here in Alexandra, where we witnessed the horrors of the '93 political wars between the African National Congress and Inkatha, but then a year later we were back on the streets celebrating our first black president, Nelson Mandela. Not all is lost, after every storm comes a rainbow.

I pray that as a community we will continue rebuilding and moving forward. We deserve better, we can do it only when we are intentional about it. If we could organise ourselves like we did today, to clean our community, we can organise ourselves to create work, improve our lives and make our communities safer for children and women. I am proud of you Alex, and I know you deserve better.

During our cleaning, I was able to speak to some of the volunteers. Most of them are unemployed, and they were still able to give of their time, knowing that they were doing it for free. This was an expression of ubuntu, hence I say – not all is lost.

Thabiso was part of a three-day clean-up initiative by a number of organisations with ties to Alexandra, Johannesburg. Gallery pictures below by Kasi Images.