At first glance, it might sound like a utopian dream: an organisation that tackles plastic waste, promotes circular packaging, cuts household costs, and creates local jobs. But in Alexandra, a densely populated township on the outskirts of Johannesburg, that dream is very much alive, and it’s thriving.

The idea behind this transformative model came from social entrepreneur Miles Kubheka, who founded Gcwalisa with a bold mission: to challenge the poverty tax and restore dignity through affordable, innovative retail in underserved communities. From the very beginning, Josephine Katumba, a community builder who had been working in Alexandra with Miles since the pandemic, helped bring this vision to life, shaping its reuse model and building the community trust and systems needed to make it work on the ground.

Find out more about this exciting project.

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