SUNCASA in Johannesburg

Inside the project

SUNCASA works in the Jukskei River catchment in and around Alexandra. Activities combine urban greening, invasive-species removal and pollution-control infrastructure with community participation.

By the end of 2024 (SUNCASA's first year), Johannesburg reported 6,324 trees planted, 80 percent of that year's urban-greening and buffer-zone target, alongside removal of invasive Kikuyu grass from 2 hectares and installation of litter traps on the Jukskei River in Alexandra.

IISD's SAVi economic assessment of the Johannesburg intervention was published 18 March 2026. A related item, "New EcoFilter System to Help Tackle Pollution in Johannesburg's Jukskei River" (press release, 22 April 2026), was seen in a related-content listing but its body was not read; it is cited here by title and date only.

Objectives

• Restore the Jukskei River catchment through urban greening, invasive-species removal and pollution-control measures.
• Reach the year-one urban-greening and buffer-zone planting target in and around Alexandra.
• Reduce litter and pollution loads on the Jukskei River through community-run litter traps.
• Extend gender and social-inclusion workshops with GenderCC SA.

Approach

• Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo leads municipal implementation; the Johannesburg Inner City Partnership, Water for the Future and Alexandra Water Warriors run community and river-catchment engagement in Alexandra, including the Jukskei litter traps; GenderCC SA runs gender and social-inclusion workshops; Zutari provides technical partnership and the Johannesburg Road Agency partners on infrastructure.
• IISD's SAVi assessment for Johannesburg follows the same InVEST-based method used in Kigali and Dire Dawa, published 18 March 2026.