Lights, camera, action as water conservation takes centre stage
25 June 2026
Through the City's Water and Sanitation Directorate's grant funding, Light of Life Theatre raised awareness about the need for water conservation among 1 000 learners at five schools between February and June 2026. The 20-minute production called 'Tima Manzi' used performing arts to captivate audiences, inspire learners to participate in environmental stewardship and to protect critical infrastructure.
The City is committed to supporting initiatives by community-based organisations helping to improve the condition of rivers and wetlands, where urbanisation has been a leading cause of water pollution. As one of the City's 22 grant funding recipients for 2026, non-profit organisation Light of Life Theatre has prioritised educating the youth living in hotspot areas.
The Wallacedene-based artists developed and staged a production, which combines entertainment with life lessons to put into practice such as wise water use, fixing leaks and avoiding building properties over sewer and water infrastructure access points.
The City has made a deliberate investment in community education as a frontline tool in our water conservation strategy. Behavioural change at the household and school level is not a soft intervention, but rather it is essential infrastructure for a water-secure future. When local artists from Wallacedene take these messages into classrooms, they do something no technical report can: they make water stewardship personal, immediate, and achievable. This is exactly the kind of partnership the City will continue to prioritise and scale.’ said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
‘Our aspiration is for this project to empower communities to build water resilience from the ground up. We want to turn an overwhelming global issue into a local priority by transforming water security challenges from a passive concern to one with community-driven solutions.
'Water is the foundation of life, health and dignity. It's important for everyone to know that every drop wasted through a leak or a blocked drain is a loss to the community’s shared future,’ said Luyanda Nolidinga from the Light of Life Theatre.
Caption 1: Light of Life Theatre performers engage more than 500 learners at Enkululekweni Primary School in Wallacedene through the Tima Manzi water conservation production on 17 April 2026.
Caption 2: Through the Tima Manzi production, Light of Life Theatre uses interactive performance to promote water conservation, environmental stewardship and infrastructure protection.
Caption 3: Light of Life Theatre performers at Enkululekweni Primary School in Wallacedene on 17 April 2026. From left are Phelokazi Dlephu, Jason Toko, Wendy Mrali and Fefekazi Mfundisi, with director Luyanda Nodilinga (blue tracksuit) and Sivuyile Manqindi (black pants).
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
