By the time Maqadini Primary School in KwaMashu, KwaZulu-Natal had collected 86,354 bottle caps, it was clear that this was never really about plastic. This is the inspiring story of how the Nedbank Caps for Wheels campaign sparked an extraordinary movement within one school community, as shared by Ranyaka’s Ngcebo Thembela, one of our local area coordinators in KwaZulu-Natal.
Capturing the heart of the journey, Jehaan Anthony (Head: Staff Volunteerism and Advocacy, Nedbank Social Impact Unit) says: “The learners soon understood that something as small as a bottle cap can have value. They saw that simple actions can help someone, protect the environment and bring people together. That’s a powerful lesson: when young people see possibility where others see waste, they can help shape a greener future.”
Ranyaka is the national implementation agent for the Nedbank Proud of My Town programme and this is one of countless stories of the wonderful changemakers we meet in communities across South Africa every day.
Read below as Ngcebo shares the inspiring story…
ZAMAJOZI AND NGCEBO AT JUST ONE OF THE OVERFLOWING BOXES FILLED BY THE PUPILS OF MAQADINI PRIMARY SCHOOL
More than plastic
At first glance, the Nedbank Caps for Wheels Campaign may appear to be about collecting plastic bottle caps. But after walking this journey with Maqadini Primary School in KwaMashu, KwaZulu-Natal, I can confidently say it is also a story of leadership, teamwork, environmental responsibility and community pride.
Our relationship with Maqadini Primary did not begin with bottle caps. Ranyaka first engaged with the school in 2025 after meeting the school’s principal, Mrs Mkhize, about a different project. Shortly afterwards, one of our valued partners formally introduced us to the school, opening the door to what has become one of our most rewarding community partnerships.
At the time, our conversations centred around broader opportunities to run entrepreneurship programmes with learners. The Caps for Wheels campaign would follow later. Sometimes, the best initiatives are never planned, they grow from trust.
DYNAMIC SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, MRS MKHIZE (RIGHT) WITH OUR FORMER KWAMASHU LOCAL COORDINATOR, ZAMAJOZI, AT THE EARTH DAY POSTER COMPETITION PRIZEGIVING
Energy that inspires
From the very beginning, Mrs Mkhize stood out as a leader who genuinely believes in creating opportunities for her learners. She has an infectious smile that instantly lights up a room and if there’s one thing everyone quickly learns about her, it’s that she absolutely loves the camera. Whether she is taking photos with learners, recording videos, or proudly documenting every milestone, she understands something important: when you celebrate success, people want to become part of it. That energy is contagious.
When Ranyaka proposed Maqadini Primary’s participation in the Nedbank Caps for Wheels campaign, Mrs Mkhize didn’t simply give permission for the campaign to happen. She became one of its biggest champions. She rallied her teachers, mobilised learners with enthusiasm, and even brought parents on board through the school’s own communication channels. The mission was clear: The more caps collected, the more wheelchairs Nedbank would be able to donate to persons living with disabilities.
It wasn’t long before collecting bottle caps became a school-wide mission.
LEARNERS SHOW OFF THEIR CREATIVE POSTERS AS PART OF THE EARTH DAY POSTER COMPETITION
I’ll never forget receiving a message from her not long after the campaign started. The learners had begun collecting in earnest, and with her trademark enthusiasm she simply wrote:
“The war has started.”
I laughed. But she wasn’t exaggerating. Competition between the grades had begun, and everyone wanted to contribute. What started as a recycling campaign quickly became part of the school’s culture.
One of my favourite memories came during one of our early progress visits. We wanted to see how things were going and expected to find a few thousand bottle caps. Instead, we opened one of the collection bins and found more than 15,000 bottle caps already packed inside. That was the moment we realised this school wasn’t just participating. They were all in.
What impressed me even more was the level of organisation and attention to detail. Every day, each class counted its bottle caps before submitting their totals to a central committee of learners and teachers. Those numbers were verified, consolidated, and tracked daily.
It became part of the school’s routine, teaching learners accountability, teamwork, and the value of working towards a shared goal.
CLAIMING TOP HONOURS IN THE EARTH DAY POSTER COMPETITION
Mrs Mkhize kept me updated throughout the journey. Some days, she shared photographs of learners counting bottle caps on the floor. Other days, it was videos of excited learners celebrating another milestone. At one point, she even sent me a TikTok video of a teacher listening to music, counting bottle caps. As a former teacher, it was impossible not to smile, watching the excitement spread beyond the learners and into the staff room.
By the end of June, Maqadini Primary had collected an incredible 86,354 bottle caps, an achievement that belongs to every learner, every teacher, every parent, and every member of the school community.
To complement the campaign, Ranyaka introduced the Earth Day Poster Competition, encouraging learners to think beyond recycling and explore environmental sustainability through creativity. Working in teams, learners produced beautiful posters using recycled and upcycled materials, transforming what many would call waste into inspiring works of art. Judging the competition proved incredibly difficult.
The creativity on display reminded us that children often see opportunity where adults only see rubbish.
A POWERFUL EXAMPLE OF HOW SMALL ACTIONS ALL COUNT
For me personally, however, the most memorable moment had nothing to do with the numbers. Over the past few months, the Ranyaka KZN team spent a great deal of time engaging with learners through assemblies, classroom visits and activities. Every time I introduced myself, I said, “Good morning, everyone, I’m Mr Thembela from Ranyaka.”
One day, I decided to have a little fun. I offered a small prize to any learner who could remember my surname. Hands immediately shot into the air. With huge smiles and complete confidence, learners shouted back: “Mr Ranyaka!”
I burst out laughing. No, they hadn’t remembered my surname, but they had remembered something much more important. They remembered Ranyaka. In that moment, I realised we had become more than visitors to the school. To those learners, Ranyaka had become associated with encouragement, creativity, excitement, and opportunity.
A few weeks later, I found myself saying something to my partner that has stayed with me ever since. I said, “The funny thing about initiatives like this is that no matter what happens from today onwards, these learners will never look at a plastic bottle cap in the same way again.” And that’s the real impact.
PRIZEGIVING TIME – THE RANYAKA TEAM VISITED MAQADINI PRIMARY ON THE DAY OF THEIR MID-YEAR PRIZEGIVING AND AT THE SAME TIME, SHARED NEWS OF THE WINNERS OF THE EARTH DAY POSTER COMPETITION AND ALSO THANKED LEARNERS FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE CAPS FOR WHEELS INITIATIVE.
Every cap they see now represents possibility. It reminds them that something many people throw away can create opportunity, support mobility for someone in need, protect the environment, and bring an entire community together.
Yes, Maqadini Primary collected 86,354 bottle caps.
Yes, trophies were handed over and prizes were won.
But the real success wasn’t measured by the number of bottle caps collected.
It was measured by a principal who inspired an entire school, teachers who embraced the vision, parents who joined the movement, and learners who discovered that even the smallest actions can create extraordinary change.
At Ranyaka, we believe transformation begins with people. At Maqadini Primary School, we had the privilege of watching that transformation unfold, one bottle cap at a time.
For more information about Ranyaka, the work we do and ways to get involved, please contact us by clicking here.
Photographer: Sonya Olivier