By Malebo Pheme
In the heart of Makhanda, a quiet revolution is underway, turning waste into wealth and discarded items into community treasures. It’s the work of the Social Employment Fund (SEF), a project that’s not just about employment, but about changing how we think about value, sustainability, and care for the environment.
At the centre of this transformation is Hilton Haakonsen, who has helped oversee SEF’s growing number of initiatives, from recycling to school gardens. “We’ve got seven different areas we focus on,” he explained. “We do roads, yes, but we also do recycling, gardening, school support, and now we’re entering manufacturing.”
The SEF recycling program is one of its most innovative components. “We recycle plastic, glass, clothing, whatever we can,” Haakonsen said. “We’ve spent a lot of time prototyping, and now we’ve cracked the formula. We’re making paving bricks from crushed plastic and glass.”
But their ambitions don’t stop there.
“We’re hoping to get an extruder soon. That means we’ll be able to make planks from recycled plastic and build picnic benches,” he said. “Imagine being able to furnish parks and schools with benches that are 100% recycled.”
In partnership with local builders, SEF plans to crush broken porcelain tiles and use the material instead of cement. “It’s going to be a 100% recycled product,” he emphasised. “We’ve approached companies in Gqeberha, like CTM and Tile Africa.”
The ripple effects of SEF’s work are felt far beyond the factory floor. One of the most heartwarming initiatives is their school gardening program. “We give seedlings to local schools. There’s a lady from Umthathi who uses her small space to help kids grow their vegetables,” one SEF worker shared. “It’s not just about food. It’s about teaching responsibility, sustainability, and pride in your community.”
SEF also plays a critical role in keeping Makhanda clean. “We go through about 50 000 refuse bags a month,” Haakonsen said. “Our teams sort and select recyclable materials on-site. We probably recycle 30 to 35 percent of what we collect.”
The numbers are staggering: 1 642 people currently work on the SEF project, and the economic impact is profound. “We bring in between R3 million and R3.5 million a month into the local economy through wages alone,” Haakonsen said. “80% of our budget goes to paying people. The other 20% has to cover everything else, vehicles, fuel, plastic bags, and tools. That’s why self-sustainability is key.”
This sustainability is not just financial, it’s deeply rooted in community values. “We want everything we do to have value,” Haakonsen emphasised. “The paving has value. The benches we’ll build will have value. Even the refuse we collect has value.”
Through it all, SEF’s mission remains clear: to make Makhanda cleaner, greener, safer, and more self-reliant.
