Diepsloot-based water and sanitation cooperative WASSUP has been recognised as one of the Top 14 community innovations in the City of Johannesburg’s Smart City Community Innovation Challenge.
WASSUP, which services all 642 toilets and taps in Diepsloot Ext 1, plays a vital role in water conservation, infrastructure maintenance, and job creation for local residents.
With support from The Wot-if? Trust, the team is now launching a plumbing academy to formally train unemployed community members in Extensions 1, 7, and 13.
Their work—once featured in a 2016 pilot that saved the City over R20 million in water losses—is being celebrated as a model of grassroots innovation that directly responds to urban challenges.
Now shortlisted alongside 13 other finalists, WASSUP will pitch their solution to a panel of experts, with the chance to win incubation support and pilot partnerships with the City.
Their story proves that smart cities aren’t built from the top down—but from the ground up, starting with Diepsloot.