Don’t forget to recycle!

Writer Hedda Mittner

Denzil Bosman’s recycling facility in the Hermanus Industrial Area not only fulfils a vital role in keeping our town clean, but also provides a lifeline to several locals who would otherwise have been destitute. Which is why he gave his business the hopeful name, Ingomso Lelethu, which means ‘Tomorrow is ours’.

Theo Malgaas, Emmanuel Douglas, Clifford Louw and Nofikathini Makhekhe with Denzil Bosman at the Ingomso Lelethu Recycling Facility in Hermanus. (Their driver, Frederick Steenkamp, was absent when the photo was taken.) PHOTO: Hedda Mittner

No stranger to setbacks himself, Denzil has a background in hospitality and moved to Hermanus from Cape Town with his family in 2010. While working front-of-house at Rossi’s he became friends with owner Bruce Geddes, who is one of the biggest supporters of Denzil’s new venture.

Passionate about protecting the natural environment, Denzil started by collecting recyclable litter and encouraging vagrants to pick up cans, which he bought from them. “Stomping” the cans himself, he soon realised that he needed proper equipment and saved up to buy a recycling baling machine, which compresses paper, cardboard, cans and plastics. “It’s essential for cutting down on transport costs, reducing carbon footprint and minimising storage space,” he says.

Just after he’d opened Ingomso Lelethu in Roman Close, the country went into lockdown. It was a devastating blow, but as soon as the lockdown moved to Level 3, Denzil got back to work. “I took in people who were homeless and unemployed to give them a chance to help themselves – and the environment,” he says. “Providing a meaningful service to the community has instilled them with pride and they call this ‘our place’. We work here shoulder to shoulder.”

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