Contestant hopes tyre idea gains traction

TWO YEARS after a horrific car accident that left scores of people in his community injured, Bongani Nkuna, a contestant in The Big Break Legacy, decided proper recycling of tyres was a priority.

This simple man – who works as a trainer in the Edgars accounts department – realised a significant number of fatalities on our roads were due to unroadworthy tyres.

His investigations revealed that in many cases these tyres were sold to people who could not afford new ones.

Tyres are designed to last a long time in tough conditions, making them environmental hazards. Left lying, they also serve as a breeding ground for rodents, snakes and mosquitoes. Sometimes protesters burn tyres and mobs have used them to “necklace” people by forcing petrol-laced tyres over victims’ heads and setting them alight.

A tyre takes about eight hours to burn out completely. Imagine the pollution this causes, says Nkuna.

His company, Natural Way Trading Enterprise, promotes the concept of recycling tyres in an environmentally friendly way, for instance by creating artificial soccer fields, tennis courts and athletics tracks.