Sometimes the people responsible for good deeds, especially when it comes to matters of the city, go under the radar, and some would say they like it that way. In saying that, I’d like to highlight a duo involved with an organisation doing great things in the city of Cape Town, Ricardo Nobangela (aka Ricky Davinci) and Phano Liphoto who are part of the Young Urbanists NPC. In my opinion, at the core of what they do lies the idea of community building, especially geared towards the youth.

Hailing from Khayelitsha and gaining a degree in Urban Planning from Wits University, Ricky has become well known for his sketches capturing moments of movement, celebration and connection. His work is rooted in how people move, gather and connect in public spaces which has led to him collaborating with the likes of Bullyboy, Pizza Shed, House and Leisure and Zeitz Moccaa just to name a few. 

I have become familiar with Ricky over these past couple of months and his enthusiasm to get involved with people and the community as a whole is quite evident. Outside of his illustrations he is, together with Phano, the co-founder of Coffee Rave ZA. If you’re an early riser and still like to party, you are most definitely aware of this movement. With his background in Urban Planning, he is very involved in city matters and housing problems through his work with Young Urbanists and the Now Now Competition.

Moving on to his “partner in crime” Phano Liphoto. Originally from Lesotho he obtained a degree from Wits University and currently doing his Masters in Civil Engineering at UCT, Phano has managed to garner a sizable following on his social media through Tik Tok and Instagram.

Highlighting his love for cycling whether it be in the city or in picturesque landscape. This led to him creating the initiative Youth Pedal Project under a group he started with Ricky called Youth Travel Collective to collect and crowdsource refurbished bicycles for underprivileged children in rural areas. He’s also a big advocate for creating cities that rely less on the need for cars to commute.

One initiative that has become a success in trying to achieve such a goal is the Bree Street Sundays Experiment, where a section of Bree Street in Cape Town CBD gets closed off every Sunday during summer hosting many vendors and people who can roam the street without any worry about cars. Such street closures have also been extended to Langa Township in Cape Town and Main Street in Johannesburg CBD. 

Their work with regards to the street closures, is facilitated through their involvement with Young Urbanists. An NPC aiming to get young people to have a say in how their cities are designed in order for public spaces to be more inclusive. This is made worse by the remnants of the apartheid spatial planning left behind, quite evident in Cape Town, where a majority of the population have been pushed to the outskirts of the city, making it harder for people to gain access to opportunities in the urban areas. 

The ages of these gentlemen range from 25-30, I mention this to show that maybe it’s time for our generation to consider their role in their community. Trust me I know not everyone is interested in that, I wasn’t for a while, but looking at how these things impact how we conduct our day to day lives it wouldn’t hurt.