Kagiso Morake

Nkompon is a story of return — to a courtyard once alive with voices, now quiet and scarred by time. In Vaal Reefs, the mining compound stood as both home and cage, shaping lives through labour, separation, and resilience. This project reimagines that space, not to erase its past, but to confront it. Through adaptive reuse, Nkompon transforms the decommissioned compound into housing that is inclusive, dignified, and rooted in community pride. The design keeps the memory of red brick walls and shared spaces, but reshapes them for families, cultural gatherings, and everyday life that heals rather than harms. It is architecture as an act of restorative justice — turning a place of control into a vessel of belonging. This work honours the people of Vaal Reefs, past and present, and asks how spaces of exploitation can be reimagined as spaces of hope.