In the heart of Adams Mission township in Durban, two Grade 11 students saw plastic pollution choking their local rivers and decided to do something extraordinary about it. Elihle Msomi and Sinazo Nzama spent months developing the Aqua Crusader, an AI-powered aquatic robot that autonomously extracts microplastics and nanoplastics from water bodies without disrupting marine ecosystems. Their ingenious creation uses solar panels, ultrasonic sensors, GPS mapping, and real-time navigation to operate independently, while its dual-chamber design separates pollutant filtration from the control system.
The teenage inventors’ dedication has already paid off spectacularly, with their robot winning both the provincial and national Stockholm Junior Water Foundation Youth Water Prize competitions. Now they’re preparing to represent South Africa on the global stage in Sweden, competing for the People’s Choice Award against the world’s brightest young environmental minds. What makes their achievement even more inspiring is that these students aren’t just solving a local problem, they’re setting an example of how young passion and ingenuity can create meaningful change for the planet. Their message to fellow South Africans is simple: they’re going international to solve water problems, and they need the country’s support to vote for their world-changing invention.