There’s a real-life superhero on the streets of Cape Town. He wears a cape. His identity is a secret. He wants to make the city a better place. And he’s recruiting…
Cape Town, South Africa (31 July 2026) – He calls himself the Templar of the Cape. For weeks, he has donned his cape and mask, taking on the duties of a real-life superhero in the areas between False Bay and Wynberg.
What does he do? He cleans up litter.
‘Real-life superheroes’ are a real thing. Around the world, they aim to make a difference in their own way – whether through public service, community outreach or even the occasional act of citizen crime prevention. They dress up as superheroes while doing it.
“In Japan they clean up litter. In America many help the homeless veterans or do other humanitarian work,” the Templar tells us.
Currently, Cape Town’s only known real-life superhero is the Templar. Cleaning up litter has always been part of his regular life, but dressing as a superhero and turning it into a visible initiative is new, and about nine weeks old.
“I still do clean-ups in normal clothes all the time. The costume is intentional. I was inspired by real-life superheroes (RLSHs) in places like the US, Australia and Japan who built an identity around helping others. It grabs attention. People stop and ask ‘Who is that?’ and ‘What are they trying to do?’ That’s exactly the reaction I want. It shines a light on the litter problem and, more importantly, on the ordinary people already making Cape Town better,” the Templar tells us.
“I looked up if there were any in South Africa, and it was a great disappointment to discover that we don’t have any. I believe if there is good you can do, you should do it. So I wanted to fill that gap, and inspire others to do the same.”
Much of the Templar of the Cape’s work so far has happened between False Bay and Wynberg, but he has a much broader goal of reaching any place in the Mother City that is adjacent to a train station – his main mode of transport.
“I want Cape Town to become known as the city of heroes. This city is full of litter, it is impossible to go throughout your day without seeing some form of ruin in this city. I think every bottle and piece of trash that is out there, is a symbol of ruin in our country. I want to counter that by stirring up the hearts of our amazing people who wish for a better country. As a Christian I believe our city could be so much more.”
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He also has plans to encourage and build a community of real-life superheroes who don the cape for clean-ups.
“The Templar was never meant to be a solo guy getting spotlight. The Templar has always been an attempt to build community amongst the heroes who have yet to don the cape.”
The goal is to make it a regular, scheduled event where people wear their heroic attire and come together to make friends and save the city, one trash bag at a time.
“I want people to think of Cape Town as a place with beautiful nature, and hardy people with a patriotic spirit.”
In his weeks of hitting the streets, the Templar has managed to fill more than 40 black trash bags with litter. Sadly, most of the areas he has targeted are riddled with litter again soon after. The work of a real-life superhero is slow and steady. The Templar hopes that the more people he reaches with his initiative, the bigger the community will grow and, as such, the greater the impact will be.
“The hard truth is that many of the spots I’ve cleaned get littered again within a week. The more lasting effect so far has been in the people who see someone making the effort. One person can only achieve temporary results, and that’s why the focus is on building a community of cleaners.”
The Templar says he plans to host the first ‘Cleaners of the Cape’ meet-up and clean-up on 9 August, though official plans will be communicated via his social media pages on Instagram and Facebook.
“Anybody can be a superhero, and anyone can change the world. If you can do good, do it. That is all that makes a hero. Superman isn’t in the sky and Batman isn’t in the shadows, but we can still learn from the idea of them. Be the change you want to see. Start where you are. That’s all it takes.”
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This is great! We need more people like him!