‘We clean and the residents litter again’

Operation Hloekisa started with a bang on 1st Avenue with the street being busy with caterpillars, cars passing by and onlookers.

The operation will clean all the streets and avenues in Alexandra and aims to keep the township clean and also create awareness in the community with educational programmes on cleanliness of not just the streets but the homes as well.

Organisations involved in the operation include Pikitup, Johannesburg Railway Agency, Johannesburg Water, City Power and City Parks. The entities work together within their annual budgets to make Alexandra a better place.

Although the clean-up started at a slow pace, City of Johannesburg is confident that they will complete the operation on 22nd Avenue on 31 August.

“Community participation would be appreciated during the operation,” said Gideon Cruywagen, City of Johannesburg’s regional manager for Urban Management and Service Delivery.

Cruywagen said their biggest challenge was the non-compliance of the community, in that soon after they have cleaned up, residents came out to mess again, and the status quo reverts too quickly.

There will be outreach educational programmes introduced in the community. Among the topics to be addressed will be ensuring the streets are kept and maintained clean once the operation has passed that particular street.

The community will be educated on the importance of recycling, disaster management, minimising rodents and the reduction of shack fires.

Pikitup operations manager Sonto Machaka said the various entities were working together and called upon other companies such as fumigators to join in the clean-up operation. “We want to encourage cleaner living conditions,” she said.

This is not the first time an attempt has been made to clean up Alexandra. Support by the community is needed in order to make the operation a success. Members of the community are urged to keep their homes and streets clean, in order to minimise infestation by rodents.