The Wynberg precinct, especially around the Pan Africa Shopping Centre, once flagged as one of the most polluted areas in Alexandra due to high traffic and informal trading, is now receiving the attention it needs, not only from Pikitup but from civil organisations as well.

Read more: Community comes together to clean up Freedom Market

On January 6, integrated community project (ICP) members picked up their tools, put on their overalls, and conducted their bi-weekly clean-up operation around Pan Africa. For nearly a year, they have been cleaning the area every Tuesday and Thursday, even though they are not getting paid for it.

Although their main objective is to keep the precinct clean, their vision stretches further. As they continue forging partnerships with businesses, they hope to secure resources, and eventually a stipend, to support their families as a token of recognition for the commitment they have shown in voluntarily keeping Alexandra’s economic hub clean, even during times when most people would prefer to rest.
ICP member Ntombizodwa Sithole said even during the festive season, when most people went on holiday, they stuck to their mandate. “We never went to see our families during this festive season because we did not have money, but instead of nursing the stress, we decided to continue cleaning Pan Africa Shopping Centre.”

Also read: Some clean up Alexs Pan, others continue to loot

Still, challenges remain. Certain practices threaten to undo their hard work. Sithole explained that some business owners in the area continue dumping rubbish on the ground. She said this is a consistent issue that needs the city’s attention. “We wish the City of Johannesburg could make people pay fines, like the City of Cape Town did to the man who was caught on video littering [in December].”

For ICP members, cleaning alone is not enough. Malibongwe Sibiya stressed that tackling illegal dumping requires addressing its root causes. “We must do awareness campaigns. [Additionally], whenever we clean here we must give them plastic bags, and teach them to clean the area themselves.”

Even as they call for more support, members remain grateful to businesses that have already stepped in. Sithole noted that stores such as Freedom Supermarket have assisted, and urged others to take responsibility by contributing plastic bags to help sustain the initiative.

According to Sibiya, this would allow ICP members to provide informal traders – often among the contributors to illegal dumping – with refuse bags to dispose of their trash properly. He said that without such measures rubbish piles up, attracting goats that scavenge through it. Sometimes, ICP members even encounter dead goats amidst the waste.

Furthermore, Sibiya said they must bring community patrollers on board to prevent people from littering again, once the ICP members are done cleaning.

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