Alex to be a launch pad for national clean-up

South Africa Day wants to use the success of the Klina Mhlali campaign of the We Love Alexandra Makeover Project as a launch pad for a national monthly clean-up programme for South Africa.

This was disclosed by the Sandton-based SA Day CEO Dr Bheki Shongwe, who said he would like to see South Africa emulate the clean-up campaign that was being practised in Rwanda.

He said Rwanda had since become a shining beacon of a clean African state that was now attracting investment and tourism left right and centre and that this had prompted a realisation that South Africa can regain its status as the number one or strongest economy in Africa.

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“This can only be done if all the citizens of the country stand up and start cleaning and beautifying the country to enable it to attract the much-needed foreign and local investment that can help lift many of its citizens out of unemployment and poverty.

“This can be realised only if it were to focus its attention on mobilising the entire South African society to embark on a massive clean-up and beautification of the country, especially many of our towns and cities,” Shongwe told Alex News.

He said a clean and beautiful South Africa will contribute to the revival of the economy and added that more importantly, it will boost tourism and business investment and will help transform many of the towns and cities to become business and economic hubs, which in turn will help create jobs for the citizens.

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“We want to emulate Rwanda’s Umuganda clean-up campaign, where, on the last Saturday of every month, led by President Paul Kagame, Rwandans spend three hours cleaning their country.

“This has earned Rwanda a reputation as the cleanest country in Africa and has made Rwanda a growing tourist and investor destination. This same can be achieved in our own country and we can also regain our status as the biggest economy in the African continent,” Shongwe said.

“All South Africans can attest to the deterioration of many of our towns and cities. Our failure to focus on their upkeep, to make and keep them clean and beautiful, has resulted in them becoming unattractive places in which to do business and to visit. This has contributed to high unemployment and poverty in many communities.

“A clean and beautiful South Africa will inspire pride and confidence in our country and will instil a culture that values cleanliness and a desire to make South Africa beautiful.

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We want South Africa to become a country where littering will become a thing of the past, something that is frowned upon, and where people will think twice before discarding their litter and Alexandra will be the launch pad for this programme,” Shongwe added.

He said SA Day was encouraging South Africans to dedicate three hours of their time on the second Saturday of each month, from 8:30 to 11:30, to take part in the cleaning and beautification of South Africa.

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