Dedicated pair puts heart and soul into Benoni CBD

Tshepo Sematle and Lehlohonolo Nkosi’s mission to keep open spaces and iconic facilities in Benoni CBD clean and accessible for public use is taking shape.

The pair are part of Heart of Benoni, a community organisation dedicated to doing just this.

Their work around the town hall, swimming pool and testing station in Western Extension has been described as immaculate by the Elevation Hub’s Natasha Zaayman.

Now, they are sprucing up the public space in front of Reef Insurance Brokers on Mowbray Avenue.

“We represent Heart of Benoni to ensure our town is clean. It’s our job,” said Nkosi.

Sematle added, “These open spaces often attract criminals and other social ills so we want to keep them clean for residents to enjoy and feel safe.”

Unemployed and with very little to fend for themselves, Sematle (41) and Nkosi (44) approached the Elevation Hub and were enrolled into the organisation’s Work for a Living course.

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The job-readiness course taught them about workplace essentials like work ethics and interview preparation.
After completing the programme, they joined the Elevation Hub’s sister organisation Heart of Benoni, which tends to matters in the CBD, as volunteers and as per Zaayman, their work spoke volumes.

“These guys showed a willingness to change their lives by completing our Work for a Living course. They are like my brothers. They’ve done so much for our town,” said Zaayman.

“Having started as volunteers until we managed to secure funding from the community in the CBD to pay them, these two are truly amazing and always willing to go above and beyond. Their hearts are in it.”

The duo credited the Elevation Hub for changing their lives, with Sematle beaming while describing the impact the organisation has had on him.

Nkosi took his cap off and cupped his hands to thank the NPO for changing his mindset.

“They have had a huge impact on our lives. They taught us to have a positive mindset and we are now implementing what we learnt,” added Nkosi.

Sematle explained that seeing some people take action and keep the spaces around them clean was proof that their work was rubbing off positively on the residents of Benoni central.

“We are making an impact on the communities around the swimming pool, testing station and town hall, some of whom now join us in our clean-ups,” Sematle stated.

Nkosi pleaded with community members to stop littering and use bins instead because litter is “making our town dirty”.

“If our community can have a different mindset and can see the brighter side of things, they can take our town to a different level and make it a clean city we all want to live in and be proud of,” he said.

Also Read: Help clean-up Benoni Central swimming pool