BUSINESS owners, residents, councillors and the eThekwini Municipality banded together last year in September to clean up the area around Avondale SPAR and The Local Choice Pharmacy Avondale on Clarence Road, as well as surrounding areas, to restore the road to its former glory. The road is now clear of rubbish and debris, and according to Neil Naicker, owner of The Local Choice Pharmacy Avondale, it’s safer.

“We initiated the project with SPAR to try and clean up the area around our businesses, and it was a major success. So, we managed to get community members on board, and we made it a regular thing to ensure the area stays clean. As businesses in our own capacity, we cleaned weekly, during the week and on Sundays mornings, at 07:00, and community members came and assisted us,” said Naicker.

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Naicker says the businesses are working with Ward 27 councillor Ernest Smith and the eThekwini Municipality to expand the reach of the project. “It’s a partnership between businesses, the municipality and residents, and we want to keep this area safe and clean and obviously bring it back to its former glory. We are called the Greyville Community Clean-up Crew.

“We took over at Avondale Pharmacy in June, and we started our weekly clean-ups in September. It has really taken off in a great way, and I love that various community players are involved. This area was very bad before we started with this – we had the homeless sleeping outside our businesses, and there was quite a bit of unsavoury activity going on around here all the time. The clean-up drove away a lot of it because they realised that people are watching and they want the area to be clean,” said Naicker.

Naicker said the group now wants to tackle overgrown trees in the area, and they are also looking to beef up the security around the two businesses. “We will be partnering with a few of the service providers around here to set up long-term security in this particular area of Clarence Road. And by bringing the community together, it brings more eyes to the area, and that drives out crime.”

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If you’re looking to get involved in these community clean-up initiatives, you’re in luck. This weekend, the Greyville Community Clean-up Crew will be hosting a clean-up, starting at the corner of Clarence Road and 10th Avenue from 09:00. For more information about the clean-up, contact Neil on 081 343 8000.

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