Kyalami taps into Diepsloot

The group consisted of excited volunteers from organisations such as the Greater Kyalami Conservancy, the Water, Amenities, Sanitation Services Upgrading Programme (Wassup), Just Environmental Action, Bontle ke Tlhago buy-back centre, and Diepsloot Arts and Culture Network.

The volunteers descended on Diepsloot Extension 1 to clean up the wetland around which the settlement is built and install 67 new taps in the area. Sithabisawe Ncube, a climate change activist who lives in Diepsloot said Diepsloot was in such a bad state because the residents were not aware of how to take care of their environment. Ncube explained that by inviting as many Diepsloot residents as possible to the clean-up, they would hopefully be able to raise awareness of the issue.

“We need to teach that a clean environment means health,” she said. The volunteers also replaced the taps in Extension 1 with more durable metal taps which will last longer and prevent water wastage. Replacing the taps was a momentous task because the water could not be shut off so volunteers braved jets of water while installing the new taps.

Jennifer van den Bussche of Wassup said the clean-up was an initiative for Mandela Day, but was also part of a long-term vision for Diepsloot Extension 1 to reduce dumping and littering by providing the community with bins in which to throw their rubbish. Van Bussche is currently trying to get residents in Diepsloot and other interested parties to sign a petition for the installation of rubbish bins in Diepsloot Extension 1.

“The community does not have access to rubbish bins and no one comes to collect the rubbish regularly,” she said. “This has led to a culture of littering in the community.” After the clean-up the volunteers and Diepsloot residents were treated to a play about the environment by the Diepsloot Arts and Culture Network.

12.30pm, 18 July:

Members of the Greater Kyalami Conservancy’s Green Neighbourhood Project helped to install 67 durable taps in Diepsloot on Mandela Day.

Fourways Review journalist Varushka Padayachi caught up with the team at Diepsloot Mall and traveled around Diepsloot with them as they installed the taps.

In Diepsloot Extension 1, the volunteers cleaned the wetland for 67 minutes and educated residents on keeping Diepsloot clean.

A climate change activist Sithabisawe Ncube believed the Diepsloot residents should take care of the environment better. “We need to show them that a clean environment means better health, she said.

The volunteers were not scared to get their hands dirty as they cleaned up the rubbish in Diepsloot Extension 1.