Cleaning the off-ramp to Witkoppen Road from Winnie Mandela Drive didn’t begin with support for Lovemore Robson; it began with a lot of resistance.

Working in an area occupied by informal traders, taxi activity, and a nearby informal settlement, Robson was met with suspicion when he first attempted to clear waste from the site.

Read more: Clean-up restores safety in settlement

Some questioned his presence, while others openly objected. “It was quite challenging,” said the founder of the Live Life Always Foundation. “They didn’t know me. They didn’t want the place to be clean. They don’t want to be left in the open space.”

However, in the middle of that tension, something shifted. “When I was there the first time, some said, ‘Ah, we always see you in Fourways Review. We know this guy’. Others said they don’t know me, so I can’t clean there. There was an argument between them.”

That recognition, built through coverage in Fourways Review, helped establish trust where there was none. It gave Robson credibility, in a space where he had initially been unwelcome.

With support from stakeholders, such as the Fourways Improvement District, along with the presence of security, JMPD, and SAPS during early clean-ups, Robson was able to push through the difficult start. “From there, the second one, the third one, it was just flowing. Now there are no challenges. The relationship is quite good.”

For many, Easter weekend is a time for rest and family. For Robson, it was another opportunity to serve. “On Friday, it was Easter, and I was thinking, let me also celebrate it together with the community. That’s why I said, okay, let’s go out and clean, and then we can rest some of the days.”

Also read: Residents relieved after clean-up clears overgrown Fourways informal settlement

His most recent clean-up took place in Diepsloot, continuing a pattern of choosing community work over personal downtime.

Today, his approach is no longer met with resistance. Instead, it is welcomed. “I always inform the guys to be prepared for me before I come and clean their spaces. They are always happy to hear that. The recent one was warmly welcomed because the reeds were too long and they felt unsafe.”

Still, he said the challenge remains complex. Robson said many people in the informal settlement rely on collecting recyclable materials to survive. “They pick up everything and bring it there. What they don’t want, they just leave. It builds up to become litter. That’s why this place you will never clean it completely.”

Despite this, Robson remains committed to the work, whether funded or not. “It’s a volunteer thing. I just take my guys and go. I do this for my Fourways community.”

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