Ward 35 residents, businesses, churches, schools and civil society organisations are being called on to play a greater role in keeping their communities clean and safe.

Ward 35 Councillor Ntuthuzelo Mpambani made the call during a visit to the Germiston Central Methodist Church on September 13, where he shared the vision behind the East Love Clean-Up Campaign and invited the church leadership and congregation to become partners in the initiative.

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Mpambani said the campaign aims to bring residents, businesses and civil society organisations together to tackle illegal dumping, pollution and other factors contributing to an unhealthy and unclean environment.

The message is built around a simple call to action: ‘One Ward. One Voice. One Responsibility.’

Mpambani said lasting change would require residents to move beyond expecting someone else to solve community problems and instead take ownership of the spaces around them.

“We stop saying someone must do something and we start saying, ‘What can I do?’ That is where change begins,” said the councillor.

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He said churches, schools, businesses and households could all play a role by taking responsibility for the areas surrounding them.

He also highlighted the potential for the campaign to create opportunities for young people and local entrepreneurs, particularly through businesses linked to cleaning, recycling, maintenance and other community-based services.

He said local businesses could contribute not only by maintaining their own premises but also by helping improve surrounding streets and public spaces.

Mpambani further pointed to the importance of keeping money within local communities by supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs.

“When young people have purpose, when communities stand together, we take our space back,” he said.

The visit to the Methodist church forms part of the campaign’s broader mobilisation strategy, which is aimed at bringing together businesses, schools, churches, residents and other organisations to support cleaner and safer communities across Ward 35.

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The East Love Clean-Up Campaign was officially launched on September 19 at the Dukathole Hostel. The launch outlined how different sectors of the community can participate and contribute to maintaining cleaner public spaces.

According to the campaign organisers, the East Love Clean-Up initiative is intended to become a flagship effort focused on addressing environmental hotspots across the city, while creating space for additional community initiatives to develop.

For Ward 35, the initiative represents a call for stronger co-operation between the municipality and the community, with the emphasis on shared responsibility for the condition of neighbourhoods.

The campaign’s success, however, will ultimately depend on sustained participation beyond individual clean-up activities, with residents, businesses and organisations encouraged to make the maintenance of clean public spaces an ongoing responsibility.