Pinetown residents begin river clean-up project
The Pinetown section of the Palmiet River has filled up with litter and plant matter that was washed downstream following the 2022 floods. To prevent further flood damage, residents have teamed up for a clean-up.
COWIES Hill Park resident Kevin Bradfield has partnered with his neighbours under the banner of the Keep Pinetown Beautiful organisation (KPB), to clean up the river in front of their homes.
The homeowners in Ambleside Lane and Churston Road live on the banks of the Palmiet River.
What is the problem?
Since the recent devastating KwaZulu-Natal floods, in which over 400 people lost their lives, the Palmiet River has filled up with broken trees, litter and flood detritus.
Bradfield had raw sewage flowing from a flood-damaged pipe directly into his garden, for seven weeks after the floods. This was reported on by the Highway Mail in May. eThekwini Municipality undertook a temporary repair of the broken sewerage pipe after the article was published by the paper.
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“The reason the water came into my garden is because of the alien vegetation in the riverbed, and I warned the municipality that it was going to cause flooding at some point,” says a frustrated Bradfield.
Bradfield, the treasurer of KPB, has arranged for homeowners along the Palmiet River to contribute to a fund earmarked for removing litter and alien vegetation from the Palmiet River, directly in front of the affected homes.
Who is Keep Pinetown Beautiful?
The Keep Pinetown Beautiful Association is a newly formed non-profit with the mission of making Pinetown a safe, beautiful and prosperous neighbourhood. Frustrated with the state of their town, Cowies Hill residents Sheryl Galvin and Zane Welensky decided to do something about the problem.
In May, the pair appealed to the public to participate in a neighbourhood clean-up. Over 70 people participated in the first event at the park across the road from Sandy’s Center. The volunteers filled over 100 refuse bags with rubbish. The organisation has since hosted three community events and currently has approximately 130 active members.
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The organisation is planning regular community clean-ups, followed by the installation of ‘welcome gardens’ at Pinetown’s main access points.
“Rather than being part of the problem, be part of the solution, “says Welensky. “Residents are getting involved. We are not a political or religious organisation. We are just people who live here.”
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