According to DA Ward Councillor San-Mari Wait, the clean-up initiative is being driven by Groenkol residents who hosted a community meeting recently.
“The community meeting had a strong attendance, and every resident contributed towards the initiative.”

Wait pointed out that the machinery, diesel and manpower come at the expense of the community members.
She added that the Tarries course is one of the town’s assets, with numerous MTB tournaments being hosted at the location.

The overgrown areas, however, attract vagrancy, and several cyclists have been robbed of their possessions.

“Not only will this help to deescalate crime, but the efforts of the Groenkol residents will hopefully serve to challenge other wards to do the same. It is time for residents to take hands with our municipality to ensure that Middelburg is kept clean. Delmas is a good example of how residents can turn a situation around. I hope this initiative will inspire other wards,” Wait said.

She concluded that it costs nothing to pick up litter and keep the areas around residences clean, “The seasonal cleaners appointed by the municipality are waiting for their contract renewals and are therefore not seen walking through town cleaning up litter. This means that residents must make the effort to pick up after themselves.”

Local Ironman athlete Cobus Fourie wished to commend the community for its effort in cleaning up the Tarries course, “It is wonderful to see the community doing their part to make a difference. The machinery, diesel and manpower going into this initiative must have cost a lot of money, but the community’s willingness to take action is commendable.”