Over 100 unemployed youth recently took part in a clean-up programme initiated by Boxer in several provinces across South Africa.

Boxer’s Sustainability Division recently launched a unique programme named ‘Operation Shanela’ in an attempt to uplift local communities, create renewed passion for town betterment and offer previously unemployed youth an opportunity to earn an income, all the while cleaning up the areas in which their fellow community members commute, work and trade.

Boxer teams worked with local leaders and councillors to select unemployed people under the age of 35 to take part in intensive clean-up programmes across KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo, North West and the Northern Cape.

In each province, several Boxer Stores led the campaign in towns including, Alexandra, Thohoyandou, Bochum, Burgersfort, Newcastle, Nongoma, Melmoth, Empangeni, Hartswater, Zamdela, Brits and Mitchell’s Plain, amongst others.

Each store provided cleaning equipment and PPE to the teams of five and guided them as they cleaned up streets and gutters within the town. Hundreds of black bags of litter were collected by the teams in only a few hours.

“Boxer continually seeks ways to empower the many communities in which we trade. This campaign, led by the wonderful Boxer Store Managers in the various areas of our beautiful country, saw community members get paid to uplift their own areas. Hopefully this assists with our goals of betterment for all towns and cities, through community involvement.

“We are proud that we were able to temporarily employ these great young men and women, and hope that it has added new ideas to the communities in which they live,” said Boxer Group Executive for Sustainability, Ntombi Dludla.