IN recent weeks, an army of volunteers, made up of community members from Ward 34, have been cleaning up, cutting back and weeding problem areas in the Greenwood Park area.

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The volunteers are part of a Social Employment Project (SEP) for unemployed youth facilitated by the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), weFEEDsa.

One of the key facets of the NGO is to empower and inspire change, a mission mirrored by the actions of local residents involved in the project.

Andrew Akkers, chairman of Ward 34 (Avoca, Effingham and Greenwood Park) Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association, explained how the project came about.

“weFEEDsa contacted me as chairman of the ratepayers’ association as they had heard of the challenges we are having with the municipality. They had seen the various community clean-up events we held over the years and asked if we would partner with them on a 10-month Social Employment Project. We accepted as the benefits were two-fold: Unemployed youth from our ward are given an opportunity to work and gain skills, and we get to clean and beautify our area and surroundings. They are running the project in a few wards across the eThekwini Municipality and a few other municipalities,” he said.

Akkers said the project has afforded residents the ability to tackle problem spots and illegal dumping and to help clear items from entering stormwater drains.

“One of the areas we focused on was the footpath between Parkhill Secondary and Greenwood Park Primary, between Cheron Road and Park Station Road. We chose this as our first area to clear as there have been several incidents here of late. Due to the Parks Department and CSW not maintaining the area, the open field became a dumping ground for garbage and garden refuse.

“A local crèche was also repeatedly vandalised and set on fire. I must stress, though, that it is not about the footpath alone, but about many aspects of general upkeep that have been lacking over the past few years. We feel the area has been left to deteriorate over time, and nothing has been done to turn the tide. It is our duty as residents to ensure that we can all live in a clean, safe and tidy environment. The upkeep of the general area will foster a sense of pride in our youth and prevent them from finding lairs to participate in illicit activities,” he said.

He added that the input and support from the community has been positive.

“We have had positive feedback from the community who are grateful to see work that was meant to be done by the municipality finally being done. It has also been appreciated that unemployed residents from the area have been given much-needed work and income. Residents have been very supportive of the initiative by donating gardening tools, and we are also collecting funds for the purchasing of an industrial brush cutter and chainsaw. These machines will help us thin out the overgrowth. Right now, we have heaps of cut trees and grass and sacks of bottles and general waste placed on pavements in Cheron Road and Park Station Road which we hope CSW will remove as soon as possible,” he said.

Akkers said the next target was the overgrown bush around schools, parks and open areas in Avoca and Effingham.

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