It was before sunrise when the young men of the Shabalala family in Sithembile took to the streets and started a cleaning spree at one of the ‘garbage hot spots’ in the township.
Armed with their garden tools, they started removing and digging out all the rubbish – some of which had been lying there for years – in the phase three area on Mbhele Street.
By the time the sun rose on Tuesday, residents who were up and about were witness to piles of dirt which had been removed – rotting cabbages, plastic bottles and bags, left-overs, nappies and even dead animals.
For months, residents have been complaining of the unbearable stench – exacerbated by the rain and summer sun. What motivated these young men to go on such a cleaning spree was the health hazard that this dumping could create. Residents dump indiscriminately and these inspirational young men are afraid that the children and the elderly could pick up a disease.
Again, they blamed the municipality for ‘not attending to the mess’.

However, it is clear that residents themselves must show more responsibility and take care of their area rather than passing blame. The huge piles of rubbish collected even blocked a street and the municipality had to be contacted to remove the heap.