RRVA cleans up open Randpark Drive land
The patch of land is not owned by the City and is owned by a private individual, meaning that greater community care is needed to clean it.
A team of Randpark Ridge Village Association and other concerned residents cleaned up the embankment area at the end of Randpark Drive, and the T-junction of Jim Fouché Road and Beyers Naude Drive on 21 September.
“It was a spur of the moment thing that we decided to organise as a residents association, and it went excellently,” said the association’s chairperson Roderick Rankine.
Ten members of the residents association, and community members joined in the clean-up intending to make a difference in the area.
The area is often frequented by pedestrians making their way to Beyers Naude Drive and a many waste pickers who operate in the suburb. Dozens of bags filled with litter including broken bottles, food packaging and bits of building rubble were collected to be disposed of on the day.
The patch of land is not owned by the City and is owned by a private individual, meaning that greater community care is needed to clean it. “Many years ago, this land was developed into what we now know as Beyers Naude Drive and the N1 western bypass, and a small portion of it was left over,” added Rankine.
The result is that very few people take care of the area and clean-ups like this work best.
“By getting community members involved, people can see the problems in their area and do something about them. Most importantly, it helps people to care.” A lot of plans have been discussed to do something constructive with the area, including a safe and secure waste pickers’ site. “This is a long term plan that is still to be discussed but there are many waste reclaimers who make use of this area and a professional set-up will make both them and the residents’ lives a whole lot better.”
