A community clean-up is scheduled for March 21 along the greenbelt between President Fouché and Witdoring roads in Sonneglans, but organisers are clear that residents should not have to do this at all.

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Local rental agent and longtime Sonneglans resident Verna Lee Meintjes, who is driving the initiative alongside Nikki Belt of Community Heroes, says the greenbelt has deteriorated sharply since Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo last attended to it in August 2024. “It looks like a squatter camp now. It is so overgrown and neglected that it is becoming a very dangerous place. You cannot see further than about 1m in, and all the vagrants and waste pickers are moving in because they are well hidden.”

City Parks previously managed the area through seasonal cutbacks and controlled burns, which kept the worst of the overgrowth at bay and maintained basic visibility. That routine stopped more than six months ago. Officials have since indicated they are unable to work on the site until vagrants are removed – a matter that falls outside their jurisdiction.

The situation is compounded by a hijacked property on the corner of President Fouché Road, where occupants have no refuse collection and are reportedly dumping waste directly onto the riverbanks. The resulting blockage has created, what Meintjes describes as, a growing landfill site in the Pampoenspruit, with the river becoming increasingly polluted.

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Despite her frustration with the city, Meintjes is not waiting for intervention. Within just over two weeks of approaching Community Heroes, she had secured sponsorships for food, water, and security, donations of equipment and labour from community members, and a commitment from City Parks to collect bagged refuse on the day, removing what would have been a high cost. “We have been blown away by the response. The universe supports action, proved by how fabulously we have been supported so far.”

Meintjes is candid about where responsibility lies. “They are correct it is not our job,” she said of residents who feel the municipality should be doing this work, “but the reality is that the municipality is not doing what it should. Fighting with reality is a colossal waste of time and energy.”

The ward councillor has been invited to attend on the day. Meintjes says political visibility matters beyond symbolism. Endorsement from the city, and elected representatives, would strengthen the project’s ability to attract future funding and keep the momentum going.

The clean-up on March 21 is the beginning of what organisers hope will be a sustained maintenance programme, eventually extending the greenbelt corridor from Nyala Road to Malibongwe Drive along the Pampoenspruit. Residents interested in volunteering or contributing can contact Community Heroes or reach Verna Lee Meintjes directly.

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