Community applauds city for green belt restoration
After years of illegal dumping, pollution, and safety concerns, Strijdom Park residents and local businesses are finally breathing a sigh of relief after a massive multi-agency clean-up restored the CR Swart Drive bridge green belt, securing the site for the future.
Residents and businesses around Strijdom Park are breathing a sigh of relief as city entities conducted the long-awaited two day clean-up on the green belt on the CR Swart Drive bridge.
Business owners and residents in the area have been facing numerous challenges at the bridge, which include waste dumping and a high rate of crime.
Read more: Bromhof community cleans up post box site
The greenbelt area on the northern bank of the stream had been overtaken by vagrants and waste pickers. The area became a home of illegal structures, waste-picking activities, and the illegal dumping of refuse.
After years of frustration, countless reports, and persistent engagement by residents, the green belt restoration has finally become a reality, made possible through the partnership of multiple city entities working together to restore the space.
Citizen relationship and urban management (Crum), Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, Johannesburg Metro Police Department, and Randburg police gathered on site for two full days of the high-impact service delivery programme.
During the two days waste was collected, trees were cut, and shacks were demolished, with the people who were occupying the space being removed. The area was also fenced off by the Strijdom Park Ratepayers Association, with the permission of City Parks.
Urban inspector for Ward 104, and clean-up co-ordinator, Nokthula Ngobese applauded the work and the teams that came out.
Also read: Ferndale Bird Sanctuary clean-up on Mandela Day
“The successful operation demonstrated what can be achieved when different city entities work together.” She admitted that, while there is still work to be done to ensure the green belt remains clean and well maintained, the achievement represents an important step forward.
Karolynn van Vuren, of the Strijdom Park Ratepayers Association, explained that the clean-up brought a tremendous sense of relief and optimism. She said that for years they watched a vital natural sanctuary degrade under heavy pollution, constant smoke, and untreated sewage runoff.
“Seeing the clean-up underway feels like a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively. Watching the land being cleared gives us real hope that nature can heal, the natural ecosystem can recover, and wildlife will return.
“At the same time, it highlighted the reality that real recovery requires fixing issues upstream and downstream, not just on our immediate doorstep.”
For the association, having the space back means restoring health, safety, and quality of work life to the business community. The perpetual smoke pollution and hazardous sewage were genuine health issues that impacted everyone daily.
Van Vuuren explained that reclaiming this space allows their communities to enjoy a clean, safe environment again, while giving birdlife and indigenous fauna a safe habitat to return to. “True success, however, means looking at the health of the entire river ecosystem.
A healthy green belt benefits everyone along the river, provided we maintain momentum both up and downstream. Our hope is to see a thriving, fully rehabilitated natural corridor, where indigenous plant life and bird populations flourish uninterrupted.
“We want to see long-term solutions that address the root causes of river degradation and sewage flow across the entire catchment area, ensuring the entire river system, not just one section is permanently restored and protected.”
She added that it is reassuring to see decisive action finally being taken after years of struggle and neglect. However, they are clear-eyed about what resolved actually means. “It is not a success story if we simply shift the problem from one stretch of the riverbank to another.
Seeing this phase completed gives us momentum, but it also reinforces our commitment to advocate for comprehensive, humane, and sustainable solutions that prevent informal settlements from simply relocating to adjacent communities.”
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