Church Square cleaned up with a lick of paint
A collaborative effort by the Church Square Revival Project saw to it that kiosks at the square were spruced up and graffiti removed.
A collaboration between stakeholders of the Church Square Revival Project (CSRP) resulted in the city’s iconic square receiving much-needed attention on 27 March.
The CSRP is a public-private community initiative working towards the rejuvenation of Church Square as a tourist destination and public space.
The project is driven by a group of people from the community, as well as the private and public sector, and includes Tshwane, Capital Collective NPO, metro police (TMPD), SAPS, the Pretoria Society of Advocates and City Property Administration (CPA).
Shops, property owners and businesses in the area as well as the community on the ground are being engaged, encouraging involvement and support. Making the area cleaner and more accessible is seen as the first step in the overall goal of creating a healthy public square with empty or underused buildings being activated into vibrant community assets.
It is also seen as a way to boost the revitalisation of Pretoria’s inner core.
Since the public-private partnership was formed towards the end of last year, the square has seen a transformation through various cleaning initiatives, making it more accessible for daily users and tourists.
CSRP member City Property Administration brought Kansai Plascon on board, that donated paint and paint stripper.
CPA spokesperson Lize Nel said from Monday, 25 March, the company, Tshwane staff and contractors Mian Industries and Valcer Construction painted the existing kiosks and removed the graffiti around the square.
CPA managing director Jeffrey Wapnick said: “This just goes to show what you can achieve when you bring the skills and passion of people and companies together.”
He said this was a perfect example of how public-private partnerships can work.
“What a difference we all can make if we put the right people in touch with each other,” he said.
“We have worked with the paint company for decades and we thank them for their donation.”
He thanked the suppliers who made their staff available to assist, as well as for supplying consumables such as paint brushes and rollers, sanding paper and paint scrapers.
“We see ourselves as community builders and, under the watchful eye of the paint supervisors of our contractors, important skills were transferred to the team from Tshwane who assisted with the painting. We believe that by doing small things, we make a positive change to our city,” he said.
He said this is an ongoing CSRP initiative and that future interventions are in the pipeline.
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