Taxi association tackles filth at ranks
The clean-up campaign was launched as the filthy environment in and around the Denneboom taxi rank posed a health hazard to taxi commuters and the community at large.
On Friday, July 26, the Mamelodi Local and Long Distance Taxi Association (MALLDTA) embarked on a mission to clean the filthy areas and illegal dumping sites in and around Denneboom Taxi rank.
The clean-up initiative was named “Operation Keep Kasi Clean”.
Stemmer Monageng, association chairperson, said they launched the campaign because the polluted environment in and around the Denneboom taxi rank poses a health hazard to their commuters and the community at large.
He said they have noticed due to poor planning in the construction of the taxi rank, that commuters are forced to urinate anywhere, and this makes the taxi rank stinky.
“ This is something that we will have to address.
“Operation Keep Kasi Clean does not belong to the association only, but belongs to the community as well, and we therefore urge the community to come on board and work together with us in this regard,” he said.
“We want to operate our business in a clean and healthy environment as we have commuters with various chronic diseases, and for them to breathe the awful air at the taxi rank will make them sick.”
He said some areas need the city’s direct intervention in keeping clean.
They also went to clean the East Lynn, Denlyn, and Denneboom taxi ranks.
Monageng said he has contacted the municipality regarding the role it can play in the clean-up with the hope that it will come on board.
Another community project the association is working on as part of serving the community of Mamelodi was fixing dilapidated roads in the far east of the township from their own pockets.
“As we have helped out in fixing Mamelodi roads, we are planning to dig deeper into our pockets to keep our environment clean,” he said.
The official plan for the operation was to focus only on taxi ranks but association members realised that for the sake of justice and fairness, the whole area around the Mamelodi Regional Mall taxi rank also deserved to be cleaned up, as it was filthy beyond imagination.
Monageng also said that MALLDTA launched another community-orientated campaign this year called “Let’s Help Our Widows” on Mandela Day, July 18.
“Through this campaign we have managed to give blankets and groceries to the widows of our former members that passed on,” said Monageng.
“My appeal to the taxi industry is that we must bring the community close to us and show we are also residents as we are fathers, brothers, and sisters to them and must work together at all times,” he said.
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