Residents, community volunteers, and civic organisations in Centurion say they will not wait for municipal maintenance gaps to be addressed, arguing that they are capable of stepping in to maintain and repair their own neighbourhoods.

Over the years, these groups have increasingly stepped in to address overgrown parks, illegal dumping, and local infrastructure challenges, forming part of a longer-running pattern of community-led maintenance in the area.

While the Tshwane metro structures community participation through formal initiatives such as Adopt-a-Spot and Community Upliftment Precincts (CUPs), it says it is not aware of any independent community-led maintenance initiatives operating outside these frameworks at present.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the metro has seen a growing willingness among communities to work alongside the municipality in maintaining public spaces.

“The city believes that communities have an increasing desire to work collaboratively with the city to maintain and improve public spaces within their areas of residence.”

He stated that participation is most commonly facilitated through the Adopt-a-Spot and CUP programmes, which allow residents, businesses and organisations to enter into formal agreements with the metro to maintain public infrastructure and surrounding areas.

Mashigo said the CUP initiative was approved by council to enable communities to assist with basic upkeep without unnecessary bureaucracy.

Approved activities include grass cutting, planting flowers, repairing sidewalks, patching potholes and similar maintenance work.

He emphasised that these initiatives are not intended to transfer municipal responsibilities to residents.

“The city will continue to provide all normal municipal services, including electricity supply, waste removal, water supply, sanitation, traffic policing, as well as road and streetlight maintenance,” he said.

Mashigo added that the city is unaware of any budgetary, staffing or operational constraints affecting routine maintenance activities in Centurion.

However, community members say many of the improvements seen in their areas did not begin within formal structures but instead developed organically over time before aligning with municipal programmes.

Community volunteer Anel du Preez said many projects simply started because residents identified problems in their surroundings and decided to act.

She pointed to Fleur Park in Lyttelton as an example of how informal action can grow into sustained community involvement.

“We just wanted to clean the area for the community,” she said.

What began as a small group of residents working in a local park gradually expanded through word of mouth. Over time, volunteers also began collaborating with established organisations involved in environmental and community work.

“Where possible, we look to connect with programmes like Adopt-a-Spot or municipal support, but the reality is that much of the momentum still comes from grassroots action. The ideal is a strong partnership between community-driven efforts and formal programmes.”

She stated that in many cases, priorities are driven by safety concerns, including overgrown vegetation that obstructs visibility, creates hazards or forces children to walk in the road on their way to school.

Beyond physical improvements, Du Preez believes consistent maintenance also discourages illegal dumping and encourages residents to take greater pride in their surroundings.

Among the organisations contributing to this growing culture of civic participation is AfriForum’s Centurion branch, which operates through neighbourhood teams across different suburbs.

Chairperson Andre de Bruyn said the organisation responds daily to community requests and focuses on areas that have become unsafe due to neglect or overgrowth.

“This year alone, AfriForum has carried out projects across Wierdapark, Pierre van Ryneveld, Eldoraigne, Clubview, Die Hoewes, Lyttelton and Valhalla. The organisation has cut large areas of overgrown grass, removed illegal dumping, repaired 63 potholes using asphalt and collected and processed 144 342kg of recyclable material,” he said.

De Bruyn said the organisation operates within a memorandum of understanding with the Tshwane metro and also participates in Adopt-a-Spot arrangements for certain public spaces.

At the same time, he said many interventions still happen immediately when problems arise.

According to De Bruyn, maintaining public spaces is closely linked to safety, as he believes a clean suburb is also a safe suburb.

“Where there is a problem, we get involved ourselves and do the work. We do not wait for anyone,” he said.

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