Local NGO, metro clean-up Atteridgeville

Tshwane mayor, Cilliers Brink has called on the government and communities to unite to address illegal dumping.

This was during a recent clean-up initiative organised by a local NGO, the Soulbent Project in Atteridgeville, Pretoria West along the Moganwe River.

“We can readily admit that the City doesn’t have enough landfill sites or waste stations, and not enough is being done to keep Tshwane streets clean, especially in terms of by-law enforcement and supply communities with the facilities needed,” Brink said.

“This is why it’s imperative to not only provide the service as the metro but also implement a culture of cleaning among communities because it doesn’t help if the metro and NGOs clean up one day and the spot is dirty the next,” Brink continued.

The mayor said a city as industrialised as Pretoria is still decades behind other cities in terms of practising recycling efforts and making positive impacts on climate change.

Brink also applauded Soulbent’s continued effort to keep Atteridgeville and Pretoria West clean. The group is known to conduct clean-ups from Monday to Friday every week.

“If we could have a Soulbent in Pretoria central, Mamelodi, Soshanguve and all around the metro we would greatly welcome it because we as a government need to admit we can’t do everything. So when NGOs such as Soulbent initiate such initiatives we need to jump at it,” Brink stated.

According to Brink, illegal dumping drains the metro of its resources as the city frequently has to deploy the Tshwane metro police, and EPWP workers to tackle the scourge.

MMC for environment and agricultural management, Ziyanda Zwane (who was in attendance) shared the sentiments of the mayor, saying that the city has suffered great financial losses due to illegal dumping.

“The city has bled hundreds of millions of rand due to illegal dumping, not just in this administration but in previous ones over the years,” Zwane said.

“It’s almost become a norm, ‘oh, we can just dump here because the metro will clean up’. So we want to change that way of thinking in communities by inviting them to join in on our efforts and educating them on how harmful illegal dumping can be,” Zwane continued.

The MMC also thanked Soulbent for inviting the metro and also invited other organisations and communities to follow the NGO’s example.

“The door is always open to all other NGOs because they help alleviate the burden on the metro. Having clean environments is not only the responsibility of the municipality or government but of the community as well,” Zwane stated.

Also joining the clean-up alongside over 100 volunteers were the young learners of Pulset Kids Academy (PSA) in extention 6, Atteridgeville.

Principal Pride Simelane said that she wants the community to know that PSA is not just an ECD centre but an active participant in the community that wants to help where it can.

“We partnered with Soulbent because initiatives like these are part of our curriculum. We are currently teaching the kids about hygiene, climate change, food gardening and things of that nature, so we felt that it’s important we come out and help today,” Simelane said.

The principal feels that developing the right mentality toward the environment and hygiene will eradicate illegal dumping as the kids will grow to take better care of themselves and their communities.

“In countries such as China, children from as young as two are learning about the importance of hygiene and taking care of the environment. If you were to go there now, I doubt you’d find litter in the streets to the extent we see it here,” Simelane continued.

Simelane feels that as impressionable as kids are, the lessons they take from this will spread to their families and others alike and plans to continue supporting initiatives of this nature.

“Your challenges are our challenges, and your problems are our problems, so we always look forward to helping wherever we can,” Simelane concluded.

Soulbent Project co-founder, Mashudu Makhado expressed joy at the turnout and wanted to bring Tshwane back.

“We want to bring the City of Tshwane back to what it was, winning awards and being renowned for its cleanliness,” Makhado stated.

Makhado also shared the sentiments of the mayor in hoping that Soulbent Project establishes branches across the metro and country to keep communities clean.

“We need to make sure we’re cleaning every day or one day we’ll wake up and litter will consume our house and our environment will suffer, that’s why we are on the ground Monday to Friday,” Makhado continued.

The NGO said that it welcomes all stakeholders that are interested to assist it as it struggles with supplies, stipends, transport and numerous other difficulties.

Makhado thanked the city for its effort on the volunteer day as well as Pulset, saying that initiatives such as these will inspire kids to recycle and practice better habits for their environment.

A special thanks to the volunteers was also given, whom he described as “champions”.

“We’re still going to clean tomorrow, it doesn’t matter if we have plastic or not, or if it’s raining or not, we are here, and we want to make Tshwane clean,” Mashado concluded.

The next big clean-up for the NGO is on July 18, commemorating not just Mandela’s but Mashudu’s birthday as well.

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