Residents living near the corner of Jan van Riebeeck Street and Brits Road in Pretoria North took matters into their own hands and rolled up their sleeves to clean an area that had long been neglected.

The initiative came after repeated attempts by the ward councillor and residents to have the overgrown and littered corner cleaned were met with no response.

According to Ward 2 councillor Quentin Meyer, the property itself belongs to a private individual, while the areas outside the boundary fall under the responsibility of the municipality.

“I have requested several times that the owner clean the stand. Unfortunately, with no success,” Meyer said.

“The areas outside the boundary fall under the Tshwane metro, and despite multiple requests to clean their portion, there has also been no response.”

With the situation deteriorating and the untidy corner becoming an eyesore and potential health risk, residents decided they could wait no longer.

“Every day we walked past this mess, and nothing changed. We realised that if we keep waiting for someone else to do something, our area will just keep getting worse. This is our neighbourhood, and we want it to look decent,” said resident Maria van Wyk.

Sipho Mokoena said the condition of the area was affecting the dignity of the community.

“People dump rubbish here because they see it’s already dirty. Once we clean it, it sends a message that we care. We are tired of living next to filth.”

Meyer praised the residents for their initiative, describing their actions as a powerful example of community pride and responsibility.

“Yes, the municipality is responsible for certain areas, and yes, each property owner is responsible for their own property.

“But when it doesn’t happen, our community suffers. Instead of waiting any longer, the residents stepped up and took action. For that, I want to say thank you and well done,” he said.

He added that while residents should not have to take on responsibilities that belong to authorities or private owners, community-driven action can make a meaningful difference when systems fail.

“This is a wonderful initiative, and I am extremely proud of these residents. I want to encourage more residents to follow this example.

“If the area outside your property is untidy, please clean it where you can. Look after your surroundings, take pride in your area, and help keep our community clean and dignified.”

Residents hope the clean-up will not only improve the immediate environment but also pressure both the property owner and the metro to fulfil their responsibilities.

“We don’t want this to be a once-off. We want the metro and the owner to see that people are watching and that this area matters,” said Van Wyk.

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