Florida South Residents Association (FSRA) held another successful clean-up campaign on Saturday, February 7, this time tackling an area that has long posed a problem for both residents and law enforcement agencies.

According to FSRA chairperson Rodney Churchyard, the heavily overgrown bend at Uys Krige Avenue provided shelter for both criminals and vagrants.

“The overgrown stretch of land is situated in a corner behind houses with entrances in Kathleen Street,” he says. “While most of the residents in the area keep their sidewalks trimmed and neat, this bend has not seen any attention in years.

“We found footpaths leading into the overgrown area that ended in a small clearing where someone has obviously been living and sorting recycling.

“Besides the obvious danger to residents of having someone living illegally right outside their homes, these illegal sorting operations attract pests like rats and flies.”

Churchyard, accompanied by a small group of residents and volunteers from the KCCC Foundation, spent the morning hard at work clearing the overgrown vegetation and removing the heap of assorted trash hidden behind it.

In the process, they exposed a stormwater drain that has not seen the light of day for years, and removed grass that had grown onto the road surface.

“We are seeing more residents join us on our cleanup campaigns, but still not nearly enough,” he says.

“Unfortunately, community apathy is one of the main hindrances to our efforts to restore Florida to its former glory.

“We need more support from the community if we are going to continue our work.”