Locals create jobs while keeping suburbs tidy

Johannesburg north-eastern residents have come up with a new initiative that aims to ensure their suburbs are kept clean, while simultaneously creating jobs for the local youth.

The project, Isitaladi Skoffel Squad, will launch soon. ‘Isitaladi’ means street in isiZulu, and to ‘skoffel’ is to scrape or clean the gutter. The initial focus will be the infamous Louis Botha Avenue, and according to the founders, other areas will follow as and when the initiative materialises.

Helen Farmer, one of the founders of the project, said about half of the city’s 14 000km of streets are in a poor state due to litter, weeds, overgrown bushes, and clogged gutters, and she predicts that almost a third of its 1.1million youth are unemployed. The farmer said their project innovatively combines these two problems into one solution, and the founders were recognised for this concept at the recent GIBS Social Entrepreneurship Festival of Ideas.

“A market survey launched in the last fortnight immediately drew 50 responses from residents and businesses in the north-east, strongly affirming the need for such a project. We received many offers of support from the community,” Farmer said. “About 75 per cent of respondents said they are very worried about the streets of Jozi, 92 per cent are very worried about youth unemployment and 72 per cent are very worried about living conditions in the city, with 66 per cent being concerned about the negative impression made on visitors and tourists.”

Almost 80 per cent of the respondents in the survey said they would use on-demand customer-paid street cleaning, paying amounts ranging from R300 to R500 to have designated frontages cleaned. Seventy one per cent are willing to donate to the cleaning of areas like traffic islands, through once-off donations, monthly debit orders or ‘adopt-a-spot’ projects. About 68 per cent reacted positively to the idea of vouchers, which can be given as gifts.

“Many respondents are keen to donate towards the project’s start-up needs, ranging from uniforms, spades, brooms and road cones to first aid kits, signage, and office supplies. Some say they will sponsor the printing of T-shirts, co-branded with their company’s name to give them positive publicity.”

About 50 per cent said they would consider being a ‘skoffeler’s angel’, kitting out a single worker with two sets of overalls, a reflective vest, and cap, work boots, dust masks, and gloves, at a total cost of R1 500.

Finally, Farmer claims that 98 per cent of respondents think that Isitaladi Skoffel Squad members can play a very important role as street ambassadors, reporting problems like potholes, blocked stormwater drains, missing manhole covers, overgrown vegetation and illegal dumping to the City Council.

To help refine and launch their services, they invite residents and businesses to complete their 10-minute survey, which can be found online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BJN9VSV. They can also email founding member Lee Jackson-Randall at skoffelsquad@gmail.com to request a hard copy of the survey, or to obtain more information.

Details: helen.farmerot@gmail.com

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