Better Bryanston celebrates a year of cleaning up the community
The community-driven non-profit organisation marked one year of service with a street clean-up and cake cutting ceremony.
Better Bryanston celebrated its first anniversary this morning with a clean-up operation at the intersection of Winnie Mandela Drive and Pretoria Main Road.
The clean-up operation was followed by a cake cutting ceremony, celebrating a year of dedicated work aimed at restoring and maintaining the cleanliness and appearance of Bryanston’s streets and public spaces. Speaking during the celebrations, Better Bryanston chairperson Joyce Tshabalala reflected on the organisation’s journey since its establishment in May last year. “This is a particularly special day for Better Bryanston because we are celebrating our one-year birthday. We have cake and balloons to show for it and it’s been a wonderful journey. It started last year May, and we didn’t know that we would come this far, but here we are. Every single Friday, we clean the streets.”
Tshabalala expressed her gratitude to community members and donors whose support had enabled the organisation to continue operating. “Thank you to everyone who supported us this far. Your donations, your help has got us this far on our journey. We’d like to thank our sponsors. We’d like to thank Byron Thomas, who began this journey with us. They’ve been consistent. Every single Friday, our tools are brought to the site by them. It’s just been a wonderful collaboration.”
Beyond beautifying the suburb, Better Bryanston has also created employment opportunities for residents. “We are a non-profit company, and survive on donations, but we have been able to create jobs. We’ve been able to create hope for people who were otherwise without any jobs.
Also read: Better Bryanston volunteers clean up
“I would also like to thank the collaboration we’ve had with the directors and their families who have been so supportive. We’re like a family now.”
Better Bryanston operations manager Hlanganisa Tshabalala said the initiative is a testament of what communities can achieve if working together. “We can no longer fold our arms and sit back and say we pay rates and taxes so a clean environment is the responsibility of the government.
“We started last year, when we saw a lot of degradation and decay in Bryanston streets. We formed this non-profit organisation, which has transformed the streets of Bryanston. We feel so great today that Bryanston is now on track to become the beautiful suburb it once was.”
@caxtonjoburgnorth WATCH: Better Bryanston celebrates a year of cleaning up the community with a clean-up operation and a cake cutting ceremony at the intersection of Winnie Mandela Drive and Pretoria Main Road. Video: Xoliswa Zakwe #Sandton #cleanup ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North
Long-serving team member Promise Mpofu, who has been with Better Bryanston since its interception, described the transformation he has witnessed. “When we started, the roadsides were terrible, filled with overgrown grass and litter. With interest, we started cleaning roads to bring back the spark of our suburb. I like to keep doing this for as long as I live. I’m happy that we are now a big team, so cleaning up has become easier than before.”
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