SHARPEVILLE.- Bambanani Tirisano Youth Development Centre took it upon themselves to turn this historical township into a tourism attraction and a healthy environment.

Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, Lebohang Moloi, one of the organisation’s leaders, said they have been hard at work trying to clean and improve this area. The team is turning illegal dumping sites into mini-parks and restoring neglected government sites.

Some of the places they have cleaned include the Sharpeville Monument, Old Sharpeville Police Station, Ring’s Café Park, Sharpeville Hall, Tsoelopele, and Titima, to mention just a few. Moloi said the main focus of this initiative is to clean historical sites and abandoned government premises.

She told Sedibeng Ster that this initiative was inspired by the state of the community, which they felt they had to change.

Moloi, who is passionate about changing local lives, said seeing illegal dumping sites filled with rubbish made her realise how much the waste affects the health, safety, and dignity of the community.

Instead of leaving these spaces unused and harmful, she saw an opportunity to turn them into something useful by creating mini-parks and food gardens.

“What motivated my team and me was the belief that we can be agents of change. These spaces were becoming harmful and dangerous, especially for our children and youth.”

By replacing waste with green, clean spaces, the group wants to restore dignity to the community. Furthermore, the initiative addresses food insecurity by growing vegetables such as spinach, onions, and beans to benefit local families.

It also aims to create learning and work opportunities for the community and youth in gardening, helping them learn teamwork and environmental care. Most importantly, Moloi wishes to build pride and ownership so people see they don’t have to wait for others to fix their environment, believing they can do it themselves.

“We will appreciate it if local businesses and companies can assist with wheelbarrows, spades, forks, watering cans, and wheelbins,” Moloi said.

She told Sedibeng Ster that in the past, they received assistance from the Department of Environment.