THE Bluff Ratepayers and Residents Association (BRRA) and weFEEDsa have started a project to clean up The Bluff to increase community pride.

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Allison Schoeman, chairperson of the BRRA, said that the project stemmed from the shared idea that teamwork leads to real change. Both groups focus on the community when dealing with problems.

“Both organisations operate with a strong community-first ethos and a practical, action-oriented approach to addressing challenges on the ground. Through engagement and discussion, it became clear that our objectives were well aligned: improving the physical environment of The Bluff, restoring dignity to public spaces and mobilising community participation,” said Schoeman.

The first part of the project will focus on cleaning busy streets and public areas that suffer from litter and lack of upkeep. This includes main roads, connecting streets and problem areas that affect safety and how things look.

“The work is being co-ordinated to ensure visibility and consistency, with the intention of progressively covering the broader The Bluff area. Routes are selected based on need, impact and the ability to engage residents living along those roads to participate and take ownership going forward,” said Schoeman.

She added that the project is not a one-time deal; the BRRA hopes to make the environment better, build strong community ties, get residents to help take care of their areas and show that the association can get things done.

weFEEDsa

Aadila Kajee, a weFEEDsa spokesperson, said that the group started to help with needs that were found during the Covid-19 lockdown. It has since expanded to fight hunger, poverty and inequality through food relief, offering education, job training and work opportunities. Kajee said that Project CommUNITY, a main WeFeedSA effort, works with the Social Employment Fund and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).

“The project adopts a holistic model of community upliftment by improving community spaces through clean-ups and maintenance, creating meaningful employment, enhancing food security and nutrition, supporting youth development and recreational activities, promoting education and learning, and encouraging placemaking that builds pride and cohesion,” said Kajee.

She added that the current project phase with the BRRA, which lasts until July, involves BRRA-managed participants performing clean-ups on streets, roads, parks and at local schools, libraries and other public buildings.

“These interventions aim not only to remove litter, but to reinforce a culture of care, accountability and pride in shared spaces, while strengthening relationships between residents, institutions and the public realm they collectively share,” said Kajee.

The BRRA thanked the weFEEDsa team, volunteers and residents for their support.

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