Siyakhula Entrepreneurial Leadership Agency (SELA) from Pimville Zone 7 is a group of individuals who aims at creating a clean and conducive environment for their community through the cleaning of dumping sites.
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Illegal dumping is the improper disposal of waste in public. It impacts the environment and communities and this seems to be a growing problem in societies.
These dumping sites pollute the air and can compromise the health of the people.
Skhumbuzo Nkosi, Project Manager at SELA said, “The idea is to turn all these illegal dumping sites into beautiful gardens through planting and installing grass. When the environment changes, so does the mind-sets of the people.”
Their main aim is to clean illegal dumping along the sides the Soweto Country Club, Community Centre and behind Kliptown Taxi Rank. These illegal dumping sites can be used for the recreation of gardens and parks.
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“One of the challenges the organisation is facing is that people don’t want to get educated about illegal dumping.
“After we have cleaned up, we come back the next day and find that place filled with dirt again. It’s like they don’t see what we are doing,” said Nkosi.
It’s time for people to look after the wellbeing of their community. Illegal dumping sites are rising instead of decreasing; individuals can help with prevention of these waste disposal sites by taking out their bins on Pikitup days and recycle their glass bottles and cans.
SELA is an organisation that aims to provide unemployed women, youth and persons with disabilities in Pimville with skills, training in recycling, farming as well as arts and crafts.
“We deal with business development, upskilling the young in order to have something to do instead of waiting for handouts.
“The plan is to one day own a space in which we can sell our plants and art work, so that we can generate business in the area around the Soweto Country Club,” said Nkosi.
Not all young people will stop whatever they are doing to come and clean their own community and learn about planting and taking care of their environment.
Tshepo Pwete one of the residents that clean illegal dumping sites said, “I feel positive about what we are doing here in terms of cleaning illegal dumping sits. It also teaches me about the importance of hygiene in our community.
“Most young people do not want this kind of a job because they are picky and they would rather sit in the corners than come and work with us. But this project has opened my mind to know about planting, gardening andthe environment.”
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Nkosi is urging those residents who claim to not have bins to reach out to Pikitup with written affidavits and that would lead to the reduction of disposing waste in illegal spaces.
“Those who don’t have bins due to theft should go to Pikitup with affidavits in order to receive new ones. We are also asking the community to help us with cleaning materials and uniforms,” he concluded.
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