Clean-up, tree-planting drive inspires Sowetans to go green
Soweto Tourism led a community clean-up and tree-planting campaign in White City to encourage residents to protect the environment.
Soweto Tourism and various stakeholders held a clean-up and tree-planting campaign at the June 16 Memorial Acre and Morris Isaacson High School in White City on October 23.
Speaking to the Urban News, the co-ordinator of Keep Soweto Clean and Green, Mzwakhe Tshabalala, said the programme aims to encourage Sowetans to maintain a clean environment. He explained that it is not linked to the G20 initiative but focuses on ensuring that the community remains healthy and its environment well-kept.
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“We are here today to clean and plant trees at Morris Isaacson High School and outside the Memorial Acre.
“We have donated several types of trees to both locations. This programme takes place in various areas across Soweto, so it is for all Sowetans, and we encourage everyone to keep their environment clean,” he said.
He added that this campaign is their fourth since the initiative began in April. They have already donated trees to 50 schools and plan to donate to 50 more to reach their goal.
Tshabalala said the campaign is a collaboration between government entities, including Pikitup, Johannesburg City Parks, the CoJ, Clean South Africa, and volunteers from the Soweto community.
“We are calling on the Soweto community to stand against illegal dumping and littering. The waste we carelessly discard ends up damaging our infrastructure, such as stormwater systems. I urge everyone to take responsibility and help keep our environment clean,” said Tshabalala.
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A CoJ supervisor under the Augmented Field Services programme, Maggie Phungula, said communities participating in clean-ups to combat illegal dumping were critical.
“We want to teach our community that a dirty environment affects everyone, putting our health at risk. We must learn to keep our surroundings clean, educate one another and hold each other accountable,” Phungula said.
