MMC for Community Development’s Nonhlanhla Sifumba and her team spruce up Alexandra Cemetery
ALEXANDRA – The Alexandra Cemetery is given a new lease on life.
City councillors descended on Alex over the weekend to get involved in the A Re Sebetseng programme to clean up the historic Alexandra Cemetery.
The MMC of Community Development in the City of Johannesburg, councillor Nonhlanhla Sifumba, accompanied by the MMC of Group Shared Services (GSS) councillor Valencia Khumalo, led a group of staff members from the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo in the A Re Sebetseng cleaning campaign to spruce up the cemetery.
Dozens of volunteers from the community-based organisation, Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) joined forces to embark on a war against untidiness in the garden of remembrance.
According to Sifumba, A Re Sebetseng was launched by Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba. It is aimed at encouraging citizens of Johannesburg to keep their neighbourhoods tidy.
Speaking to dozens of participants, Sifumba encouraged citizens not to litter after eating or drinking cold drinks, juice or water. “Here in Alexandra Cemetery, we’ve got people who played a major role in the struggle for our freedom and they are resting in these graves. It is our duty as the living generation to take care of their resting place,” she said.
“This is one of the oldest cemeteries in Johannesburg that draws its existence back from the 14th century and we want the coming generations to find it in a good condition – only by taking good care of it we can achieve that.”
Sifumba urged the Alex community to take part in the cleaning campaign so that they also keep their neighbourhood clean.
Senior manager responsible for cemeteries at Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, Reggie Moloi, commended members of Expanded Works for travelling all the way from Soweto to participate in the cleaning campaign. “I would like to thank the members of EPWP who travelled all the way from Soweto to be part of this special occasion of the A Re Sebetseng cleaning campaign here in Alexandra. I am really proud to work with people like you,” said Moloi.
