#ThisIsUs: United in restoring Durban
Dozens of residents gathered to participate in a mass clean-up exercise in the Durban CBD.
THE Global Shapers Community, Durban Hub, was saddened by the recent looting and unrest that unfolded in KZN and other parts of the country.
In its efforts to help restore the affected areas, a clean up was hosted in partnership with the Domino Foundation, Durban Solid Waste (DSW), Pick n Pay, JDJ Diagnostics and KZN Beach Clean-up. Through their joint efforts, more than 500 refuse bags were filled and left for collection by DSW.
Speaking about the clean up, Ntethelelo Gonya, curator of the Global Shapers Community, Durban Hub, said they felt it was necessary to take action and join the community to play a role to rebuild the city.
“This clean up activity took place at the weekend (July 17 and 18), with the aim to restore and rebuild our beautiful and diverse city. Volunteers were out in numbers, approximately 150 volunteers on both days.They answered the plea to clean the streets due to the aftermath of the destructive events that hit the shores of our city in the past week,” said Gonya.
This initiative formed part of an Emergency Response Plan that the Durban Global Shapers plan to roll out in eThekwini which is aimed at corroborating the municipality’s efforts to restore and rebuild the city to its former glory.
“This proved a lot of love and devotion to create change in our very own city. The mission of Durban Global Shapers is to change, build and inspire and the volunteers accomplished this,” he said.
Ready to serve community again
THE Queensmead SuperSPAR opened its doors on Monday, September 6, two months after its temporary closure.
The store was destroyed during the violent protests and looting that erupted in KwaZulu-Natal in July. The reopening also sparked excitement as residents took to social media to express their joy.
This comes after the residents rolled up their sleeves and united to clean up the Queensmead Mall after the looting. The manager of the SuperSPAR, Greg Fotheringham said they were able to rebuild their store in less than two months.
“We had to replace cables, ovens, tills, equipment, re-tile, re-brick, repair, and then restock our shelves and fridges. It’s been one helluva task, but our incredible team did it!” he said.
He said they are happy to be open and to serve their community again. He added the support they received from the community was amazing and he thanked the community for understanding.
“We are very grateful for their patience during these tough times. We would like their continued support and we are going to be bigger and better going forward,” said Fotheringham.
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). Do you want to receive news alerts via Telegram? Send us a message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 060 532 5535. You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
