IN less than a year after their inception, the Keep Pinetown Beautiful Association, now known as Pinetown Tidy Town, has seen an exponential growth in their work as they expand their network in welcoming more members and organisations on board. According to Zane Welensky, the organisation said their purpose is to turn the tide on litter and to restore pride in their residential areas, and especially in the business sector.
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“It is also to encourage the public to make use of the business sector, to curb petty crime and feel safe when doing so. Our clean-ups are to raise awareness, to feel better about our immediate environment, to educate people to change the way they conduct waste in public areas and to raise the value of our properties. All of this equates to a healthy environment and mental well-being,” he said.
The organisation has grown and has made developments, such as employing cleaners who work twice a week. Zane said the public are starting to see the benefits of our efforts, so donations are trickling in.
“Sandy’s SPAR are donating regularly, and Pam Golding properties have begun sponsoring a daily wage once a week for our dedicated cleaning member. Other companies that have generously provided donations to the organisation are Netwize, owned by Grant Auld, Eventtiming, owned and run by Kevin Bradfield, and Rory Nossiter, owner of Auto Complete,” he said.
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Furthermore, Welensky said community members are beginning to take the initiative and clean the litter off their streets with the youngest volunteer, Yusuf, being only six years old. “Not only does he help his mum clean, he is also the youngest donor. We are slowly seeing adjacent areas banding together to rid their streets of rubbish, which seems to be a knock-on effect,” he said.
He said Pinetown Tidy Town evolved out of Keep Pinetown Beautiful with the same mandate that everyone has a role to play in keeping Pinetown clean. He extended his gratitude to the efforts of all the directors.
We are now a non-profit company enjoying the credibility we deserve, and Pinetown Tidy Town maintains the responsibilities of a regular company. As we grow and expand our footprint in Pinetown, other projects worthy of our attention will be addressed, namely, potholes, general road maintenance, sewage and water pipe damage, streetlights needing to shine at night, signage and 24/7 camera security needing to be considered.
Welensky said they enjoy the good working relationship they have with the municipality which assists them wherever possible.
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