THE Keep Hillcrest Beautiful Association (KHBA) is appealing to the community to join them in their movement as they are under threat of closing down due to lack of membership. KHBA is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote a cleaner and more beautiful environment while working with relevant authorities and businesses in Hillcrest.
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Speaking to the Highway Mail, Marge Mitchell of the organisation said the organisation was founded in 2006, and over the years, it has beautified the community in their four aspects: by establishing a recycling centre, maintaining verges, doing rail-reserve maintenance and removing invasive alien plants.
“When we started in 2006, I wrote a letter to the Highway Mail inviting the community to join. I got four replies, we registered with the Department of Social Development and we became a non-profit organisation.
“Over the 17 years we have been running, we’ve had many committee members, sometimes up to 12 people at a time. They each had their own portfolio, and we’ve had a happy society. But in the last four years, we have only had about four active members. We ask the community: If there’s anyone out there who is interested in this organisation, please join us,” she said.
Mitchell said it is important for members who want to join to know their aims, objectives and what they stand for as an organisation. Mitchell said this is to avoid people coming in with their own agenda and driving the organisation off the rails.
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“Our objective is to educate, generate interest and activate participation by residents and other interested parties, including the business sector, schools, church bodies and conservancy groups to work towards a cleaner environment; to improve the visual attractiveness of the area in cooperation with the eThekwini Municipality in the Outer West area; to obtain the cooperation and support of interested persons and other bodies, and to raise funds to achieve our objectives and fulfil our mission,” she said.
Community members who wish to join the KHBA committee are invited to contact Marge Mitchell on 083 419 3807.
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