A number of NPOs came together to clean up the Sandspruit River near Sunninghill on 20 March.
A newly formed NPO, Bubele Africa, was the main organiser of the clean-up. Action for Responsible Management of Our Rivers (Armour) and Rotary Club lent their hands in bringing more people and helping clean the environment. Founder of Bubele Africa, and Morningside resident, Wendy Malpage said she founded the NPO after her lemonade business closed due to Covid.
When she walked around her neighbourhood for her morning walks, she saw many people begging and wanted to help. “I saw all this litter by the Sandspruit. An idea then came where I thought if I get them to come and clean the rivers, I could show neighbourhoods what I’m doing so that we could get some sponsorships from the communities to help these guys out,” she said.
Various clean-ups of this nature took place in a number of areas in Gauteng, including Hennops River and Boksburg Lake. Bubele Africa also had a team at Innesfree Park in Sandton. To date, Malpage said there have been 15 000 bags of rubble removed from the Sandspruit River, and over 600 people employed for R200 a day.
“I’ve learnt to love the rivers and water, but my passion is actually trying to help people. I think that was a little more sensitive around that time having closed my business and my staff not having another option to find work,” she told Fourways Review.
Mark McClue of Armour was also present at the clean-up. He said people need to understand the value of water, and what role it plays in their daily lives. “We provide a voice for water. We had asked people how important water is to them in celebrating World Water Day. This clean-up is part of the Clean-a-River campaign,” he concluded.
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