Where’s my leaf blower?

On a recent trip to the Seychelles I was amazed at how clean the streets of Mahé are.

There were no fast food containers, crisp packets, plastic cool drink bottles, bottle tops or dreaded cigarette stompies anywhere in sight.

Mahé is the main island of the tropical Indian Ocean archipelago, home to about 80 000 of the 108 000 Seychellois.

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Not only are the streets of the capital, Victoria, spotless, but also the suburban streets and even the quiet mountain roads.

On one such drive along a mountainous pass, through thick, lush tropical forests, I noticed an elderly gentleman with a leaf blower.

I asked our guide why, and he explained that the Seychelles government pays locals to clean the streets. As a resident of a certain area, you can make a bit of extra money by cleaning a stretch of road near your house.

Imagine such a policy in effect in South Africa.

According to the World Bank, Seychelles is the most prosperous nation in sub-Saharan Africa, being highly dependent on tourism, accounting for 31% of GDP.

Both South Africa and the Seychelles are popular tourist destinations, yet sometimes I hang my head in shame at the state of our streets, festooned with litter.

But litter has other adverse effects too. By keeping the streets clean, it helps eliminate the number of plastics and trash that end up washing into our storm water drains, washing into the rivers and oceans and ending up harming local wildlife and environments.

With the summer rainy season approaching, I shudder to think of the current state of our drains. Blockages cause massive issues of localised flooding, hampering and causing hazards for drivers and pedestrians.

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There are also programmes in the Seychelles that rally communities to keep the beaches spotless. Recent visits to KwaZulu-Natal beaches have unfortunately been tainted by cigarette butts staining the landscape of our (what should be) picturesque beaches.

It was inspiring to see the islanders so passionate about keeping their corner of paradise pristine, as it should be.

In South Africa, instead of looting state coffers, perhaps those extra pennies could help create such a programme where we would all certainly benefit from the extra income, but also cleaner, more tourist-friendly and environmentally friendly streets.

Now where’s my leaf blower? I could make a mint on these Roodepoort streets.