Upliftment project targets bus stops in Durban North

BUS stops around Durban North are being given some love by Enviro Fixers Durban North in an upliftment project involving various roleplayers.

Not only are they being given a new lick of paint, but a dedicated team of volunteers is scraping off graffiti tags and removing any stickers and illegal adverts pasted on the panels of the bus stops.

The project is being spearheaded by Ellysa Entwistle, a member of the environmental group, who is passionate about beautifying, cleaning and uplifting Durban North.

In total, 10 bus stops along Umhlanga Rocks Drive and now Adelaide Tambo Drive (Kensington Drive) have been refurbished.

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“As someone who actively drives around the area, I had noticed how badly defaced the bus stops were. Initially, the plan was to try and get brand new bus shelters installed, but that, unfortunately, didn’t work out. So I took it upon myself to involve my own company and my staff to get painting. I took a paint sample to our local hardware store to ensure the bus stops would match in terms of the right colour.

“The Heart of Durban North also came on board to collaborate specifically on bus stops in the Adelaide Tambo and Swapo Road areas. The feedback has been great, especially from pedestrians who appreciate what we are doing. We often get people driving past giving us a thumbs-up or hooting to show their appreciation, and I feel this upliftment initiative has parked so much good already,” Entwistle said.

One of the men working hard to restore the bus stops to their former glory is Umli Madlala.

“I normally scrape, sand down and then paint. Each bus stop takes approximately four hours to finish. So many of them have been tagged with graffiti and stickers and paint. There’s also a lot of bubble gum stuck to the seats and roof of the bus stops,” Madlala said.