Durban North duo gets their hands dirty
"The cleaning was our goal but what was great about this, and especially after the horrible week we had, was to see unity. For me, that is what South Africa is about," - Katie Pilinger.
TWO women from Durban North, Michaela Geytenbeek and Katie Pilinger, who facilitated clean-up groups after the looting in Durban recently, said the experience was liberating for them.
Geytenbeek and Pilinger organised groups for the north Durban areas such as Queen Nandi Drive, Springfield Park and Cornubia after a massive looting spree, mainly by Jacob Zuma supporters two weeks ago.
READ ALSO: Citizens unite to clean up Queen Nandi Drive
“At times it was overwhelming. We used that word a lot while cleaning up,” said Geytenbeek.
She added that when she saw the Clean up Durban Facebook was up and running, she immediately wanted to help.
“I’m a helper. I love getting involved and doing my bit,” she said.
She added that recruiting people to help was not a challenge as every one wanted to assist.
“As the group grew and people started to see what we were doing, everyone joined in. We had massive support at Queen Nandi Drive on the Friday and at Cornubia on the Sunday, because it was Nelson Mandela Day,” said Geytenbeek.
She added that after cleaning up Queen Nandi Drive on Friday, people were amped up to move to the next site that needed cleaning.
“People scouted the areas to see where else they could clean. It was amazing,” said Geytenbeek.
READ ALSO: WATCH: Overwhelming response to Durban clean-ups
Pilinger’s sentiments were no different to Geytenbeek’s.
“The cleaning was our goal but what was great about this, and especially after the horrible week we had, was to see unity. For me, that is what South Africa is about,” she said.
She added that although it was devastating to see that much destruction, it was wonderful to see the resilience of hundreds of South Africans who attended.
“That’s what I admire the most about us (South Africans). We are resilient. We bounce back. And our diversity is what brings us together,” said Pilinger.
Pilinger and Geytenbeek said people wanted to help but they didn’t know where to start, and that they were grateful to Cindy Wadsworth for starting the group.
“That’s all it takes. Just one person who wants to make a difference and before we knew it, thousands of members joined and Durban was cleaned within a few days,” said Pilinger.
The duo thanked every person and business that joined, said the group will remain open as the administrators have plans to hold clean ups through out different areas later this year.
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
