Eco-warrior team transforms Riverside Road

IN recent months, a dedicated team of eco-warriors has tackled illegal dumping, alien invasive species and general beautification along the banks of the uMngeni River on Riverside Road and its green corridors.

This is in large part due to a collaborative effort between local organisations Adopt-A-River and the Umgeni Estuary Conservancy as well as additional funding from the Social Employment Fund, Industrial Development Corporation of SA and UNICEF South Africa facilitated through the Duzi uMngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT).

The team of six, all residents of the Briardene Informal Settlement, are collectively known as the Riverside Road Team and have been hard at work with various initiatives.

Northglen News recently spoke to the team on one of their training walks learning about alien invasive species.

Also read: Adopt-a-Trolley celebrates a year of fighting pollution

Durban North resident and founder of the non-profit organisation (NPO), Janet Simpkins, explained that this was a collaborative effort between various entities.

“They have really transformed Riverside Road since we formed the team at the beginning of March. After the recent three-week wildcat municipal worker strike, the City removed hundreds of tonnes of rubbish dumped along Riverside Road and Roadhouse Crescent. However, there was still a significant amount of rubbish the graders couldn’t pick up. That was one of the first areas the team really focused on to clean up.

“I think the space already looks better, and the plan going forward is to host a mass plant with the community to green the area around the bridge and the pump station. Another facet of their work has been the removal of and identification of alien invasive plants along the riverbank and roadside. They have also tackled the cycle and trail-run path below Riverside Road,” she said.

Sphamandla Hlongwana, one of the team members, said the biodiversity training has already helped him in identifying and distinguishing indigenous plants from alien invasive plants.

Also read: Root out alien invasive species, urges Durban North Conservancy

“We have been taught the names of the plants in isiZulu – both alien invasive and indigenous. We’ve walked the trails along the riverbank to clean up and focused much of our attention on Riverside Road. It has been a huge learning curve for us because we also learn what type of action is needed to transform and preserve our green spaces.

“After all the illegal dumping and subsequent clean-up by the City on Roadhouse Crescent, we were able to collect a further 100 bags, weighing 1 080kg, just from that section alone. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow with the team,” he said.

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