Suburban champions

Two years ago Aimme Nel moved to Melville and a few months later she noticed an increase in pollution.

According to Nel she decided to do something about it and employed three men to clean the suburb. In November 2012 she gave 7th Street a thorough scrubbing before the Christmas lights were put up.

“We are scraping out rotten rubbish in the public bins. At the bottom part of Main Road we found a dead cat and other disgusting things. We don’t just take out what is in the bins, we make sure that the bins are scraped clean.”

The project sees that every street is kept clean from pavements to water gutters, including everything else that detracts from the look of the old suburb.This started off as a community project but Nel structures it as a formal business because of big sponsors becoming involved. Nel uses the donations she receives from residents and business owners to pay the men she employs. The idea is to keep the suburb clean at all times. “We are proactive, not reactive,” she said.

Thomas Misheck, one of the men hired by Nel, said, “We are here every day from 7am to 3pm and it is always a pleasure providing help to people. The best part is seeing them walk past with a smile and thanking us for the work we do in their area.”

Pikitup spokesperson Desiree Ntshingila said they are happy with the initiative and they fully support it. Ward 87 Councillor Amanda Forsythe said getting Melville back onto its feet again has been a major priority for her since she became councillor just over two years ago.

“This includes fighting some of the urban decay that has set in, largely due to a lack of service delivery and law enforcement in the past.My aim has been to continue highlighting Melville issues to City officials and getting them to pay greater attention to them, while encouraging residents andbusinesses to take ownership of their suburb. This clean-up initiative is a perfect example of residents doing just that and I encourage it fully,” she said.