An energetic group of community volunteers called the Community Cleaners are determined to improve the quality of shared spaces such as parks and pavements.
Focusing on Northcliff, Berario, Valeriedene and Fairland for now, they hope to expand and grow.
Formed in October last year, the group has more than 20 regular helpers and are in the process of registering as a non-profit organisation to enable growth and provide accountability for donations received.
Andre Swanepoel, Hugo Erasmus and Ryan Kloppers are the driving forces of the initiative and have made an appeal for more support, both in terms of manpower and in supplies.
Erasmus said, “We all want to have clean and safe areas for our children to enjoy and for us to want to live nearby. So, every weekend we are out and about attending to areas we have identified as needing a clean-up.”
Erasmus added in a positive development that, “City Parks, who support our efforts, have given us permission to remove buck weed and lantana, two invasive species of plants that are overtaking many areas. We can also remove dead trees, clear fallen trees, and dangerous hanging branches.”
They have already removed over three tons of rubbish from the Fairland koppie alone, making a huge difference to the experience of people who use the space recreationally.
However, they need proper equipment such as traffic cones, chainsaws, woodchippers and other items to enable them to work more effectively, and hope donors and more volunteers would join them.
Kloppers said they also hoped to inspire and ‘encourage other communities to take responsibility for litter, remove their rubble properly and take pride in where they live’.
Ward 98 councillor Beverley Weweje said, “It’s a wonderful initiative where residents are tackling problem areas and they are doing exceptional work under difficult circumstances. It has helped build camaraderie and a sense of community for all those involved. It’s really inspiring to see the growth of the Community Cleaners and as a councillor, I am immensely grateful for their efforts.”
If you would like to get involved, please contact Hugo Erasmus on 081 779 1605.
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