Stop turning a blind eye
Roodepoort resident took it upon himself to make a difference
The old Roodepoort Cemetery is a thorn in every resident’s side and the topic of many complaints without much progress being seen.
But one resident, David Townsend, decided to take it upon himself to make a change.
“I have recently moved to this area and walk my dogs here every morning and evening. I saw the huge amount of rubbish, and realised that by ignoring the issue, I was contributing to it – so I decided to do something about it,” he said.
On the afternoon of 29 November, a business owner near the cemetery contacted the offices of the Record to inform us of the activity happening there. “You should come have a look. There is a man here, busy cleaning the cemetery grounds and I think you should show this to the community,” the caller said.
Upon arrival at the cemetery, we found David hard at work, sweeping the rubbish into a heap at the entrance, ready to be transferred to the refuse bags he had with him. “I have been here for about 45 minutes, and this is the amount of rubbish I have already managed to accumulate – and this is only from the entrance,” he said, indicating the heap. There was a pile of food wrappers, broken glass and some nappies, just to name a few of the items he had swept up.
When asked why he was doing this, his answer was simple. “I am doing this for myself and my dog. To ensure I can walk here and have peace of mind,” said David.
According to him, he feels that people should stop complaining about the mess and start doing their bit. It does not take that much. “If you stop turning a blind eye and start doing something, you will see change. It might seem like a little thing, but, remember – Rome was not built in one day,” he said.
He strongly believes that if people start keeping things clean and tidy, their pride in who they are and where they come from will be restored.He also confirmed that he will from now on, while walking his dog, carry a refuse bag with him and pick up litter as he goes.
Gert Niemand, the councillor for Ward 84 was surprised to hear of David’s commitment to try to make a change and said that, even though the help of residents in this regards is always welcome, it is also sad. “It is so positive, but it’s sad that residents need to take it upon themselves to keep a municipality-owned property clean, while the entity that is responsible for it does not do it. I am aware of the issues at the cemetery and have made provision for it in my IDP, for which I have received very positive feedback. I would like to get in contact with David and work together to change the state of the cemetery. I have decided to make it one of my special projects for the coming year,” Gert said.
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo was contacted for comment, but at the time this article was published, we had not yet received any feedback.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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