A local author partners with a youth organisation to clean up a local park

Orange Grove author and social activist Mongi Maphipha teamed up with members of Curious Youth Group on November 28 to clean up Orange Grove Park which has been an eyesore for months.

Maphipha claimed that displaced people living in the park left a lot of litter lying around. He added another problem was that branches of trees break off and claimed the people who get contracted to remove them don’t clear them away properly

“Last month, two trees’ branches broke [off], and contractors came and cut them into pieces but then left them in the park.

“The broken branches pose a danger to the kids, which is why we set out to clean the park,” he added.

The Curious Youth Group is a non-governmental organisation that consists of youths who are active in music, dance, modelling, and sport, and believe in serving the community.

On partnering with the youth, Maphipha said it was important to get the young boys and girls involved in initiatives such as this because it taught them to be responsible citizens.

“These young guys can play a key role in keeping our community clean and safe. Already, the Curious Youth Group members are working as ambassadors in the fight against gender-based violence and drug addiction in the area and surrounding areas such as Norwood.”

Through the group’s many programmes, they also assist in keeping their peers off the streets and Maphipha wants them to expand on what they are already doing.

“They [youth] need to know that a clean community is a healthy community,” Maphipha added.

Shane Ndlovu, the chairperson of Curious Youth Group said, “Having cleaned up the park today has motivated us to move to other parks in the area. Our plan is to clean parks every weekend as we are the ones who use the parks. So, it is up to us to keep them clean.”

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