Sandton community comes together for the spruit
A number of residents and support groups gathered across Sandton on the weekend to cover sections across the Braamfontein Spruit to help improve the area around the river.
World Spruit Day, commemorated on 19 September, is an opportunity for the community to come together for the environment.
A number of residents and support groups gathered across Sandton on the weekend to cover sections across the Braamfontein Spruit to help improve the area around the river.
In Parkmore, on 19 September, a group of volunteers from EnviroServ Waste Management and The Beach Co-Op tackled the area in Field and Study Park. People were scattered across the area picking up and filling plastic bags with mountains of litter and debris. According to the EnviroServ’s Anel Potgieter the group of 10 volunteers managed to accumulate 30 bags of rubbish which included and an assortment of iron, power cables, clothing, and laptop chargers.
She added that because there were a number of plastic bags embedded into the river banks when the volunteers removed them the plants have to be uprooted. “As a result of the extreme pollution, we only managed to cover about a 25-metre stretch of the river. This is definitely a worthy cause and keeping our environment clean should be a concern for all of us,” added Potgieter.
On the other side of Sandton, another group of volunteers gathered along the spruit from the Bryanston Drive bridge all the way up to the 12th Avenue bridge. This was the first clean-up organised by the group since the lockdown was implemented.
According to one of the organisers Kelly-Ann Rock, it was great to see the community come out to support the clean-up day as many of these very residents utilise the park on a regular basis. “We appreciate all contributions of time, finances, and services towards the upkeep of our beautiful spruit.”
On a typical Saturday, prior to the lockdown, many of the residents could be seen participating in the Bryanston Parkrun or cycling along the river. Many also turned to the area when limited exercise was permitted under the lockdown.
Rock continues to encourage the community to keep the area clean and keep an eye out for the next clean-up day.
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