The annual Spruit Day clean-up initiative will see residents and community associations gathering in their neighbourhoods to help clean up.
The clean-up will take place along the Braamfontein Spruit, which is the longest stream in Johannesburg on 15 September. The aim of the day is to encourage community members to play an active role in keeping their communities clean and encourage them to take advantage of their green spaces.
This year there will be numerous meeting points in the Sandton area for volunteers to join in. The meetup points in Sandton include Cypress Walk, College Avenue and The River Road in Bryanston as well as Cheetah Crescent in Rivonia.
The Bryanston Riverclub Community Forum will be hosting the clean-up at Cypress Walk and plan to make it a fun day for all who participate. A member of the community forum Karen Soderholm said, aside from their plans for the clean-up, they will also have some food trucks and tables to encourage community members to enjoy their afternoon in the park.
The Mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba‘s A Re Sebetseng clean-up initiative will also be taking place on the day. The mayor, along with councillors, City departments and regional offices will all be taking part in the clean-up. The City will also provide bags and gloves to all participants which can be collected at city walk-in centres, depots, clinics and libraries.
Spruit Day organiser Gail Jelley said, “It’s really grown since its inception in 2014. We really focus on water systems and try to get communities to take care of the river systems in their neighbourhoods.”
The event originally began in 2014 and Jelley said that it has been a catalyst to encourage residents associations to conduct more regular clean-ups. This year-round maintenance is costly though and Jelley thanked Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo for providing assistance despite their limited resources.
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo donated all the trees which will be planted on the day while Pikitup has provided bins and bags for residents to use. Jelley added that in the future they hope to encourage corporate sponsors to get involved with the upkeep of the green spaces.
For more information about Spruit Day contact Gail Jelley on gailjelley@telkomsa.net
Will you be taking part in Spruit Day this year? Share your experience with us on the Sandton Chronicle Facebook page
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