The Braamfontein spruit looks out for its own

The Braamfontein Spruit Rehabilitation Project recently got hard at work cleaning up the unwanted graffiti on the pillar walls of the Belgrave bridge in Bryanston. The graffiti dawned on the pillar walls underneath the bridge for close to a year.

According to founder Barry Cribb, the non-profit organisation was founded over just three years ago and continues to preserve all aspects of the park along the Braamfontein Spruit, which includes the Belgrave low-water bridge.

“We have begun by removing the graffiti from the Belgrave low-level bridge between Riverclub and Bryanston and will continue this week by removing more from the Bryanston Drive bridge,” Cribb said.

He added that it is important to remove unwanted elements that deface the community. “When graffiti is not taken care of, the neighbourhood starts to deteriorate. Once a neighbourhood looks uncared for, crime problems tend to increase.”

Cribb noted that the spruit had attracted some unwanted attention from criminals in the past but due to consistent maintenance, the area has become a lot safer and welcoming to all its residents – humans and birds alike. “We make sure to keep the grass well cut to improve visibility, we have put up a number fences along the roadside and secured the manholes. These are minor changes but it has made such a big difference to the environment.”

The organisation would like to encourage the community to get involved in the River Clean-Up days on 14 March and 16 May from 9am to 1pm. “Come and have some fun with us on the Spruit. We will be collecting plastic and other debris that were washed down the river during the summer storms. Every pair of hands will count to reach our goal and make the Belgrave Bridge through Bryanston Drive to 12th Ave the cleanest section of the Spruit.”

You can report any additional incidents of graffiti along the spruit to the organisation on its Facebook Page.

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https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/149727/r5-million-for-braamfontein-spruit-investigation/

https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/224073/the-braamfontein-rehabilitation-spruit-project-acts-in-the-interest-of-the-environment/