A greener community for all
SANDTON – City-Zen aims to build an active community of engaged residents who are looking to reduce crime through the creation of employment all while uplifting their own neighbourhoods.
City-Zen is creating cleaner, greener and safe spaces one clean-up at a time.
Teams dressed in green from the non-profit organisation have been going from suburb to suburb across Sandton doing general clean-ups, removing illegal signage, and keeping the grass and trees trimmed.
City-Zen was founded by Dan Hunt and Najen Naidoo just over three years ago through their shared passion for their communities.
Hunt started out 12 years ago with a passion project to clean up the Sandspruit River while Naidoo had been working with various charitable organisations and community security initiatives.
“We both love South Africa and are inspired by the environment and people of Johannesburg. I think Dan’s work on the Sandspruit has motivated us to want to protect this gem and anything that threatens to harm this precious space,” said Naidoo.
According to City-Zen, research indicated that neighbourhoods struggling with physical decline and a high crime rate often become safer when residents work together to clean and fix up their community, enjoying public spaces together to help drive the criminal elements out.
This is why the organisation aims to build an active community of engaged residents who are looking to reduce crime through the creation of employment all while uplifting their own neighbourhoods.
“We figured that we could address several problems facing South Africa though City-Zen by tackling unemployment by employing the homeless and destitute to help taxpaying South Africans improve their quality of life and those of the less fortunate too,” said Naidoo.
City-Zen has so far been operating in parts of Rivonia, Gallo Manor, Morningside, Bryanston, Krammerville, Wendywood and Woodmead.
According to Naidoo, the response from residents in these communities has been phenomenal thus far but, unfortunately due to the third wave, the support from businesses has been limited. “We hope as the country comes out of the third wave and businesses finds their feet again that they will join our movement.”
City-Zen has partnered with Fidelity ADT to not only just provide security services to the communities but also improve all communities by reducing crime through job creation. “The programme aims to turn the waste that we pick up on the streets into sustainable job opportunities through cleaning, recycling and upcycling programmes. We are also working together to clean up abandoned properties,” said Naidooo.
Fidelity ADT CEO Wahl Bartmann added that this partnership is all about upliftment, inclusive communities working together to form a link between the unemployed, communities and security companies. “We definitely feel that this initiative has the potential to provide much-needed jobs. Our objective is to hopefully expand City-Zen within our own customer footprint by introducing this concept into other areas,” said Bartmann.
So far, City-Zen has created direct employment opportunities for over eight people all while supporting an additional 20.
Details: www.city-zen.co.za
ALSO READ:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/292134/community-unites-to-clean-up-the-sandspruit/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/286142/clean-up-operation-on-rivonia-bridge/
