A few months ago, the municipal sidewalk in front of HJ van Rensburg Attorneys’ building in the town’s business center was another unsightly, overgrown site. Today, it is rapidly taking shape as a neat garden, which will undoubtedly become a luxury site to proudly welcome visitors to the business center.
Mr. Herman Janzen van Rensburg of the well-known law firm on the corner of Frikkie Meyer Boulevard and FW Beyers Street, says the untidy sidewalk so offended him that he and the practice decided to do something about it themselves.
“The Emfuleni Local Municipality will clearly never take care of it. We as business people and professionals have to put our own shoulder to the wheel to get our town right,” he says.
In recent months, his practice has driven eight loads and 36 black bags full of papers and other rubbish out of the overgrown area, laid 500 meters of grass, thrown six tons of gravel, laid 80 meters of plastic under the gravel and sprayed 10 liters of poison.
They have also appointed a contractor to do weekly maintenance for the next 12 months at the expense of HJ van Rensburg Attorneys.
The project also created jobs for five people.
A trailer was purchased to drive everything away, which is also used to facilitate the law firm’s charity work at LifeLine and to drive away garbage bags at Pioneer House for the elderly.
“We embarked on the beautification project before our practice not only for us and our tenants but also for the community and the image of our town as a whole,” says Van Rensburg.
“I hope that all businesses and building owners will also roll up their sleeves and follow the initiative that businessman Fanie de Jongh started at his Palms center.”
“I also hope that sidewalks in front of businesses and homes will give our town a happy look again in a few months. It can only be successful if every building and homeowner becomes actively involved.”
* Businesses that want to show off their neat sidewalks are welcome to send their before and after photos to rfichat@media24.com.
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