HOPING to turn Jacobs, from an eye-sore and dumping ground into a flourishing business hub, several business owners have banded together to clean up the area on a daily basis.
Rennie Naicker, a director at Bradcor Electrical situated in Chelmer Road, said he had seen a need for a sustainable clean-up initiative in the area about 18 months ago.
“It was becoming more and more difficult to drive to work every day, and be met with piles of refuse on the road corners which were spilling onto the roads, as well as unkempt verges, and trucks parked on the pavements, causing major damage to the infrastructure.
“It was also not a good sight for our clients. I decided that something needed to be done. I started by using my own truck and staff, who would go out and clean up the area, collecting bags and bags of refuse a day, which we then we would take to a dumpsite, all at our company’s cost,” he said.
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Naicker said he was often approached by business owners in the area, who wanted to come on board.
“While out on site with my staff, other business owners would ask me how they can assist. We currently have about 30 businesses on board, who have made a tremendous impact, from sponsoring bin bags, brooms, spades, paint, as well the use of their trucks and cranes,” he said.
Naicker said one of their main aims was to curb illegal dumping.
“We know that we can never stop it, but we can find ways to prevent it from spiralling out of control.
“One of the problematic dumping areas we found was an unfenced sports ground, so we decided to put up a fence and bollards. Another area was at the Dudley Street Monument site. We have to clean up the area every second day. Business owners banded together and took a decision to put up a fence around the site, as well install cameras on a nearby building, and put up warning signs to serve as a deterrent,” he said.
Naicker said they have also put concrete bollards on several pavements, verges, and center islands to prevent illegal parking.
“We have these bollards strategically positioned through the area so that the truckers don’t destroy the infrastructure.
“We felt we could not expect the government to replace the manhole every time it is damaged by a truck and found a solution. We also have the bollards painted, with the words, don’t litter, don’t dump, and no parking,” he said.
Naicker said his clean up team goes out every morning into the area.
“We aim to clean at least one road a day as it is quite a big area. This includes cutting grass and trees, raking, cleaning up roadsides, sweeping the roads, as well picking the litter, and collecting refuse that has been dumped. We have a business that has given us skips, which we fill with the refuse and then they take it to the dumpsites.
“We also found that there are not enough bins in the area, which leads to people littering. However, we have managed to secure over 60 concrete bins that will be put on the various roads,” he said.
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Naicker said he encouraged more business owners to come on board.
“We can either sit back and do nothing and let the area continue to deteriorate or we can make a difference. Every small bit can help make that change. If we don’t do this now, what are we going to leave for the future generations to come? We want them to say that we took some accountability to keep our communities clean and for them to do the same.
“If one business comes on board every month, that is a great achievement. We are also grateful for the support we have received from people who stop and tell our team what a great job they are doing, and some even buy them something to drink. It is a good feeling to know we are making a difference,” he said.
If you would like to support the project, contact Alvin Krishna, the safety officer at Bradcor Electrical on 071 883 5585.
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