A few independent taxi drivers, who transport children to and from school, have been keeping the park at the Selcourt water tower clean.
“We are not responsible for the litter strewn all over the place,” says Mshebana Mshebana (53).
This comes after a few complaints about the state of the park was received by the Addie.
A few men and women were seen waiting patiently for the time to pass until they have to fetch the children from surrounding schools at 1pm, on Thursday.
Mshebana says when they drop the children off at school in the morning, they park their vehicles and sometimes find the park already full of litter.
The group is adamant it is not them littering but rather the homeless people living in the park.
“We’ve had encounters with a few homeless people who used to stay in the park but there is only one man left and we’ve asked him to keep the park clean,” says Mshebana.
According to retired transporter Ratsie Pooe (76), they have an honest job to earn a living.
“We arrive at the park and yes we do eat breakfast and lunch but that doesn’t mean we don’t keep the area clean,” he says.
He claims they try to clean the area where they park their vehicles.
“What I find amusing is the residents complaining about us making a mess but we are not here over the weekend, and yet, when we arrive on a Monday morning, the area is strewn with litter.
“So we wonder who left the park in the state we find it on a Monday,” he says.
Pooe went on to say there are businesses around the park and people enjoy their lunch at the park on a daily basis.
“We have witnessed the mess they leave behind after they return to their workplace,” he says.
Another transporter, Lucas Jiyana (6), says transporting children is a huge responsibility.
“If we litter, then what example will we set for the children we transport?” he asks.
The transporters noticed there are no dustbins anywhere in the park.
“If the metro installs dustbins maybe the people will learn not to litter but rather make use of the dustbins,” says Jiyana.
