Residents from Gugulethu rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty during the Khuseleka cleaning campaign hosted by Lokshin Pioneers in partnership with the City on Friday, 29 May. Community members came out in large numbers to clean the canal near NY5. The campaign was attended by the City’s Mayco member for water and sanitation, Zahid Badroodien.
Founder of Lokshin Pioneers, Sithembele Ntaba, described the campaign as part of educating the community about the importance of preserving nature. He identified the canal as one of the illegal dumping hotspots in Gugulethu.
Illegal dumping identified as major cause of flooding and pollution
“People tend to dump rubbish illegally in the canal, which causes flooding when it rains. Even the stormwater drains become blocked because people dump foreign objects in them. This is one of the many projects that Lokshin Pioneers has conducted together with the City’s Water and Sanitation Department,” said Ntaba.
He added that they also installed a “No Littering” sign to warn community members.
“We are saying no to illegal dumping. We have also placed bins for people to dispose of their rubbish properly. We are appealing to the community to heed the call to keep Gugulethu safe and clean,” said Ntaba.
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Badroodien said the canal runs from near Cape Town International Airport to Zeekoevlei. He described the canal as one of the hotspots for illegal dumping.
Efforts continue to protect Zeekoevlei from waste pollution
“One of the problems here is solid waste. Bakkies and trucks come here to dump rubbish, which then travels through the canal all the way to Zeekoevlei. The mess causes pollution. But what I like is that today the community is taking back its space, so children do not have to play around sewage and be exposed to dirt,” said Badroodien.
He added that the City is working with 22 organisations from different areas across the metro. He said he was encouraged to see people willing to stand up for their community and urged residents to take ownership of their neighbourhoods.
Residents urged to take responsibility for keeping Gugulethu clean
Resident Pam Ngqumshe described the event as a great initiative. She urged the community to support the campaign by ensuring that Gugulethu remains clean.
“Sometimes it is not that the City is failing to clean or take care of our communities. It is us, the community, who do not want to take responsibility for looking after our area. Let us stop waiting for the government to do everything for us. We need to stand up and take care of our communities,” she said.
