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Sir,

‘It takes a village to raise a child’. Although it is normally the duty of biological parents to painstakingly inculcate good manners in their children, sometimes it is strangers who come into our lives and show us the way.

On this note, let me share a story that happened to me over 17 years ago. I was representing my former school, Dayimani High, in Polokwane in a literary project and while waiting for the event to start, I bought a banana and after eating it, I threw the peel on the pavement, where I was standing.

An old man holding his walking stick, either in his late 70s or early 80s, very neat and nicely dressed in a black suit, white shirt and a hat, said to me in Pedi: “Look around you. Do you see any dirt? Do you see people littering? What kind of a man are you? Where are you from? Do your school teachers know that you are capable of doing this?”

Embarrassment

Out of embarrassment I bent and fetched my dirt and walked to the nearest rubbish bin, with my tail between my legs like a humbled dog. I never returned to that spot but I am proud to say today that the old man changed my life for the better despite us not knowing each other.

From that day, I never ever littered even when no one is watching; I don’t throw things out of the car window and even a mere shop slip or receipt is kept in my pockets or car until I meet the next dustbin.

Because of that old man’s intervention, I have since found that littering is not just inhuman but also a disgusting act. I hate seeing people litter because that’s not good for the environment and it is also an act of carelessness.

Let’s stop littering; it poses danger to our welfare and nature at large. The only place where rubbish belongs is in the dustbin. We can do better.

Malphia Honwane