Dunes-project launched
KNYNSA - This Workers' Day, members of the Sedgefield community came together for a clean-up on the dunes. The collective effort was spurred by the growing waste mounds tarnishing the beauty of the dunes, signaling an urgent need for action. Residents, fuelled by a shared sense of responsibility and pride for their environment, worked tirelessly to restore the dune's natural splendour.
Around 60 volunteers, adults and children - mostly from Smutsville - roved the steep dune face collecting dumped waste in black bags and sorting items for recycling. Over 90 bags, and two large skips were filled up in just two hours. Thanks to assistance from The Asivikelane Initiative, the proactiveness of the Knysna Municipality Waste Department, and the efforts of Sedgefield’s councillors, all the waste collected was removed from the site before noon.
Vuyisile Pauli, chairperson of the Smutsville Informal Settlement Forum, shares, “This was a great moment of seeing ‘One Sedgefield’ with residents and leaders from throughout the area coming together and going the extra mile to support the community. The purpose of the day was not just about the cleaning of waste, it was also about education and building community."
The clean-up was the first collaborative event in the three-year Dunes and People Project. This powerful partnership between the Smutsville Informal Settlement Forum (SISF), Nelson Mandela University Sustainability Research Unit (SRU) and the Knysna Municipality (KM) is funded by the Table Mountain Fund's Care Programme
- in association with the WWF. The project stems from the need to research systemic approaches to improve and sustain the wellbeing of coastal dunes and the surrounding communities.
Its success depends on the capacity of the broader community to share their knowledge and learn together how to create a healthier, safer and brighter future. Ultimately, the well-being of the Sedgefield community as a whole relies on empowering every individual to lead a life of dignity and opportunity, while safeguarding the earth’s life-supporting systems.
This event shows what happens when people pull together, say organisers.