Littering’s bad for us, environment

In Tsonga we say: “N’wana a hi wa un’we”, which means “It takes a village to raise a child”. Although normally the biological parents inculcate good manners in their children, sometimes it is strangers who show us the way. Over 17 years ago. I was representing my former school in Polokwane in a literary project. Waiting for it to start, I bought a banana and after eating it, threw the peel on the pavement. An old man holding his walking stick, in his late 70s or early 80s, 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?” Out of embarrassment I bent and fetched my dirt and walked to the nearest rubbish bin, with my tail between my legs. I am proud to say 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.

Because of that old man’s intervention, I find littering is a disgusting act.

I hate seeing people litter. It poses a danger to our welfare and nature at large. The only place rubbish belongs is in the dustbin. We can do better.

Malphia Honwane, Mpumalanaga