‘Restore Joburg to former glory’

INITIATIVE: RESIDENTS URGED TO CLEAN UP HILLBROW

Anewly launched initiative enables volunteers to earn money for keeping the streets of Hillbrow clean. On Saturday, Clean City South Africa introduced the Adopt a Street Volunteers Network programme to residents of the Johannesburg inner city.

“The Adopt a Street Volunteers Network is a community-based initiative that unites the residents of Johannesburg in working towards a common goal of restoring the inner city to its former glory,” said Dalu Cele, CEO of Clean City South Africa.

The 21 volunteers have adopted 400m of Hadfield Road, 300m of Catherine Avenue and the lower part of Pullinger Kop Park, from which they will remove litter on a weekly basis.

“A network of volunteers conducts weekly cleaning-up events of the streets and open spaces where they live, every Saturday morning from 9:00 to 11:00,” explained Cele.

One of the volunteers, Zakhele Maseko, 36, has been living in the area for four years. He said the streets are often covered in litter, and this motivated him to join the programme.“The streets are very dirty,” he said.

“Today our street is very clean – I wish others could see it, because then they would want to clean their own streets.”

However, the project not only encourages residents to take ownership of the conditions of their streets, it also offers some financial relief to cash-strapped locals. “Each volunteer earns 10 points after participating at each

Saturday cleaning-up event. After every 120 points earned by a volunteer, they can redeem their points for either a R300 Shoprite Checkers food voucher, R300 data voucher or R300 airtime voucher,” said Maseko.

The vouchers are funded through donations received by Clean City SA.

Each clean-up event is carried out with strict Covid-19 hygiene protocols and safety standards, said Cele. No volunteer is allowed to participate without a mask, gloves and a Covid-19 screening, he added.

“The volunteer network launch paves the way for other streets and open spaces of the inner city to be adopted by residents, with a goal to make the inner city a clean and healthy place to dwell in,” said Cele. – News24 Wire

Picture: Nigel Sibanda Residents at Nathaniel Julies’ funeral at Mount Carmel church in Eldorado Park on Saturday. The teenager, also known as Lokkie who was shot dead allegedly by the police, was buried at Klipspruit West Cemetery.