Restoring Komani to its former glory
Mphela fighting to keep streets clean, safe
Simon Mphela, is one of the few people working and fighting for Komani to return to its clean and attractive state.
Mphela grew up on the streets of Newtown and he attended Louis Rex Primary School before he moved to Gauteng for high school.
“We are three siblings, I am the youngest as I have a brother and sister as well.”
The Komani born and bred hero added that: “Growing up in Komani was great.
“We used to enjoy playing outside activities such as football on the street and socialising with other children.”
In 2012, he registered at the University of Fort Hare, where he was accepted in bachelor of commerce (general).
“I fell out of love with the course and decided to start working in the following year,” he said.
“It didn’t work for me to be stranded in mainstream education.
“I then made a move to Komani and went into retail,” Mphela said.
Mphela is one of the founders of Clean Queenstown, alongside Simamkele Vanqa.
Mphela and Vanqa are childhood friends, who noticed the state of the town and took a step towards cleaning Komani with the aim of restoring it to its former glory as a clean town that attracts tourists.
“There used to be a dumping area in Business Street and as we were walking, we got mugged by people who came from the garbage.
“After that we thought we should do something to assist the municipality to clean our town,” Mphela said.
Talking about his love for Clean Queenstown, he said: “What I love about Clean Queenstown is that it gives you growth towards unlimited potential that can uplift Komani.”
His vision for Komani is to see it migrating to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
“I would like to see Komani fully adapted to 4IR, that’s my vision for Komani.
“That means to see parks that have free Wi-Fi and gym equipment that works with solar panels.
“But that could only happen through the loyalty and unity of communities in and around Komani,” he said.
Mphela added that people should make it a habit to keep their surroundings clean.
“Picking up a paper to throw it in the bin and when you drink something from the taxi, you don’t have to throw it out, you put it in your bag or purse to dump it in the bin when you get home or see one outside,” Mphela explained.
Mphela is not only focusing on Clean Queenstown, as he is also doing fencing, carpentry, welding and crop sheering.
He urges anyone who can assist them with anything to make their work easier to contact them via their Clean Queenstown Facebook page.
He said their doors were also open for those who also wish to join them in their heroic journey of creating a memorable and captivating Komani.