19 July 2024
Gugulethu volunteers cleaned up the township’s illegal rubbish dumps on Mandela Day. Photo: Sandiso Phaliso
Fed-up with rubbish strewn across their neighbourhood, Gugulethu residents rolled up their sleeves to clean illegal dumps on Thursday, Mandela Day.
Community leader Sithembele Ntaba said people decided to clean up because they want to change the image of the township.
The clean-up campaign followed pleas to the City of Cape Town to assist the community with cleaning up.
After the clean-up volunteers went door-to-door educating residents about illegal dumping and its consequences. They have vowed to police the area and hold dumpers accountable.
GroundUp attended the clean-up campaign. The dump sites were filthy and smelly.
Residents living close to the dumps complained that they cannot open their windows due to the stench. The mounds of rubbish are infested with flies and residents said their children are unable to play outside due to the filth on their doorsteps.
Volunteers participating in the clean-up said the companies hired by the City of Cape Town were not doing enough, which is why community members decided to take matters into their own hands.
Some said the companies contracted by the City of Cape Town stopped cleaning several months ago because syndicates were extorting money from them.
The City of Cape Town took part in the initiative and provided the residents with refuse bags.
Mayco member for Urban Waste Management Grant Twigg assisted with the cleanup. He said he appreciated the community initiative.
Twigg said illegal dumping was a problem not only in Gugulethu, but across Cape Town.
Ncumisa Sopangisa, principal of Intshinga Primary School in Gugulethu, said she was grateful the clean-up campaign had cleared a dumping site close to her school. Some of the school’s learners took part in the cleanup.
“The illegal dumping site next to the school was an eyesore and a bad example for the children. The waste is a threat to their health. We will take it upon ourselves to educate the children that illegal dumping is a problem and should be stopped,” said Sopangisa.
Resident Masithembe Mkosi said dumping had been ongoing for years. “Now that the area has been cleaned we are grateful. We will look after it and prevent illegal dumping.”