RESIDENTS used to dump dead animals and other rubbish in the open space.
But residents became gatvol and decided to clean the open space behind Chiawelo Clinic, Soweto.
Clean-up co-ordinator Terry Mamphwe said: “It’s time for the community of Chiawelo to become responsible citizens and maintain a sustainable, clean environment.
“I’ve taken the initiative to form a non-profit company Chiawelo Vision 2030 with the aim of adopting and cleaning open spaces that are being used as dumping areas in our kasi.”
Terry said they wanted to turn the kasi into a tourist attraction.
“We plan to clean all open spaces and turn them into small business parks,” he said.
Terry said they started cleaning at the beginning of May.
“We started by cleaning the open space adjacent to Chiawelo Health Clinic,” he said.
Terry said the area was terribly dirty and was home to dead animals, rodents and an unbearable amount of waste.
“Maintaining a clean environment is a human responsibility,” he said.
“It is the collective responsibility of every human to clean the environment and protect the planet from further environmental degradation.
“We believe creating small businesses will eliminate hunger, improve the environment and promote a healthy lifestyle for the community.”
Terry said they wanted the City of Joburg, City Parks and Pikitup to join them in their initiative to use empty spaces to benefit the community.