Cape Town - In keeping with celebrations on Mandela Day, the New Horizons Neighbourhood Watch hosted a Mass Community Clean-Up Operation for their 67 minutes’ tribute on Monday.
Joining the team in its efforts was Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith, and Grassy Park SAPS represented by Captain Wynita Kleinsmith and Sergeant Adam Adams.
Grassy Park CPF member Saadiqah Manie said the aim of the project was to get everyone involved in keeping their community and surrounding environment clean.
"Neighbourhood watches, organizations, and residents of New Horizon Pelican Park were invited to donate 67 minutes of their time for the initiative. For us to be proudly South African and initiate the transferring of values that our former president Nelson Mandela instilled is to firstly take pride in ourselves and in this instance protecting our environment.
"New Horizon Pelican Park has constant issues of illegal dumping on open fields taking place in the early hours of the morning and evening. On the 21st March 2022, New Horizon Neighbourhood Watch launched their illegal dumping pamphleteering campaign to promote educational awareness on the erosion of our environment caused by dumping. Operation clean ups are imperative and ongoing," said Manie.
Manie urged residents to do something about illegal dumping if they became aware of it.
"Being proactive does not just mean requesting community organisations to log illegal dumping. It takes us as residents of the community to take a step further by participating in clean-up operations. The City of Cape Town has made things so much easier by having the MyCapeTown app that allows you to log any service request or emergency. You also get the C3 system which are all available by means of using your cellphone. We need to empower ourselves to tackle these issues.
"Illegal dumping and dirt associates closely to criminal activity. Where an open field containing dumping is you find copper being burnt there; you find makeshift structures built from the materials dumped there. From one by-law broken it evolves into more criminal activity. Our awareness is simple, stop dumping, take pride in your community and be proud of where you come from," said Manie.
Cape Times