On 30 July 2020 youth from the Lechabile Letsatsi (LL), a Non-Profit Organisation based in Vanderbijlpark, the Vaal was out cleaning their neighbourhood streets and dumping sites.
One such dumping site was situated at the gate of New Bophelong Secondary School, which is also known as Dr. Molifi Olifant Secondary School. Before the campaign, the community had made pleas to the Emfuleni Local Municipality (EML) to remove the rubbish but the community felt like they were talking to a wall as there was no response.
This lack of service led to LL youth to act and cleaned Ext. 9, Muvhango and Bophelong roads, turning the dumping site into a recreational park.
One of the school kids who formed part of the campaign said, “We volunteered as youth to clean because we want to keep our environment clean, people were throwing garbage next to our school and that is unhealthy for our school.”
The pupil who preferred to remain anonymous continued, “Together we can fight this”, referring to pollution, “and we can keep our environment clean and safe. People are getting robbed in that passage when they come back from work, and youth smoke weed and drugs in that place. If we clean up that space and turn it into something that we can use it, our parents will be safe.” she concluded.
This article was submitted on 30 July 2020. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
