Pretoria - A clean-up campaign is on the cards for an illegal dumping site that is just 800m from a homeless centre in Akasia, giving off a stink and making the place unhealthy.
The residents of Life-Changing Projects Homeless Shelter in Akasia, Pretoria North will put on their gloves and clean the dumping site on Mandela Day.
Shelter manager Tebogo Mpufane said the illegal dumping site mushroomed near 18 Iris Street, 3rd Avenue, Heatherdale AH, Akasia, a couple of years ago, first as a small patch and later a dumping site.
“In the midst of all these illnesses and the Covid-19 pandemic, when the wind blows towards the centre, which is a couple of metres away, one can smell the rot, especially in summer, and it is full of mosquitoes. Excluding the obvious reasons of children roaming around there, it makes the environment dirty and the area very untidy. To add to this, the dumping is near the Tshwane University of Technology residences.”
Mpufane said that as the world reflected on Nelson Mandela’s legacy, they gave thanks for his life, his leadership and his devotion to humanity and to humanitarian causes.
“We will celebrate this day (July 18) by cleaning up a local illegal dumping site in our community.”
The clean-up will be their first International Nelson Mandela Day 67 Minutes of community service project.
Mpufane said that to make the clean-up a success, they needed resources that individuals or organisations could donate. He asked for disposable garbage bags, disposable masks, gloves, rakes, shovels, and non-alcoholic refreshments.
Mpufane said: “Your company or organisation’s branded T-shirts or caps can be donated for our volunteers.We will be joined by SA National Civic Organisation ward 98 and City of Tshwane municipality workers under councillor Sipho Mtakati.”
Donations can be sent to the home, or contact made via [email protected], by either calling or sending a WhatsApp to Tebogo Sehlwane at 082 364 4215 or Tebogo Mpufane at 065 275 0681.
Pretoria News