A community clean-up campaign in Soshanguve has renewed calls for residents to take greater responsibility for protecting their environment, with organisers, City of Tshwane officials and student leaders saying cleaner neighbourhoods contribute to healthier communities, safer public spaces and improved opportunities for young people.
The campaign, led by ActionSA in partnership with the City of Tshwane, Soulbent Project NPO, ASEZ and community volunteers, focused on clearing illegal dumping sites around tertiary institutions and public spaces. The initiative forms part of broader environmental awareness efforts previously conducted in communities including Centurion and Groenkloof.
ActionSA Regional Chairperson Mr Derrick Mahlangu said the campaign aimed to encourage residents to take ownership of their surroundings and understand the consequences of illegal dumping.
“We want to send a clear message that littering is harmful because it creates an unhealthy environment,” Mr Mahlangu said.
He said the presence of illegal dumping sites near educational institutions was particularly concerning because students were forced to study in unhealthy surroundings created by pollution.
“Our message is simple: keep your environment clean and love yourself,” Mr Mahlangu said, adding that the campaign also sought to educate communities about environmental responsibility and climate awareness.
City of Tshwane MMC for Community Safety, Alderman Hannes Coetzee, said the initiative extended beyond removing waste and included by-law enforcement to ensure food vendors operating around learning institutions complied with municipal health and safety regulations.
“We believe that a clean environment is a safe environment,” Alderman Coetzee said.
He explained that City officials worked alongside leadership from the Tshwane University of Technology, the University of Pretoria and other stakeholders to improve conditions around student precincts before the new academic term.
Alderman Coetzee said clean and well-managed communities are more attractive to investors and tourists, creating opportunities for economic growth and employment. He added that the City hopes to replicate successful development initiatives in communities such as Soshanguve, Atteridgeville, Hammanskraal and Mamelodi through its ongoing inner-city rejuvenation programme.
Representing students, ActionSA TUT Campuses Chairperson Mr Kamogelo Kgopa said illegal dumping posed health risks, particularly because many street vendors prepared and sold food near affected areas.
“Students deserve to study in a clean and healthy environment,” Mr Kgopa said.
He said the campaign encouraged young people to become active participants in improving their communities instead of waiting for others to address local challenges.
ActionSA Gauteng Provincial Chairperson Mr Tisetso Matlala said the organisation remained committed to ensuring students had access to safe and clean learning environments.
“We want to ensure that students are able to study in a safe, clean and healthy environment,” Mr Matlala said.
City of Tshwane MMC Kgaugelo Mohlala called on residents to work with the municipality to preserve public spaces after the clean-up operations had been completed.
“Keeping our communities clean must begin with us as residents,” MMC Mohlala said.
MMC Mohlala urged community members to ensure that areas cleared during the campaign did not become illegal dumping sites again, adding that the City would continue rolling out similar clean-up initiatives in other communities.
The campaign formed part of ongoing efforts by community organisations, volunteers and municipal stakeholders to promote environmental awareness, discourage illegal dumping and encourage residents to take shared responsibility for maintaining cleaner neighbourhoods in Soshanguve
