Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

29 August 2024

3-minute read

Just drive around Lenasia and you will notice the difference on a number of streets – yes they’re clean! This is due to a marvelous initiative by resident, Ahmed Abed, which has led to the formation of an organization called the Clean Up Crew.

Chairperson of the organization, Abed, explained that the idea was inspired by the Lenasia CPF Thursday night late-shift patrol group. Cognizant of the dumping and filth on the curbside, the group decided to become proactive and do something about the escalating problem of litter in Lenasia. Because there are no dump-yards close by, the Clean Up Crew’s plan was to ‘fill the gaps’ that PikiTup and JRA could not get to. Although this is actually the job of council, the various role-players were very happy with the initiative of the team as they themselves do not have the budget or the manpower to service the residents of Lenasia. PikiTup partnered with the team to collect and replace packets placed by them on a regular basis.

A few weeks ago, the Clean Up Crew placed their first skip bin at Concord Place and a couple of days ago, 3 skip bins were placed in Extension 13. The group purchases second-hand skip bins and brands them, allowing businesses to advertise on them in order to bring in revenue to purchase more bins. A further 6 bins will be placed at intersections across Lenasia, and Ahmed encourages businesses to advertise on them in order to sustain this initiative. There are currently 5 employees who have been hired, and the Clean Up Crew pays them directly from their own pockets. Their plan is to tackle the major areas first, where dumping is more prevalent, and then target the smaller roads. Abed says that seeing the streets clean is his biggest motivation, stating that ‘all we want is to clean our environment and make it safer for everybody’. He concluded that it gives him a sense of fulfillment and that doing community work is ‘just an amazing feeling’.

Clean Up Crew volunteer days will be held in September, October, November and December, where people from the various extensions in Lenasia can participate in cleaning up their own extension starting with posters that have been plastered all over, as well as the dumping and litter on curbsides. Look out for dates on social media so that you can join in and do your bit to clean up Lenasia.

Listen to the full interview on Sabahul Muslim.