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On Saturday, Clean City South Africa introduced the Adopt a Street Volunteers Network program to residents of downtown Johannesburg.
- Hillbrow launched a program that encourages Johannesburg residents to clean their streets.
- The program rewards continued participation with grocery vouchers and airtime.
- Clean City South Africa CEO Dalu Cele hopes the program will expand to other areas of Johannesburg.
A newly launched initiative allows volunteers to earn money to keep Hillbrow’s streets clean.
On Saturday, Clean City South Africa introduced the Adopt a Street Volunteers Network program to residents of downtown Johannesburg.
“Adopt a Street Volunteers Network is a community initiative that unites Johannesburg residents in working towards a common goal of restoring the city center to its former glory,” said Dalu Cele, Executive Director of Clean City South Africa.
The 21 volunteers have adopted 400m of Hadfield Road, 300m of Catherine Avenue and the lower part of Pullinger Kop Park, from where they will remove their rubbish weekly.
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“A network of volunteers carries out weekly cleaning events for the streets and open spaces where they live, every Saturday morning from 9:00 to 11:00,” explained Cele.
One of the volunteers, Zakhele Maseko, 36, has lived in the area for four years.
He said the streets are often covered in trash and other grime, and that motivated him to join the program to improve conditions in his home.
“The streets are very dirty. If you stay there, you must respect the place. Today our street is very clean, I would like that others could see it, because then they would want to clean their own streets,” he said.
On Saturday, Clean City South Africa introduced the Adopt a Street Volunteers Network program to residents of downtown Johannesburg. The initiative allows volunteers to earn money to keep Hillbrow’s streets clean. Pictured are Happy Khumalo (Independent Director) of Clean City South Africa, Ayanda Tembe (Director) and CEO Dalu Cele
On Saturday, Clean City South Africa introduced the Adopt a Street Volunteers Network program to residents of downtown Johannesburg. The initiative allows volunteers to earn money to keep Hillbrow’s streets clean.
However, the project not only encourages residents to take ownership of their street conditions, but also offers some financial relief to cash-strapped locals.
“Others now want to get involved to have clean streets, but this program can also help them with food and airtime,” Maseko said.
Each completed shift will count toward a grocery or airtime coupon.
“Each volunteer earns 10 points after participating in each cleaning event on Saturday. After every 120 points earned by a volunteer, after participating in 12 events, they can redeem their points for a R300 Shoprite Checkers meal voucher, a voucher R300 data ticket or R300 airtime voucher from a service provider of your choice. “
The vouchers are funded by donations received by Clean City South Africa.
Each cleaning event is carried out with strict hygiene protocols and Covid-19 safety standards, Cele said.
No volunteer can participate without a mask, gloves, and a Covid-19 test, he added.
“The launch of the volunteer network paves the way for other streets and open spaces in downtown Johannesburg to be embraced by residents, with the goal of making the city center a clean and healthy place to live,” Cele said.
“It is encouraging to see the residents of downtown Johannesburg participate and own this initiative to reclaim the streets and open spaces of the city center, to free it of the garbage that is damaging the environment and the economy of the city”.
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