Less litter, more pride: Our Ward Matters gets it done
A visible difference in Safarituine: Our Ward Matters continued its grass cutting, vegetation clearing and litter collection on Monday, 12 October.
Platinum Weekly newspaper | Rustenburg – A freshly cut verge, a cleared sidewalk and a bag of collected litter may seem like small things. Together, they are making a visible difference as Our Ward Matters (OWM) tackles overgrown spaces and neglected corners across local neighbourhoods.
Founded by Ward 15 councillor André van Dyk and led by him and councillor Tanya Rothman, the initiative continues its work in Wards 15, 16 and 17, encouraging residents to take pride in the places they call home.
6–8 October | Clearing the way in Safarituine
Under Van Dyk’s planning and supervision, the team cut grass behind the houses along Kwartel Crescent on Tuesday, 6 October, and continued clearing overgrown vegetation in Helen Joseph to improve visibility. Litter collection along Helen Joseph formed part of the day’s work.
On Wednesday and Thursday, 7–8 October, Rothman led the team through the open veld in Watervalrivier, towards Krokodilrivier and into Helen Joseph. Alongside cutting vegetation, team members painted STOP-sign poles, other road-sign poles and street-name sign poles to make them more visible and presentable. This completed the current round of work in the Rivers area.
12 October | A visible difference, one stretch at a time
Monday’s clean-up began at Helen Joseph Bridge and the corner of Arend Road, where the team tidied the road island and roadside and collected rubbish. A second team cut the large open veld from Bosduif Crescent in Arendskloof towards Moorhen. Other members worked on both sides of the road past the BP garage, cutting grass, clearing vegetation and cleaning sidewalks towards Kiepersol.
13 October | Taking pride in Azaleapark and Selly Park
On Tuesday, the team cut overgrown grass on the mountain side of Langeberg Avenue before moving down Drakensberg Avenue, clearing around Kougaberg and cleaning the road. They then attended to stormwater drains next to Selly Park Primary School and collected litter nearby.
The day ended at Adelaide Substation, where grass cutting and veld clearing next to Elohim and Corner Heights helped open up the area. Following several incidents of vandalism at the substation, the work aimed to improve visibility and reduce potential veld-fire risks.
HELP KEEP THE PROGRESS GROWING
Keeping these spaces neat takes ongoing work – and ongoing funding. Fuel, brush-cutter line and maintenance, equipment, refuse bags and cleaning materials all come at a cost. OWM is calling on more residents and businesses to contribute, rather than leaving the same supporters to carry the expenses each month. Every donation, big or small, helps the team continue its work, while residents can support that progress by keeping their surroundings clean.
WANT TO HELP?
Contact André (076 057 1669) or Ilse (083 393 0316) Banking details: Our Ward Matters | FNB | Acc: 63038972641 | Branch: 258055 | Ref: OWM Together, we clean. Together, we care. Together, Our Ward Matters.
