A group of youngsters from Bishop Lavis are rolling up their sleeves and tackling dump sites in their community with the hopes of creating a healthier environment.
Last week the group from the Mayoral Life Counts Youth Programme took to Olyfberg Road where they removed rubbish from a notorious dumping spot known for crime, including murder and rape.
The 30 youngsters were seen filling hundreds of bags of dirt.
Facilitator Melanie Payne says the group, which is supported by Mayor Dan Plato, has been running for two years now and aims to uplift youngsters in the gang-ridden community.
“It is a mentorship programme run in Bishop Lavis and, along with my NGO called Dare to Stand Out, we provide mentorship and leadership training for youngsters with the aim of uplifting them to help uplift the community,” Payne says.
“The hill in Olyfberg [Road] is notorious for the large amount of waste that is dumped there.
“The area is unhealthy and unsafe and in the past bodies have been found there.
“We got some donations from the councillor for equipment and Blue Ribbon came along and sponsored soup and bread to help feed the teams on Thursday.”
She says as the eager youngsters, along with the Walking Bus and Women for Change, started cleaning they were shocked to see residents continue dumping.
“While they were busy it was so disheartening to see people still arriving to dump.
“The group did not let this deter them and continued cleaning the area for several hours.”
Participant Dulin George, 20, says: “Are we really going to let this mess, mess us up? No, we are starting to make a change to make our community safer and cleaner, that is our message.”