BY:MASHUDU MAGADU
More than 90 members of church environmental group, Save the Earth from A to Z, recently cleaned up a training centre in Sunnyside. The students took advantage of their holiday to clean up a 1km section around the training centre.
Volunteers divided household waste items, such as disposable plastic cups and straws, food packaging plastic and discarded toilet paper and placed them into garbage bags. The metro supported the group’s activities by providing garbage bags and cleaning equipment.
Group spokesperson Trevor Malgas said the university students volunteered because they believe in implementing sustainable development goals to mitigate climate change. According to Malgas, the goal was also to make visits by residents in the area to the training canter more pleasant.
“It is expected to contribute to crime prevention by improving the urban environment. Citizens who happened to visit during the clean-up responded with bright smiles and welcomed the young people who are beautifying society,” said Malgas.
“The international goals established in the areas of humanity, earth, economy and society are also consistent with our group’s activities, such as crime prevention and climate change response,” he added.
The group signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tshwane metro in August of last year for the implementation of the climate change goals and agreed to develop and implement various types of volunteer programmes and to cooperate activity plans.
Team leader of the University of Pretoria group of volunteers, Samantha De la Rey, said she is grateful for everyone helping out.
“It’s so nice to see a group of individuals who are God-fearing and want to help the community. I am so grateful for the group and the good work they do. We need more people like these groups,” said De la Rey.
Esisisipho Dlulane of the University of Pretoria said joining in the group’s activities was important to him.
“I see a lot of youth are falling victim to drugs and alcohol. So this is a way for us to make sure this area is clean so they can look towards sport instead of things that are not good,” emphasized Dlulane.
To Anna Mahlangu from Soshanguve, the work with the group has been an enriching experience. She said she had a real inkling of how the climate in Tshwane was changing when her fruit trees in Soshanguve started to flower and bear fruit outside of their normal season.
“Joining the group made me more aware of these changes and I can understand my role better in mitigating the circumstances that can lead to global warming,” said Mahlangu.
