Residents of Mbekweni are increasingly aligning their forces as headway is being made in the war on waste, with efforts coming from different camps, such as the long established beautification project and the Keep Mbekweni Clean Facebook page, among others.
Whatever differences exist among these active locals may well have to be set aside so the community’s greatest goal, turning Mbekweni into Drakenstein’s third dedicated tourist destination alongside Paarl and Wellington, can be achieved.
Two weeks ago the community’s stalwarts in this battle, Siyabonga Stengana, Bulelani Ndzuzo and Mange Ndevu, sat down to discuss a harmonising approach. This comes after admitting to Paarl Post that a lot of micro-politics among local groups in the township have stunted much-needed progress.
The beautification projects in Mbekweni go back many years, and they were started by a group of local youth – Fikike Madolo, Lwanda Kanunu, Tsiliso Bokang Nkaphe, Wandile Khweleta, Luvo Ntshiba, Ndevu and Stengana.
“Unfortunately we have reached a point where many individuals are working in silos, some of whom want to claim the mission and recognition for themselves,” Ndevu pointed out. “This caused all the various efforts to curb illegal dumping and beautification to be far removed from one another and the main vision became diluted.”
Agreeing with this, Ndzuzo said it is because he too had distanced himself as creator of Keep Mbekweni Clean. Stengana, known as the environmental guru who had gained wide media attention, felt strongly in that he had been consistently active in rehabilitating and recreating clean spaces from the very beginning.
However, they all wait on Drakenstein Municipality’s increasing support for Mbekweni achieving equal footing as a tourist destination. At a meeting, however, they unanimously agreed the municipality had stepped up to the plate and became more involved.
This, after Executive Director of Community Services Gerald Esau previously confirmed that Drakenstein Solid Waste Management had been supporting these initiatives by providing tyres, paint, cleaning illegal dumping hotspots before they are beautified, providing and collecting refuge bags in addition to social media awareness and publicity.
“The municipality was due to deliver more tyres to Mbekweni in May,” Esau said. “We are in constant communication with Musa Mbobosi (a ward committee member of Ward 9), Mainj and Adoro on their needs to expand these projects.”
He also mentions the previous in-person meetings representatives from the Solid Waste Management division had with interested and affected parties pertaining to the Dube Street drop-off site in Mbekweni was on 8 February. “This site is in Ward 9. Zane Sias (from Solid Waste Management), Vernon Moses (the drop-off site building contractor), Lawrence de Wet (also a ward committee member of Ward 9), Mbobosi and Mr Alah met on site to discuss the location and construction of the new drop-off site to replace the previous drop-off site, which was burnt and vandalised to the point and where only a part of the concrete slab remained. Mr Mbobosi supported the construction of the additional drop-off facility.”
Despite their differences, the stakeholders from Mbekweni share one thing in common, a great love for their area. It is one so deeply motivated that it possibly has the potential to raise their community out of the poverty legacy created by apartheid.
This is how Ndevu expressed these concerns relating to the area to President Cyril Ramaphosa during his imbizo visit to the Drakenstein Valley on Friday 19 May.
Nonetheless, spirits remained high as discussions, which Paarl Post was privy to, drew to a close over the weekend. A newfound excitement was palpable in a reconstituted mission to uplift Mbekweni.
Since then the valley’s “middle child” slowly improves day by day, Esau also insists that all requests related to cleaning or illegal dumping removal be captured on the municipality’s customer-care system, using their SeeClickFix app. Drakenstein Municipality encourages community members to report illegal dumping via the SeeClickFix app, customercare@drakenstein.gov.za or phoning 080 131 3553 toll free.
“It would be helpful if they could take photos of the dumping location, with the date and time, registration number and description of the vehicle used for the dumping, as well as any details of the driver or person who was dumping illegally,” Esau concluded.
This war on waste is a battle that cannot be fought by individuals alone, but one that should be fought by an entire dedicated community.
