On Saturday, an army of dedicated kyalami residents took a stand against the illegal dumping culture that is slowly dilapidating their neighborhood. Concerned about the health risks posed by this and everything else that comes with it, they cleaned up their neighborhood on satirday to fight back against illegal dumping. They do so every Saturday as they consider it just can’t carry on.
Illegal dumping has been a scourge in the City of Joburg for years now. Ranked as the 7th most polluted city in the world, Africa’s economic hub is no stranger to illegal dumping and foul smells. Fed up with the ‘rubbish’, local Kyalami residents decided “enough was enough” and they began a series of cleanup campaigns around their neighborhood to restore order and bring common sense back to their community in their fight for a greener environment.
Armed with determination and the goal of a clean and environmentally friendly community, local resident, Ksenia Kish and her army of volunteers have been rolling up their sleeves and cleaning up for months now and are reportedly seeing results. “There is right and wrong and illegal dumping is definitely wrong,” said Kish.
“It is well known that there is lots of rubbish on our streets, backyards and inner-city. This is a terrible problem in this country. People dump the rubbish right out of their car windows and rivers are polluted to the top and somehow it is becoming a norm which we can’t accept anymore,” continued Kish.
Worried by the health risks accompanied by illegal dumping, she decided to act. She created a cleanup team that gets down and dirty every weekend and the movement for a Cleaner Community has been growing steadily. When asked what keeps her team motivated, Kish mentioned that they adopted an international programme known as The Way to Happiness used internationally for community improvement and moral regeneration. “Apart from cleanups, we use this programme to rehabilitate morality and this program is effective when it comes to that. It has the ability to restore common sense”, added Kish.
“We decided to take responsibility because we are sick of this dumping and are worried for our kids. It is up to all of us to care for, safeguard and improve the environment,” Kish added.
According to Kish, ‘The Way to Happiness’ programme is a common sense guide to better living with 21 precepts, known and used the world over. It provides people with a sensible and practical guide to better and happier living. The 21 guiding principles, outlined by Mr. L. Ron Hubbard, contains the first nonreligious moral code, one attuned to a world desperately in need of a moral compass. This is a widespread foundation with offices in hundreds of countries across the world.
One of the widely popular precepts number 12, “Safeguard and improve your environment”, has been implemented by Kish and her group of volunteers at the Kyalami Corner to stellar results.
“More and more people are joining in and helping us pick up the garbage. We are cleaning up the taxi stops, getting rid of all the garbage, bottles, trash and more. Since the clean ups started happening, it is cleaner in this area but there is more work to be done,” concluded Kish.
She further affirmed that they have no intention of stopping and will continue doing something to improve the environment. The countless gratitude she garners from the community keeps her going in her continuous battle for a cleaner and healthier environment.
