Cape Town - International WeLoveU Foundation hosted a large clean-up at Democracy Park in Joe Slovo on Sunday as part of the charity’s Clean World Movement, ahead of World Environment Day on June 5.
The foundation’s Cape Town branch assistant manager Lutho Mayeko said Joe Slovo had long struggled to end its illegal dumping problem. The International WeLoveU Foundation hoped to assist the community with this clean-up while raising awareness of World Environment Day on June 5.
He said the Clean World Movement was an advanced environmental initiative that aimed to provide a clean and safe environment.
Mayeko said “World” was an acronym for Water, Oxygen, Region, Life, and Descendants – all the components of the environment.
Joe Slovo councillor Anthony Benadie said illegal dumping was a major problem in the area and it was worsening.
“This is driven largely by the continued densification of the community. We need a serious mind shift, not only in the behaviour of the community but also how we as a City respond to this reality,” Benadie said.
Participant and member of the foundation’s Cape Town branch Fezeka Dyushu said there was a lot of work that needed to be done in Joe Slovo. However, she believed that through this campaign they would create environmental awareness in the Joe Slovo community.
As an international NGO associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN DGC), the foundation helped achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by using its partnerships with governments, municipalities, and institutions to ensure the sustainable well-being of the world.
“Our foundation is based on taking care of the environment with a mother’s heart. So today, with a mother’s heart, we would like to clean around here and make the environment better for the community that resides in it,” another participant Viwe Momoti said.
At the clean-up, Urban Waste Management Mayco member Grant Twigg said: “We appreciate this kind of initiative where organisations and individuals come together and clean up.
“We always say it’s not only the responsibility of the municipality to clean up but it is the responsibility of every single person in Cape Town.
“We are encouraging other organisations and communities to follow suit. It’s our priority to make sure we clean up Cape Town.”