Mega-blitz to make Cosmo beautiful

COSMO CITY – Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo hit the ground running this festive season with planned mega blitz clean-ups around Johannesburg.

This illegal dumping sign has clearly been ignored.

Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo hit the ground running this festive season with planned mega blitz clean-ups around Johannesburg.

The first clean-up took place in Cosmo City on 13 December.

Dumped rubbish outside the wall of the park.

Johannesburg City Parks regional manager, Puleng Ditabe said, “What happened here today is what we call a ‘mega-blitz’… where we have identified areas in need of conservation efforts.

We have reached peak-season where we are at the top of the rainy season. People are on holiday and need to enjoy the park life.

“This area suffers from a lot of illegal dumping, and many materials that have been dumped are not safe for children. We are also planning to beautify the area by cutting grass and repairing safety fences.”

Approximately 60 City Parks employees, 40 environmental workers, community members and Pikitup employees participated in the mega-blitz to cut grass, prune trees, clear out illegal dumping, and pick up litter. Over 100 indigenous trees were planted in the area during the course of the day.

A Johannesburg City Parks truck brings in indigenous shrubs ready to be planted.

Environmental experts were there to educate the residents and also to give them advice.

Ditabe said, “The primary focus of this education initiative is that people need to learn how to co-habit with the environment.”

A digger waits at the corner of Eritrea and Guinea Streets in Cosmo City to clear dumped rubble in the park.

Areas focused on during the clean-up included:

• The Cosmo City Arboretum in Sierra Leone Drive. Grass was cut, trees pruned and illegally dumped material removed
• Guinea Street. This is one of the worst affected streets often used for illegal dumping. The street is also close to the beautiful Eritrea Park. Rubbish and litter were removed and the area was beautified
• Afghanistan Street. Grass was cut and trees pruned
• Slovenia Road. Wetland maintenance and vegetation control of reeds, litter and debris
• Repair and replacement of broken fences

A vandalised children’s play slide had to be repaired..

As part of its citywide A Re Sebetseng clean-up campaign Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo encouraged all citizens to do their part in keeping the city clean, green and liveable.