Partnership with VPUU
National Government's Social Employment Fund
Pristine Earth Collective is proud to be partnering with VPUU to manage a project cleaning and improving the parks and public spaces in Gugulethu, Mannenberg, and Nyanga. This project forms part of the national government’s Social Employment Fund (SEF) to stimulate employment, secured by VPUU.
The project employs 54 people to clean the environment in these communities to provide clean, safe public parks and communal areas, including cleaning in canals. We also aim to improve public spaces to prevent further illegal dumping.
Special thanks to Plastics South Africa and their partners for generously supplying thousands of bags to capture the waste collected by the teams.
How it Works
Cleaning up in Gugulethu, Mannenberg and Nyanga
The recruitement process entailed thorough community engagement (through soup kitchens and CAN's) in each area, to ensure trusted personnel were contracted to work in their own community.
The project started in Gugulethu and Tambo Village (Mannenberg) in August and the Nyanga teams started work in September 2022. Together there are 5 teams of 7 people. employed by VPUU and paid by the SEF grant. PEC has been involved in determining where work is needed in these areas and in the ongoing management of the project.
The Gugulethu and Mannenberg teams are focussing on cleaning up litter in canals, thereby preventing it from being washed into the ocean. The Nyanga team is focussed on cleaning parks and communial spaces to create a safe and pleasant community to live in.
Making a massive difference to the volume of waste in the communities
The stats on this project are staggering, and not only a reflection of the work ethic of the teams, but also of the amount of waste in the environment in these areas. Illegal dumping is a significant problem. All 5 teams clean an average of over 658 bags of waste a week, working only 2 days per week.
We would like to prevent further dumping in the areas being cleaned by beautifying the spaces, erecting barriers, and making the spaces functional for the community. However, we need the sponsorship of plants, tables and benches, paint, and any other hardware which may achieve this goal. please get in touch if you can help!
