Potchefstroom neighbourhood team hits the ground running in the first month

In the month since the AfriForum branch in Potchefstroom established a neighbourhood team, it has put its capabilities to good use to make a noticeable difference in the town. During this time, the Potchefstroom neighbourhood team carried out much-needed gardening and refuse removal services and even worked for a full week to ensure that two parks are accessible to residents again.

On the N12 from Johannesburg, the neighbourhood team removed weeds from the centre medians, mowed the grass and tidied up the gardens. They also cut the grass on the grounds of the Concentration Camp Cemetery and prepared the flower beds ahead of the AfriForum branch’s commemoration of Concentration Camp Day.

The team also collected litter and trimmed the sidewalks and traffic circles near the MooiRivier Mall. The two parks in Strydom Street in Baillie Park kept the neighbourhood team busy for more than a week; the team filled approximately 30 bags with refuse and garden waste, cut the grass in both parks, tended several flowerbeds and cleared the roadside gutters.

The neighbourhood team also launched a recycling project in collaboration with Deswalner Recycling. About 30 households have already signed up for the neighbourhood team to remove and sort through their refuse bags. This is part of a continued effort to improve Potchefstroom and reduce the burden on the town’s full and unsafe landfill site.

“Within the first month, the neighbourhood team has already made a visible difference in Potchefstroom. It is clear that this neighbourhood team is committed to preserving the environment and countering municipal decline,” says Alta Pretorius, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Mooi River.

“The establishment of this AfriForum neighbourhood team is the first step towards turning Potchefstroom back into a thriving town. The goal is to have five neighbourhood teams serving Potchefstroom in the future, and this can only be achieved if the community decides to take a stand against decline,” says Douglas Bourn, Chairperson of AfriForum’s Potchefstroom branch.

Get involved with Potchefstroom’s AfriForum branch and neighbourhood watch today to help keep your area safe. Contact Douglas Bourn on 083 232 1020 to deploy the neighbourhood team in your area, and Cornelia Blignaut on 073 390 4133 to join the neighbourhood watch.