NIEU-BETHESDA NEWS — Sadly, like most urban areas in South Africa, Nieu-Bethesda is also falling victim to the terrible scourge of litter that infiltrates so many of our towns.
Illegal dumping in the Gats Riverbed and also on the passes that lead into the valley is then spread by the elements and animals, resulting in litter being spread through the valley.
The system of sloots that carry life-giving water through the village also acts as a conduit to carry trash through to the lands where animals graze.
Under the guidance of Nelly Oliphant, area coordinator of the Dr Beyers Naudé Municipality, the waste removal team has embarked on a cleanup of the village in an attempt to remove the litter in the Gats River and Pienaarsig.
They have removed large sacks of detritus and for now, it is starting to look clean again.
Oliphant says, "All honour should go to my dedicated team as we often forget to thank or show appreciation to the workers on the ground level as they are making sure that the town and Pienaarsig are clean."
The cleanup team says that the dumping is extremely disconcerting.
Visibly upset they speak of a sign was put up on the outskirts of the village where many people dumped glass and household waste, and they say this was simply ripped down a few days later. Dumping is undertaken using vehicles, and it is easy to identify who these people are.
According to Oliphant the current fine for illegal dumping is R350. She encourages residents to report people engaged in this activity to Ivan Japhta at 049 807 5700 during office hours, or herself on 079 440 2429 after hours.
Nieu-Bethesda has always been known as a pristine village that, due to its isolated nature, has not been affected by pollution and litter.
Residents are encouraged to try and maintain this by not littering and dumping, but also by speaking to their children about simply discarding chip packets, sweet wrappers and the like once they have made use of them.
The village can be grateful that the clean-up team is dedicated to removing the litter in the town, but the sad thing is, that human beings feel that it is acceptable to simply toss their trash to one side in the first place.
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