By Nontokozo Gemani
- Tebogo Motlana and his volunteers bought their own tools and received no sponsorship for years before the city got involved.
- More than 50 young Tsakane residents have signed up for the next community clean-up on 10 June 2026.
In most places, a welcome sign tells visitors they have arrived somewhere special. But in Tsakane, the “Welcome to Tsakane” sign in Extension 1 told a different story.
For months, the area was a littering spot for passing cars and people walking by, filled with empty cans, plastic cool drink bottles, takeaway containers and crumpled papers. Some of the rubbish was blown in from nearby illegal dumping sites.
That is what pushed Tebogo Motlana, organiser of the Tsakane Clean and Green initiative, to act.
In March, he led the campaign’s first clean-up of 2026 alongside volunteers Jerry Mongwe and Thulani Ngcongwane. The three brought their own gloves, refuse bags and rakes. A stranger passing by stopped and helped for 30 minutes, then kept walking.
“While we were cleaning, a man passing by came and assisted us for about 30 minutes and that helped us a lot,” Motlana said.
The group used their own equipment because that is how it has always worked. Since Motlana started the initiative in 2009, volunteers have bought their own tools and received no sponsorship.
That changed after the March clean-up. Motlana approached the Ekurhuleni Environmental Health Office, recognising that waste management and community health education fall within the municipality’s mandate. It helped that he knew someone there, a former University of Johannesburg student who had been one year ahead of him.
The office now provides equipment, removes waste after clean-ups and helps identify the areas most affected by dumping.
Motlana, a qualified Environmental Health Practitioner, first took on illegal dumping in 2009 when he helped clear an open space near the Dutch Reformed Church at the corner of Hlakwana and Qwathi Streets. Since then he has kept pushing residents to take pride in their surroundings.
The campaign has grown. More than 50 young men and women have now signed up, with the next clean-up set for 10 June. The team works with schools, churches and community groups, teaching residents about proper waste disposal.
“We want people to take care of their environment and help make Tsakane clean, safe, and healthy for everyone,” Motlana said.
Pictured above: Volunteers from the Tsakane Clean and Green initiative clear overgrown grass and litter near the Tsakane welcome sign in Extension 1.
Image source: Supplied
