The Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Herman Mashaba, brought traffic to a halt in the long and narrow Ingonyama Street in Diepsloot on Saturday morning as he repainted some of the road markings.
Mashaba was flanked by the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Community Development Nonhlanhla Sifumba, Public Safety MMC Michael Sun, Environment and Infrastructure Services MMC Nico de Jager, Citizen Relationship and Urban Management departmental head Vicky Shuping and Public Safety's acting head David Tembe as well as Regional Director Abigail Ndlovu and scores of City officials.
.jpg)
Ahead of the Mayor’s arrival, several residents engaged in an hour-long aerobics class at the well-laid-out Diepsloot Park, warming up for the monthly A Re Sebetseng clean-up operation aimed at getting the City litter and grime free.
Before marshalling his troops to assault any dirt in their way, Mashaba thanked parents who had brought their children to take part in the clean-up.
“I’m happy to see that residents of Diepsloot have brought their young ones along to teach them about the culture of cleanliness and service to fellow mankind.
“A Re Sebetseng teaches us not to depend on the government but to become self-reliant and realise that the power is in our hands,” said Mashaba before heading out to the local spruit to gather more litter.
Out in the south of Johannesburg, the Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng swapped his judicial gown for a cowboy's hat and workman boots as he joined Health and Social Development MMC Mpho Phalatse in Eldorado Park for A Re Sebetseng.
Residents in all of the City's seven regions came out in their numbers to sweep their streets, pick up litter, remove illegal adverts, paint over unsightly graffiti and fill up hundreds of Pikitup plastic bags with rubbish.
Back in Diepsloot, the City’s Libraries Unit took a group of little ones from a local early childhood learning centre through their paces with storytelling and colouring, as their parents bent over to pick up litter.
