The normally quiet town of Louis Trichardt was bustling with activity on Saturday morning, 18 April. Hundreds of residents took to the streets, not to protest loudly against a lack of service delivery, but to clean overgrown sidewalks, paint road signs and fix potholes.
The action was supported by the local business sector, schools and service organisations. Residents arrived from across the area, even if only to help prune low-hanging trees in the town’s central business district. Local businesses provided machinery, staff and whatever was needed to fill potholes, repair road signs or support volunteers with water and snacks.
The initiative was organised by members of the local business community, who said the condition of parts of the town had deteriorated to the point where intervention could no longer be delayed.
“We are always complaining about the state of the town, but we are not doing anything about it,” said Renier Fourie, one of the organisers. “We need to work together to get the town back in shape and be proud of it.”
He emphasised that the action is not political and not in opposition to the local municipality, whose responsibility it is to carry out such work. For that reason, the municipality was kept informed of the plans and agreed to be present.
Mehul Patel, another businessman who formed part of the organising team, said the initiative grew out of frustration among a small group of business owners. “This is our town, our responsibility,” he said. “About 11 of us sat down and said we can’t just watch things fall apart.”
He said they initially created a WhatsApp group to involve other businesses. “It quickly grew to about 520 people. From there it spread.”
Patel said Saturday’s clean-up was not a once-off event, but part of a broader initiative aimed at cleaning the town, fixing what is broken and encouraging co-operation among all stakeholders.
A local resident watching in his wheelchair while teams of volunteers
fix potholes in the street in front of his home. Photo: Anton van Zyl.
The initiative drew strong support from across the community, and those who could not contribute labour or equipment offered financial support. A trust account, managed by a local attorney’s office, was set up for this purpose.
Patel added that the organising committee will now meet to review the weekend’s activities. He said they plan to engage further with the Makhado Local Municipality on possible collaboration. “We will sit down again and see how the municipality can recognise this effort. We will take it forward from there.”
The town’s mayor, Cllr Dorcus Mboyi, also made a brief appearance, where municipal workers were working alongside private contractors to repair part of Munnik Street, one of the town’s main arteries. The municipality welcomed the initiative but did not outline a clear plan on how it would respond to or support similar efforts in future.
Mboyi said the day showed the importance of co-operation. “We must work together, [as] business, community and municipality, to improve our town,” she said. She added that discussions would follow between the municipality and organisers.
Some of the volunteers painting road signs on the street during
Saturday morning's campaign. Photo: Thembi Siaga.
Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba was also scheduled to visit the town on Saturday afternoon to show support for the initiative.
Residents from across the community welcomed the effort.
“We want people to take responsibility, and we want young people to understand why it matters,” said resident Morné Brandt. “It takes effort to maintain a town.”
A hawker, Sheron Nkanyani, said she was pleased to see the town being cleaned. “The town was dirty. We hope it stays clean from now on. Let’s be united and keep it clean,” she said.
Some participants viewed the day as an educational opportunity. “We want to teach our children why it is important not to throw papers out of the window. It takes hard work to keep the town clean,” said a local teacher, Carla Lottering.