A Cathedral in the heart of Joburg is helping to keep the inner city clean.
It is vital for us to keep our surroundings clean. This will ultimately result in positive outcomes for future generations and attract business and investment into the City of Joburg, says 44-year-old Dean Xolani Dlwati of St Mary’s Cathedral.
Saint Mary’s Cathedral, officially the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, is the cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Johannesburg, South Africa.
In 1887, the Reverend John Darragh was appointed rector of the first Saint Mary’s Church. A block of land was purchased near Plein, De Villiers and Wanderers Streets in Johannesburg where the Chapel of Saint John Chrysostom was built. The plans of the cathedral were commissioned from the firm of Sir Herbert Baker, and Frank Fleming was the architect in charge. In 1921 the Chapel of All Souls was completed and on 13 May 1926 the construction of the main body of the cathedral commenced. The cathedral was completed and was consecrated on the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels, 29 September 1929.
In the 1950s, St Mary’s was one of the few racially-integrated churches in downtown Johannesburg.
The cathedral is famous for its strong ties to the struggle against apartheid. In 1975 Desmond Tutu was appointed as the cathedral’s first black dean. The dean prior to Tutu was Gonville ffrench-Beytagh who was convicted under South Africa’s notorious anti-terrorism legislation, after his successful appeal against the conviction he immediately left South Africa to go into permanent exile. This left a vacancy which allowed Tutu to be appointed as the first black dean.
In late 2015 Xolani Dlwati was appointed as the current dean.
A passionate and dedicated leader in the community, Dean Dlwati believes that upholding the principles of reducing, recycling and re-using waste are crucial elements required to combat environmental issues that contribute to global warming.
In heeding Mayor Herman Mashaba’s call to action, Anglican members of St Mary’s Cathedral are playing an active role in the monthly A Re Sebetseng clean-up campaign in an effort to ensure that the City of Johannesburg is kept clean.
A Re Sebetseng is modelled on the Rwanda Umaganda, a cleaning initiative where all residents come together to clean the City on the third Saturday of each month. The largest component of the campaign is focused on cleaning the city to position it as a job-creating investment city that residents can be proud to call home.
Currently, members of the cathedral are targeting Plein, Wanderers and De Villiers streets, which cover the precinct where the church is situated in.
Dean Dlwati cites travelling as one of the key factors that have motivated him to ensure that he keeps his surroundings clean.
“Since the inception of the campaign, we have been inspired to keep our surroundings clean and manage waste correctly. We need to always be the pride of the City, a place that is free of dirt and grime.”
Over the past seven months, there has been a notable increase in services by Pikitup, which is yielding positive results throughout the inner city.
Education and awareness are key elements in creating long-term changes in attitudes about waste management necessary to achieve desired outcomes of sustainable patterns of production and consumption.
As part of the campaign, the St Mary’s Cathedral will embark on an education drive targeting reclaimers to teach them about the importance of cleaning their surroundings and to further ensure that the campaign is sustainable.
“In future, we hope to invite other Anglican churches with the hope of them implementing and expanding this initiative in their respective areas,” adds Dean Dlwati.
It has become imperative for the City of Johannesburg to introduce community initiatives aimed at keeping the city clean and to encourage residents to take personal ownership of efforts to create healthy living environments.
The Political Head for Region F, MMC Reuben Masango, says: “We hope that other stakeholders will emulate the Anglican Church in becoming environmental ambassadors committed to the eradication of grime in the inner city.”
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