When residents saw how much trash was left behind on the South Coast following New Year’s celebrations, hearts sank. But, in almost the blink of an eye, all traces of partying were gone. No magic act, this was the work of Tidy Towns!
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (05 January 2024) — A lot of amazing people have put in the work to clean up the extraordinary mess left behind by New Year’s celebrations, and we can’t thank them enough for the thankless task.
Going above and beyond to make sure that beaches and public spaces are restored to the beauty that attracts so many visitors in the first place is not an easy task. Very few people wake up on 1 January with a deep desire to clean up other people’s messes. But, the ones who do deserve to be named and famed, which is exactly what tourist Riaan Stighling did.
As a Joburger in KwaZulu-Natal for New Year’s festivities, Riaan was quick to observe how quickly the public spaces from Margate to St Michael’s became cluttered with party-goers and their ‘favours’.
But, to the great surprise of him and his wife, when 2 January rolled around, no evidence of the massive parties just the day before remained.
Who was behind the super speedy clean-up? The Tidy Towns team, of course!
“Whatever you guys are doing we commend you,” said Riaan to the team, before thanking the volunteers.
But, the love for Tidy Towns didn’t end with Riaan. Soon, the post welcomed tons more positive words for the volunteers who have impacted their community in ways beyond trash bashing:
“Amazing team. Some holiday makers will never understand how important it is to us to have a clean home,” wrote Bernice Thompson.
“Tidy Towns has helped so many people who have no job and are struggling to get something to eat and work for. The change is not only visible. To see the pride of the team’s working for Tidy Towns shows the impact this [initiative] has made on the Coast is amazing. Well done,” praised Gary Manggos.
“Tidy Towns are on top of their game. Well done to all those involved,” added Anton Kohrmann amid of a sea of gratitude filled comments.
If all the praise didn’t make it clear enough, Tidy Towns is doing an awesome job for the South Coast. Started by Reg Horne, the team has been responsible for encouraging eco-responsibility and has 17,000 members. Get more inspired by the work they do and the changes they’ve made, here!
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