A recent journey to the Western Cape was a real eye-opener, and made it quite clear that the state of the urban environment has very little, if anything, to do with money.
A recent journey to the Western Cape was a real eye-opener, and made it quite clear that the state of the urban environment has very little, if anything, to do with money.
Over the last few years, residents of Grahamstown have become inured to the deteriorating state of our town.
Potholes have proliferated in almost every road, some are occasionally filled with gravel, most not.
Trash blows down the streets virtually unnoticed by passers-by.
People walk in the streets, not along the pavements.
Taxis regularly jump robots, pedestrians saunter across intersections, defying oncoming traffic, and cars hog the overtaking lane.
Electricity is an intermittent and unpredictable luxury, and brown water comes out of the tap…if you’re lucky enough to have water at all.
The newspaper is full of stories of violent crime, hijackings, theft, corruption and the misuse of public funds.
Buildings are increasingly unkempt, old election posters droop from trees, and public funds are returned to the treasury, unspent.
Depressing? Yes, assuredly so. Sound familiar?
So much so that we hardly even notice it any more.
But does this have to be?
A journey through the Western Cape today, is like entering a foreign country.
Yes, there is poverty, but the humble houses are clean, with flowers and vegetables growing in the gardens.
No plastic bags adorn the fences, which do actually line the roads there, not having been stolen.
In 2 000km of driving, no more than three potholes were encountered.
Even the gravel roads of the Knysna forest were smooth and graded.
Lines were painted on roads. Metal signs adorned street corners instead of scrap-metal dealers’ yards.
Drivers stopped at red robots, and pedestrians waited for the green man.
Each little town from Plettenberg Bay westwards, is a jewel of orderliness, discipline and care.
The landscape is simply stunningly well looked after.
Lay-byes along the beautifully tarred roads (both provincial as well as national) were frequent, clean and not used at latrines and trash pits.
You actually felt that eating at the table provided was an attractive idea… rather than a health hazard.
So what’s the difference? Money? No.
It is attitude. The attitude that says it is not okay to throw the trash out the car window.
The attitude that driving through red robots kills people, and one day it might be you, or your family.
The attitude that disrespect for the environment around you, at the end of the day, indicates what sort of person you really are. You do not need to be wealthy to put the trash in a bag.
You do not need to be poor to show consideration for those who share this town with you. You do not need to be rich to have compassion for the environment that we all share.
The friendly, civilised people of the Western Cape deserve credit for their immaculate towns, their disciplined attitudes where it matters, and their efforts to put something back into the environment in which they all live, rather than disregarding and abusing it.
Driving into a town where the un-vandalised sign says “Welcome” and leaving it with wishes for a “Safe journey” illustrates the caring attitude so poignantly.
Well done.
Contacts for Makana Enviro-News:
Nikki Köhly: n.kohly@ru.ac.za, 046 603 7205 |
Jenny Gon: j-gon@intekom.co.za, 046 622 5822 |
Trisha Nathoo: nathootrisha83@gmail.com, 078 584 9496 |
Nick James: nickjames@intekom.co.za, 082 575 9781 |
Philip Machanick: p.machanick@ru.ac.za, 046 603 8635 |
Strato Copteros: strato@iafrica.com, 082 785 6403
