In the article titled Litter keeps piling up outside school published on 6 October on page 4, Dr Maeko, a Witpoortjie resident, apportions blame in large part on the learners of Princess Primary School for the problem of littering around the school. It is extremely disappointing and very concerning that someone like Dr Maeko, whom one assumes is highly intelligent, has taken such a clearly poorly researched, uninformed and dim view on the matter. This has unfortunately resulted in a published article that is regrettably littered with inaccuracies and innuendos.
Allow me to clarify: 1. The Principal of Princess Primary does not report to Dennis Macuacua, who some months ago took up the position of District Director, Gauteng Education, Johannesburg South District. He was replaced by Mish Tshabalala, District Director, Johannesburg West District. Principals of all schools in the Johannesburg West District and other districts in the Gauteng Province report to IDSOs and not District Directors. This is official protocol.
2. In the article, he says the major problem is around Princess Primary School where children litter everywhere. This amounts to only a small fraction of all the factors contributing to the problem. I wonder if Dr Maeko has any documented evidence to support his view. The school has regular challenges dealing with broken glass from empty alcohol bottles as well as other forms of litter which are carelessly disposed of in the school’s junior playground area, the areas along the school’s boundary fence and elsewhere on the school premises by some residents and vagrants who frequent the municipal park opposite the school. There is a bottle-store barely 20 metres from the closest school boundary fence, which, incidentally, is prohibited by existing by-laws. There is also a supermarket adjacent to the bottle store.
These amenities are frequented by many residents of various age groups. They often sit in the park where they have their snacks and drink their alcoholic beverages. There are vendors who set up their stalls next to the school boundary fences and near the main entrances to the school in Dirkie Uys and Vredenhoek Streets. This is also prohibited by the existing municipal by-laws. The JMPD have been called on quite a few occasions to assist but this has been an exercise in futility. We have engaged the local councillor, René Benjamin, on this and other matters contributing to the problems and she has committed to assist. These factors among others are the major contributors to the problem of littering.
3. The refuse bins in the municipal park opposite the school are often found to be overflowing with waste and when the wind picks up, it is blown onto the school’s premises and other areas on the school’s boundary fence. So the question must be: Are the waste collection schedules being regularly and punctually followed by the relevant waste management authority to whom this task is assigned?
4. During the 2015 academic year, Pikitup arrived at the school unannounced with a delivery of four large recycling bins which, we were informed by the delivery truck driver, were to be used by the learners for the disposal of various types of litter found on the school premises. On enquiry, the school was informed by a Pikitup official that a team would be sent to the school to conduct workshops with the learners on the correct and effective use of these bins. I wish to emphasise that to date, no such workshops have been held. Countless phonecalls made and emails written by me to the relevant Pikitup offices to follow up have not received any response whatsoever. These bins were until fairly recently overflowing with litter. We were forced to look at contingency plans at the school’s expense to manage the litter in these bins. I engaged Councillor Benjamin (on record) on this matter approximately three weeks to a month ago. She has taken it up with the Pikitup management (on record) so that it is urgently addressed. To date nothing has transpired. Surely this set of unwanted circumstances must go some way to indicating that it is not correct to insinuate that the learners at Princess Primary are the major source of the littering problem. Such insinuations, which lack basic common sense, must be treated with the contempt they deserve.
5. Despite these challenges, the school management has not given up, and constantly seeks various approaches to sensitise learners to the values of health, cleanliness and order on the school premises and surrounds. For example, learners are regularly addressed at school assemblies on the procedures for the disposal of litter and the negative consequences that may result from irresponsible waste or litter disposal.
Regular, scheduled, recorded meetings are held with the school’s general workers, and frank as well as earnest discussions are held in these forums about strategic areas of concern, including waste disposal and cleanliness of school grounds. Parents have been addressed at quarterly meetings to alert them to the challenges, with the aim of encouraging their children to adopt a positive attitude towards methods and procedures for the disposal of litter. After all outdoor events held by the school, e.g. school market day and school inter-house athletics, learners are grouped in grades and given a sufficient quantity of new black refuse bags to assist the general workers in clearing the school premises of litter.
6. To conclude, I would like to suggest that any stakeholders, residents, parents and the like who have concerns and a sincere and genuine interest in the welfare of the school and surrounds set up appointments with school management so that we can arrange discussions, with the objective of reaching an understanding of all matters in relation to any threats that may challenge the school staff and learners as well as the residents of Witpoortjie, before writing letters to the press based on a severe lack of research.
