Employing the unemployed to keep Cape Town clean
Cape Businessman's inspiring initiative
Employing the unemployed to keep Cape Town clean
Image supplied by the publicist
Eddie Strydom, owner and Chairperson of Salt Employee Benefits, has been organising a team of unemployed people to clean up litter around Cape Town’s northern suburbs on Saturdays to provide employment and improve the environment.
Strydom has been spearheading this community-driven clean-up project for the last two years. Every Saturday he meets up with a group of unemployed people, young and older, to pick up rubbish around the Bellville, Tyger Valley and Durbanville areas and pays them for their employment.
Strydom says,
“I began this initiative when I’d noticed an unemployed man standing at a robot begging for almost two years. I decided to approach him and asked him to bring more unemployed people to pick up papers and rubbish and clean up the area on Saturdays."
"Since we started the group has grown to 40 people,"
says Strydom.
“We could have more people, but we want to do this slowly and make sure it is sustainable. We provide work and hopefully put pride back in people who do not want to ask for handouts. We are providing an opportunity for people to earn money while keeping the environment, parks and roads clean,”
he says.
“I meet them on Saturday mornings, give them food and drinks for the day as well as black bags and when they are done for the day I pay them,”
he says.
“We also give them Salt EB caps, t-shirts and a Salt reflector so they are visible to the passing cars.”
“I have found that having this weekly prospect of work has given our participants a sense of purpose. It is wonderful to see how people have leapt at the opportunity to be able to work for some income for themselves and their families,”
he says.
“I am doing this on my own because people don’t have jobs and municipalities are not doing much to assist them.”
With unemployment being an ongoing challenge in our communities, this initiative serves as an inspiring example of how businesses can drive social change.
“I challenge other business owners to do something similar and offer employment in any way they can,”
says Strydom.
“After all, displaying Ubuntu is everyone’s responsibility.”
