As part of their social responsibility, 300 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) took part in a cleaning campaign of Thohoyandou Town last week Thursday.

The members, who all come from 15 SAI Battalion (Maunavhathu) in Vuwani, spent more than three hours picking up waste around the town. This is the third annual cleaning campaign after the battalion was given the freedom of Thohoyandou by the Thulamela Municipality three years ago.

The coordinator of the cleaning campaign, Capt Ntshengedzeni Netshikweta, told Mirror that the cleaning campaign is aimed at alerting community members to the dangers of littering. "During our basic training in the army, we were taught to be clean at all times. That is why we hate dirt and we want everyone to know that dirt is not good for our health and environment."

He says the army will organize a joint cleaning campaign of the town with different government departments. "This town belongs to all of us and it is good to join hands, to make it a good place to stay, invest and trade. We are also impressed by the support from community members who suddenly took part in the campaign without being invited. This clearly indicates that they care about their environment."

The mayor of Thulamela Municipality, Khosi Thivhulawi Makumbane, said the cleaning campaign has lived up to its expectations. "We are very proud of the contributions by the SANDF and we will always cherish their support. This is clearly a visible awareness to every one of us and the results can be seen by all of us."