Sometimes cleaning up somebody else's mess can be fun. Hard to believe? It is!
But looking at these pictures there is no doubt, that the students from a Mdantsane High School in NU 6 did enjoy their day greatly, so that even the task of picking up waste along East London's beach front generally called the Esplanade became a ride in a park. It's all about company!
 |
| Mdantsane High School Learners Are Participating In A Coastal Clean Up Day |
At the end of last year the environmental youth club of the Inkwenkwesi High School in Mdantsane participated in a voluntary coastal clean-up day. They made the journey from Mdantsane to East London's beach front via bus to help picking up waste and cleaning the rocks and the beach from the thrash, that has been dropped there by the East London citizens.
Littering has meanwhile become one of the biggest problems East London and its environment are facing. The streets of East London, including all suburbs, the townships Mdanstane and Duncan Village and the pristine beaches are showered with empty cans, plastic containers, paper etc.
We really mean it!
Hey come on, you might say now, "showered" is that not a drastic exaggeration? Sure you might find the occasional piece of glass or plastic but do you really mean showered?
Yes we do. If we take you on a beach walk, we will find (without making an effort) at least a dozen items, that can be considered trash without any doubt! If we take you on the same beach walk tomorrow, we will find ten more items. And we can repeat that day after day and the result will always be the same.
The importance of environmental education classes in schools and creches can not be overstressed. Theoretically environmental education should be taught at an early age but practically it does not happen in South African schools. This means there is hardly any consideration amongst the youth for the environment.
 |
| The Entry to the East London River Port - The One And Only River Port in South Africa |
But East London's harbour and its coastline are indeed very special. East London lies on the Indian Ocean coast, between the Buffalo River and the Nahoon River and hosts South Africa's only river port.
A little bit of history for the ones who are interested (you others just look at the pictures meanwhile): Lieutenant John Bailie of the Royal Navy, one of the 1820 Settlers, surveyed the Buffalo River mouth and founded the town in 1836, with a memorial on Signal Hill commemorating the event.
The city formed around the only river port in South Africa and was
originally known as Port Rex. This settlement on the West Bank was the
nucleus of the town of East London, which was elevated to city status in
1914.
During the early to mid-19th century frontier wars between the British settlers and the local Xhosa inhabitants, East London served as a supply port to service the military headquarters at nearby King William’s Town, about thirty miles away. A British fort, Fort Glamorgan, was built on the West Bank in 1847, and annexed to the Cape Colony that same year.
This fort is one of a series of forts the British built, that include Fort Murray, Fort White, Fort Cox Fort Hare and Fort Beaufort, in the border area that became known as British Kaffraria.
 |
| Some Of East London's Conference Centers And Hotels Can Be Seen in The Back |
With later development of the port came the settlement of permanent
residents, including German settlers, most of whom were bachelors. These
settlers were responsible for German names of some towns in the
vicinity of East London such as Stutterheim and Berlin.
Today, German surnames such as Gehring, Salzwedel and Peinke are still
common in East London, but the descendants of the settlers rapidly
became anglicised.
The existing port, in the mouth of the Buffalo River, adjoining the Indian Ocean, began operating in 1870.
 |
| Bags And Bags of Waste Are Picked Up By The Students In Only A Couple Of Hours |
East London is today the host city of a large Mercedes Benz assembly line. Thousands of cars are produced in this city and are shipped with gigantic container ships to international destinations.
 |
| While some enjoyed the windy but beautiful day |
 |
| Others Made Contact With The Ice Cold Waters Of The Eastern Cape |
 |
| The Ride In The Bus To The Beach And Back To Mdantsane Was Of Course Something Else |
 |
| At least one of the two is a little bit intimidated by the breaking waves |
 |
| Others in Safe Distance Were Dedicating Time To The Art Of Best Presenting Oneself To The Rest Of The World |
 |
| And A Picture To Remember This Day |
There is no better feeling in the whole world, than to know somebody has really done something good and has contributed to make the world a little bit a better place.
 |
| A Hoegh Autoliner Container Ship carries a precious and very expensive load of Mercedes Benz luxury cars |
 |
| The Waste Does Not Seem To End |
And what you learn young you never forget!
 |
| Slippery When Wet |
 |
| A Feeling Of Freedom |
 |
| Beauty Made In South Africa |
 |
 |
| Just one afternoon's waste collection by a couple of young people |
 |
| For the future to look bright it needs to be clean |
 |
| The Sky Is The Limit |
And for the vendors from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Congo and Ghana it was business as usual at the Esplanade!
No comments:
Post a Comment