In Thembisa, a clean-up becomes a stand for women's safety
The Love Your Street campaign cleared ground next to a police station in an area where the bodies of several women were recently found. Minister Ntshavheni says safe streets are everyone's job.
Thembisa — The government's Love Your Street campaign came to Thembisa this week, with a message that clean, well-lit public spaces are a shared responsibility and, in communities scarred by violence, can be a matter of life and death, SAnews reports.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni joined officials, civil society groups and residents to clear overgrown grass and litter from an open space next to the Thembisa South Police Station, a site chosen to send a message about safety and visibility.
Why here
The area was where the bodies of several women were recently found, many of them at illegal dumping sites; it was the minister's second visit in three weeks. Ms Ntshavheni linked the campaign to the national plan against gender-based violence and femicide, which includes "safety by environmental design": making streets safer by keeping them clean, open and lit.
Everyone's part
- She called on the municipality to clear overgrown areas and install streetlights, which she said could be solar-powered, so that women and children can walk safely.
- She urged residents not to dump rubbish in open spaces but to wait for the weekly municipal collection.
- She said police stations should be safe spaces for women and communities.
The campaign, launched earlier this year by the Presidency and GCIS in Manenberg and Khayelitsha, is being rolled out across the provinces with ward committees, community workers and councillors. It aims to build partnerships between residents and municipalities, encourage active citizenship and reclaim neglected spaces.
Source: SAnews, Brooms, bags and a battle for clean, safe spaces in communities, 15 October 2026.
