Potch students clean up campus surroundings

Students from North-West University (NWU) Potchefstroom cleaned up the area surrounding the campus this week. The clean-up took place from 6am to 8am on 30 March 2022.

Various residences and academic chapters assisted in picking up trash, scrubbing power boxes and painting a bridge. This was in honour of the Value Your Environment Week, which took place from 28 March to 31 March 2022.

NWU Potchefstroom student campus council (SCC) chairperson of transformation and diversity, Beàtha Groenewald (22), said, “this year we really aim to make a big difference and give back to the community”. 

According to Groenewald the clean-up took place to show appreciation to the areas around the Potchefstroom campus and Cachet Park. She continued that eleven locations around the NWU Potchefstroom campus were cleaned up, including Calderbank Avenue, Steve Biko Street and Esselen Street.

A map of the NWU Potchefstroom campus and surrounding areas with pinned locations where the clean-up took place on 30 March. PHOTOS: Chanté du Plessis

General manager of Cachet Park City Improvement District (CID), Johan Naude, said that the clean-up was a way to involve the NWU students and create an opportunity for them to appreciate their environment.

Lisa Steffensen (18), from Klawerhof women’s residence who participated in the clean-up, said she “walks past this place [Cachet Park] daily” and would like to see it clean.

Another NWU student, Gzelle Pretorius (18) from Klawerhof women’s residence also said, “it is nice walking through Potch and seeing a clean environment.”

This year’s Value Your Environment Week was filled with various events in which campus residences and academic chapters were active participants in. Some of these events included Mr and Miss environment, an environment exhibition in Wasgoedpennetjie-Lane on the Potchefstroom campus, the clean-up, and an amazing race.