Three months after the Kliptown Clean-Up Campaign was launched with promises to restore dignity and pride to the historic township, residents say little has changed.

Instead, streets are still lined with garbage, sewage flows in parts of the community, and Walter Sisulu Square, the birthplace of the Freedom Charter, is marked by neglect.

In June, deputy president Paul Mashatile, Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi and Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero participated in the cleanup of Kliptown. They planted trees and promised that Walter Sisulu Square would be refurbished, but the reality tells a different story.

The Kliptown Community Centre is in chaos. One side of the centre is occupied by the homeless, while a creché operates inside. This raises safety concerns for parents.

"What will parents do because they have to go to work and work for their kids," said Charmaine Khoza of the Kliptown Concerned Residents Forum.