12 May 2004

By Clifford Mogotsi

MOGALE CITY officials put away their office attire, opting for blue and orange overalls, as they took to the streets of Azaadville on 7 April armed with brooms and rubbish bags as part of a campaign to keep the city clean and free of litter.

The municipality has, since the launch of the campaign by the provincial government, won the Bontle ke Botho award twice. The award, organised by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs, is part of an ongoing environmental awareness campaign to encourage people to respect themselves and their surrounds.

Mogale City is planning to hold clean-up operations around the municipality once a month for the next seven months.

The clean-up campaign kicked off in Azaadville, where the director for Integrated Environment Management, Snowy Mothiba, praised the efforts of the residents in keeping the area clean. "The residents are trying hard to keep this area spotless, I just want to urge other areas to follow suit in keeping the whole city clean," she said.

Several Celtis Africana, white stinkwood trees, were planted at the entrance to Azaadville.

During the busy morning Mothiba appealed to other officials to join in the initiative: "Come and assist."

Once work was complete in Azaadville, the clean-up squad moved on to the Kagiso cemetery, where council staff and community members cut the long grass, and then on to several wards in the vicinity including Ward 10 in Hillsview, Ward 5 opposite the Mokale Shopping Centre, Ward 7, opposite South African Breweries, and Ward 27 next to the Old Landfill site.

According to David Maluleka, who is responsible for the maintenance of parks and open spaces, minor problems were encountered at Extension 4 in Kagiso: "One of our tractors got a flat tyre and the lawn mowers had to cope with rubbish, such as gravel, that had been dumped in the area."

Mothiba criticised local business and others who dump their rubbish in open spaces instead of using the municipal waste management sites. "They need to assist us in keeping the environment healthy - not by making matters worse," said Mothiba.