MMC leads cleanup campaign
07 December 2015
The City of Johannesburg’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Councillor Matshidiso Mfikoe, on Saturday 5 December, rolled up her sleeves, got hold of a shovel and started removing mounds of refuse that had piled up on the streets of Alexandra for almost over two weeks.
MMC Mfikoe was leading a citywide cleanup campaign following an 11-day strike by Pikitup employees that had virtually turned Johannesburg into a “waste-land”, with Alexandra and the inner city among some of the most-affected areas.
Earlier in the week, MMC Mfikoe played a key role in talks that led to the end of the strike by members of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union working for Pikitup, the City’s waste management entity. The strike ended on Thursday December 3, with many parts of the city buried under heaps of rubbish.This prompted MMC Mfikoe to mobilise her office staff, employees, Pikitup officials, local councillors and community members to take part in the cleanup campaign.
MMC Mfikoe, Pikitup Managing Director Amanda Nair and Ward 75 Councillor Chris Mabunda were all geared up for the campaign from Pikitup’s Marlboro Depot, Sandton, from as early as 9am. Hundreds of employees, clad in the appropriate workwear – overalls, protective boots, hand gloves and face masks – descended on the streets of Alexandra, cleaning up the streets and pavements and loading tons of garbage onto specialised Pikitup’s waste removal trucks.
“With this campaign we’re trying to say to communities that the cleanliness of their environment is not the responsibility of Pikitup only,” MMC Mfikoe said. “We’re saying that before you appear clean in public, start cleaning where you come from,” she said.
MMC Mfikoe said her department was also responsible for delivering services.
“This is one of the reasons we’re here – to lead in the delivery of services and help Pikitup employees to speedily clean up the mess largely caused by the strike. We’re also saying to the community that it is your health that is at risk when you live in a pile of filth and dirt,” she said.
She said the support from the community was positive. She also acknowledged the participation of the ANC Youth League. Councillor Mabunda said the campaign targeted streets, pavements, empty spaces, sports grounds, churches, schools, spaza shops and hostels.
“The community was receptive of the campaign. Their assistance suggested to us that the government and communities can and should work together,” Councillor Mabunda said.
He said the cleanup campaign was not a once-off event, adding it would continue until “Alexandra gets rid of all the dirt”. Zakhele Ntshangase, who lives in Vincent Tshabalala Street, welcomed the City’s initiative.
“It’s good to see them coming here to help us. I only hope this is not a way to attract votes for the 2016 local government elections,” he said.
Thembi Biko of the Reverend Sam Buti Street dismissed the campaign, saying “no one will ever get this place clean”.
“Alexandra is a God-forsaken wasteland. The City is just wasting its resources,” she said.
Nair said Pikitup was happy to be part of the campaign.
“We’ve made available all our personnel, trucks and mechanised vehicles to see to the success of this campaign,” she said.
She said there was a lot of rubbish and that one day was not enough to address the backlog.
“But with community involvement I’m positive this challenge will be effectively dealt with,” she said.