More support for Joburg’s clean-up campaign
25 October 2017
“Iam proud that today we have taken another positive step towards turning Johannesburg into a clean City.”
These were the words of the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Herman Mashaba, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in support of the city-wide clean-up campaign, A Re Sebetseng, in Braamfontein on Wednesday, 25 October 2017.
Mayor Mashaba was joined by Member of Mayoral Committee for Environment and Infrastructure Services Cllr Nico de Jager and the Managing Director of Pikitup, Lungile Dhlamini, to welcome and congratulate stakeholders for pledging towards a cleaner Joburg.
These MoUs and pledges are Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) that Joburg would like to see extended across the city with businesses, schools and civic groups joining the call to clean up the City.
The stakeholders who have now pledged their support towards A Re Sebetseng include the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), the Security Agency of South Africa (SASA), Eyakho Environmental Forum, the Greater Johannesburg Environmental Forum, Okuhle Waste Management and the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
A Re Sebetseng campaign strives to encourage residents to take care of the environment and promote a culture of reducing, re-using, and recycling waste to ensure that Johannesburg becomes one of the cleanest cities in Africa.
“We have pledged today to keep our City and environment clean,” says Andy Balaram, Community Engagement Specialist at UJ. I have Environmental Health students who will be educating vendors on the street about the hazardous nature of litter. I have 16 000 students who have pledged to clean not only the city, but the Soweto area, Auckland Park and Riverlea.”
Various students from the university’s four campuses are expected to join the clean-up on Saturday.
“At the end of it, it’s our country, it’s our city,” added Balaram.
McDonald’s and Rosebank College also respectively signed a MoU with Pikitup. McDonald’s has pledged to support the campaign for the next four months, with the possibility for further renewal and Rosebank College pledged to clean the Braamfontein from October 2017 to October 2018.
“The only sustainable way to beat poverty and unemployment is through the development of our City,” said Dhlamini. “We have adopted this clean-up programme with stakeholders for the purpose of advocating development.”
Director of Miss Earth South Africa, Catherine Constantinides added: “We deserve a clean city and a city that thrives. We need to support leadership that actions commitments towards the development of cleaner city.”
She also said Miss Earth will continue to support City of Joburg and Pikitup in its clean-up campaign. The MoU and pledge ceremony ended off with a clean-up of the Braamfontein area and the mayor challenging the residents, civic groups, schools and businesses to join in turning Johannesburg into the clean and prosperous City it can be.
On Saturday, 28 October 2017, the City of Joburg will undertake its second monthly clean-up campaign.
“The support we have received today reinforces our commitment to continue with this initiative. Clean cities result in healthy communities. Clean cities invite investment. Clean cities are safer cities,” said Mayor Mashaba