Durban - A clean-up operation was conducted in the Durban CBD this week.
“Littering and illegal dumping remains a challenge for the city and has a negative effect on both the environment and people. Residents are urged to refrain from illegal dumping and littering,’ eThekwini Municipality said in a post via its Facebook page.
The city said that different municipal units cleaned the area and created awareness of the need to keep spaces clean.
The municipality’s Cleaning and Solid Waste unit conducted a clean-up to spruce up the CBD.
The city said this was preceded by a blitz by metro police and the Urban Improvement Precinct that also tackled illegal street trading.
The municipality has faced intense scrutiny this past week after renowned economist and jurist, Professor Bonke Dumisa, raised alarm bells over the decay of the Durban inner city, saying he could no longer keep quiet.
Dumisa told his social media audience that he planned to close his private Post Office box at the Durban Main Post Office before the end of October – ending decades of a family tradition.
In a joint media briefing with the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry earlier this month, city mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the concerns raised by the business community and residents have been heard.
“We have since introduced a targeted approach to rid our city of grime and filth.
“For instance, in each street in the inner city, we have deployed dedicated teams that are going to pick up litter and sweep the streets in all shifts,” Kaunda said.
He said that when the municipality launched its Spring Clean Up Campaign, the idea was to bring together various municipal departments with the aim of entrenching a sustainable and resilient cleaning strategy.
“We are committed to sustaining and expanding this clean-up programme, working in partnership with various stakeholders, including communities and government to create a clean and healthy environment,” Kaunda said.
IOL