The City of Joburg has vowed to reclaim patches of land that have been turned into illegal dumping sites to convert them into public amenities.
The KleenaJoburg 100 sites campaign was launched by mayor Dada Morero at Senwana, Soweto in a park that was initially a dumping site right in the middle of the township.
The municipality said the initiative was a significant step towards transforming the city’s landscape by targeting and rehabilitating 100 illegal dumping sites across the municipality.
“What we are doing is to reclaim the illegal dumping sites and turn them into facilities that our residents can use. We are started here in Senaone and we are happy that we have been able to deliver and our children can now play here happily and of course safe, their stuff is all here and there’s also equipment for adults who may want to exercise,” said Morero during the launch.
Authorities are also expecting the initiative to aid crime fighting efforts.
“Of course cleaning should not be seen in isolation because we also have to deal with issues of safety. the idea is that as you clean and improve visibility it also deters vandalism and criminality,” said Morero.
This collaborative effort includes Pikitup, the city’s waste management entity, various municipal departments, local community members, informal traders, and key law enforcement agencies.
The project does not involve tendering as the municipality relies on in-house skills for the conversion
“It’s a low cost initiative. all the work has been done by our own staff from the various agencies. money has been spent on the equipment as well as the trees, plants for the vegetable garden, everything else is the work of our own people,” said Thanduxolo Mendrew, the Managing Director at Joburg City Parks and Zoo.
The authorities are under increased pressure to clean up the Johannesburg CBD and other parts notorious for filth, drugs and other crimes.
The campaign also comes months ahead of the crucial G20 summit to be held in Joburg in November.
As part of the preparations President Cyril Ramaphosa has assigned an intervention team to support the municipality’s efforts.
Morero meanwhile urged residents in Senaone jealously protect the park stating it belonged to the community and not the government.