eThekwini Mayor James Nxumalo today Thursday, 02 May 2013 is launching a massive clean-up and maintenance campaign to encourage cleanliness within the eThewkini City Centre and other Municipal areas. The “Clean My City Programme” is set to target a number of hotspots that are prone to high levels of what the city refers to as “filth and dilapidation”, including the Warwick Junction, Albert Park, Mahatma Gandhi/Point area and Victoria Embankment.

Other areas that will also receive special attention as a result of the launch of the programme include uMlazi and Isipingo, Clermont and Pinetown, Tongaat and Phoenix as well as Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (PINK) areas, Greater Chatsworth, Greater Cato Manor and areas of the Greater South.

According to Municipal Spokesperson Thabo Mofokeng, an Operations Centre has been established to plan and co-ordinate the programme. “Furthermore, a multi-departmental and integrated Task Team has also been constituted to execute all aspects of the Programme. In particular, the experiences and best practices that were employed during the 2010 Soccer World Cup are now been revisited to ensure that the Programme is a success.”

The Programme is intended to be sustained and therefore, ongoing. According to a statement released by Mofokeng, to sustain the Programme there will also be a strong emphasis on ensuring buy-in by the broader community and different stakeholders of the City from Property Owners, Taxi Owners, Street Traders, Business, Commuters, Religious Organisations, NGOs, Community-based organisations, Youth Organisations, Women’s Organisations, Trade Unions and Educational Institutions. “The Department of Home Affairs, SAPS, Lawyers for Human Rights and organisations dealing with Refugees will also be included to deal with the refugee crisis which is negatively impacting on the City.”

Also, a key factor to sustainability will be a Zero Tolerance to Crime and Grime with high visibility and targeted policing and enforcement of by-laws. This includes a focus on illegal dumping.

Mayor Nxumalo said this is a concerted effort that is looking at the holistic maintenance of the City, including dealing with potholes, street signs, street lights, traffic lights, dirty buildings and other infrastructural deficit.

He adds that the campaign will also focus on educating the public about their responsibility to clean and maintain their areas. “We want to involve the community in this campaign. People must understand that it is not only the responsibility of people hired by the Municipality to clean, but everyone has an obligation to maintain their environment.”