The Grahamstown CBD cleaning campaign aims to mobilise communities’ participation in keeping our city clean. The Community Work Project, in partnership with Makana Municipality, has committed to lead the way with monthly cleaning campaigns both in the CBD and in townships.
On Tuesday 13 March, cleaning started at the Drostdy Arch at upper High Street and continued to the old train station.
CWP Site Manager of Makana, Phumlani Satyi, said they had been approached by the municipality to start in town because this was the face of Grahamstown. The major targets were Beaufort Street, Bathurst Street and High Street. Team members came from Wards 3, 4, 9, 10 and 13.
Satyi said the project was supposed to start on Monday, but transport from the pickup points hadn’t arrived. The aim of the CWP was to work hand in hand with the municipality to clean up Grahamstown, he sad.
Phumzile Smile, Operation Manager of Public Safety and Community Service, said it was a management decision that they should make the town clean. “But our hands are not enough.”
“The project in itself does not have tools,” said Smile. “They work but they don’t have trucks to take the rubbish. Most of the time they burn it, which is unacceptable – but sometimes they don’t have an option. The municipality is doing collection Monday to Thursday so we will align them so that the cleanup matches rubbish collection days.”
“Dumping is bad publicity for Grahamstown,” Smile said. “No one will want to do business with us in a dirty town.”
