By Nangamso Mabindla
30 August 2004

DUNCAN Village in East London has been transformed from being one of Buffalo City's most unhygienic townships into a clean area residents can be proud of.

Implemented as a test case to evaluate the possibility of implementing the project in other areas in South Africa, the clean-up project involved the municipality, the department of water affairs and forestry and the Duncan Village Section-C community.

The initiative aims to improve the health status of communities around the city.

Buffalo City councillor responsible for social services, Fudukile Mbovane, explained the background which contributed to the current sitautaion, "The dense settlements in our country have been recognised as a major source of pollution. This is due to old infrastructure leading to sewerage blockages and lack of proper and adequate ablution facilities."

Some 10 community development workers and 10 project steering committee members underwent training on proper health and hygiene practices. The 20 graduates received their certificates on Friday at the Gompo Welfare Centre.

The community of Duncan Village was also encouraged to take ownership of infrastructure, in order to reduce incidents of vandalism, and residents responded by clearing the streets of litter and cleaning blocked pipes in an effort to spruce up their community.

An indication of the clean-up's remarkable results, Mbovane, who grew up in Duncan Village, said on a tour of the township afterwards: "I don't believe that I'm walking in the streets of Duncan Village. It shows that communities want to live in hygienic areas. I hope you guys keep this up."

He commended the 10 community developers, and said he was confident that they would work hard in ensuring that Duncan Village remained clean.

Development workers recieving certificates

Speaking on behalf of the community developers, Sweetness Mgqobhoka thanked the municipality and the department of water affairs and forestry for their assistance.

"Before you came here, this area was in dire straights; now that we've been empowered with this training we will do everything in our power to ensure that we live in a healthy environment," Mgqobhoka added.

Children in the area would be able to enjoy themselves without the fear of illnesses caused by unhealthy environments. "Now our children will enjoy childhood like normal kids in healthy environments," Mgqobhoka said, "There is hope for Duncan Village after all."