By Nangamso Mabindla
7 June 2004

BUFFALO City was last week named the cleanest municipality in the Eastern Cape at an event held in Port Elizabeth to celebrate World Environment Day.

The City beat 43 other municipalities, including last year's provincial winner Lukhanji municipality (Queenstown, Ezibeleni and Whittlesea), to scoop the R50 000 prize, awarded by the provincial department of Economic Affairs, Environment and Tourism.

Buffalo City communications manager, Darby Gounden, said the municipality was proud to have won the prestigious award, adding that it had not rested on its laurels after winning the national Vuna Award for being the best municipality in the country last year.

"We wanted to make sure we kept our high standards. We are a people-centred municipality - our citizens come first and we dedicate this award to our people," Gounden said.

"We now need to prepare to represent the province in the national cleanest town competition to be held later this year," she added.

Last year Buffalo City won a social housing award and the provincial and national Vuna Award, an initiative of the Department of Local Government in partnership with the National Productivity Institute, the Development Bank of Southern Africa and South African Local Government Association. More recently, the municipality was awarded the African National Congress's ZK Mathews award for the best municipality.