By Nangamso Mabindla
14 June 2004

AS part the Urban Renewal Programme's campaign to clean and beautify Mdantsane, Buffalo City municipal workers, aided by unemployed residents, have started clearing the township's cemetery in NU 1.

In response to a decision taken earlier this year to involve locals in the R1-billion Mdantsane Urban Renewal Programme, the municipality commissioned the township's councillors to select a group of unemployed residents to work on these projects.

One of the 15 temporary workers at the cemetery, Nwabisa Songca of NU 16, said she was happy the municipality had chosen locals to work on changing the face of Mdantsane. "We are happy that this urban renewal project has become a reality; growing up in the township we thought we'd never be able to be proud of our home. Now we've been given a chance to work on creating a whole new Mdantsane for our children," she said, adding that being contracted for three months brought financial relief.

Clearing the cemetery was one of the major projects of the renewal programme. "It hurt us to see that cemeteries in town were well taken care of while ours looked like a rubbish dump. We also want to participate in keeping our city clean; we're really proud of Mdantsane," said Christopher Jako of NU15.

Jako also saw a clean cemetery as a way of attracting tourists. He said tourists who came to Mdantsane to experience township life needed to be taken to a clean cemetery to see where the township's heroes were buried.

"With the country winning the 2010 Soccer World cup everyone should be behind the country if we're to make a lasting impression on our guests," Jako said. "We really are grateful to our municipality and councillors for giving us this opportunity, albeit only for three months."

Work at the cemetery started on 25 May and was expected to be completed in July.