Dutch TV films local projects
By Tabisa Mntengwana
June 02, 2009
A DELEGATION from the Dutch city of Leiden paid a visit to Buffalo City last week and over three days made a documentary about various City projects.
Leiden’s Millennium TV crew shot video clips of a number of projects the two cities are working on together, including waste management, water holes and water management. Buffalo City has a twin city agreement with Leiden.
The relationship between the two began in 1998 with the aim of strengthening local government relations. The citywide approach involves contacts between representatives from welfare organisations and businesses, to churches, schools, museums and hospitals.
The documentary will be broadcast on a web platform and on television in Leiden. It will showcase the sister city relationship and the cities’ roles in municipal development.
Over the three days, the crew visited, among others, Duncan Village’s Drop-off Points and the Amalinda floodplain, which are part of the sister city relationship.
Millennium TV’s Joost de Haas said Buffalo City was doing a good job on meeting the United Nations’ development goals, such as the alleviation of poverty, installing proper sanitation and improving schooling.
“I can see the municipality is running very well. I’m impressed by the drop-off points; it is a good example of how to collect waste in a cost-effective way.”
These projects were aimed at improving the lives of the less privileged, said the City’s manager of international relations, Darby Gounden. “[The] visit will reinforce our commitment as the City. Not only will [De Haas] go and report back verbally but he will also provide visual proof that we are doing what we said we would do.
“This can be seen as a benchmark of how you can turn things around. It can also be lesson to other municipalities,” she added.
The success of these projects would encourage Leiden to support more Buffalo City initiatives.
The visit ended off with a soccer match between Duncan Village’s Nompumelelo and Makinana primary schools. Both schools were given Buffalo City 2010 T-shirts and vuvuzelas, and each school received a ball.
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