Competition to clean Duncan Village
By Tabisa Mntengwana
19 November 2009
DUNCAN Village streets will be squeaky clean by next week as six co-operative companies in the township start a cleanup campaign organised through the solid waste programme of the Buffalo City and Leiden partnership.
The cleanup kicked off on Tuesday, 17 November, with more that 60 people from six wards in Duncan Village participating.
“The idea behind this initiative is to keep Duncan Village clean and for the co-operatives to compete against each other for prizes,” said the City’s development co-operation and international relations manager, Darby Gounden.
It is part of the annual visit of a delegation from Leiden; the Dutch city is the municipality’s sister city. The relationship between Buffalo City and Leiden began in 1998, with various projects lined up for the partnership, including HIV/Aids initiatives, the solid waste programme and a storm water management initiative.
A year ago, the two cities celebrated the 10th year of the partnership with a number of events, including an art exhibition, a fashion show, the opening of the Amalinda Floodplain football field and community gardens, and the establishment of drop off points in Duncan village to help stop illegal dumping and littering.
Gounden explained that the competition would help residents in Duncan Village keep their streets clean and reduce illegal dumping.
The competition closes on Monday, 23 November in the afternoon and the prize giving is on 26 November.
The judging criteria include the cleanliness of the area, the use of drop off points, creativity and care of the environment. “All participants should follow these criteria in order to win these prizes,” explained Nosifundo Skweyiya, the assistant manager of the City’s waste management unit.
Prizes include a wheelie bin, wheelbarrows, spades, rakes, protective shoes, gloves, protective masks and cash prizes. “The City and Leiden will spend at least R60 000 on the prizes.”
External judges have been chosen and the panel includes some members of the Leiden delegation, and business and school representatives.
While in Buffalo City, the Dutch visitors will attend the sod turning for a netball court in Duncan Village, a presentation of the stormwater data collection project that kicked off earlier this month, a visit to the King William’s Town Child Care Centre, and a tour of the community gardens in Duncan Village.
They will depart on 28 November.
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