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BUFFALO CITY MAYOR ADDRESSES ISSUE OF CLEANLINESS AND WASTE MANAGEMENT: "NO ONE WANTS TO LIVE IN A DIRTY CITY"

The Buffalo City Metro is addressing the issue of cleanliness and waste management.


BCM Executive Mayor Cllr Xola Pakati has outlined several interventions aimed at improving this function.


Mayor Pakati was speaking at a virtual Councillors and Traditional Leaders Workshop convened to address the draft Review of the Integrated Waste Management Plan and the Draft Review of the Sponsorship Policy.


"Waste management is one of our main mandates as a local government institution. It is great that we are considering the Review of the Integrated Waste Management Plan, a reality which forces us to deeply reflect on its implementation over the past few years," Pakati said.


"We all know that despite some relative improvements, we are still experiencing several challenges in the Waste Management front. Apart from the fact that our city has seen a proliferation of illegal dumps, we have in the past faced challenges with regard to compliance with some of the provisions of the National Environmental Management Waste Act," he said.


"We clearly need to find a long-term solution to our waste management as envisaged by our country’s National Waste Management Strategy. This has a great potential of making us to fully explore the potential of our Waste Management Economy and unleashing potential in other economic sectors."


"I always make a point that apart from hygiene, no one wants to live and invest in a dirty city."


INTERVENTIONS


Mayor Pakati the outlined the interventions that the Municipality leadership took to address the situation.


He said: "After noting the various challenges that the municipality is facing in the arena of Waste Management, we decided to split the Municipal Services Directorate so that there can be better focus on solid waste management."


"This will be one directorate we will be monitoring because if it fails it would be difficult to explain why it is not as clean as required. The Solid Waste Management Services Directorate therefore arrives at a good time as we are considering the Review of this Integrated Waste Management Plan for the next five years."


"We are therefore hoping that this reviewed plan and the establishment of the directorate are going to enhance our current reality and also find a lasting solution to all our waste management challenges. '


UNIVERSAL CHALLENGE


"It should also be acknowledged that the challenges of waste management are not only existing in Buffalo City. They are caused by a variety of factors across the country and in all spheres of government."


Mayor Pakati then pointed to a study done by the South African Cities Network in 2014 which revealed that the challenges result from<

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Date Posted: 2021-04-19