THE days of dirt ridden central business districts (CBDs) in the City of Ekurhuleni’s towns will now be a thing of the past, with over 60 permanently employed cleaning brigades having reported for duty to eradicate dirt on a night-shift basis.
On Monday, April 11, the Ekurhuleni executive mayor, Clr Mondli Gungubele, in the context of the Mayoral Clean City Programme, officially launched the Night Shift CBD Cleaning Programme in Edenvale, and presented the newly employed brigades who will tackle dirt on the streets of Ekurhuleni.
The night-shift CBD cleaning programme aims to achieve the ultimate goal of a cleaner and greener Ekurhuleni in all corners of the city by increasing manpower day and night.
CBDs such as Alberton, Kempton Park, Germiston and Boksburg have proven to be a successful pilot project for this programme over the past two years.
Now the City of Ekurhuleni is venturing into other urban centres, such as Edenvale, Springs, Nigel, Benoni, Bedfordview and Brakpan.
Addressing the newly appointed night-shift cleaning brigades, Gungubele said, “We welcome you to the beautiful city of Ekurhuleni, a city built on achievable dreams. We see cleanliness as important to us given that we are home to Africa’s biggest airport, the OR Tambo International Airport, which is a first point of entry to the country and the continent at large. We are also a proud home of Africa’s first aerotropolis. Therefore, we highly depend on you to keep the image of the city attractive at all times.”
The mayor said that Ekurhuleni has spent more than R8-million to procure four state-of-the-art street-sweeping trucks to complement the new night shift staff.
Thirty-five-year-old Tshepo Dikobo is one of the appointed cleaning brigade, and has never been employed in his entire life.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity. I have been looking for employment all my life but today the mayor has given me an opportunity to take care of my family. I’m prepared to serve my city with pride and dedication,” said Dikobo.
*Media press release supplied by EMM spokesperson, Themba Gadebe
