Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) leaders and essential service teams were actively on the ground running awareness campaigns to ensure compliance to all regulations of Covid-19 and fighting the spread.
The District Municipal Health and Environmental Services Unit, visits prisons, health facilities, homeless hosting venues, taxi ranks and many other facilities and also cleans and sanitises these facilities daily.
The Public Participation Unit is on the ground with loud hailing vehicles, urging communities to #StayAtHome.
Councillor Muzi Chirwa, Executive Mayor of GSDM, commended taxi operators for adhering to the national lockdown regulations.
He made the comments during Covid-19 awareness campaigns which have so far been done in a number of taxi ranks in various local municipalities in the District.
He also stated while there were still challenges in terms of compliance, he was impressed by the efforts being of the majority of the taxi operators.
Councillor Chirwa told the taxi operators during the campaign, “We are aware how some of these regulations have negatively affected the taxi sector, but we want to assure all of you that all these will benefit both the sector and community at large in the long run.
We again call on all to practise proper hand-hygiene by washing hands with soap regularly, use sanitizers and always practise social distancing in order for us to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus.”
He donated hand sanitizers, face masks and gloves to all the local taxi associations visited.
Environmental Health Practitioners were at work during the visits as they also deep-cleaned and sanitised the taxis and distributed pamphlets on prevention of the Covid-19 virus at the taxi rank and surroundings.
Councillor Dan Nkosi, Executive Mayor of Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality, accompanied Councillor Chirwa and committed to work with taxi operators that are adhering to the lockdown regulations.
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