Mbombela gets massive cash injection, but city left in a mess
Mbombela's economy benefited hugely from the recent 112th ANC anniversary celebrations, however, many residents complained about the litter left behind.
The area came to a standstill over the weekend as tens of thousands of people flocked to the city for the ANC’s 112th anniversary celebrations.
While many praised and appreciated the massive event that reportedly brought millions of rands to Mbombela and surrounding towns, many residents woke up shocked and disappointed to see litter strewn around parts of the city.
Pavements and road islands were strewn with plastic and glass bottles, takeaway containers, and boxes and other rubbish, and more so on the roadside and island of Samora Machel Drive, the ring road and around Mbombela Stadium.
The ANC’s anniversary celebrations had been ongoing in the Lowveld for that past week, ending in a massive rally at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday January 13.
Roads leading towards the stadium, such as the N4, R37 and the R40 near Riverside, were subject to heavy traffic throughout most of the day. Videos and photos were posted by residents on Facebook and local WhatsApp groups, commenting on the state of the area.
Linda Grimbeek of the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT):
“I was quite impressed that everything was cleaned up so quickly,” said Grimbeek.
“Everything was fully booked in Mbombela and surrounding towns. The event had a great economic impact on the city. I cannot say exactly how much at this stage, but it is estimated to be over R100m,” she said.
Grimbeek emphasised how beneficial the anniversary celebrations were for the local economy and said she would like to see more large events held in Mbombela in the future.
She added that crowds of that size are difficult to control, but said the City of Mbombela started the clean-up process immediately after.
“It cannot all be done in one day, but CoM got to it as soon as they could. I drove through the city on Monday and saw that the clean-up had progressed nicely.
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Roelf Kotze of Mbombela Stadium:
“The stadium was full. There were at least 43 500 people inside the stadium, but we estimate a total of 50 000 present in total,” said Kotze.
He said the stadium was conducting an economic impact study in conjunction with the North West University to quantify just how much money was injected into the area during the event.
Kotze said while the area was initially badly littered, it was cleaned quite quickly and that most of the rubbish around and inside the stadium was cleaned by Sunday afternoon.
“From the stadium’s side, we are happy. We know what venues look like after big events. Some events leave behind more litter than others, but it is important to look at the bigger picture and that is all the full guest houses and lodges and the business brought to the area.
“To focus on the negative aspects is short-sighted,” he said.
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City of Mbombela executive mayor, Sibongile Makushe-Mazibuko:
Makushe-Mazibuko said it was the jurisdiction of the city to clean and that there had been teams on the ground doing so since Sunday morning.
She said the teams assisting were from the northern region (Hazyview) and southern region (Barberton) of Mbombela, and that they were all in-house and no one was outsourced for the task.
She said they had worked very hard to get the areas clean.
She added that the event brought in lots of money and that all lodges and hotels in town were fully booked.
“This opportunity comes once in nine years, if you’re lucky to host the other nine provinces, and it’s not a guarantee,” she said.
She said it was important to look at the bigger picture and that although there was a temporary inconvenience, the economic injection was worth it considering that the hospitality sector is still recovering from the devastating effects of Covid-19.
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TJ Maré of the Nelspruit Residents & Ratepayers Association:
Maré, who is also the founder of We Care 4 Nelspruit, said he was awoken on Sunday morning by messages from locals complaining about the state in which the city had been left.
Maré said he saw some of the videos and photos and decided to take a drive around to have a look for himself.
“It was shocking. There were no provisions made to cater to so many people.
He said the public spaces were the biggest problem when it came to the litter. “They were left in a filthy condition.”
Maré said that the clean-up process should not have taken more than a day.
“With enough resources, the clean-up around Mbombela can be done in a day,” he said.
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Dr Tatenda Dalu (aquatic ecologist) at the University of Mpumalanga:
Dalu said the concern regarding rubbish being swept into the Crocodile River was valid.
He said not only was litter in the river a concern, but the litter on the ground could also be an issue for to animals, both domesticated and wild.
“What the organisers of these events need to do is to ensure that there are sufficient bins around the main areas where people will be walking, and also to ensure that there are people picking up the litter during these events. Cleaning a day or two later, in most instances, is too late as most of the litter would have been washed away or blown away by wind, resulting in land and water pollution,” said Dalu.
“The effects would be massive if most of that litter was to find its way into the Crocodile River.
“The litter, particularly plastics, would result in animal (fish, terrapins, otters, crocodiles, birds) getting entangled and harmed through blockage of their digestive systems, leading to starvation or death.
“Some of the plastics release toxicants into the water, or once they are ingested by animals, enter the food chain and potentially impact human health, particularly that of the local community members who depend on fish,” said Dalu.
“Since we are in the summer months, the litter, particularly plastics, could potentially clog drains and waterways, increasing flood risk and further exacerbating existing flood problems. I had a look on Sunday morning. Some of the litter was already in the Crocodile River and the nearby Gladdespruit (which is plagued by sewer and plastic pollution problems, particularly downstream).
“In future, we want to conduct studies around these big events so that we can be in a position to actually quantify the real impact of litter loads that enter our rivers,” he said.
