PHALABORWA – The Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism Department (Ledet), together with the Mopani District Municipality (MDM), has named Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality the third greenest town in the district. The announcement was made recently at the Mopani Disaster Management Centre in Tzaneen.

As part of the recognition, Ba-Phalaborwa received a R25 000 cash prize. The Greater Giyani Municipality claimed second place, earning R40 000, while the Greater Tzaneen Municipality took top honours and walked away with R50 000.

The awards aim to encourage and reward municipalities for promoting sustainable development in areas such as waste management, landscaping, beautification, law enforcement, leadership, and environmental compliance. Each participating town was assessed by Ledet and MDM.

However, the third-place award drew mixed reactions from Ba-Phalaborwa residents. On the municipality’s official Facebook page, a resident named Trevor expressed disbelief.

“In this universe I live in, this town of Phalaborwa is the biggest dump, overgrown parks, raw sewage overflows, potholes everywhere, and litter as far as the eye can see.”

Another user, George Hepburn, questioned the celebration. “How does a town that was once the best in the country now celebrate third place at a regional level?”