TZANEEN – The Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) has been named the cleanest municipality in South Africa.

The prestigious award was presented at the National Waste Management Awards, hosted by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment at the Presidential Hotel in Bloemfontein on March 19.

GTM was recognised for maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness through consistent efforts, active community engagement, and effective waste management practices.

The municipality outshone competitors from across the country, including Overstrand Local Municipality in the Western Cape, Kouga Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, and Steve Tshwete Municipality in Mpumalanga.

The award criteria included having licensed landfill sites, providing weekly refuse removal in residential areas, delivering basic services in rural areas, regular reporting to the national environmental database system, compliance with national environmental standards, and maintaining overall clean public spaces.

GTM Mayor Gerson Molapisane said the accolade “reaffirms our continuous environmental management efforts, which were also recently recognised by the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, naming us the provincial greenest municipality. It reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff and management in keeping Greater Tzaneen clean, green, and beautiful”.

André Moss, FF Plus Limpopo leader and Tzaneen resident, congratulated GTM but raised concerns about cleanliness in the town centre.

“On behalf of the FF Plus, we extend our sincere congratulations to Tzaneen for this recognition,” he said. “However, informal traders are littering and blocking walkways in the CBD, and taxi ranks are full of litter. Residents deserve clean streets, parks, and walkways.”

Similarly, reactions on the GTM Facebook page expressed surprise over the award, with some residents highlighting the messy state of the bus rank. The award was received by GTM’s solid waste manager, Maggy Machumele, who credited her team of refuse collectors and litter pickers for the achievement.

Speaking to the Herald, Machumele acknowledged the challenges of solid waste management.

“When we clean in the morning, within an hour, someone throws a paper or a banana peel in the street. But our team is up to the challenge,” she said.

“We appreciate constructive criticism as it helps us improve. We also value community members who use the bins provided and wait for refuse collectors instead of littering.”