Valencia residents in Mbombela clean up their neighbourhoods
The Valencia residents prioritised Enos Mabuza Drive, as empty boxes, beer bottles, rotten food and used condoms are continuously dumped there and drains are getting blocked.
Residents of Valencia have decided to clean up the area as they felt the City of Mbombela (CoM) was not doing enough to keep it clean. According to a community member, Melisa Spider, locals had requested the CoM many times to clean up some of their areas, especially cutting down the tall grass, but their requests fell on deaf ears.
“The municipality is not playing their part in taking care of the environment. Even though we are law-abiding citizens and rates and taxes are paid on time, we have taken it upon ourselves to clean up our areas. We prioritise Enos Mabuza Drive, because people are dumping empty boxes, beer bottles, rotten food and used condoms, and our drains are getting blocked. Grass and trees are growing on the roads.”
Spider said when the area looks unkempt, the value of their properties decrease, chasing away investors.
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“We want to stay in a clean community. We are aware that the municipality is failing us when it comes to keeping it clean. It affects property owners and local businesses, and those considering investment. We are now pleading with members of the public to refrain from littering and to use designated areas to dump their garbage. As for the CoM, they need to take their ratepayers seriously and make sure they deliver services as agreed, and clean the streets the way they are supposed to,” she continued.
The residents said this initiative would continue because the community does not want to stay in a dirty environment and wait for the municipality. The CoM’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said they welcome the initiative the community of Valencia has come up with but dismissed allegations that they were not cleaning the area.
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“We have a truck that collects rubbish within the city, including Valencia, but we must bear in mind that littering is a major problem across the country. But we do have by-laws that deal with littering, and members of the public need to report perpetrators to the authorities,” he said.
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