Top dogs get their hands dirty for Mandela Day
New acting municipal manager, Neil Diamond changed his suit for an overall on Tuesday and spent his 67 minutes with the City of Mbombela's community-services unit for parks and cemeteries while they cleaned up the Ehmke Street Park.
MBOMBELA – Diamond was joined by the general manager for development planning, Dumisani Mabuza and horticulturalists Martin Pearson and Joseph Seimela.
Municipal spokesman, Joseph Ngala was also seen picking up leaves and litter in the park, which is located across from The Village shopping centre. Diamond said public open spaces and parks are very important to the overall well-being of our society.
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“People love spending time in places like this. Mbombela is a tourist city and a tourist-focused environment. We want tourists to spend time here and not only in the Kruger National Park,” he explained.
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“This park is close to our municipal offices. I regard it as my privilege to spend some time here on Mandela Day.” Diamond added that he does not intend to spend his 18-month contract behind his desk.
“I do not intend to hide in my office. I will be out there with the management team looking at issues, so that we all understand how our jobs impact people’s lives. I certainly don’t mind getting my hands dirty,” he told Lowvelder.
Ngala and Pearson said it was time for people to take pride in the municipality’s public facilities. “We need to preserve these areas. They are the green lungs of our city,” Pearson said.
