The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) spokesperson Zweli Dlamini told the Springs Advertiser that the city encourages community participation in the maintenance and improvement of public spaces through structured initiatives such as the Step-Up Campaign.

This comes after an article by the Advertiser, ‘Springs residents clean overgrown strip near Presidents Dam’, on the overgrown grass on the median strip on the Paul Kruger Road. The clean-up was orchestrated by the residents of Presidents Dam, where they organised manpower and equipment for the grass on the strip to be cut.

He said that the department of parks noted in February that a portion of the area along Paul Kruger Highway had been freshly cut; however, no individual or group came forward to claim responsibility for the cutting.

With all that, he said that the department could not notify the metro of a clean-up undertaken by residents because no individual or group came forward to confirm responsibility for cutting the area.

“The Step-Up Campaign by the metro provides a formal framework through which residents, businesses, or organisations may partner with the city to support the upkeep of public areas.

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“Individuals or groups who wish to participate in such initiatives are required to engage with their respective parks’ depots in order to establish the necessary arrangements and ensure that activities are undertaken in accordance with municipal standards and procedures,” explained Dlamini.

Dlamini said that participation through this framework enables community involvement in a coordinated, regulated manner. He shared that the city acknowledges operational constraints due to limited resources across the metro.

“To support the maintenance activities, the City has contracted the services of a service provider who maintains the median strip along Paul Kruger Highway once a month in line with the availability of the budget,” added the spokesperson.

In addition, he said that the CoE is currently undertaking recruitment processes aimed at strengthening internal capacity in order to enhance service delivery and support the maintenance of public spaces across the municipality.

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With the clean-up done by the community, Dlamini highlighted that clean-up activities along a busy roadway may generally pose safety risks due to traffic and the operational conditions associated with such environments.

For this reason, he encourages residents or groups who wish to participate in the maintenance of public spaces to do so through structured initiatives such as the Step-Up Campaign.

“Through this programme, interested parties are required to engage with their respective Parks depots so that activities can be coordinated appropriately and undertaken in accordance with municipal standards, safety considerations and approved procedures.”

When asked about the maintenance of the strip, Dlamini said that it forms part of the department’s ongoing maintenance programme. He also said that the area is currently maintained once a month by a contracted service provider in line with the approved budget allocation.

“The City will continue to monitor the condition of the area as part of its routine maintenance activities while also strengthening internal capacity through ongoing recruitment processes aimed at improving service delivery across public spaces,” concluded Dlamini.