August 3, 2007
By Tabisa Mntengwana
UNDERGROUND bins have been installed at various street corners in the city centre, the first part of the Sisonke project.
Sisonke is a City initiative, bringing together Pikitup and the Department of Science and Technology. It runs until the end of August and has three projects - the installation of underground bins, the cleanup of informal settlements and the street prefect programme.
"The Sisonke project is set to get community participation in keeping the city clean and crime free," said Barbara Nzimande, the manager for research and communications in the City's infrastructure and services unit.
It will take place in Joubert Park, Hillbrow, Yeoville, the CBD and Braamfontein. Nzimande said work would start at a number of street corners soon, including the corners of Bok and Wanderers, Kock and Wanderers, Kerk and Rissik, and New and Rissik.
"The City will install 23 underground bins in all these areas," she said. Construction will take three months.
"We are appealing to our communities to bear with us during construction as we continue with our efforts to improve the lives of our people by delivering excellent services," said Ros Greeff, the member of the mayoral committee for infrastructure and services.
Twenty-three underground bins will be erected on various street corners around the city
The second Sisonke project, the cleanup of informal settlements, has already started in Slovo Park. "A number of community members have volunteered to be part of this service; the City provides the necessary equipment," Nzimande said.
Slovo Park residents, together with the City's infrastructure and services unit, are also planning to open a waste recycling centre and plant a vegetable garden.
Street prefects, the third Sisonke project, is aimed at improving the lives of Joburgers as well as monitoring illegal activities and crime in the inner city. In all, 23 street prefects will be employed by the City, who will report crime, illegal power connections, cable theft and other crime-related activities.
"The prefects will also … monitor refuse removal, identify problems and report to the project managers," Nzimande said. "The candidates should have an interest in serving the community and its people."
Sisonke is aimed at cleaning up the city for 2010 and beyond. "The pay-off line for the project – Let's clean our city together - reinforces the fact that together, through the support and commitment from our communities, we can keep our city clean," Greeff added.
Permission to use web site material
Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as:
- Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website
(www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency
(www.joburg.org.za)";
- If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original
article on this website;
- The name of the article's author is acknowledged;
-
The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill
in this brief online form).
Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 |
