A cleaner environment starts with us!

By Simangazo Mokale

Clean and well-managed cities and towns are crucial for economic growth and development, acting as a foundation for a country's progress. They foster economic opportunities, attract investment, and improve living standards by promoting efficiency, inclusivity, and sustainability.

Nevertheless, many cities and towns face challenges in waste management and environmental degradation, and some municipalities struggle with service delivery, causing cleanliness issues.

In a drive to keep our nation clean and liveable, Deputy President Paul Mashatile, launched the Clean Cities and Town Campaign in Kliptown, Johannesburg. The Campaign is a nationwide initiative aimed at fostering cleaner, greener, and more inclusive urban spaces, while advancing sustainability, equality, and solidarity among all citizens.

The Clean Cities and Towns Campaign is being implemented in collaboration with traditional leaders, faith-based organisations, labour unions, business entities, and community-based organisations, as well as environmental activists.

The campaign will build on previous campaigns such as Bontle Ke Botho and activations that the government has launched to mobilise society towards addressing environmental degradation and to raise greater awareness regarding the protection of vital resources that are necessary to sustain life.

A sustainable life and clean environment is a key component of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030. The NDP envisions a sustainable, economically prosperous, and self-reliant nation that meets the fundamental needs of its people, while safeguarding the environment for future generations.

This further involves transitioning to a green economy, ensuring access to essential resources like energy and water, and promoting social equity and inclusion.

The Clean Cities campaign promotes community involvement and solidarity, and it is part of a broader government effort to improve service delivery, particularly within the context of the District Development Model (DDM). In supporting the implementation of the DDM, the Presidency coordinates several structures to improve the performance of government priority programmes and interventions.

The Clean Cities and Towns Campaign is a practical application of the DDM's principles, focusing on tangible improvements in the cleanliness and overall environment of South African cities and towns.

As an integral part of the DDM, the campaign will involve various activities, including clean-up drives, waste management initiatives, fixing infrastructure like potholes and streetlights, and enforcing by-laws.

Moreover, the Clean Cities and Towns Campaign as a broad intervention will cater to the specific needs of cities, towns and villages in which it will take place. It recognises that the complexities and differences in service delivery challenges require a coordinated and collaborative approach which is specific to each unique locality. As a result, the campaign will be broken into three phases.

The first phase will act as a mobiliser around issues to be addressed within specific cities and towns. This is a preparatory phase that will bring together the various stakeholders and partners including national stakeholders such as South African Local Government Association , the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, as well as provinces and municipalities.

The second phase of the campaign will focus on a mass mobilisation of social partners and the community broadly. Government leaders, across all spheres will be at the forefront of encouraging citizens to solve the issues facing their community. This will also serve as a platform for marketing the initiative nationally, thereby, building support for the programme as the national campaign is rolled out.

During the final phase the Clean City Campaign team will establish a working relationship with cities to gather information on its effectiveness and longevity. This will ensure critical support for the programme in providing long term and sustainable solutions to issues across the country.

More importantly, this initiative seeks to foster greater pride among residents of each city or town and is part of encouraging shared responsibility towards maintaining healthy and vibrant public spaces.

Cleanliness begins with you and I and everyone. There should be no more illegal dumping on our streets. The Clean Cities and Towns Campaign can improve our communities by focusing on creating cleaner and more sustainable urban environments

By implementing simple practices like recycling, reducing energy consumption, using sustainable transportation, planting trees, and participating in community clean-ups, we can contribute to a cleaner and healthier city for all.

All of us are encouraged to work together and to become agents of change who lead by example, and by doing so motivate others to follow in our footsteps.

 Simangazo Mokale is Assistant Director: Communication Resource Centre at GCIS