‘Poverty’s no excuse to live like pigs’
ALEXANDRA - The provincial and national governments have challenged Alex residents to restore their dignity through environmental health promotion.
Government has challenged Alex residents to restore their dignity through environmental health promotion.
This was the challenge by government officials at the re-launch of the Bontle Ke Botho programme which is a clean-up campaign in Alexandra where officials, volunteers and residents team up to clean dirty areas in the township.
“Despite hunger or any negative socio-economic circumstances, there is no excuse to live like pigs at the expense of one’s dignity,” said Lebogang Maile, MEC for Economic development, Agriculture, Environment and Rural Development.
“Government’s role of service delivery through Pikitup will not succeed without residents’ conscious and voluntary participation in ensuring they respect and take pride in their surroundings.”
Maile and counterpart Matsidiso Mfikoe were part of a contingent that cleaned up in and around the Madala Hostel and neighbouring shacks on the day.
Maile said Pikitup collected refuse in the township daily but the litter soon piled up thereafter due to indiscriminate dumping. “This is a reflection of attitudinal problems and [the] mentality of free services and dependency,” said Maile.
“Our environmental education campaigns need to be reassessed to strengthen their effectiveness.”
He urged people to report instances of littering and encouraged the private sector to participate in the campaign to help develop residents’ understanding of the potential monetary value deriving from waste recycling and employment generation.
Mfikoe said the campaign, which included planting trees in some parts of the township, was also part of a national competition to get wards, schools and churches involved in environmental management. “Environmental health is for the residents’ own benefit,” she said.
“They should organise themselves into co-operatives which government will support through stipends and training into successful enterprises to help reduce unemployment.” She added that the City would establish buy-back centres for waste collectors and strengthen bylaws on illegal dumping.
The Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa said the campaign was part of the National Development Plan. “Taking part in it will make you [residents] contribute to the township’s rich struggle history that includes other successful campaigns, including the bus boycotts of the 60s. The campaign is premised on four Rs which are reduce, recover, reuse and recycle waste,” Molewa concluded.
