Byline: Thendo Funyufunyu
Tuesday, 29 August 2023
The Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) is a strong supporter of clean and healthy environment and it continues to advocate for clean townships in its district.
In this regard, GSDM has started an annual contest to see which municipality is the cleanest. The launch took place on Thursday, 24 August 2023, in the municipal buildings under the direction of Cllr. Nomkhosi Zulu, the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Community and Social Services on behalf of the Executive Mayor.
According to Cllr. Zulu, GSDM started the competition to help regional municipalities solve issues of environmental preservation, social advancement, and economic development. Additionally, the competition will help the local towns get ready for the National Greenest Town competition.
The competition will concentrate on better water management and energy efficiency, institutional effectiveness, tree planting, landscaping, aesthetics, and public participation government organization and management.
A highly qualified panel with in-depth knowledge has been assembled by the Gert Sibande District Municipality to ensure an objective, fair, and authentic judgment process.
The Gert Sibande District Municipality will award prizes according to the three categories:
• 1st prize- R100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Rands)
• 2nd prize- R50, 000.00 (Fifty Thousand Rands)
• 3rd prize- R25, 000.00 (Twenty-Five Thousand Rands)
The Cleanest Town Competition was initiated in 2001 by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment with primary focus on implementing the National Waste Management Strategy.
Various stakeholders, including representatives from government departments, non-profit organizations, and council members, as well as representatives from the towns in the Gert Sibande District, attended the launch ceremony, which also included the opening of the GSDM Nursery.
