Butterworth clean-up to tackle dumping, potholes

A concerted effort is being made to beautify Butterworth and surrounds, including  eradicating illegal dump sites, fixing potholes, increasing the number of dustbins in urban centres and rehabilitating internal roads.

The programme  in Mnquma municipality will extend to Centane and Ngqamakhwe.  

Ngqamakhwe-born Eastern Cape Chamber of Business president Vuyisile Ntlabati welcomed the initiative, saying towns like Butterworth had deteriorated as a result of political instability in Mnquma.

Municipal spokesperson Loyiso Mpalantshane said there was a time when Butterworth had been regarded as one of the tidiest towns in the region.

In 2016, Mnquma won the Greenest Town award in the Amathole district due to its well-kept public parks and public facilities.

Back then, the area boasted thriving factories, which contributed to job creation.

“The latest efforts are part of a huge cleanup campaign that the Mnquma municipality has launched recently,” Mpalantshane said.

“The municipality has added two refuse compactors and two caged trucks to its existing fleet. We are now calling on business and residents to join hands to restore the town to its former glory.”

The municipality’s community services directorate was working “day and night” to counter illegal dumping sites in public spaces, car washes and some of the highly populated residential areas.

He said the municipality was spending about R2.9m on the programme.

“This [illegal dumping] has been a big problem for years and it starts with people littering in open spaces in town or even in their residential townships. There are also people who bring domestic litter and dispose of it in town or any other open space simply because they have missed the refuse collection truck in their area.”

The problem persisted even though there were “no dumping” signs all over  town.

To add to the municipality’s woes, steel dustbins that were previously placed around town had been removed or damaged, often by homeless people who used them to make fires during cold nights.

As part of the rehabilitation efforts, the municipality was  planning to buy 80 concrete dustbins that could not be removed,  40 of which would be placed in Butterworth.

Centane would be allocated  20 and Ngqamakhwe the remaining 20.

The municipality would also toughen bylaws to target those caught illegally dumping rubbish.

“There is a R2,000 fine for illegal dumping and law enforcement officers will deal with any offenders,” Mpalantshane warned.

He said they were confident that a clean environment would help attract investment, which would bring job opportunities and help grow the economy.

He said even though the government, the retail industry and the rest of the private sector assisted with job creation, many people relied on the informal sector for employment.

Ntlabati said: “If you look at the industrial area in Msobomvu, which used to be an economic hub for Butterworth, it has now turned into an eyesore. I bet you no investor will want to go there until they fix that place.”

He said it would not be enough to spruce up Butterworth.

Authorities also needed to devise a proper maintenance plan.