Please Keep Manzini City Clean This Festive Season
The festive season is fast approaching and this is a time when the City of Manzini receives a lot of visitors for various purposes including shopping, business and leisure. Records show that there is massive amount of waste that gets to be generated in the city during this time of the year. It is important that such waste be disposed of in a proper manner in order to keep the bustling city as clean as possible – both in the city centre and in the townships. Waste management is one of the core responsibilities of the Municipal Council of Manzini and the Municipality always makes an effort to ensure that it does deliver this mandate against all odds. The Municipality’s desire is that the city is kept clean during the festive season. The state of cleanliness has an impact on the inflow of tourists and investors into a city; and studies show that the festive season is the time of the year when cities the world over generate the most revenue through tourism. The City of Manzini does not wish to be left out from this potential economic upliftment through tourism. However, in order for this aspiration to be achieved, there is a role that needs to be played by the citizens. The Municipality pleads for cooperation and support from all citizens towards keeping the city clean this festive season and beyond.
- PLEASE DO NOT LITTER. USE LITTER BINS
Citizens and all visitors to the city are implored to always make it a point that they dispose of litter in the available refuse bins and refrain from littering. The city has a number of litter bins that have been placed for this purpose along the streets in the city centre and the Municipality has plans to add more. Members of the public are urged to make use of them. In the event that there is no availability of a litter bin wherever you are, please keep the waste until you get to the nearest bin and then dispose it. The Municipality has a day and night street sweeping service but the effort becomes in vain when there’s continuous littering happening right after the street sweeper. The Municipality would like to remind members of the public that there are fines against littering and the minimum that the offender would be made to pay when caught is E50. It is advisable to avoid such fines by always disposing litter where you are supposed to. Littering is not allowed even along the streets in the townships.
- BUS RANK USERS URGED TO KEEP IT CLEAN
Observations show that one of the littering hotspots in the City of Manzini is the main bus rank. This is the first site that visitors who come to the city by public transport experience and, unfortunately, this is where first impressions about the city are created. Users of the facility, both public transport operators and commuters, are urged to make it a point that they keep the bus rank clean. Waste disposal facilities, including skip bins, are available within the bus rank for use by members of the public. Public transport operators are urged to make use of the skip bins for disposal of waste after cleaning their vehicles. Informal traders who are located at the main bus rank are urged to make it a point that the surroundings where they conduct their trade are always kept clean. Disposal of waste along the banks of the nearby Mzinene river must come to an end as it makes the site unsightly.
- DO NOT THROW LITTER THROUGH THE WINDOW OF A MOVING VEHICLE
It is common to see litter being thrown through the window of a moving vehicle; and this applies to both private and public service vehicles. Drivers of private vehicles are urged to sensitise their passengers against throwing litter off the window of their vehicles. Waste must be kept in the vehicle and only be disposed in a litter bin. Parents and teachers are urged to sensitise children against littering so that they adopt the culture of zero littering as they grow up. Cigarette stubs must be kept in the ash tray and not thrown out the vehicle window. Public transport operators are urged to provide litter receptacles within their vehicles for use by commuters. They are also urged to sensitise their customers against littering. The Litter Regulations, 2011 (under Section 76 of the Environment Management Act No. 5 of 2002) impose a minimum E50 fine against throwing any litter through a moving vehicle.
- THE BUSINESS SECTOR ALSO HAS A ROLE TO PLAY
The business sector also has a role to play towards keeping the City of Manzini clean this festive season and beyond. The business sector is urged to ensure there is a litter receptacle within their business premises and the receptacle must not be for the exclusive use of staff but also customers and clients. The law stipulates a E5,000 fine against non-compliance. Regulation 7 of the Litter Regulations, 2011, says “every owner of premises, landlord, lessee, shall place at the entrance or anywhere within the premises receptacles for use by occupants and visitors”. The business sector is also urged to refrain from disposing waste water on the streets but use the designated waste water disposal facilities within their premises.
- CLEANLINESS ALSO HAS TO DO WITH ZERO OVERGROWTH
The Municipal Council of Manzini implores owners of property, be it developed plots or undeveloped pockets of land, to ensure that they keep their properties well maintained in terms of overgrowth control during the festive season and beyond. The Municipal Council of Manzini will also perform her responsibility on road reserves and public open spaces. Property owners are reminded that removal of overgrowth on vacant plots is the responsibility of the owner of the property and not the Municipality. Trees that are overhanging onto neighbouring properties must also be trimmed or removed.
- DO NOT DUMP WASTE ON UNDEVELOPED PLOTS
Residents and the general members of the public are reminded that it is a prosecutable offence to dump waste on undeveloped plots and public open spaces. The Litter Regulations, 2011 (under Section 76 of the Environment Management Act No. 5 of 2002) impose a E5,000 fine against dumping of waste (be it garden waste, building material, domestic waste and any other forms of waste) on undeveloped plots, ravines and any open space. For waste that does not qualify for collection by the refuse truck, residents are urged to seek the skip service from the Municipality. The skip service is available at a E100 fee per load. People who do not reside within the Manzini urban boundary are also urged to refrain from dumping household waste along the city streets in the hope that the Municipality’s refuse truck will pick it. If caught, serious trouble awaits the offender.
