Date: 2021-10-04 08:54:09
Best Verge in the City Revealed
ETHEKWINI NEWS FLASH
For Immediate Release
28 February 2019
Best Verge in the City Revealed
It is official! House number 25 on Prestondale in La Lucia belonging to Peter Tavener and family has the best verge in the City.
This big reveal was made today, 28 February 2019 during the Verge Competition Awards that were held at the Botanic Garden Visitors Centre.
The annual Verge Competition is aimed at encouraging residents of eThekwini to beautify and maintain their verges at all times as well as to instil a sense of civic pride.
Tavener’s verge received a score of 92.5% from the judges making him the 1st prize winner of the 2018 Verge Competition in the residential category. He walked away with a 1000 litre Jojo tank for water conservation, tools, wheelbarrow and a lawnmower sponsored by C&R Industries.
The competition was divided into four categories which included residential, commercial, schools and food garden.
Even though the Commercial Category made up a small % of the nominations for the competition, Renwood Carries received a score of 64.88% from the judges making them the 1st prize winners in this category for their beautiful verge on Marshal Drive, Old Mill Industrial Park in Mount Edgecombe.
The School’s Category was won by Bantuvukani Primary school for their beautiful verge on Ntuli Street in Lamontville Township. The school received a 10 000 litres Jojo tank, toolkit, wheelbarrow, hosepipe, rake and hand tools.
The Food Garden Category went to Wiseman Mzila of uMhlasiwe in Verulem and who also walked away with a 10 000 litres Jojo tank, wheelbarrow, horse pipe, a rake and hand tools.
Speaking shortly after his verge was announced the best in the City, Tavener said that he was very excited and he dedicates the award to his son and wife.
“When my son and I did this garden we created a whole ecosystem. We are now having a lot of butterflies, birds and lizards that live in the plants that we have planted and the good thing is that we never have to water our garden because it looks after itself,” he said.
In congratulating the winners, the Head of Parks Recreation and Culture Unit Thembinkosi Ngcobo said that the City of Durban is known to be a City that is very colourful and because of its beautiful weather it has a lavish green environment but over the years it has lost that status.
“This status was lost because the City lacked the involvement of the residents in the promotion of a clean and green environment. With the Verge Competition, the Municipality aims to restore that civic pride and to protect the environmental status of the City. We also want to encourage the citizens to ensure that the physical infrastructure (Parks and outdoor gyms) in their neighbourhood is protected,” he said.
Ngcobo added that the total asset value of the Municipality’s physical infrastructure amounts to R 5 billion but every year, the Municipality loses R 80 million through vandalism. This then forces the Municipality to spend money on renovating facilities that have already been provided for and that puts a barrier on new development.
“With the competition, we, therefore, saying to the citizens start with your verge and then identify a spot or facility whom which you and your neighbours can be responsible for, “Ngcobo explained.
ENDS
Issued by eThekwini Municipality’s Acting Head of Communication Mandla Nsele.