To promote a clean and a sustainable city, the Municipality is calling residents to work together to beautify the City by keeping their verges well maintained. To achieve this, the Municipality’s Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit encourages residents to participate in its verge maintenance competition. 

 

Participants stand the chance of winning great prizes for having the best verges in front of their properties. Residents have until 30 September to enter the competition. 

 

A verge is the area of land that lies between a property boundary and a road.

 

The competition is open to all residents. The public is encouraged to either nominate themselves or homes, businesses, schools, individuals, garden clubs, conservancies, or industrial companies that have the best verges in front of their properties. 

 

Entry forms can be downloaded from the Municipal website using the link: https://bit.ly/3B82s0t

 

Forms can also be obtained from Sizakala Centres, libraries, or they can be requested via email. Completed forms must contain the details of the respective nominator and be submitted with pictures of the verge. They can be returned to Sizakala Centres or libraries.

 

Alternatively, completed forms and pictures can be e-mailed to Nonnie Ngwabe at nonnie.ngwabe@durban.gov.za and Thami Mbhele on thami.mbhele@durban.gov.za. Submissions without pictures will not be considered.

The competition is only applicable to residents and areas that are within the eThekwini Municipality. Municipal employees are not allowed to enter the competition.

 

With rapid urbanisation and climate change, the City’s natural environment has been put under severe pressure resulting in the degradation of the environmental assets. This has reached a critical state that could undermine livelihoods of residents.

 

Head of the Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit Dr Simphiwe Ndlovu said the City is committed to protecting the environment through promoting green living and the ethos of a green economy but does not have sufficient resources to take care of the environment.  

“To address this, we decided to partner with the community in caring for the environment through a verge competition. By this initiative, we hope to preserve the biodiversity of our roadside verges,” he said.

 

“The competition encourages residents to beautify and maintain their own verges as a means of improving the amenity of the community. We believe this will address the degradation of the City’s natural resources which has a negative impact on the economy and the environment,” he added.

 

For more information contact Nonnie Ngwabe on 031 322 2998 or Thami Mbhele on 031 322 4019.

 

ENDS

 

Issued by the eThekwini Municipality’s Communications Unit. For media enquiries contact Municipality’s Spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela on 060 966 4220