GREEN PROJECT SPROUTS NEW BRANCH
BUFFALO City Metropolitan Development Agency (BCMDA), Buffalo City Metro (BCM) and Border-Kei Chamber of Business launched the second leg of the Call2Action campaign with their Quigney site.
This follows the launch of the first Call-2-Action site earlier this month in West Bank.
Call-2-Action is aimed at calling everyone to action to transform Buffalo City into a clean and green, well-governed and innovative metro.
The aim of the campaign is to clean the city and grow employment in the metro.
CEO at BCMDA Gcinumzi Qotywa said it is not only about the cleaning up, but they are also looking at new development and discussions are not just a pipe dream, they are things they are actually working on.
“One of the immediate tasks we will launch in the new financial year, which starts next month, is a safety programme. It is all fine and well to launch but the real work begins after we leave here. As the new financial year approaches, a lot will happen,” Qotywa said.
At the launch of the West Bank site recently, executive mayor Xola Phakati said: “Today’s launch comes at a time when our city is faced with the challenge of promoting our metro as a green and clean city. The fact that we are gathered here is a testament that we as the municipality and the different stakeholders commit ourselves to achieving our goal in terms of the Call-2-Action campaign which is to change the face of the city forever. When people of the city and our visitors enter the city from the R72, it will reflect a steady change in terms of cleanliness,” Phakati said.
Various BCM business professionals and associations felt it is imperative to keep the city clean and well governed in order to ensure new investments into the city.
The Call-2-Action campaign works towards keeping four identified pilot areas in Buffalo City clean and green. The areas are Settlers Way, Beachfront, Southernwood and Western Avenue/Oxford Street.
According to Border-Kei Chamber of Business director Les Holbrook, the campaign was first discussed in May last year and meetings have been held every week after that. He said joining forces with the municipality made sense.
“Investors want to invest in a city on the move and that’s what we are working towards. We are now a city doing something about our surroundings and that speaks volumes to people looking for business or looking to invest in the city.”
He said they had to move their offices in Southernwood to Beacon Bay because, “we were greeted with garbage on our very doorstep”.