Meda cleans CBD
The Msunduzi Economic Development Agency (Meda) took the initiative to clean the streets of the downtown business district yesterday.
The clean-up was fast moving as cleaners moved through the streets unblocking drains, removing filth, litter and cleaning pavements that were buried in debris.
Meda has taken on the costs of the cleanup, hiring a cleaning company, PWT Property Care Group, to clean the streets for local businesses.
“The city is so filthy and the municipality is doing nothing about it, so businesses are left to clean up the area themselves. We are doing this for the downtown businesses because the area is so dirty and this affects business. It’s embarrassing when your customers have to walk through filth to get to your store,” said Meda chairperson Kantha Naidoo.
She added that the drains are blocked, which is a major problem that is not as simple to fix. She pleaded with the municipality to sort the drainage system out.
“The drainage is a huge problem, and we can’t fix that on our own. We’re cleaning up the area for the local businesses because it is so filthy but we need the municipality to do its part and clean the drains,” she said.
Nazia Shabeer of Meda, who was overlooking the clean-up, said they want to ensure that the area remains clean even after the clean-up.
“We have been cleaning up since 8am and a lot has been done. We have been asking shops not to litter and to ensure that their dirt is placed in bin bags after they have cleaned their stores and the area around it. The stores must also ensure that they leave their rubbish out for the correct collection days,” said Shabeer.
Slindile Mkhize of the PWT Property
Care Group said they hope the area stays clean following the clean-up.
“We have so far tackled many streets. We want to keep the streets clean everyday so that it doesn't reach a point where it looks terrible. We urge the community to keep the area clean,” said Mkhize.
The roads that were cleaned include Retief Street, Prince George Street, Kismet, Berg, Knipe, Thomas Street and Ginman Lane.
While the clean-up is a once-off at this stage, Meda is appealing for businesses to contribute to the costs of hiring the cleaning company.
“We are hiring this company to clean the area at our cost. If enough businesses show interest in contributing, we could do another clean-up at a later stage or have them more regularly. If businesses from one area or street decide to all pitch in, they could all contribute to cleaning their street,” she said.
Businesses interested in getting involved can contact Kantha Naidoo on 067 759 2908/ 033 3454 245.