Restoring community pride in Panorama Gardens
The Keep Pietermaritzburg Clean Association (KPCA) recently visited Panorama Gardens to discuss potential community recycling initiatives and clean-ups, as well as to inspect four sites where dumping is a very serious issue.
The organisation was invited by Kwazi Ngubo and his team from the Panorama Community Watch to visit the suburb. The team identified rubble from renovations in the area, beer bottles and domestic refuse as reasons for the accumulation of litter and rubbish at the dumping sites.
“It is imperative that the community acts as a watch dog and photographs and reports illegal dumping to the anonymous hotline. The licence plate of the vehicles would help the municipality identify, fine and make the culprits clean up the area.
"It is anonymous and so there is no need for residents to be afraid to report this illegal activity which ruins the neighbourhood. Dumping will stop when the word gets out that culprits are being reported and fined,” said Lara Edmonds, the KPCA Administrator.
Edmonds recommended that the ward councillor report the illegal dumping to the municipality and request their assistance. She also said that businesses in the area could be approached for assistance to clean up the illegal dump sites and skips be placed at strategic points.
KPCA observed a number of very clean, neat and green streets and commended property owners for their efforts. According to Edmonds, this lovely impression of Panorama Gardens is marred by the illegal dumping and this needs to be addressed by the whole community.
KPCA is also in the process of including schools in their clean up campaigns.
“Nothing brings the community together better than the schools. The objective of KPCA is to promote the enhancement and conservation of Pietermaritzburg-msunduzi, from the perspective of correct waste management, through education and participation by the entire community. To this end, KPCA would like to invite schools to participate in the various programmes that will be launched during the course of 2023.
"The motivation for this is not just community pride, but the impact these issues have on security and property value as well.
The community needs to deal with illegal dumping quickly, as it gives 'license' to others to dump, and also results in significant health and environmental issues," Edmonds said.
KPCA is a non-profit organisation conducting waste management education for schools, individuals, communities, business and industry. KPCA promotes the integrated waste management process and assists communities to seek solutions to their waste management challenges.