Litter won’t draw tourists

On Tuesday February 12, I read two articles in The Herald and found them both quite extraordinary.

On page one was an article pertaining to the expansion of the PE airport to boost tourism, and on page three a laudatory article about the transformation of the Summerstrand rubbish dump.

Both are well and good, particularly the efforts of the workers at the dump, but on the same day I saw a garbage removal truck leaving this dump completely overloaded and uncovered, travelling along Strandfontein Road with rubbish flying all over the street and roadsides.

Regarding the airport, the surrounding fields and fence are covered in litter and old plastic bags. Surely this is not a way to impress tourists?

Where are cleaners in that area? As for 5th Avenue, Walmer, and surrounds – words fail one!

As they do regarding the whole of Albany Road where the recent removal of trees has exposed even more disgusting, and ancient, refuse plus bursting garbage bags which never appear to be collected.

Having recently taken guests to our most visited tourist attraction, Addo Elephant Park, on the road past Motherwell, I was embar- rassed at the dreadful amount of debris all over the outskirts of the suburb.

Has the municipality ever cleaned up this health hazard?

As for the joke about paying for plastic bags to reduce the huge amount of discarded plastic, it is just that – a joke.

We are, unfortunately, a country with huge unemployment and we must pay the workforce decent salaries to ensure that our city is kept clean and attractive.

Teach our children in school and the public at large not to litter and that we are all responsible ultimately for the condition of our environment.