Lesufi’s cleaning and greening project aims to make Gauteng more liveable

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has said the province would cut the budget for food parcels because people don’t need handouts but do need jobs to sustain themselves and their families.

He was speaking at the launch of the Cleaning and Greening Expanded Public Works Programme at Dobsonville Stadium, Soweto, on 14 May. Gauteng generates 5.7 million tonnes of waste every year and only 3.4 million tonnes of it can be recovered and recycled, according to a study by the University of Johannesburg.

Earlier this year, The Gauteng department of social development reconfigured its R2.3 billion budget, redistributing funding for NGOs working with vulnerable groups to its “elevated programme areas”, which tackle problems such as substance abuse and homelessness.

There was an outcry from NGOs who said this will cause problems because key people such as social workers will lose their jobs and vulnerable members of society who rely on these NGOs will be harmed when they no longer have these welfare services. 

The programme also aims to address food insecurity at household level and unemployment in the province. “There are a number of households in Gauteng that are food insecure, so we wanted to teach people and assist them to establish household and communal gardens,” said Nkosana Mtolo, spokesperson for the Gauteng MEC for social development, agriculture and rural development.

He said the cleaning and greening programme employs 6 000 people, specifically those from townships, informal settlements and hostels, to clean up and maintain the upkeep of their area. 

Lesufi said he would extend the employment contracts of members of the programme by six months if they do a good job.

Part of the programme is to have green initiatives such as planting trees and waste recycling.

“When Lesufi took over as premier he had certain priorities. So our department has always run a campaign called Bontle ke Botho [BKB], which is about making sure we clean and green our communities. We have taken that programme and massified it,” said Mtolo. 

A resident of Ndulwini in Tembisa, who wanted to remain anonymous, said they have seen a major clean-up in their area in recent weeks. “Our streets used to look terrible. We are not all the way there but we have seen more clean-ups in our area.”

She said she hoped the residents followed suit to keep the community as clean as possible. 

“It is one thing for the government to come and make sure that our streets are clean, they are supposed to do that. I just hope that our community also sees their efforts and makes an effort because it is better when we hold hands and work together to fight this monster,” she says.  

Lesego Chepape is a climate reporting fellow, funded by the Open Society Foundation for South Africa