Deputy President Paul Mashatile has unveiled a national Clean Cities and Towns Campaign, marking a comprehensive approach to urban cleanliness and community engagement.
Speaking at the launch on Friday in Soweto, Johannesburg, the Deputy President said the campaign goes beyond mere cleaning but addresses broader service delivery issues and creates opportunities for community employment.
“However, the idea is not really to employ people, it’s a voluntary programme. People must clean where they live. There may be instances where the city may employ people here and there, but we want to create a culture of cleaning where people don’t have to be paid to clean where they live.”
By encouraging citizens to take pride in their local environments, Deputy President Mashatile said the initiative seeks to create a cultural shift towards urban maintenance.
The Deputy President explained that the initiative aims to transform urban environments by involving citizens directly in maintaining their communities.
The initiative, launched at the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication in Kliptown, follows the commitments made by the Deputy President at the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Lekgotla earlier this year to tackle both environmental and socio-economic challenges.
“The approach we are taking is that government must not alone clean for people, but government must clean with the people. We must work with them in the various communities,” he explained.
The initiative forms part of a larger service delivery effort by the government aligned with the District Development Model (DDM), of which the Deputy President is a champion.
The country’s second-in-command announced that the campaign will be rolled out to other cities across South Africa.
“Once we have launched, the Mayor will drive the programme in other cities as we move to other provinces.”
He emphasised voluntary community participation, integration of cleanliness education in schools, collaboration between national, provincial, and local governments, and regular monitoring of progress in different cities.
“We must also teach people right from school. We must teach the young people about cleanliness so that they can look forward to cleaning the environment, to having clean cities as well,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Deputy President acknowledged the service delivery problems in Kliptown, including challenges of electricity and title deeds.
However, he mentioned that the Ministers and Deputy Ministers have committed to addressing these issues.
In addition, he said the campaign aims to ensure that historical sites are properly guarded and used for community benefit.
The Deputy President also emphasised the importance of fixing infrastructure to create a conducive environment for conferences and community activities.
He also confirmed that the City of Johannesburg was ready to host the Group of 20 (G20) Leaders’ Summit, scheduled for November 2025 at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, with various programmes in place to address any shortcomings.
The Deputy President concluded the launch at the Kliptown Youth Program (KYP), a community-based educational organisation that provides holistic support and opportunities to the people of Kliptown and surrounding communities.
“About close to 2 000 young people are benefiting here in various skills, including computer skills. They also feed them. On Fridays, they open their feeding scheme to the community. It’s a very beautiful centre, and they’ve got our support.”
The Deputy President believes the launch represents a significant step towards improving urban living conditions and fostering community responsibility.
“We are very happy to have been here today to launch this programme. It’s going to continue, and there’s going to be a monitoring process.” – SAnews.gov.za
