Pretoria – Members of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature are set to get their hands dirty in a clean-up campaign to mark Mandela Day next week.
Members of the legislature, under the leadership of Speaker Lydia Johnson, are taking up the campaign as a direct response to President Jacob Zuma’s call during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) for South Africans to clean and beautify their cities, towns, townships, villages and schools.
In a statement on Thursday, the provincial legislature said its campaign will include both rural and urban areas that have become an eyesore because of dirt.
“It is important for us to keep areas where we live, urban and rural, clean and also to pass this culture to the coming generations because clean and green cities will make an enormous contribution to our lives.
“It is partly because of these reasons that we are heeding the President's call for cleaning our places this forthcoming Mandela Day," said Johnson.
The campaign will start at Bilanyoni in the Zululand District Municipality and move to Pomeroy in Umsinga under Umziyathi District Municipality. It will end in Pietermaritzburg’s Umsunduzi Municipality, where members of the legislature will join the provincial government campaign for Mandela Day.
Nelson Mandela Day is an annual international day in honour of the late former president. It is celebrated on 18 July (his birthday). The day is inspired by the 67 years Mandela spent serving humanity. Therefore, people are called on to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to serve others. – SAnews.gov.za
