Municipality Commences Reconstruction of Samuel Bridge
…Ngwane Park resident appreciates Municipality for keeping its promise
One of the Municipal Council of Manzini’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) strategic objectives is improvement of infrastructure development and maintenance while ensuring efficient traffic management by 2024. In fulfillment of this strategic objective, the Municipality has planned a number of infrastructure development activities. One of them is reconstruction of Samuel street bridge in Ngwane Park Township. The bridge connects Samuel street with Linda street; and was decommissioned a number of years ago due to its state of deterioration – which condition exposed users to danger. The Municipality commenced the reconstruction work this month and project completion is set for end of December this year; weather permitting. The Municipality pleads with residents who live in the vicinity to exercise patience and tolerance as there will be heavy plant moving in and out of the project site. There might also be certain levels of noise emanating from the project site. Residents who live near the project site are requested to ensure that their children are kept away from the project site for safety reasons.
The Municipality further cautions that, at a certain stage of the construction works, pedestrians will not be able to pass through the project site but will have to use alternative routes. The Municipality has received positive reactions from Ngwane Park residents following commencement of the project. One of them is Inalda Jorge-Antonio. She thanked the Municipality for finally reconstructing the bridge. “Thank you very much my Municipality for keeping your promise. You promised that the bridge will be reconstructed and indeed you are now doing just that. As residents we are totally grateful for that. The bridge facilitates easy access to Linda street and different parts of Ngwane Park, especially motorists coming through from the Yith’abantu highway. It will also help reduce congestion on the other streets. My plea is that the Municipality must not forget to put speed humps on Samuel street once the bridge is reopened to motorists. I know the heavy traffic that comes with that bridge”, she said.
…MANZINI MUNICIPALITY MOVES FROM RECYCLING TO UPCYCLING
The Municipal Council of Manzini has identified waste upcycling as one of the ways through which citizens of Manzini, including the youth and people with disabilities, can be empowered into generating income out of waste whilst also minimizing the volumes of waste that finds its way into the Municipality’s Controlled Dumpsite. This is in line with Goal Number 11 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which calls for cities and human settlements to be made inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Upcycling is common in many countries such as South Africa, Uganda and Kenya. The Municipal Council of Manzini has all along been implementing recycling as part of its Integrated Development Plan strategic objective which calls for the improvement of waste collection coverage and efficiency by 2024 as well as its Integrated Waste Management Plan (IWMP). The recycling programme culminated into establishment of a recyclable waste Buy Back Centre towards the end of last year. Unlike recycling, upcycling is creating new products of a higher artistic or environmental value by repairing, refurbishing or repurposing waste. It is also referred to as ‘creative recycling’. An example is taking a pile of old newspapers and fold them to produce a biodegradable flower pot. Other upcyclers use old car tyres to artistically create various items such as seats, flower pots and other products.
…INTERESTED RESIDENTS INVITED TO REGISTER FOR UPCYCLING PROJECT
The Municipal Council of Manzini invites Manzini residents, both male and female, including the youth and people with disabilities, who would like to explore their creative capabilities through waste upcycling, in the process generating income, to express their interest by registering for the programme. The Municipality will facilitate training, free of charge, and thereafter enroll those interested into an upcycling programme that covers turning used car tyres, plastic bottles and plastic grocery bags, newspapers and other forms of paper, sweets and chips packaging materials as well as used timber/wood waste into higher value products for sale to the local and international markets. Interested environmental clubs from schools that are located within the Manzini urban boundary are also encouraged to register for the programme. Those interested will, during registration, be required to specify the waste stream that they will like to be capacitated/trained on.
For purposes of observing physical distancing due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, expressions of interest can be sent by email to nomcebom@mzcitycouncil.sz or zwelim@mzcitycouncil.sz. Alternatively, those interested may send Short Messages (SMSs) to 7802 3799 and 7673 9308; stating their names, contact details, physical address and the preferred waste stream. The deadline for expressions of interest is Monday 2nd August 2021. Even those that may already be involved in upcycling activities but would like further training and expand their business portfolio are encouraged to register. It is also important to mention that the programme requires no specific education level, age group or socio-economic status.
