Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality said 350 unemployed people from disadvantaged communities have signed contracts under the Expanded Public Works Progamme to begin a mass clean-up of the Metro.
Executive mayor, Athol Trollip, said that “they will jointly be paid R1.6 million from what remains of the 2016/17 EPWP grant”.
He said that the residents were “automatically and randomly selected off a database” and will begin working from Tuesday to clean up parks and cemeteries.
“So far, teams are already at work in North End, Motherwell and New Brighton. By tomorrow, there will be teams across the City, from Uitenhage to Bethelsdorp, and from South end to Wells Estate,” he said.
Trollip said as the political head of Public Health, following the axing of the UDM’s Mongameli Bobani, he had taken a decision to focus on cleaning the metro’s social infrastructure.
“Parks are crucial for recreation while cemeteries are where we pay respects to lost loved ones,” he said.
Trollip said that the 350 workers have been given fair access to opportunities and resources.
“Our municipal infrastructure is receiving the attention it has desperately needed for so long,” he said.
