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THE Duzi Umgeni Conservation Trust (Duct) and other volunteer organisations carried out a three-day clean up campaign called Keep Camps Drift Clean programme last week. The programme started from Nove...

TSEPO MOLEFE   KUQINISWA inhlanzeko emapaki aseMgungundlovu ngenhloso yokuvikela imvelo ukuze ithande abantu nabo bayithande futhi bayivikele. Ngeledlule iDuzi Umngeni Conservative Trust ngokubambi...

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THE Duzi Umgeni Conservation Trust (Duct) and other volunteer organisations carried out a three-day clean up campaign called Keep Camps Drift Clean programme last week. The programme started from November 18 and ended on November 20.

TSEPO MOLEFE

 

KUQINISWA inhlanzeko emapaki aseMgungundlovu ngenhloso yokuvikela imvelo ukuze ithande abantu nabo bayithande futhi bayivikele.

Ngeledlule iDuzi Umngeni Conservative Trust ngokubambisana nabezamapaki kuMasipala waseMsunduzi bagcwale usebe lo mfula uMsunduzi eCamps Drift bezohlanza leli dolobhla elithathwa njengelinomlando ojulile kwezokuvakasha namagugu.

UNkz Portia Vilakazi uthe baphume inqina lokuhlanza idolobha laseMgungundlovu ngenhloso yokuvikela imvelo. Unxuse abantu abakhele leli dolobha ukuba baqikelele ukuthi uma besebenzisa amapaki bawashiya ehlanzekile ukuze ahlale eheha. “Siphume umkhankaso wokuthanda idolobha lethu ngokuthi silihlanze ngokungabheki inkokhelo. Kuyasithokozisa ukubona abanye ozakwethu behlanganyela nathi ukugcina idolobha laseMgungundlovu libukeka kahle. Sibonga ithimba laseMsunduzi elihlanganyele kanye nathi lazijuba ngokusilekelela ukuhlanza leli dolobha lethu. Sibhekene nomthwalo wokukhuculula amapaki ethu njengoba engcole ngendlela efikiselana namahloni njengoba kugcina kuthikamezeke nomfula uMsunduzi. Siyanxusa umphakathi ukuthi mawube sempini ngokuthi ukhuzane uma kukhona obonwa elahla udoti noma kanjani. Sizimisele ukuqhakazisa idolobha lethu ukuze nezivakashi kuthi nxashana zivakashele kulona zingawuvali umlomo ngenxa yobuhle nokuhlanzeka kwamapaki alo,” usho kanje. 

UMnu Sibabini Tutshana wezamapaki eMsunduzi uthe kuyabajabulisa ukubona ezinye izinhlangano ezizimele zishabasheka ngokugcina idolobha laseMgungundlovu lihlanzekile ngaso sonke isikhathi. Uthe inhloso yabo ngokusebenzisana nabeDUCT  ngukuba abantu baqonde imvelo ngokuthi bayiphathe kahle ukuze nayo yenze okuhle kubona. “Kungconywana ukungcola kwamapaki kulezi nsuku njengoba ukuhlangana kwabantu kusamisiwe ngenxa yemithatho yeCOVID-19 kodwa siyazi ukuthi mhla kuvulelwa ukuhlangana kwabantu kuzoba nzima ngoba abantu bazobe sebegcwala kuwona. Siyafisa ukubambisana nabantu njengoba sizoshiya imigqomo yokufaka izibi sicela bayisebenzise. Lapha sizolekelela iDUCT ngoba sonke sinombono ofanayo wokugcina imvelo ivikelekile. Sinxusa umphakathi ukuba mawuthi nxashana usebenzisa amapaki bese kuthi lokho abebekwenza khona bakuqoqe bakulahle ezindaweni ezifanele ukulahlwa kuzona,” usho kanje. 

VOLUNTEERS cleaned up the banks of the Msunduzi River at Camps Drift on Friday.

Litter and alien invasive plants were removed as part of the Camps Drift Spring Clean-Up Campaign.

The Duzi Umgeni Conservation Trust (Duct), Project Gateway, the Upper West Side Community, Isibane Industries and Alumico all assisted in the clean-up around the Ernie Pearce Weir. Pollution control officer Sanele Vilakazi said Pietermaritzburg has massive issues with solid waste, especially with people dumping in rivers throughout the city.

“We want to revive our areas and make them more aesthetically pleasing and maybe that way the people of Pietermaritzburg will be kinder to our rivers,” said Vilakazi, who thanked those who volunteered their services.

Duct employee Portia Vilakazi said that they were working on an plan to create a barrier to prevent people from dumping. Vilakazi said Duct is meeting community organisations and schools to educate them about the area and the impact that pollution has on the environment. She said Duct’s vision is an ecologically healthy and biologically diverse uMngeni-uMsunduzi river system that provides sustained ecological goods and services for the communities that depend on the rivers for their survival.

 

Bathi kungcole ngendlela efikiselana ngamahloni

ISITHOMBE NGU: TSEPO MOLEFE
UNKZ Portia Vilakazi waseDUCT nezinye zezibi ebezicoshwa emapaki aseCamps Drift, eMgungu ndlovu.

SIQUBULE ukukhathazeka kuMasipala waseMsunduzi nenhlangano yezemvelo, iDuzi Umngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT) isenzo sabantu abazitika ngocansi emapaki angaphansi kwalo masipala bashiye amakhondomu asebenzile esakazeke phansi.

Lesi senzo sidale ukuba umasipala neDUCT bazisukumele mathupha ngoLwesihlanu bayokhuculula lezi zindawo zokuphola.

Ngaphandle kwamapaki, bakhuculule nosebe lomfula uMsunduzi, eCamps Drift, lapho kuye kuqale khona umqhudelwano wabagwedli owaziwa ngeDuzi Canoe Marathon.

Ekhuluma neLANGA uNkz Portia Vilakazi wezokuxhumana kwiDUCT, uthe kuyabakhathaza ukubona izindawo ezingamagugu futhi eziheha izivakashi eMgungundlovu zixathuka wukungcola.

Unxuse ukubambisana nabantu abaye bavakashele amapaki edolobha, wathi mabaqikelele ukuthi bawashiya ehlanzekile.

“Sibhekene nomthwalo wokukhuculula amapaki ethu njengoba engcole ngendlela efikiselana ngamahloni. Lokhu kugcina kuthikameza nomfula uMsunduzi.

“Siphume umkhankaso wokuthanda idolobha lethu ngokuthi silihlanze ngokungabheki inkokhelo. Kuyasithokozisa ukubona abanye ozakwethu behlanganyela nathi ukugcina idolobha laseMgungundlovu libukeka kahle,” kusho uNkz Vilakazi.

UMnu Sibabini Tutshana wezamapaki eMsunduzi, uthe inhloso yabo ngokusebenzisana nabeDUCT wukuba abantu baqonde imvelo, bayiphathe kahle ukuze nayo yenze okuhle kubona.

“Lapha sizolekelela iDUCT ngoba sonke sinombono ofanayo wokugcina imvelo ivikelekile.

“Sinxusa umphakathi ukuba uma usebenzisa amapaki bese kuthi lokho obukwenza khona ukuqoqe ukulahle ezindaweni ezifanele.

“Kungconywana ukungcola kwamapaki kulezi nsuku njengoba ukuhlangana kwabantu kusamisiwe ngenxa yemithetho yeCovid-19, kodwa siyazi ukuthi mhla kuvulelwa ukuhlangana kwabantu, kuzoba nzima ngoba bazobe sebegcwala kuwona.

“Siyafisa ukubambisana nabantu njengoba sizoshiya imigqomo yokufaka izibi, sicela bayisebenzise,” kusho yena.

Siphume umkhankaso wokuthanda idolobha lethu ngokuthi silihlanze...

Employees of the ‘Keep Camps Drift Clean Project’ collecting solid waste that is found along the river
THE Duzi uMngeni Conservation Trust (Duct) has called on businesses in the Camps Drift vicinity to help the organisation keep the Msunduzi river clean and improve the appearance of the area.
Duct has launched a programme headed by Portia Vilakazi called “Keep Camps Drift Clean Project” that looks to adopt stretches of the Camps Drift canal spanning the area from Barnsley road to Ernie Pierce weir near College Road.

 

According to Sanele Vilakazi from Duct, the area, which is home to a number of big businesses, is not in an acceptable state.
“What we are doing is removing alien invasive plants that grow within that vicinity. We also remove all the rubbish and solid waste,” said Vilakazi. “We are also looking to beautify Camps Drift by putting certain measures in place, whether it’s planting indigenous plants and making sure that the grass is cut regularly. We are looking to improve the appeal of that area because at the moment it is really not at a good state because of solid waste and other things.”
While calling for more companies to work with them, Vilakazi said that they had received huge help from aluminium smelting company Alumicor Maritzburg. Through the help of the firm, Duct has been able to employ two people to work with Portia in the clean-up project and they work three days a week cleaning the banks of the river, which is also used by paddlers to train.
“We initiated this programme as Duct, but we would like to rope in more industries in that area because we strongly believe that they can benefit a lot from being a part of the programme,” said Vilakazi.

 

“If they can lend a helping hand, it will improve the appearance even for their businesses and grow their clientele.” — Witness Reporter.