Stellenbosch Municipality’s Water Services have been sanitising and disinfecting public spaces, throughout their jurisdiction, in an effort to combat the spread of Covid-19.
The Kayamandi taxi rank being washed, sprayed and scrubbed with the sanitising solution. Teams on foot, in full protective gear, are accompanied by a water truck that aids in washing the targeted areas. PHOTO: Stellenbosch Municipality Twitter account
A tweet posted by the municipality’s twitter account showed municipality teams actively working through town, wearing protective gear and applying disinfectant to various areas in Stellenbosch.
The municipality plans on extending the effort to surrounding areas, said Stuart Grobbelaar, communications manager at Stellenbosch Municipality, in a statement.
The programme, which started at the beginning of April, is not limited to the town of Stellenbosch and will be implemented across the entire municipality, he said.
Municipal cleaning teams were manually disinfecting areas identified as “busy” and “public”, said Grobbelaar.
The Bergzicht taxi rank was the starting point for the initiative as it was identified as “a central and busy public transport hub in the Stellenbosch business district”, said Grobbelaar.
Teams disinfecting the Bergzicht taxi rank in Stellenbosch. PHOTO: Stellenbosch Municipality Twitter account
Other areas that have been disinfected, included Plein Street and Merriman street. Teams have also targeted areas such as pavements, dustbins and park benches.
“We will now focus on public transport hubs (taxi ranks) across the entire municipal area from Kayamandi to Klapmuts and Pniel to Franschhoek,” said Grobbelaar in the statement.
The peripheral areas around the town have already seen the efforts of the sanitising programme with the Kayamandi taxi rank cleaned and disinfected on 6 April.
Bubbles, foam and protective gear show the team at work. A high power hose helps distribute the disinfectant. PHOTO: Stellenbosch Municipality Twitter account
Although the primary aim for the programme has been to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, Deon Louw, Stellenbosch Municipality’s director of Infrastructure Services, said that it had other benefits.
“While we are doing this to fight Covid-19 we are also doing this to fight any other bacteria, viruses and rodents. It is to the benefit of all communities if we keep our streets and public spaces clean. We will continue with similar cleaning operations after the lockdown,” said Louw.
Stellenbosch student Laura Beatham, who had remained in her digs for lockdown, said she had initially seen the initiative on the municipality’s Facebook page. The teams have since cleaned Andringa Street, where she lives.
“I think it’s great because some of the areas in Stellenbosch can be really gross. There can be a lot of pee and human waste in some places. I think it’s good that it’s getting refreshed and restarted. Also, Stellenbosch has a lot of homeless people who live on the street and I think it’s good that their space is being cleaned as well,” said Beatham.