The mayor of Thulamela, Cllr Grace Mahosi, led from the front when, in observance of the national transport month, she led a campaign for a safer and cleaner environment in Thohoyandou.

She and her councillors, as well as municipal officials, were joined by hundreds of soldiers, traffic, police, taxi and bus officials and community members in a clean-up and awareness campaign. The campaign targeted the Thohoyandou Taxi Rank and the surrounding areas and will become an annual event.

Clad in an orange work suit and armed with a plastic refuse bag, the mayor and her army went around the taxi rank, collecting dirt and  litter. At times, she stopped to make commuters aware of the dangers of a dirty environment and spread a Christmas safety message to drivers and commuters.

Mahosi also painted a few signs, before greeting commuters and sharing safety tips with them. "We are very serious about transport safety and the well-being of our people. That is the reason we chose to be at the taxi rank this year. We would also like to urge our people to always keep their surroundings clean by not littering randomly. We have put refuse bins all over our town and we expect all to make use of them,” she added.

She said that she encouraged the drivers to take extra caution “as we approach the festive season where there will be traffic congestion." She said the municipality was serious about improving public transportation and that they were busy constructing a multimillion-rand, ultramodern, intermodal transport facility, which will include a taxi rank.

"We have also noted that there are many motorists with traffic tickets who are unable to pay them. We have given a period of grace where they can visit their nearest traffic offices and arrange for a lower payment. This does not mean that we are encouraging recklessness on our roads, but we just want to give a second chance to our drivers, that they be more careful while driving," she said.

Mr Zacharia Mathelemusa, chairperson of the Thohoyandou Taxi Association, the biggest organized taxi body in Vhembe, hailed the exercise. "The mayor’s visit gave us a chance to show her some areas which need attention. Our rank lacks facilities for the disabled and needs to be fixed here and there,” he added.

“Our commuters will not litter again and they will follow the mayor’s example," said Mathelemusa.