Keeping KZN catchment area clean, pristine
WHILE KwaZulu-Natal’s bulk-water supplier, Umgeni Water, has cut back on its alien vegetation eradication budget, the private sector has stepped in to save jobs and keep the Shongweni catchment area pristine.
Clive Kidd, the operations manager at the Enviroserv waste management site outside Shongweni, said when the water supplier cut its budget “a few years back”, at least 30 people lost their jobs in a community where many were out of work.
“As an ISO 14000 company, we decided this year to prioritise the eradication of alien vegetation on our 60-hectare property. We have hired most of the people who used to work for Umgeni Water. They had some skills and some knowledge. We have now really trained them up,” he said.
Kidd said the pilot project was proving hugely successful.
“We want to roll out the programme to other corporates in the catchment area. For example, the leadership school, Spirit of Adventure, has expressed interest in hiring the team,” he said.
Thabani Hadebe, who was a laboratory technician at the waste-management site and has taken over running of the project, said his main task was to train the team to comply with health and safety regulations. His team consisted mainly of women who lived close to the landfill site.
Bonginkosi Maphumulo, who runs and owns Msenge Environmental Landscapes, said his love for the environment and concern about alien vegetation had seen him set up his business 10 years ago.
“I am assisting Enviroserv. I am teaching the team about the plants, the best way to eradicate them and the rehabilitation of the areas they have cleared,” he said.
Maphumulo said he wanted to instill a love of the environment in the team.
“While I don’t think they have developed that love yet, in the Zulu culture there are many plants and trees that are very important for healing and traditional purposes… We want to start up that passion for the environment again,” he said.
Hadebe said that since the project was launched last month, 5ha had been cleared and were ready for rehabilitation.
Contact Clive Kidd at clivek@enviroserv.co.za for further information.
THIS week is South Africa’s inaugural National Invasive Species Week. The plan is to publicise the 559 invasive flora and fauna species listed in South Africa, and highlight how the plants impact negatively on the economy, our health, food security, water supply and biodiversity.
For details, contact Warren Schmidt at warren@wordlink.co.za or Siyanda Sishuba at siyanda@wordlink.co.za.