CHANGING TO A BETTER, GREENER FUTURE

We have become the throwaway generation”, these were the words of President Cyril Ramaphosa as he addressed the thousands gathered at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane on March 8 for the much anticipated launch of the Good Green Deeds Campaign.

The campaign is an initiative that seeks to change people’s attitudes and behaviour towards responsible management of waste and in keeping their neighbourhoods clean, green and safe.

President Ramaphosa highlighted how South Africa was a beautiful country but the littering, illegal dumping and pollution were hampering its appearance.

“Littering, illegal dumping and the pollution of our air, our streams, our rivers and our oceans have had negative effects on our health, our quality of life and on the very appearance of our country.

“We have become the throwaway generation. Instead of putting litter into waste bins, we toss it out onto the streets. Instead of managing our waste, we dump it in places it is not supposed to be.

“Instead of flushing dirty water into a sewerage system where it can be treated, we throw it into our rivers and streams, and even into the sea.

“All this makes our planet sick, and it makes us sick. It makes our children sick. It is time for change,” President Ramaphosa said.

The Good Green Deeds Campaign seeks to mobilise all sectors of South Africa to become more environmentally conscious. Speaking in an SABC interview, Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) Minister Nomvula Mokonyane said this campaign was a call to action for all South Africans to keep their neighbourhoods clean as everybody has a role and a responsibility to play.

“This is a partnership with everybody which says that let it (this campaign) start in my home, in my community, let it start in the streets of my neighbourhood so that when municipalities come and collect they also do not have a burden of having to separate the waste. T

herefore changing the mind-set becomes one of the most critical issues of this campaign,” Minister Mokonyane said.

Clean-up campaigns took place in various parts of the country supported by provincial government as well as local municipalities which worked together with a number of volunteers who came out in numbers to take part in the nationwide initiative.

President Ramaphosa took part in a clean-up campaign in Buffalo City while a number of other cleanups took place at taxi ranks in East London and King William’s Town as well as in KwaDikela and at eBuhlanti beach and estuary.

While Minister Mokonyane led the clean-up campaign on the morning of the Good Green Deeds campaign launch by cleaning the area near eBuhlanti beach, working together with the Working on Fire team, SANBI team, EPWP workers as well as Miss Earth, she braved the rain and wind to clear litter which poses a major threat on South African beaches and marine life.

Communities are also encouraged to make use of available infrastructure such as buyback or drop-offs centres as well as separation of waste receptacles and recycling bins provided by municipalities.

WE HAVE BECOME A THROWAWAY GENERATION... WE TOSS OUT LITTER ONTO THE STREETS