Durban gets a clean-up ahead of the GMC Awards
Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs, Ms Barbara Thomson led a clean-up campaign around the streets and beaches of eThekwini ahead of the 8th Greenest Municipality Competition (GMC) Awards in Durban.
While doing the clean-up, the Deputy Minister expressed that the ocean plays a vital role in the country’s economy.
“South Africa is surrounded by a vast ocean which has not been fully taken advantage of. There is immense potential of this untapped resource. The oceans have the potential to contribute up to 177 billion rand to the gross domestic product and create just over one million jobs by 2033.
“A clean coastal environment is at the heart of the Operation Phakisa Oceans Economy. We cannot build an oceans economy in a dirty environment. We should continuously engage in activities that will not only keep our environment clean, but also attract investors into the oceans economy space,” said Deputy Minister Thomson.
Following the clean-up, the Deputy Minister visited the Clermont and Westmead buyback centres, where individual waste collectors and street waste pickers sell their recyclable waste. The buy-back centres in turn sell these waste products to other recycling companies.
Ms Sthembile Ngcobo an employee at Silver Jupiter Investments, a buy-back centre in Clermont, said that she has learned a lot about the environment and how people can do better to live in harmony with it.
“I have been taught about recycling and how you can make money from waste. Now I am able to teach my family and friends about the benefits of recycling and that they shouldn’t throw away all types of waste but to separate it and send it to buy-back centres.”
Greenest Municipality Competition Awards
To wrap up the day, the GMC Awards were held to celebrate the contribution that local government is making to climate change and ensuring cities are cleaner and greener.
The GMC Awards are an annual event that facilitates the participation of municipalities, provincial counterparts and relevant stakeholders in waste and greening and open-space management.
The Department works together with the municipalities to promote reduction, recycling and re-use of waste. This is in line with the promotion of the waste hierarchy that has been introduced through the promulgation of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 0f 2008.
Speaking at the awards, Deputy Minister Thomson expressed that municipalities play a crucial role in building climate resilient communities through the planning of new residential areas and urban development.
After winning the overall prize under the metropolitan category, the Executive Mayor of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, Cllr Zandile Gumede couldn’t contain her excitement.
“Winning the overall prize is encouraging. It will encourage the councillors to work even harder. Most of the time us Black people don’t understand climate change matters, however today I hope people will see the results of keeping our wards clean and how jobs can be created.
“My wish is to see people of Durban separate waste in their households to ensure that we minimise waste in landfills.”