The Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Ms Makhotso Sotyu will join His Royal Highness Vho-Thovhele FD Nesengani during the Vuwani Environment Clean-up campaign in Vuwani, Limpopo on Friday, 18 September 2020.

Deputy Minister Sotyu was invited by His Royal Highness Vho-Thovhele Nesengani to participate at this clean-up campaign initiated by the Nesengani Traditional Council. In response to this invitation the Deputy Minister will hand over six (6) skip bins to be placed at different areas in Vuwani.

The Vuwani Environment Clean-up campaign coincides with the National Clean-up and Recycle SA Week. “The aim of this week is to increase an awareness of the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling.  During this time, we encourage communities, schools and businesses to clean-up the areas where they work, live and play by collecting the litter and ensuring that it gets recycled,” said Deputy Minister Sotyu.

“Each year, close to 120 000 volunteers participate in these clean-up activities that take place along roadsides, rivers, schools, residential and illegal dumping areas,” added Sotyu.

The Deputy Minister will also use her visit to Vuwani to call on all South Africans to plant indigenous trees as a practical and symbolic gesture of sustainable environmental management as part of National Arbor Month. It is for this reason that the Deputy Minister has mobilized 500 trees to be planted in Vuwani area. This trees will be planted by the community members who will be identified by the Nesengani Royal Council and employed on a part-time basis.

Her itinerary in Vuwani will include planting trees, handing over 290 eco school desks, school shoes for identified indigent learners, sanitary towels, sanitisers, wheelie bins and gardening tools at Kolokoshani and Ratshikwekwete Secondary Schools.

It is through clean-up campaigns like this that the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries continues to carry out its Constitutional mandate of ensuring a clean environment that is not harmful to the health and wellbeing of the people.

The clean-up will be preceded by activities which include a community outreach to raise awareness about the impact of waste management as part of the Department’s Good Green Deeds programme. The programme aims to change attitudes and behaviour towards waste - and enable people to take responsibility for keeping their communities clean. It promotes separation of waste at source and encourage everyone to re-use, recycle and recover waste at their households.

The Deputy Minister will conclude her visit with the handing over of food parcels to the community members.

Covid-19 Regulations will be observed during the Deputy Minister’s visit to Vuwani.

Members of the media are invited to attend the Vuwani Environment Clean-up Campaign as follows:

Date:    18 September 2020

Time:    09:00

Venue: Nesengani Royal House, Vuwani, Vhembe District Municipality

To RSVP contact Ernest Mulibana on Emulibana@environment.gov.za / 082 263 7372 

For media enquiries contact Albi Modise on 083 490 2871 / Peter Mbelengwa 082 611 8197 / pmbelengwa@environment.gov.za

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES

Twitter              @Environmentza

Facebook         Department of Environmental Affairs 

Instagram        Environmentza