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The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) has committed to intensify the Bontle ke Botho (BkB) campaign – Gauteng’s clean and green campaign with regard to addressing littering, waste management and greening issues.

Unsustainable waste management practices are a big challenge in the Province. This is evidenced by littering and illegal dump sites in residential areas. Greening is also a challenge as some residential areas are green while others are not.

The BkB campaign is a social mobilisation programme and provincial strategy to heighten environmental awareness and encourage sustainable environmental actions in communities to ensure that environment is clean and protected for the present and future generations.

The objectives of the BkB Campaign are to:

§  Heighten environmental awareness at all levels of society and deepen the understanding of environmental issues and importance of a clean and healthy environment.

§  Empower communities to acquire requisite knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to enhance their capacity to effectively address environmental challenges.

§  Embark on clean and green activities in all wards across the province to improve and protect the environment.

§  Mobilise all sectors of society to participate in the protection of the environment.

§  Ensure compliance enforcement to create clean and green province

§  Create green jobs and encourage entrepreneurial activities through waste management and greening activities with a view to reduce unemployment.

§  Foster mutually-beneficial partnerships across all sectors of society for the promotion and implementation of the campaign.

In addressing the need for a clean Gauteng, MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Lebogang Maile said: “Working together, a clean Gauteng is possible. Combined efforts at different sources can make a huge difference in keeping our environment clean. We want to mobilise everybody to not only form part of a BkB campaign, but to also understand the need to love our environment enough to want to keep it clean. In addition, separation at source then becomes another critical part of this campaign as it also addresses the need to recycle.”

The campaign will be held under the theme: “My Neighbourhood, My Community, My Environment.” In addition, the BkB campaign has a competition component targeting schools and cards, calls for a strong collaborative community action in terms scaling-up waste management and greening efforts in every ward of each municipality.

Details of the BkB re-launch event are:

Date:              31 January 2016

Venue:           Alexandra Stadium (Sankopano)

Time:                         07:00

For enquiries and confirmation contact Head of Communications Ms Roleta Lebelo on 0825896694 or 011 240 2530 and Anda Bici on 0829722991

Issued by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development www.gdard.gpg.gov.za