Siseko Njobeni
7 June 2004
Johannesburg — THE environmental affairs department and the Bee Foundation have launched a New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) project to create about 100000 jobs in rural areas over three years.
The department's Zodumo Mbuli said the foundation, a private organisation concerned with the conservation of the bee population, would arrange finance for 100000 people to purchase beehives. After harvest, the foundation would pay the individual farmers an agreed fee per kilogram of honey collected.
Deputy Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi launched the project in Makonde village, near Thohoyandou, in Limpopo on World Environment Day at the weekend. The launch was part of the department's weeklong Environment Week.
Mbuli said the project would create sustainable job opportunities, would be a financial injection into the small and medium-size business sector, and would help the conservation of natural resources.
She said that honeycombs would be transported to the foundation's factory in Pretoria for processing.
Limpopo was chosen because of its rich vegetation, she said. The project would later be spread to other provinces.
Meanwhile, the environmental affairs department is pressing ahead with its efforts to introduce pieces of legislation, with Environment and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk announcing on Friday that the long-awaited Air Quality Management Bill would be brought before Parliament "soon".
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