BuaNews (Tshwane)
Michael Appel
15 June 2008
Boksburg — The Ethekwini Municipality came out on top in the Cleanest Town Competition (CTC) 2007/08 in the Metropolitan Municipality category, receiving R1 million in prize money from the national government on Friday.
According to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) the CTC was officially launched at the National Waste Summit in September 2001.
The competition is part of the implementation of the National Waste Management Strategy, which aims to reduce waste generation and disposal by 50 percent and 25 percent respectively by 2012 and to develop a plan for Zero Waste by 2022.
The competition aims to change attitudes by raising awareness and educating South Africans on good waste management practices.
According to Program Director and DEAT Head of Communication, JJ Tabane, the South African government spends about R150 million annually on waste retrieval.
He said that money could be better spent if the public made use of waste disposal bins and changed their attitude towards the environment.
Mr Tabane said the competition was an attempt from the department to up the profile of environmental matters within communities and society at large.
"It is the 7th successful year where we have recognised the stars [in terms of waste management practices] among us," said Mr Tabane.
A panel of judges from government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and business, evaluated South African local and metropolitan councils for best practices in terms of responsible environmental management principles.
"Since the initial competition, the terms of reference have been substantially reinterpreted to include matters beyond waste management initiatives ... [and include] to create awareness and educate the public about positive results of good waste management.
"[And also] to obtain community buy-in and encourage active participation of all stakeholders," said DEAT.
Gauteng MEC for Agriculture, Conservation and Environment Khabisi Mosunkutu, speaking on behalf of Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Rejoice Mabudafasi said there are 24 million South Africans who do not have access to efficient waste management systems.
He also highlighted that the imbalance of global population growth was significantly impacting on the food, energy and sustainability of the environment.
"Statistics South Africa report that the South African population has grown to 48 million ... this representing just over three million growth since 2001's population figure of 44.8 million.
"Unless we can bring a healthy balance to population growth we face acute shortages of food and energy.
"If I may say so, we need a Madiba of the environment!" concluded Mr Mosunkutu.
The winners in the Local Municipality category were:
1) Swartland Municipality
2) Greater Tzaneen Municipality
3) Govan Mbeki Municipality
4) Tswelopele Municipality
The winners in the Metropolitan Municipality category were:
1) Ethekwini Municipality
2) Nelson Mandela Metro
3) City of Cape Town
4) Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality
Winners received R1 million, first runners-up received R750 000, and second runners-up received R500 000.
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