Ivo Correia
South Africa will kick off World Environment Week by=20 hosting the United Nations Environment Program’s Global 500=20 awards on June 5.
President Nelson Mandela will host the award ceremony which =20 will be attended by environmentalists from around the=20 world. The awards are intended to reward exceptional work=20 on behalf of our planet, and will focus the world’s=20 attention on our local environment.
Much will be said of South Africa’s natural beauty and=20 potential for eco-tourism, but for many of us our=20 environment is polluted air, dirty rivers and rotting=20
The Dirty Pictures competition allowed South Africans to=20 expose the ugly and dangerous environmental degradation in=20 their immediate lives. The wide range of photographs=20 submitted shows that our environment needs a lot of=20 attention before we can claim to have a safe, clean and=20 beautiful country.=20
Judging took place on May 27 by an independent panel of=20 judges comprising Sazi Jonas of the National Union of=20 Mineworkers, Victoria Hylton of the Africa Resources Trust,=20 Thandi Bosman of the South African National Civics=20 Organisation, New Ground editor Dick Cloete, Mail Guardian editor Anton Harber and David Fig of the Group for=20 Environmental Monitoring.
The photographs were judged anonymously on three criteria:=20 shock value, exposure of environmental realities and health=20 safety and environmental impact.
The winning picture by Steve Hilton-Barber and runners-up,=20 by Vanessa Black, Cassi Goodman, Peter Lukey, Werner van=20 Kets and Rober MacDonald, are featured on this page with a=20 picture by GR Nichols which received an honourable mention.
Earthlife Africa initiated the competition so that people=20 may be better informed when faced with misleading publicity=20 generated by polluting industries. If you feel you have=20 “seen the lifht” call Earthlife Africa on (011) 477-4653.
* The photographs will be exhibited at the Worker’s=20 Library, Newton, from June 2 to 9. the competition will=20 also feature on Grassroots TV on NNTV, at 19h30, June 29.