Evidence wa ka Ngobeni
It’s a hot Saturday morning in the rural village of Stinkwater, North-West province. Hundreds of residents and government officials have gathered to honour a group of youngsters committed to cleaning up their village.
Stinkwater, near Hammanskraal, is among the 50% of South Africa’s townships, villages and informal settlements which do not have access to waste collection services. Residents used to dump their rubbish on the streets and in the fields.
Early last year a group of young people launched a waste removal project and began transforming dumping sites into parks. They also identified a piece of ground for use as a communal dumping site and cleared the streets of waste.
Their initiative drew the attention of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, which introduced an environmental project in conjunction with the youngsters on January 16. The department’s representative, Thembeka Dambuza, said the township will soon get an official dump.
The Stinkwater refuse removal project is partly income-based, run by the youths and women, with a short-term goal to reduce waste and littering. It includes recycling, creating recreational parks and raising environmental awareness. The project has been run in conjunction with environmental organisations, including the Rixile Environmental Centre.
Since its inception early last year, the project has provided employment to more than 16 people who remove refuse in the area. The project does not only put emphasis on the removal of waste, but educates households on how to reduce their waste. Income is generated through the recycling of used cans, plastics and paper.
Youths taking part in the project say it is successful because the results are so tangible: the once filthy rural village has changed into a healthy area for everyone.
When the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism joined forces with the youths, Pallo Jordan, the minister, said it was “the beginning of a better and cleaner life” for the community of Stinkwater: “These projects create jobs and increase the cleanness moral, particularly in rural communities.”
The department’s involvement is part of its national waste and pollution management campaign, which started in October last year. Projects have since been launched in six of the nine provinces, providing funding for rural communities to enhance or start their own waste removal projects.
ENDS