Health • Rural Development • Employment • Safety & Security • Education JOBSJOBS Vuk’uzenzele INSIDE:INSIDE: Produced by Government Communications (GCIS) | March 2019 Edition 2 #GoodGreenDeeds Restoring the dignity of women and girls Page 8 Creating a culture of Clean reading in SA South Africa Page 9 ALSO AVAILABLE ON: Websites: www.gcis.gov.za FREE COPY www.vukuzenzele.gov.za E-mail: [email protected] @VukuzenzeleNews Vuk'uzenzele Tel: (+27) 12 473 0353 Did you know? THE 2019 ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD ON 8 MAY 2019 2 March Edition 2 Good GREEN deeds Vuk’uzenzele A clean environment is a money spinner in Ga-Rankuwa Silusapho Nyanda hood appreciates his services. The business has begun “When I collect the waste from teaching its waste pickers on clean environment is people’s yards they are happy how to separate the different not only great for the and welcoming as I am clean- waste categories. “ People A future, but can be a ing up for them at no cost to seeing waste as a resource,” money spinner in the pres- them,” he said. she said. ent with waste management Owner of Eco Care Waste having an estimated market Management, Lerato Makube, Good Green Deeds value of R15 billion. said the buyback centre buys Meanwhile, President Cyril The business of waste picking the waste from waste collec- Ramaphosa has launched is helping feed families across tors. the Good Green Deeds pro- the country. Ga-Rankuwa Those selling waste at the gramme with a special focus resident Godfrey Motshwane centre are paid based on the on the importance of a clean says he picks waste as a way size of the waste they collect. environment. of earning money for himself. She said the community in Research conducted by the The waste picker sells his the area had become more Department of Envirnomental waste at Eco Care, a waste aware of the need to recycle. Affairs in 2017, found that management company in “The business has had a de- at least 75 percent of South Ga-Rankuwa. velopmental impact on this Africa’s waste is being land- Motshwane says he makes community. People who did filled and minimal waste is about R120 per day from col- not know about waste collec- managed through the reduce, lecting waste. tion have started collecting Godfrey Motshwane picks waste as a way of making a living. reuse, recycle and recovery He collects waste in the form waste," said Makube. plan. of plastic and cardboard. “I sell She said her business not As part of teaching and advo- about four times a day to Eco only employs 11 permanent ty,”Makube told Vuk’uzenzele. for recycling which other- cating the importance of a clean Care. The material I collect employees but has sparked Her business has been in the wise would have ended up environment, government is is plastic and cardboard,” he a curiosity in the community township since 2018. in the landfill sites,” she said. encouraging for South Africans said. about recycling. “I got into this business Makube's business is in line to take part in the Good Green The waste he collects helps to “There is always going to be because of the opportunity with government’s plan to Deeds programme, by keeping keep his township clean from waste and people need to start to green our community. We divert waste away from land- their communities clean. v litter, he says the neighbour- viewing waste as a commodi- collect solid waste material fills. them to understand who and as a community to ensure You have the power to what is having a negative environmental injustices are effect on the quality of the air, followed up on and resolved,” stop climate change water and land around them,” said Suliman. she said. She called on people to use Suliman told Vuk’uzenzele the available resources such Silusapho Nyanda such as: plough in particular areas and that the environment could as buyback centres in order • poor natural resource ex- seasons. be protected by “behaviour- to reduce, reuse and recycle lobal warming is traction methods; “Climate change affects al changes”. She said: waste. a reality that is no • the use of non- renewable global weather patterns and “Being more conscious v Glonger being denied resources which pollute results in extremes of temper- of consumption habits, but many people are still not land, air and water; ature, especially extreme hot buying less and reusing informed on the issues relat- • wasteful production and temperatures in places that more, recycling where ing to the environment. consumption; previously did not experience possible, and acting There are many myths sur- • poor waste disposal and such high temperatures,” she rounding climate change and creation of large amounts of said. the importance of living green. waste materials which take Suliman said this was felt Lutfiyah Suliman, a Project many years to break down, most by poorer communities, Manager at the Wildlife & such as plastic. where the means to adapt to • Reduce Environment Society of South "The act of not taking care and resist these changes were Africa a non-governmental or- of our environment leads to not widespread. • Reuse ganisation advocating against climate change," Sulima said. According to the environ- • Recycle pollution and global warming, The effects of climate change mentalist, the situation can be says that people neglect the vary affecting rainfall, the pe- remedied by actively seeking environment in different ways riods of seasons, the ability to knowledge that can equip Head of Editorial and Production News Editor Language Practitioners Tasneem Carrim | [email protected] Noluthando Motswai Nomgcibelo Motha Boitumelo Phalatse Editor-in-Chief Writers Phakamani Dadlana Roze Moodley | [email protected] More Matshediso, Jauhara Khan Vuk’uzenzele All rights reserved. Reproduction of the newspaper in Silusapho Nyanda whole or in part without written permission is strictly Tel: (+27) 12 473 0089 is published by Government prohibited. Managing Editor Communications (GCIS) E-mail: [email protected] Ongezwa Mogotsi Senior Designer Address: Private Bag X745, Pretoria, 0001 Printed by: Distributed by: [email protected] Tendai Gonese Vuk’uzenzele FroM THE Union BUILdinGS March Edition 2 3 South Africans to live in save fuel and protect the My country, my an environment that is not environment from carbon harmful to their health and emissions, and also opt well-being. for fresh foods instead of Littering, illegal dumping, pre-packaged foods to en- responsibility pollution and other harmful sure good health. You can activities have a negative also reuse shopping bags to help them to develop a effect on the natural envi- instead of buying plastic love of reading and to also ronment. I recently launched bags every time you shop. read with understanding. the Good Green Deeds cam- Recycling, on the other It takes practice, time and paign to encourage all South hand, is the process of patience to develop reading Africans – the private sector, converting used items back comprehension skills. labour, non-governmental into a reusable material In 2017, the Progress in organisations, interfaith and then using this to make International Reading Liter- formations and society at new products. Recycling acy Study released a report large – to clean South Africa. conserves natural resources about the poor literacy levels Creating a clean environ- and reduces the need to put in South Africa. The report ment is not only the respon- waste into landfills. You can found that 78 percent of sibility of government but of recycle paper, glass and cans, grade four learners are una- all of us. We are all respon- as well as certain kinds of ble to read for meaning. This sible for the environment plastic and metal. means that nearly eight out that we live, work and find Our nation brand rests on of 10 of Grade Four learners leisure in. each citizen and collectively ince taking office in are being abused in my cannot read for meaning. A clean environment be- on the sectors of government, 2018, I have con- community, it is my duty It is up to us as parents and gins with you and me, so do business and civil society. Ssistently invited as an active and responsible guardians to change this. You not litter; pick up litter and Our achievements and abil- and challenged all South citizen to report the abuse can start by setting aside 30 throw it in the dustbin; and ity to address socio-econom- Africans to build a pros- to authorities such as social minutes a day to read aloud reduce, reuse and recycle to ic and political challenges in perous country that we workers and police. with/to children to raise help cut down on waste. the past confirm that we can can all be proud of. The scourge of women and their literacy levels. Reduce the amount of work together as a united One of the best ways to children abuse is on the rise Reading is empowering travelling you do by car to nation to build a country that enable all of us to become in our country, and it is up because it develops does not abuse women and active citizens is to be the to all of us to put a stop to strong mental abil- children, but which among change that we want to see it as it has no place in our ities and is the other things, takes a keen in our country and commu- society. As active citizens most fundamen- interest in the literacy of nities. Broadly speaking, if I we should unite and say tal skill that any our children and promotes want to live in a safer coun- enough is enough! Women person needs to a clean and safe environ- try, I cannot take part in or and children have the right achieve their ment.