Cape Town - Government has committed to supporting municipalities to improve waste management with the creation of 2 000 work opportunities per province for a period of 12 months.
Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said waste management was an area that was receiving considerable attention in this financial year.
Creecy tabled her department’s budget vote speech in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) where she stated that the government would reinvigorate the Presidential Good Green Deeds programme to focus on cleaning and greening in provincial capitals.
Western Cape areas that will benefit from this programme include Langa, Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Elsies River, Mfuleni, Philippi and Bonteheuwel. Cities identified include Buffalo City, Nelson Mandela Bay, Ekurhuleni, and Polokwane.
“Our programme will see the creation of 2 000 work opportunities per province for a period of 12 months, to support municipalities in the provincial capitals to clean up dump sites, plant trees and stop littering in selected streets.
“In these cities additional support will also be given to ensure waste management authorities have access to yellow fleet, and there is a greater focus on improving landfill compliance and support for the diversion of waste to recycling activities,” said Creecy.
According to Creecy, in South Africa about 80 000 tons of plastic leaked into rivers and oceans as a result of failures in the waste management system.
“Severe financial management challenges mean many municipalities are not able to expand household waste collection, and some areas which previously had regular waste removal no longer have a weekly service,” she said.
Bonteheuwel councillor Angus McKenzie said: “As ward councillor and sub-council chairperson, I welcome the president’s intervention when it comes to addressing issues of a cleaner, green society.
“Achieving greener and cleaner communities must be a partnership and shared responsibility from everyone and all levels of government.”
McKenzie said he hoped that the president’s campaign would permanently partner with the City, Bonteheuwel and various other communities.
Creecy also updated the National Council of Provinces regarding the appeals for the 2021/22 Fishing Rights Allocation Process, stating that they were at an advanced stage, with the final appeals set for finalisation by October 30.
“Fishing not only contributes to the national fiscus through commercial fishing operations, but also improves the lives of our coastal fishing communities.
“Once the allocation of fishing rights to all declared small-scale fishing co-operatives in the Western Cape is finalised, small-scale fishing co-operatives in the four coastal provinces will be supported through training, capacity building, development and infrastructure support programmes.
“These will be offered in partnership with provinces, municipalities, NGOs and other partners,” said Creecy.
About 1 500 work opportunities will be created countrywide and 900 full-time equivalents in the four coastal provinces through the “Working for Fisheries” projects this year.
About 870 jobs will be created in the Western Cape, 40 in the Northern Cape, 340 in the Eastern Cape, 225 in KwaZulu-Natal and 25 in the Free State and 870 in the Western Cape.
Cape Times