The City of Joburg has won South Africa’s latest Greenest Metropolitan Municipality Award.
The recognition resulted from several projects including Alex’s solar geyser initiative.
The award, worth R3.5 million, was announced by Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs, Barbara Thomson, at the fourth Green Municipality Competition in Tzaneen, Limpopo.
Thomson said the prize was for implementing waste, climate change and green economy projects and for creating related jobs. She added that funding the competition was also of strategic importance, as it helped municipalities initiate projects which focused on Integrated Development Plans and linked them to the Extended Public Works Programme which created temporary employment and contributed to skills development.
Accepting the award, MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Matshidiso Mfikoe said the honour would strengthen council’s determination to build a city that created a healthy, clean and safe environment in line with its Growth and Development Strategy 2040.
Tiaan Ehlers of Infrastructure Services, said the prize would be used for the Schools Going Green Project this financial year (2015-2016). He added that the city entered several projects, including the household smart metering system and the household solar geyser rollout in Alexandra, the rollout of over 47 schools-based food gardens, the Zondi Buy Back Centre, Joburg Zoo’s Biogas Digester which powers the zoo’s kiosk kitchen and, the wetland water recycling system which purifies and diverts storm water into the lake.
Bulumko Nelana, City Parks’ managing director, said the award was testimony to the collective efforts by the city, government, residents, private sector and media to build a green and healthy city which encouraged active lifestyles.
Details: City of Joburg; 011 407 7354.
