Residents celebrate world Ozone day

KABOKWENI – “It’s about time we need to unite and work together to ensure that we all play a role in nature conversation,“ said the deputy minister of water and environmental affairs, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi during the celebration of the World Ozone Day that was held at the local stadium under the theme: “A healthy atmosphere, the future we want“.

The event was also graced by learners from Eco schools, Mabudafhasi emphased to young people that they must not be ignorant when it comes to nature as she encouraged all schools to be Eco schools.

“We need to teach our children about nature conversation at any early age, as we are living in a changing environment. Technology is moving fast, but we must not forget to keep our societies green and I also like to applaud those eco schools I believe that when you educate the kids, you educate the nation, but as we are gathered here we also want to teach the community about the importance of waste management,” explained Mabudafhasi.

In order to achieve that, the department has acknowledged that a collaborative effort between the government and the communities is very important. It’s reported that South Africa is party to both the Vienna Convention for the protection of the Ozone Layer and Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer.

“The public and private sector need to join hands and work together so that we can use these gases in a way that prevents their release into the atmosphere and to ensure that the control measures put in place by our government, are complied with and all is done in the name of saving the ozone layer,” she said.

The event was not only a celebration of the day, but it was an eye-opener to other learners.

Siphosethu Mlombo from Mthontjeni combined school said: “I have gained a lot from this celebration since my school is an eco-school. We do a lot things such as recycling. The information that I gained today I’m going to implement and share with other learners who didn’t get a chance to be part of this important event.”

Community members were also given an opportunity to raise their challenges to the minister. A local resident, Ms Makhozane Theledi said they are no longer coping with the blocked sewerages,which put their lives at high risk of getting bacterias. “Our children used to play in the streets. They carried germs and that is why sometimes in our area we come across many incidents where people are admitted in hospital because of diarrhoea such problems must be addressed in time”