Meet Nicky McLeod: The lioness roaring against environmental challenges

Nicky McLeod’s small physique may fool you to think she is a pushover.

Cofounder and partner of the Environmental and Rural Solutions (ERS), an NGO based in the rural Matatiele region of the Eastern Cape, she has the strength and the zeal of a lioness when it comes to tackling environmental challenges.

Part of this week’s media excursion in Matatiele, McLeod displayed passion, walking up the hills, engaging with her team and taking whatever question from journalists.

Against a scorching sun of southern Drakensburg mountains, McLeod seemed more prepared for the gruelling but exciting excursion – a wide-breamed hat, with matching khaki trousers and safety shoes.

From the springs project and rangeland, to the wattle menace, McLeod, who led a team of environmental specialists, became a point of reference.

McLeod, the go-to person

McLeod has become a go-to person when it comes to identifying a problem and finding a solution.

The picturesque Matatiele may ooze natural beauty, but it has its challenges. Among them are:

• Plant invasion in the local landscape;
• About 90% of residents having no formal disposal facility;
• The municipality having one truck to service 27 wards;
• An estimated 90% of the waste being disposed of into streams, bushes, grazing land or wattle jungle; and
• Only 2% of caregivers using washable diapers (meaning 98% are using single use diapers).

While the spectre of a growing wattle has been flagged as “a huge headache” for sucking water from the ground, diaper waste has become another threat to the environment, dogs and livestock.

McLeod has described disposable nappies as a conundrum.

“There are no disposal facilities in the villages, with waste going to wherever it can go. But we are grateful to the WWF Nedbank Green Trust, which has been of utmost assistance in the work that we do.”

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She said a new brand of washable nappy called Biddykins has been launched – in partnership with the ERS – as a local awareness and distribution facilitator.

ERS has held consultation on protected spring sites in 32 villages to help communities understand environmental challenges posed by waste.

“Diapers were identified as a central waste challenge, with clean-up days showing that 60% of the volume being diapers – 30% recyclable and 10% real waste.”