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On
the Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) website, reporter Nangamsu Mabindla
wrote: “Those who took part in the
Mdantsane Greening Project
have been recognised for their good work and have received certificates
for the part they have played in keeping the township's environment
healthy for its citizens. |
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Initiated by BCM in 2001 and funded by the Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), the project aims to clean the environment
and to fight unemployment and a lack of skills in the impoverished
township. It is part of the Expanded Public Works Programme.
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Since inception, the project has employed more than 200 people, mainly
unemployed youth and women in the area who were selected by their ward
councillors. They have been taught about preserving the environment,
learning identification and eradication of alien vegetation, garden
services and first aid. |
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Certificates showing that they had participated in the project were
issued at a ceremony attended by Executive Mayor Zintle Peter, ward and
proportional representative councillors, DEAT representatives,
representatives from provincial government and officials from the City's
cleaning and local economic development departments. |
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Representatives from the Small Project Foundation, which managed the
project, also attended. |
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Speaking at the ceremony, the foundation's August Khuzwayo said the
project was part of the presidential Mdantsane Urban Renewal Programme.
"With this project we wanted to fight unemployment in the township and
green Mdantsane. We targeted unemployed youth and women, and deployed
these to areas where criminals used to reign supreme because they would
hide behind bushes and rob people" and "With the help of the provincial
department of education we were also able to identify 24 schools that
needed agricultural tools and training" Khuzwayo said. "This assisted
with the school nutrition programme because these schools have not
established their own vegetable gardens." The project achieved a total
cleanup of Mdantsane, Alien Invader plant control, 2,158 home gardens
established and 48 schools establishing school gardens. End of quote.
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In
total 30,000 trees were planted and maintained in Mdantsane.
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The winning school in the best maintained garden competition won an
excursion to the Nahoon Point Nature Reserve project sponsored by the
project and run by Jonginenge Environmental Education group.
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