On June 3 this year, during the United Nations’ World Environment Week, Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture Rejoice Mabudafhasi was recognised with a special award from South Africa plastics industry representative body Plastics SA. Each year, Plastics SA hosts a number recycling awareness and clean up activities, and Mabudafhasi has, for the last thirteen years, been an enthusiastic patron of these events.
“Today we are fortunate as Plastic SA that deputy minister Rejoice Mabuafhasi has been our patron for more than 13 years for our ‘Clean-up and Recycle SA Week’. The event is happening this year on September 14 to 19 and the way I remember our patron over the last 13 years is that she is always hard at work. Whether planting a tree, mixing cement, cleaning a river or fixing a tap, she has always been there with us. Today we are recognising her for her dedication,” annonced Plastics SA’s director of sustainability Douw Steyn.
The Deputy Minister also attended the launch of the first African Marine debris summit last year and has committed to attend this year’s event in Kirstenbosch, Cape Town.

Short biography

Deputy Minister Mabudafhasi is well-recognised and highly regarded in the resource management community. Since her appointment as the deputy minister of environmental affairs and tourism in 1999, and various other environmental and water related positions up until her recent deployment to the department of Arts and Culture, she has worked tirelessly for the environment.
Among her many accomplishments, Mabudafhasi has also held the position of co-chair of the global network of women ministers and leaders for the environment since 2004. In addition, she has received the United Nations biodiversity at Rio+20 based on her extraordinary leadership in the past 10 years on women and environment issues, locally regionally and globally. She has also received a special award for her role in furthering wetland conservation at the highest political levels since 1994.

‘Thank you’ speech

On receipt of her latest accolade, the deputy minister delivered a short ‘thank you’:
“The trophy that I receive today is for the people of South Africa, to inspire further development of our country and our continent. It’s also a platform for me to say, ‘let’s encourage our future generation of environmentalists’.
“Yesterday the South Africa government launched Youth Month, and cleaning up the planet is one of the aims we should emphasise to them.
“I also dedicate this award to my family. In my role I often have not had time for my family because I was out cleaning rivers and wetlands. Throughout it all, they’ve rarely complained.”
The deputy minister ended off her speech on a humorous note, recognising the work the plastics community is contributing towards recycling by saying, “and if my family ever did complain about my being away, I would tell them, they can go to Plastics SA, and ask for a new mother!”
Members of the plastics and recycling industries look forward to spending more time discussing plastic reuse with the deputy minister as she continues in her new portfolio.

By Frances Ringwood