The Minister and Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs (DEA) led the department’s commemorations of International Nelson Mandela Day in honour of former statesman and the late President of South Africa Nelson Mandela, on Wednesday, 15 July this year. Government is calling on South Africans to support Nelson Mandela Month through participation in activities under the theme:  “Take Action – Inspire Change – Make Every Day a Mandela Day”.

The theme encourages all South Africans to take responsibility to change attitudes and to ensure peaceful co-existence within communities. As ambassadors of environmental awareness, the DEA is mandated to give effect to the Constitutional right of citizens to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing; to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations; and to create a prosperous and equitable society living in harmony with our natural resources and the environment.

The annual international day of humanitarian action in celebration of Nelson Mandela’s life and legacy was started in 2008 to encourage individuals to change the world through voluntary community work. The United Nations declared 18 July Nelson Mandela International Day in 2008.

On 15 of July DEA minister, Edna Molewa, embarked on a clean-up campaign in Soshanguve, Gauteng. The Minister led a waste management awareness campaign in line with the four pillars of Mandela Day:

• Promoting environmental education and awareness to the communities.
• Minimising adverse social and environmental impacts related to waste management;
• Creating sustainable employment through local entrepreneur development in waste recycling partnerships; and
• Creating awareness about waste management issues within the community and thereby empower communities to take responsibility for the cleanliness of their surrounding environment.

Litter and illegal dumping have become not only a common, but also a serious concern, for many communities in South Africa. Not only is waste a health hazard, but ineffective waste management practices have a negative impact on the well-being of affected communities and exacerbate environmental degradation. An effective awareness campaign was therefore identified as a means of intervention in an effort to change attitudes and mind-sets.

The DEA has committed itself to deliver on specific targets related to waste management. Working on Waste is one of the initiatives by the department implemented through Environmental Protection and Infrastructure Programmes (EPIP) under the auspices of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

DEA deputy minister Barbara Thomson led a community outreach and engagement initiative on severe weather and climate change in Memel in the Free State on 15 July this year. The deputy minister used her 67 minutes to plant a vegetable garden.

The South African Weather Service (SAWS), through the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), has embarked on a project to inform and educate extension agents, farmers and other users about the effects of climate change on agricultural activities.

The project aims to capacitate extension officers and farmers by providing agro-meteorological information that will enable them to effectively and efficiently mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture. The project will focus on farmers in KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State as they are most seriously affected by weather patterns and climate change.

The project supports activities such as provision of as food parcels, establishment of food gardens and feeding schemes which will ensure long term food security. Provincial departments supporting the initiative will be encouraged to donate agricultural equipment to the project.