Youngsters clean up the streets of Diepsloot in the north of Johannesburg during a recent clean up campaign. Littering affects all so try to recycle as much as you can. (Image: Shamin Chibba)

The Gauteng provincial government is doing more than paying lip service to cleanliness and greening the environment; it is relaunching its Bontle ke Botho (BkB) campaign.

BkB will be relaunched on Sunday, 31 January at Alexandra Stadium, in the township of Alexandra in north-eastern Joburg, a stone’s throw from the well-heeled economic hub of Sandton. Alexandra, which was once also known as Dark City, knows very well the effects of illegal dumping.

Bontle ke Botho is Gauteng’s clean and green campaign; its aim is to address littering, waste management and greening issues. It is a social mobilisation programme and provincial strategy to heighten environmental awareness and encourage sustainable environmental action among residents to ensure that the environment is clean and protected for present and future generations.

The relaunched campaign will be held under the theme: “My neighbourhood, my community, my environment”.

According to the provincial government, unsustainable waste management is a big challenge in Gauteng. This is evidenced by littering and illegal dump sites in residential areas. Greening is also a challenge as some residential areas are green while others are not.

“Working together, a clean Gauteng is possible,” said Lebogang Maile, the MEC for agriculture and rural development. “Combined efforts at different sources can make a huge difference in keeping our environment clean.

“We want to mobilise everybody to not only form part of a BkB campaign, but to also understand the need to love our environment enough to want to keep it clean. In addition, separation at source then becomes another critical part of this campaign as it also addresses the need to recycle.”

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of BkB include:

• Heightening environmental awareness at all levels of society and deepening the understanding of environmental issues and the importance of a clean and healthy environment;
• Empowering communities to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to enhance their capacity to effectively address environmental challenges;
• Embarking on clean and green activities across the province to improve and protect the environment;
• Mobilising all sectors of society to participate in the protection of the environment;
• Ensuring compliance and enforcement to create a clean and green province;
• Creating green jobs and encouraging entrepreneurial activities through waste management and greening activities with a view to reducing unemployment; and,
• Fostering mutually beneficial partnerships across all sectors of society for the promotion and implementation of the campaign.

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