06 Aug 2018

The state of environmental cleanliness of some wards and villages in Kgatleng District has been reported to be worrisome while illegal and indiscriminate dumping of waste remains a serious concern.

Officiating at Kgatleng District clean-up campaign and prize giving ceremony in Modipane recently, Encyclo Investments managing director, Mr Mothusi Mohutsiwa said illegal dumping of waste in open spaces, bus stops, outskirts of the villages in the bushes and in burrow pits was rampant.

“Let us all take responsibility and desist from these acts and also report culprits to relevant authorities for appropriate action to be taken,” said Mr Mohutsiwa who further challenged residents not to embark on clean-up campaigns only in anticipation of the competition but emphasised that they should make it a habit to clean their respective areas.

Mr Mohutsiwa said the theme ‘Beat Plastic Pollution-If you can reuse it, Refuse it’ called for a paradigm shift in the way they viewed the environment.

He said the theme advocated for rejection of non-reusable plastic carrier bags adding that it was more befitting, as the Waste Management Regulations on plastic carrier bags prohibitions would come into effect in November.

Negative impacts of plastic carrier bags on the environment, he said, could not be over emphasised and could be severe more so that plastic was not biodegradable hence reduces aesthetic value of the environment.

He further said plastics had adverse impacts on human and animal health as they served as breeding ground for mosquito , among others.

Mr Mohutsiwa said through this initiative of plastic carriers bags ban, Botswana joined other countries in the world such as Kenya and Rwanda who have adopted the banning of plastics as a waste reduction measure.

“Kigali, which is the capital city of Rwanda, is one of the cleanliest cities in Africa and this is in line with universal acceptable practices in promotion of clean and safe environment,” he said.

Kgatleng District Council chairperson Mr Mpho Morolong said environmental cleanliness was the responsibility for all saying people should work together to keep their environment clean. He discouraged littering and called on those who had neglected the responsibility to desist from such behavior and keep their communities clean.

Mr Morolong said even though council assisted with refuse collection, that was not its sole responsibility as everyone had a responsibility to keep the environment clean.

He said some people continued to illegally dump waste noting that if they worked together they would solve the problem and eventually keep their communities clean.

He said they had introduced the Own a Bin initiative, which encourages every homestead to have a litter bin and pay P120 for the council to collect waste from their homes.

He urged those who had not yet registered to do so and further asked communities to report those who dumped waste illegally.

On the objectives, deputy council secretary for technical services Mr Mosimanegape Mogorosi said they were celebrating efforts made by some villages in the district in their contribution towards keeping the environment clean.  

He said they also wanted to spread the message about environmental cleanliness, recognise those who made an effort and reward those who excelled during the clean-up competitions.

Mr Mogorosi said as a district they engaged communities in cleaning up the environment because a clean environment led to a healthy lifestyle.

Rasesa emerged victorious in the category of large villages followed by Bokaa and Morwa while in the medium villages’ category Pilane got position one followed by Sikwane.

In smaller villages, Ramotlabaki got position one followed by Leshibitse and Mokatse villages while Boseja Central got position one in the wards category followed by Mosanta North and Mabodisa. ENDS