Whatshot
Durban wings Greenest City Award
Durban wings Greenest City Award
The MEC also commended Newcastle for finishing second in the category for smaller local municipalities. Durban outflanked the City of Cape Town and City of Joburg, which finished second third respectively.
"COGTA is proud that by winning R3, 5 million and named nationally as 'greenest' city in South Africa, the eThekwini Municipality continues to set the trend as an award-winning city government and has demonstrated to our province and country that eThekwini and its citizens are leading the race in the campaigns ranging from recycling to climate change planning, energy conservation, air and water quality management, biodiversity conservation and coastal planning.
"Ever since Durban launched its 'Imagine Durban' environmental campaign a few years ago and then went on to host the COP 17 Conference, the Ethekwini Municipality has become a role-model and leader in the green revolution."
The MEC said the eThekwini mayor James Nxumalo was delivering on his election mandate by ensuring that Durban continued to be a shining example when it came to good governance, of which the green management was a critical aspect in the service delivery challenges of all municipalities.
The MEC, who will lead her department's delegation to the COP 18 Conference in Qatar in the Middle East in December, said she was proud that Durban was taking a leadership position in showcasing South Africa's efforts in addressing the global issue of climate change after winning the competition run by the Department of Environmental Affairs at an awards ceremony in Johannesburg this week.
"Durban has shown the way that there is a compelling need for everyone to harness the knowledge pertaining to climate change and share it with our communities. It is no longer an issue that should be discussed in air-conditioned conference rooms, but it is a growing societal responsibility," Dube added.
Presenting the award to the Durban delegation, the Deputy Environment Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi, congratulated the eThekwiniofficials for their efforts in transforming Durban into a greener city. The Greenest Municipality award has been modified from the old Cleanest City award to broaden the focus beyond just waste management to encourage cities and towns to participate in green issues.
MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs congratulates Fawzia Peer, chairperson of Infrastructure and Procurement at the Ethekwini Municipality on Durban winning the national 'Greenest City' award plus a windfall of R3,5-million from the Department of Environmental Affairs in Johannesburg.