The Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo hosted its Environmental Awards ceremony at the Brixton Multipurpose Centre on 22 June 2023 to honour and acknowledge institutions for their remarkable greening projects and programmes within their communities. “As the custodians for open space management, development and greening agency, JCPZ is honoured to host and recognise the excellence of organisations and institutions today, who took part in the greening competition. “Through the learners present today we know that discipline and pride for community development and greening is still alive,” said programme director and City Parks and Zoo’s environmental specialist Nathi Mvula.
Among the attendees were hundreds of pupils and members from community-based organisation, non-governmental organisations (NGO) and other community-based environmental groups as well as school based environmental clubs within the City, who all participated in the greening competition.
Mvula said that the environmental competition promotes awareness on the importance of public open spaces and the management protection and conservation of these spaces.
The Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development in the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Lubabalo Magwentshu, in his keynote address said he is delighted to be part of such a memorable occasion where schools and organisations are awarded for taking ownership of their open spaces.
“In our environment today, we are faced with many challenges such as deforestation, pollution, climate change and many others. For this reason I would like to commend JCPZ for running a competition of this magnitude towards the cause of protecting our environment,” said Cllr Magwentshu.
He said communities and organisations play a major role in the conservation of open spaces.
“I want to assure each learner that you are not too young to make a difference. There are activists as young as 15 years old who are making changes already. You may be small in age or small organisations but you are making big differences collectively and that’s how we save our planet.”
Among the shortlisted winners of the competition were 21 primary schools, 11 high schools and four NGOs. The prize for the award winners amounts to R200 000.
Winners in the primary school category were MC Weiler Primary School in first place, Zandspruit Primary School in second place and Reshomile Primary school took third place in the competition.
In the high school categories in third place was Lufhereng Secondary School, in second place was Sekano-Ntoane Secondary School and the first prize was awarded to the David Makhubo Secondary School.
Organisations who walked away with prizes included Siyoyisile Indlala in third place, Alex water Warriors in second and the winning organisation was Go Green and Go Clean.
The MMC encouraged the pupils to continue on their journey to keeping their communities clean and green.
“As we award and applaud these green champions let’s remember that the world we leave behind today will determine the future we will walk towards. The winning institutions use your prize money wisely to do great work as you have been. May you be back next year,” said Cllr Magwentshu.
Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph
22/06/2023