eTHEKWINI RESIDENTS & ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

WITHOUT attempting to apportion blame to any contending party during the recent weeklong municipal employees wages strike, one pertinent question that was brought to the fore was more about the personal responsibility taken by each individual towards the city's habitat degration.

Before delving deeper into this article, permit me to hasten to highlight that my take/angle shall solelely be focussed on environmental education, in particular, the much-vaunted "Recycling Programme".

Researchers, commentators and Green activists the world over, state categorically that every human being should endeavour to enhance the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals, the Resolutions adopted at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and the United Nations's Declaration on Sustainable Development.

And who dares for amoment, forget our very own ruling party's 2007 Polokwane Declaration fellow South Africans?
It is precisely these powerful instruments that delighted and made me rejoice when the Durban Solid Waste cluster endorsed programmes to support and strenghtened the resolutions that were crafted to create a healthy and sustainable environmental legacy for future Durban generations.

Personally, I do not harbour any grmblings whenmever workers down tools in protest of a decent living wage.
As a worker myself and a hardcore Socialist, I 'in principle' feel the municipal employees wages strike was justified.

However, does it construe that every time there's an 'employer-employee confrontation' in the 'Banana City' it shall translate into our beatiful central business district (CBD) being littered with so much esxtensive waste as was witnessed on prime news channels globvally?

We're told through the City Fathers' engagement foras that in two year's time after the Africa's historic hosting of FIFA Soccer World Cup finals (by 2012) at least 50% less waste must be generated in the city and its surrounding areas.
An emphasis isstressed that thiswill translate in some 25% less waste going or taken to our 'already hardpressed' landfills.

It was precisely incumbent that SALGA, SAMWU, IMATU and the so-called "Free Riders" took cognisant of the inconvenience and cost of manpower that were required to clean tons of litter that were spread all over our internationally-renowned city every time there was a labour dispute.

The large budgets allocated by the Exco Committee every year to clear littering could be better spent if less litter was thrown about indiscriminately.

It suffices to note that His Worship Mayor Obed Mlaba is on record urging Durban residents to take up the cxhallenge of reducing, re-using and re-cycling waste, and he has also implored individuals, families and everyone else to become a responsible, caring person through his daily mantra which resonate like this; "Together We Can Keep EThekwini Beautiful".

Let me conclude one eminent Durban environmental activists who once intimated this to me;
"Taking care of our environment has huge spin offs as reducing waste per capita within eThekwini Municipality generate roughly 1,5 million tons of waste each year.
This remainsa cause for concern to thedwindling landfill spacve in our urban areas".

{Author is a School Teacher, a Political-Social Commentator, Writer and a Green Activist with SADC Regional Environmental Education Programme -REEP
Email: qadimaqadini@gmail.com
Cell: 0825816323 / 0762557826}