Rejoice Mabudafhasi, Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, will together with provincial and local dignitaries visit and undertake a tour aboard the Climate Train in Polokwane tomorrow, Wednesday 16 November 2011. The Climate Train has reached Polokwane on its second day of community engagement in Limpopo.
The train is consulting and raising awareness on climate change under the theme, 'Mobilization, Dialogue & Climate Justice.' The train departed for COP17 on 28 October from Cape Town and is making its way through 16 towns and cities.
The activities planned for the day include the handover of trees to the municipality, sampling of a typical day of the train’s outreach programme and holding a round table discussion in the train’s on-board conference carriage on challenges experienced by women and youth in agriculture in Limpopo as a result of our changing climate.
Thousands of learners have already visited the train’s knowledge carriage and participated in the creative workshops. Many learners have taken part in the ongoing Earth Forum - small group discussions about people’s personal relationship with Mother Earth.
The Climate Train represents an awareness raising and engagement process resulting from a partnership between IndaloYethu which is the South African Environmental Agency, the British Council and COPART, with the support of the Department of Environmental Affairs, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and the Embassy of the Republic of Germany. There is also collaboration with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and LoveLife.
The train leaves Polokwane tomorrow evening for a three day visit to Louis Trichardt, before a brief return to Gauteng, from where it would depart for Durban next Tuesday, traveling through Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. The media is invited to be part of the proceedings and the details are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 16 November2011
Train tour: 13h00 for 13h30
Medua briefing: 15h50
Venue: Polokwane Train Station, Limpopo
RSVP:
Dimakatso Tsutsub
Tel: 012 310 3936
E-mail: DTsutsubi@environment.gov.za
Sithokozile Banele Mabena
Tel: 012 395 3607
E-mail: SMabena@environment.gov.za
For media interviews contact:
Peter Mbelengwa
Cell: 082 611 8197
E-mail: Mbelengwap@dwa.gov.za
