The Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi will hand over 200 school desks to Kalana Lower and Higher Primary School, on Wednesday 23 April 2014, in Peddie, Eastern Cape.
Kalana Lower and Higher Primary School’s principal wrote to the Deputy Minister requesting much needed desks for the learners.
The desks to be handed over are made out of biomass from cleared Invasive Alien Plants and manufactured at the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Working for Water Eco Furniture factory situated in Heidelberg in Gauteng. The Working for Water Programme has piloted value-added industry options, in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Invasive Alien Species Programme (KZN IASP). These initiatives have shown the viability of the approach of utilising invasive alien biomass to create jobs, in making value-added products relevant to Government’s needs, and reducing the cost of clearing the invasive plants.
The product that has become the short-term major focus has been the manufacture of school desks. High-quality, durable, solid-wooden desks are being manufactured for less than half the cost of chipboard desks that last a fraction of the time of the Eco-desks.
The media is invited to attend the event as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Venue: Kalana Lower and Higher Primary School, Peddie, Eastern Cape
Time: 10h00
RSVP:
Sivuyile Ngaba
Cell: 071 403 5294
Tel: 021 441 2788
E-mail: sngaba@environment.gov.za
Media queries:
Peter Mbelengwa
Cell: 082 611 8197
