The Minister of Environmental Affairs, Mrs Edna Molewa, will hand over school desks to (Sakhelwa High School, on Friday 23 October 2015, at the Uthukela District Municipality in KwaZulu- Natal. The handing over of school desks is part of the Minister’s visit to the UKhahlamba region.
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 KwaZulu-Natal. 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 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 manufacturing 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: Friday 23 October 2015
Venue: Sakhelwa High School, Section E, Ezakheni Township
Time: 10h00
To RSVP, contact: Ernest Mulibana – 082 263 7372 / 021 405 9439 EMulibana@environment.gov.za
Equeries:
Zolile Nqayi
Cell: 082 898 6483
