A rural school became the beneficiary of desks from the provincial programme of eradicating Invasive Alien Species in KwaZulu-Natal. Sabuyaze Secondary school in KwaMaphumulo (ILembe District) has been given 200 desks by the provincial Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development today 26 February 2011.
The department removes invasive alien plants like pine and gum trees to clear the land for utilisation. These plants are then processed at our departmental plant in Cedara to make (valuable wood products) likeschool andoffice furniture, desks, park benches and Eco-Coffins. These bi-products are then made available to our stakeholders and general public at a reasonable cost. The utilisation of biomass from clearing operations, for example the manufacture of school desks and eco-coffins from pine and gum, also assists in waste minimisation, which is a high priority for ensuring a healthy environment.
Invasive alien plants pose a direct threat not only to our biological diversity, but also to water security, the ecological functioning of natural systems, the productive use of land and also sustainable livelihoods (including human and animal health). They intensify the impact of veld fires and floods and increase soil erosion. These problems often contribute to the huge reduction water quantity and quality, loss of biodiversity eco system functions, loss of potentially productive agricultural land, loss of conservation land, loss of grazing land, could cause poisoning to livestock and could cause greater incidence of veld fires.
MEC Johnson handed over the desks to the school principal Mr Mpumelelo Khanyase in the presence of his staff and learners. “Education is one of the Key priorities of our government if not the most important. It is a key to the development of any nation because it’s a sector that builds and grooms our human capital. Education is central to our activities as a country because even as we continue to address complex challenges of skills shortage and skills development, we highly rely on its guidance in finding lasting solutions for our social and economic development,” said Johnson
The principal said the desks will contribute to a good learning environment as the learners will no longer be squashed in three or four per desk. “Our learners will now sit comfortably in class and their concentration will certainly improve as they will no longer be squashed. We are grateful to the department and MEC Johnson for the desks and we see this as a good investment for young people of KwaMaphumulo,” said Khanyase. The desks were received well by not only the school but by the community at large.
Enquiries:
Ncumisa Mafunda
Tel: 033 343 8063
Cell: 079 515 7187
