and Green Campaign road show
3 May 2007
Programme Director
Executive Mayor
Members of mayoral committees and councillors present
School principals and teachers present
Director: Stakeholder Engagement, Mr Sipho Thanjekwayo
Government officials present
Members of ward committees and representative of various community
organisations
Invited guests
Ladies and gentlemen
I wish to first begin by commending the organisers of this event for their
foresight. It always is important to, as we continue with implementing a task,
stand back and reflect on challenges that get thrown up in the process. It also
is of critical importance to continuously reflect on the implementation process
as it relate to the set objectives.
Addressing the launch of the 2007 BKB launch, I observed that the project
will celebrate its fifth year of fruitful existence at a time when the essence
of its being continues to be forcefully shoved into the forefront of global
discussions. Mismanagement of the environment is wreaking havoc across the
globe.
Massive and agonising loss of life and property has brought to sharp relief
what James Lovelock meant when he observed that 'living matter on the earth
collectively defines and regulates the material conditions necessary for the
continuance of life'. I further observed that this is a practical bitter and
nasty lesson that mismanagement of the environment is teaching us all. These
lessons are already being felt in our own country.
In mentioning these acidic occurrences, I was quite conscious of the fact
that I am talking to people to whom we share a collective responsibility of
protecting and promoting the interests of the people of South Africa.
At the launch of the 2007 BKB campaign, I did not talk about the other core
objective of BKB, the goal of further establishing and confirming the
centrality of ward committees in the complex process of social transformation.
BKB provides a veritable platform and vehicle to directly engage communities on
issues that affect them, not only environmental issues as they negatively
impact on our communities.
Environmental issues have in practice and by BKB participants effectively
been utilised to combat the most pressing and urgent need, the need to combat
poverty. The history of BKB is indeed awash with sustainable environmental
projects that have not only contributed to poverty alleviation. Creativity has
seen participants embarking on job creation initiatives.
At the level of getting to know and better understand issues that affect our
communities and thereby also helping avert unnecessary unrests, the BKB project
can also be an effective tool.
Allow me, ladies and gentlemen, in conclusion and in line with the essence
of this road show to encourage you to enlist en masse as participants in the
project. Utilise the project as another tool to further encourage mass
participation in the process of changing the lives of all our people for the
better.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Gauteng
Provincial Government
3 May 2007
