13 December 2006

The City of Tshwane scooped the award for best metropolitan municipality in the provincial Bontle ke Botho awards on Saturday, 2 December.

The prize was awarded in the category for best performance and sustainability by a municipality (Category 4 of the competition). This award is given to the municipality in the province that has been a service role model for other municipalities and has been recognised by the public for its contribution and service delivery approach.

Tshwane's Ward 68 took the second prize in the category for overall best performing ward at provincial level (an award in Category 4). This award is for excellence in projects involving waste minimisation, water conservation, energy saving or sustainable agriculture.

The Gauteng Provincial Government's Bontle ke Botho cleaning and greening campaign seeks to address environmental challenges in the province. Bontle ke botho means "being beautiful is being human".

The Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment co-ordinates the campaign in collaboration with the Gauteng Department of Education, the Gauteng Department of Local Government and the Gauteng Department of Health. The competition is open to all schools, municipalities and wards in the province of Gauteng.

The competition recognises and rewards schools, municipalities and wards that constructively contribute to this ideal by demonstrating excellence in their performance and in sustainability.

This year's prize-giving ceremony was held at the Johannesburg Zoo.

Awards were made in four categories:

• Category 1 - Best performance and sustainability by schools Awards were given to schools based on their excellence in projects involving waste minimisation, water conservation, energy saving or sustainable agriculture. Five schools from each of Gauteng's 10 districts were chosen, with each winning school receiving R15 000 and a certificate.
• Category 2 - Best performance and sustainability by wards Awards were made to individual wards that have managed to initiate community projects that take into consideration waste minimisation, water conservation, energy saving or sustainable agriculture. Sixteen wards in each municipality received R25 000 and a certificate.
• Category 3 - Overall winning schools and wards Awards went to schools and wards that excelled at provincial level in projects involving waste minimisation, water conservation, energy saving or sustainable agriculture. Four schools and wards were selected, with each receiving R40 000 and a certificate.
• Category 4 - Best performance and sustainability by municipalities

• R40 000 of the prize money will be used to support the schools that were trained in organic food gardening, including the schools in Winterveld.
• R60 000 will be used to develop and implement an environmental training programme for new ward councillors and ward committee members who will be responsible for the environmental agenda in their wards. The programme will include training in areas such as community-based natural resource management, Local Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, Bontle ke Botho and environmental legislation.
• R100 000 will used to support projects by NGOs and CBOs that run environmental programmes in Tshwane.

Print this Page
Email this article to a friend