Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, 16 July 2014

The Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs, Ms. Barbara Thompson will lead a clean-up campaign for International Nelson Mandela Day on 18 July in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu -Natal. The activity will focus on Cleaning up South Africa.

Every year on 18 July South Africans together with the international community honour our former president and international icon Nelson Mandela. We embrace Madiba’s values and honour his legacy through humanitarian acts and initiatives that acknowledge his never-ending quest to change the world for the better.

President Jacob Zuma in his State of the Nation Address announced that this year Mandela Day would be celebrated by working to clean up the South Africa. The President encouraged all South Africans to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to clean South Africa. President Zuma said: “Let us begin planning for a major clean-up of our cities, town, township, villages, schools and beautify every part of our country”.

Many people and organisations around the world take part in many activities to commemorate this day and promote the different projects that were inspired by Mandela's achievements.

The Department of Environmental Affairs through the National Green Fund Expanded Public Works Programme supports uMsunduzi Local Municipality with two key programmes which focus on job creation within the waste section, youth unemployment, waste collection, separation, recycling and skills development within the context of the Green Economy.

In Making a Clean South Africa a Collective Effort, the Department of Environmental Affairs will render clean-up activities that will raise awareness on the following three waste management themes: anti- littering, separation of waste at source and recycle, reuse and recover.

Media is invited to attend as follows:

Date: 18 July 2014, Friday

Time: 10 AM

Venue: Copesville (Pietermaritzburg), KwaZulu-Natal-(Next to Copesville Community Hall)

RSVP, contact:

Dimakatso Tsutsubi
Tel: 012 310 3936 /
Cell: 084 8282088
E-mail: dtsutsubi@environment.gov.za

OR

Thembile Ngcobo
Tel: 012 310 3911
E-mail: tngcobo@environment.gov.za

For media inquiries contact:

Albi Modise
Cell: 083 490 287
E-mail: amodise@environment.gov.za

OR

Harry Masenya (MLO for the Deputy Minister)
Tel: 0713602892
Email: hmasenya@environment.gov.za