Mr N. Singh: Address on the occasion of Earth Day at Avoca Primary School

22 April 2026

Programme Director, L Rajesh 

Principal, Mr Kowlesar;    
Supporting Partners: Mohanji Foundation/ DSW Ethekwini Municipality    
Educators and staff;    
Distinguished guests    
Parents and community members    
And most of all, our learners

It is good to be with you today as we mark Earth Day - a day that reminds us we have to look after the only home we have – the Earth. And this year’s theme – “Nurturing Our Earth, Growing Our Future” – fits so well with what I see happening here at Avoca Primary. It is clear that you are not just discussing about these matters, but you are actioning them.

Why did we choose your school, Avoca Primary School? Hard Work, Community Upliftment Initiatives does not go unnoticed. When I attended the Ammen Awards with our Premier of KwaZulu-Natal held by the Mariammen Temple in Mt Edgecombe, one of the awardees`s in the category: Community Socio-Economic Upliftment was one of your very own for the Environmental programmes/ initiatives implemented within the community and your school. Yes, it was Educator Mr Ashlin Ellan. When Ms Sulosh Pillay from the Mohanji Foundation approached me about partnering with us for Earth Day, I had no hesitation in recommending Avoca Primary School. This is our way of encouraging Ashlin, Learners & Educators of Avoca PS and the Community to continue with programs and projects geared towards environmental sustainability.

Partnerships Dear Educators, Learners and members of the Community, I believe in fostering partnerships and joint initiatives with the corporate sector, NGOs, NPOs, religious and faith-based organisations, communities and anybody who can make a meaningful contribution towards the upliftment of our communities. I believe that Government alone does not have all the resources and skills to provide for all of the needs of the people of South Africa. Hence today, we have joined with Mohanji Foundation for today`s programme and they have generously sponsored fruits for our learners, R3000 towards a jojo tank for the vegetable garden and mini jojo tanks for the learners to wash hands before their meals. I have also brought on board: 

KZN Department of Agriculture & Rural Development: at short notice Mr Giresh Naidoo and his team have set up a Demo Vegetable Garden, provided seedlings and fertiliser, implemented the Urban Planting Project in tyres and I am told that a fully-fledged garden will be set up in the coming weeks where training will be offered to Educators/ Learners and/or community members who want to participate. This garden will be on a large scale and will supplement your Food Nutrition Scheme. DSW- Ethekwini District Municipality have come in with items for learners and waste plastic bags for your waste. SAPPI provided printing paper and Polyco (recycling pamphlets with bin bags and goodie bags for the participants of the Earth Day Challenge Competition). My department has provided the gardening implements to tend your vegetable garden and wheelie bins to dispose your waste.

Just on the issue of partnerships, last Thursday our Public Entity SANBI hosted a Corporate Nature Experience at the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens where Heads of the Corporate Sector such as Banks and other heads were treated to a wonderful evening, and I convinced them to invest in our National gardens/parks etc.

Earth Day is not only about being aware. It is about taking responsibility. Earth Day is about realising that the small choices we make every day – how we use water, how we deal with our waste, how we treat the environment around us – those choices shape the future we are going to live in.

Many of you face real environmental challenges. In many of these communities waste is not managed properly. There are serious pollution issues where you live. These are not distant problems that we are going to face sometime in the future. They are right here and offer us a chance for us to do things differently.

What gives me hope is that change starts right here, with young people. When learners start understanding, from an early age, why we need to protect the environment, those values stay with them for life. They also take these values home to their immediate and distant values. These can therefore influence their families and their communities.

The Earth Programme Initiative you are launching today is practical and necessary. It focuses on three things. First, making people aware. The reality is that you cannot act if you do not know. Once learners understand climate change, pollution, and conservation, they are in a much better position to do the right thing. Second, we need to focus on recycling and managing waste. Simple things – separating rubbish, reusing materials, throwing away less – those add up. Schools can lead the way here. Third, making a difference in the community. What is learned in the classroom has to go beyond the school gates. When learners take these lessons home, that is when real change starts.

The food garden project is especially important. It is not just about growing vegetables. It teaches self-reliance. It teaches responsibility. It teaches respect for what nature gives us. And it helps with nutrition, which is so important for learning and growing.

Ladies and Gentlemen, my Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment supports initiatives like this because they tie in with what striving to do nationally. Our programmes focus on protecting natural resources, reducing waste, promoting recycling, and building strength against climate change. We also put money into environmental education and youth development. There are real job opportunities out there – in environmental management, conservation, forestry, marine science. These are not just school subjects. They are careers. And we need young people who are ready to step into those roles.

So, to the learners here today: you are not too young to make a difference. Start small. Do not litter. Save water. Plant something. Recycle. Get others to do the same. Little things, done day after day, lead to big change.

To the school and the community surrounding it, we need each other. As government we are realistic that we cannot do this alone. Schools, families, and local organisations must work together to build communities that can last.

In conclusion, taking care of our environment is not a once-off thing that is left to Earth Day, but a daily endeavour.  It is a reminder that we have a responsibility to our environment every single day. What you start today must carry on tomorrow, next week, and beyond. So let us nurture our earth with care. Let us grow a future that is sustainable, healthy, and fair for everyone.

Thank you.