Deputy Minister Sotyu to lead an Inter-Ministerial Site Visit and launch the 7th Global Environment Facility Sustainable Land Management Project in Rietfontein, Northern Cape

                                                                                                              20 November 2023

The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Makhotso Sotyu, will lead an Inter-Ministerial Site Visit and launch of the 7th Global Environment Facility (GEF7) sustainable land management project on Thursday, 23 November 2023, in Rietfontein, Northern Cape.

The GEF7 sustainable land management project is a joint initiative between the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development supported by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Following the closure of the Kalahari Namib project to address transboundary issues between Botswana, South Africa and Namibia, the two departments decided to continue working in this area to address issues of land degradation through the implementation of this sustainable land management project funded by the Global Environment Facility.

The Rietfontein town and its surrounding villages is confronted by the problem of alien invasive species, particularly the prosopis species, which consume a lot of water and exacerbates land degradation, drought, water and food security amongst many other challenges. Through this project, the two departments aim to tackle challenges of land degradation, climate change, water security and unemployment.

Deputy Minister Sotyu will also host a community engagement session to address the participation of the community of Rietfontein in the successful implementation of the project and creation of work opportunities.

Members of the media are invited to attend the events as per details below:

Project Site Visit
Date: 23 November 2023   
Time: 09:00   
Venue: Groot Mier Guest House, Northern Cape

Launch Event and Community Engagement
Date: 23 November 2023   
Time: 10:00 – 14:00   
Venue: Philandersbron Community Hall, Rietfontein, Northern Cape

To RSVP, contact Merle Van Diemel on 083 301 9400 / mvandiemel@dffe.gov.za or Kagiso Letsebe on 083 439 9755 / kletsebe@dffe.gov.za

For media enquiries, please contact Peter Mbelengwa on 082 611 8197