FRIDAY, 28 MARCH 2003: The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, his deputy, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, and senior departmental officials will use government's Imbizo Focus Week (31 March - 6 April) to interact with various communities around the country to assess various community empowerment projects and whether they have improved people's lives for the better.

On Monday, 31 March 2003, Gauteng MEC for environment, Mary Metcalfe, will accompany Mabudafhasi on a visit to a paper, plastic and bottle-recycling project in Mogale City. The Deputy Minister will also do a walkabout and talk to communities at a nearby unrehabilitated mine dump. The community of Kagiso will for the first time have an opportunity to raise their concerns about the pollution caused by the mine dumps to the Deputy Minister. There are concerns as well about unfenced land pits, which have claimed countless lives in the area. Mining companies left these pits as they are and this has been a concern of residents for a long time.

Minister Moosa will on Tuesday, 1 April 2003, visit a plastic bag recycling plant in Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng, to observe how recycling has created job opportunities for the local people. He will do this just over a month before the regulations banning thin plastic bags for recyclable thicker bags come into effect on 9 May 2003.

On the same day, Deputy Minister Mabudafhasi will visit hawkers currently operating on the road shoulders of Damdoryn (3Km from Hartebeespoortdam) to launch the development of the new Damdoryn Market. The market receives approximately 4 000 visitors per day and permanent jobs will be created for maintenance, security, cleaning and other related services from the new market.

Later in the day she will visit an SMME that manufactures glasses from recycled bottles at the Mabeskraal Shopping Complex, North West, after which she will meet with the Mabeskraal community.

Senior departmental officials will on Thursday, 03 April 2003, visit a plastic bottle recycling project in Blackheath, Cape Town, which has empowered local community members and pupils from local schools who gather plastic bottles and sell them to the plant for recycling.

The aim of the Imbizo Focus Week is to give communities an opportunity to interact directly with government, where they can discuss issues on service delivery and the general development in the country.

For more information, please contact Minister Moosa's spokesperson Phindile Makwakwa on 082 850 9559, Deputy Minister Mabudafhasi's spokesperson Zodumo Mbuli on 084 680 7860, or Mava Scott on 083 497 2794.

For more information on Imbizo Focus week within the department, click here