Photo: EXPERIENCE West Coast
Photo: EXPERIENCE West Coast
The Western Cape government have announced the three greenest municipalities in the province this week, during a glitzy awards ceremony. The top municipalities also received large cash sums as a reward for their efforts to build a sustainable lifestyle.
RT @WCGovEADP: Congratulations to the following municipalities for most improved ✅ @BVMun #MosselBay #Saldanha #Drakenstein
— West Coast (@wcoast) November 26, 2019
The most environmentally-friendly places in the Western Cape
We’ve not quite got a drum-roll for this, but we can tell you that the winner is… the Drakenstein Municipality. The area containing Paarl, Stellenbosch and the hidden delights of the Cape Winelands scooped the top-honour for establishing environmentally-friendly functions. They were admirably flanked by two other municipalities who have also made some big changes:
- Drakenstein: Won R260 000 in prize money.
- Swartland: Won R140 000 in prize money.
- Mossel Bay: Won R100 000 in prize money.
Response to climate change praised
Anton Bredell is the Provincial Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning in the Western Cape. He hailed the top-three municipalities for managing their resources optimally, and reserved high praise for their willingness to combat climate change:
“Municipalities play a critical role in our country’s collective response to the challenges posed by climate change. If our towns aren’t more efficient and aren’t better prepared for the challenges we face, then the economic growth we need in our country will just not be possible,”
“These include ensuring resources like water and electricity are managed optimally or simply cutting down on waste. We must better conserve resources, use them wisely and ensure that access to these resources is shared fairly across all communities.”
Anton Bredell
The greenest areas in the Western Cape – individual awards
The festivities don’t end here, either. There was also a host of individual awards to dish out. Drakenstein picked up two more prestigious gongs, whereas Swartland and Mossel Bay added another accolade for themselves. Overstrand, Saldanha Bay and Hessequa were all recognised for their contributions to the cause:
The main category winners for 2019 are:
- Climate Change Response – Drakenstein Municipality.
- Air Quality Management – Drakenstein Municipality.
- Waste Management – Saldanha Bay Municipality.
- Water Conservation & Management – Swartland Municipality.
- Biodiversity Management – Overstrand Municipality.
- Coastal Management & Urban Beautification – Mosselbay Municipality.
- Leadership, Compliance, Institutional Arrangements & Public Participation – Hessequa Municipality.
