The 12 schools from the Vhembe District who participated in the South African Green Schools Programme (SAGSP), aimed at environmental conservation, had opportunity to display their projects during the Vhembe Wetland Day celebration at the Nancefield Hall in Musina on Tuesday, 21 February.
The SAGSP is a pilot project implemented by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and the Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism department (LEDET), that aims to raise awareness among learners about environmental degradation that can be reversed by educating the nation and adopting sustainable measures for harvesting environmental resources, with a view to creating a legacy that future generations can inherit.
The student-led programme promotes long-term, whole-school actions to improve the environment and engage with the wider community.
Makungwi Primary School won the Foundation Phase section of the competition, while Shigombe Primary School won the Intermediate Phase and Luvhivhini High the Secondary Phase. The winners were awarded cash prizes, which will be channelled to improve their environmental projects further.
Ms Rotakala Madzhia, an educator at Makungwi Primary School in Nzhelele, said her school had entered the competition in 2022. They had been given six thematic areas to preserve water. They had done this through installing tanks to harvest rainwater and digging a trench from taps to lead excess water onto flowerbeds and grass. "We also replaced electric spotlights with solar spotlights to save electricity and planted more trees around the school for beautification," said Madzhia.
The school received a cheque for R18 000, with which Madzhia said they hoped to improve their project further.
In her presentation, Ms Rendani Kutama, manager of waste management at the Musina Local Municipality, urged communities in Musina to make a conscious effort to stop waste materials from spreading and start to preserve and protect the environment.
Kutama said the municipality was doing its best to collect waste materials and bring awareness to the various schools in the area, such as handing out plastic bags to learners, organising tree-planting competitions and other environmental projects.
Addressing the communities and learners, the executive mayor of the Vhembe District Municipality, Dowelani Nenguda, urged communities to help preserve and protect the region's wetlands.