Hundreds of people from all corners of the Thulamela Municipality, including councillors and companies that are active in conserving environmental affairs, gathered in the Thohoyandou town hall to celebrate World Environmental Day celebrations on Tuesday.
The event was a joint partnership between Tshikovha Environmental, Universal Greening, an NGO of students attached to the University of Venda, and the regional Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism; they also took part in the clean-up campaign of Thohoyandou town, including the busy taxi and bus rank.
Speaking during the World Environmental Day celebrations, Cllr Tshifhiwa Raluswinga, who represented Thulamela Mayor Avhashoni Tshifhango, said World Environmental Day was a day especially celebrated to know to solve all environmental issues.
"It is also known as environmental day or Eco day and it is a great annual event focusing on the issues of the environment and trying to solve them completely. It is being celebrated for years worldwide with lots of creative activities and enthusiasm to bring positive changes in the environment," said Raluswinga.
According to Raluswinga, the day also aims to protect the natural environment forever on the earth for healthy possibility of life and it has been celebrated annually on the 5th of June since 1973. It was declared as such in 1972 by the United Nations General Assembly during the opening of its conference on the Human Environment to raise awareness about declining conditions of the environment among people about the importance of a healthy and green environment on the earth.
"World environmental day also aims to engage and draw the attention of millions of people, including political and health organizations from different countries across the world to make new plans and implement them. The annual celebration of the day depends on the particular theme and this year's theme is 'Connecting People to Nature'," she said.
She added that the day also addressed issues such as wastage and losses of food, increasing global warming, deforestation, pollution, and industrialization in order to control these negative environmental changes.
Thulamela local municipality's acting senior manager of community services, Mr Simon Madi, urged communities to connect to the environment and take positive action to protect it. Madi said as Thulamela Municipality they chose to clean up Thohoyandou town, including the parks, taxi and bus ranks.
The managing director of Tshikovha Environmental and also the chairperson of Univen Environmental Alumni, Mr Moudy Mudzielwana, said municipalities such as Thulamela should work hand in hand with environmental companies, so that the environmental policies are protected.