The City of Johannesburg has once again been named the overall winner of the Metropolitan Municipality category in the 2019 cycle of the Annual Greenest Municipality Competition (GMC).
It was up against the Nelson Mandela Bay, which was named the second prize winner. The City of Tshwane was third, while Buffalo City and Mangaung were unsuccessful. This is the third time that the City of Johannesburg walked away with the top prize.
The first prize, which carries a total of R3.5-million in prize money, was bestowed on the City of Johannesburg in recognition of its environmental sustainability initiatives in addressing issues such as waste and water management, energy efficiency, climate change and greening, among others.
The competition, which started in 2001, is an initiative of the national Department of Environment, Forestry & Fisheries, which stipulates that the prize money will be ploughed back into projects aimed at preserving and protecting the environment within the City.
Welcoming the award, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Environment and Infrastructure Services in the City of Johannesburg Cllr Mpho Moerane said the accolade served as a motivation to continue developing an environmentally sustainable city in line with its strategic objectives.
“The City recognises the importance of the concept of environmental sustainability within the context of the 2040 Growth and Development Strategy (GDS). We are really determined and passionate to continue building a sustainable city which protects its future generations and making Joburg greener and environmentally friendly through our augmented waste and water management programmes,” he concluded.
The evaluation panel applauded Johannesburg’s entry, which focused on water management, waste management and minimisation, energy efficiency and conservation, landscaping, tree planting and beautification, climate change green economy projects, environmental awareness and public participation programmes by various entities, as well as site visits to showcase environmental practices within the City.
Info supplied by the City.
