Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo leads charge for environmental sustainability
With the theme, ‘Land Restoration, Desertification, and Drought Resilience’ JCPZ headed a much-needed clean-up in Alexandra.
Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo in partnership with the Alexandra Water Warriors and Wits Business School commemorates World Environment Day with a special event at Altrec Sports Complex in Alexandra.
The event aimed to promote environmental sustainability and community engagement while highlighting the importance of responsible waste management.
Environmental Education Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo manager, Sinah Magolo said, “We are commemorating World Environment Day with an event focused on teaching people about the environment and why we human beings need to take care of the environment. Because if we don’t take care of the environment it won’t take care of us.
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“This year’s theme is ‘Our Land, Our Future’– we are ‘generation restoration’ which means if we take care of the environment now, the future generations will benefit from it. Let’s make it a habit to ensure that our environment is clean by collecting debris, cleaning our rivers and planting trees to help restore the environment,” Magolo said.
The event started with a series of engaging activities and workshops, designed to educate participants about the importance of environmental conservation and sustainable living. It featured interactive sessions on waste management, sustainable gardening practices, and eco-friendly living tips.
The event included a massive clean-up campaign, with more than 300 participants including community members, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo staff and other volunteers from neighbouring communities.
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The volunteers worked together to clean up Alexandra’s streets and open spaces. Armed with trash bags, gloves and determination, the group worked tirelessly to collect litter, debris, and recyclable materials.
Head and director of the Wits Business School Maurice Radebe said, “As the Wits Business School we are developing the next generation of leaders who are business people. We want business people who understand that business is not only about making a profit but is about protecting the planet and our earth.
“On this day of World Environment Day, we felt it is very important that we send that message to the world, particularly to business schools throughout the world that we must make an impact and make sure that we support the sustainability development goals as articulated by the United Nations, part of which is protecting, conserving and making sure that the environment is clean,” Radebe added.
He also urged people to stop dumping litter and debris near the streets so that the new generation would grow up knowing that they should not throw papers in the streets.
A community volunteer Siboniso Maxaxuma said, “It is great to see so many people coming together to make a difference in our community by making sure that our environment is clean because a clean environment means a healthy life.”
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