SOME people see rubble as mere rubbish, but visionary people such as Salphy Nkoane of Tembisa see an opportunity of earning a living and saving the environment at the same time.
Nkoane is the chairperson of the Matshupatsela Cooperative, a recycling entity which she started with other members. The cooperative has since grown to 18 members, most of whom are women.
There was joy and ululation from the cooperatives as the City of Ekurhuleni, with its partners the European Union, handed over the Sethokga Waste Minimising Facilitation. Two other benefiting cooperatives, the Tiyisetsane and Imbalenhle which feed over 100 families, will also operate from the facility.
With a capital injection of R17-million, not only did the metro and its allies prove instrumental in the construction of the facility, which boasts a fully-fledged office and recycling warehouse, they also handed over light midi Kia trucks, trolleys, bailing machines and manual forklifts for use by the three cooperatives.
Through recycling, gas emissions are reduced and greens jobs are created.
Member of the mayoral committee for environmental management, Clr Ndosi Shongwe, who unveiled the plaque to the facility, pleaded with the cooperatives and residents of Tembisa not to vandalise the property.
“As a metro we are creating jobs and opportunities and with this facility we are supporting the initiative by members of this community (Tembisa). Take care of this facility, protect it as it provides opportunities for some of you,” she said.
Shongwe also thanked the European Union’s head of economic and infrastructure, Berth van Uythem, for their continuous support of this project.
The local cooperatives are expected to significantly contribute in the reduction of gas emissions through recycling.
