20 February 2019

The Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs, Ms Barbara Thomson, will be handing over eco-furniture school desks on 22 February 2019 at Leshman Secondary School in KwaZulu-Natal as part of the Back to School and Environmental Awareness campaign.
 
The high-quality, durable, solid-wooden school desks are made out of biomass from cleared Invasive Alien Plants as part of the Department of Environmental Affairs’ Eco-Furniture Programme. The Programme started 16 years ago, and is aimed at alleviating youth unemployment in South Africa and prevents the spreading of alien invasive plants. Through the Eco furniture programme, unemployed and disadvantaged community members are employed to remove these invasive alien plants and convert them into useful products.

During her visit to the school, Deputy Minister will hand over desks which are a product of the Department of Environmental Affairs’ environmental care and protection function. The desks are being manufactured for less than half of what schools are currently paying for chipboard desks that last a fraction of the time of the Eco-desks.

The Deputy Minister will be joined by Honourable Mayor of Dr Nkosazana Zuma Local Municipality, Cllr Patricia Ngeneleni Mncwabe. 

Media are invited to attend the event as follows:

Part 1

Date: 22 February 2019 

Venue: Leshman Secondary School, Ward 5 Sentocon,  Bulwer Town, KwaZulu-Natal

Time: 10:00 am

Part 2

Date: 22 February 2019

Venue: Khukhulela Community Hall, Ward 5 Centocow, Bulwer Kwazulu-Natal

Time: 11:00 am

To RSVP contact:

Sithokozile-Banele Mabena
Tel: 012 399 9989 or
Cell: 073 297 9409
Email: SMabena@environment.gov.za 

For media inquiries contact:
Albi Modise 
Cell: 083 490 2871