Green Lephalale shines

Lephalale Local  Municipality (LLM) was recently announced as the runner up in the provincial leg of the Department of Environmental Affairs' Greenest Municipality competition.
At an event held in Polokwane on 23 January, Lephalale narrowly missed the top spot when Tzaneen Municipality was announced the winner. LLM received R100 000 for their efforts in adopting green practices in their day to day tasks of delivering services to local communities. The money will be spent to enhance awareness and environmental programmes in Lephlalae.
The acting municipal manager, Charles Lekaka, congratulated the team who tirelessly work towards growing Lephalale into a clean and environmentally sound city.
The competition which was previously known as the Cleanest Town Competition primarily focuses on the implementation of the National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) and the Climate Change Response Policy. This includes principles of reducing, reusing and recycling waste materials as well as the introduction of renewable energy initiatives.
The criteria for the Greenest Municipality competition incorporate elements such as water conservation management, energy efficiency, waste management, tree planting, landscaping, beautification, public participation as well as institutional arrangement and leadership in the municipality. The competition aims to promote environmental protection, social upliftment and economic growth within the different municipal areas.