We Are Seemingly At War With Our Planet – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa

• The Good Green Deeds programme was launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa yesterday.
• The programme is aimed at placing environmental care at the centre of South African culture by caring for the planet and its people.
• President Cyril Ramaphosa stressed the urgency by saying that “We have become the throwaway generation” and “We are we are seemingly at war with our planet”.

Speaking yesterday at the launch of the Good Green Deeds programme in East London, Eastern Cape, President Cyril Ramaphosa  said  “We have become the throwaway generation” and “We are we are seemingly at war with our planet”.

The President announced that “Littering, illegal dumping and the pollution of our air, our streams, our rivers and our oceans have had negative effects on our health, our quality of life and on the very appearance of our country”.

The Good Green Deeds programme is aimed at placing environmental care at the centre of South African culture by caring for the planet and its people.

In order to achieve this, Ramaphosa believes that it is time for citizens to change their attitude and behaviour towards the environment. “Instead of putting litter into waste bins, we toss it out onto the streets, instead of managing our waste; we dump it in places it is not supposed to be. All this makes our planet sick, it makes us sick and it makes our children sick. It is time for change,” he added.

The campaign encourages citizens to perform at least one good green deed a day to make a difference. “Whether it is in recycling your waste, or conducting clean-up activities in your street, in your neighbourhood, school, or municipality, you must be the agent of change we want and need,” Ramaphosa said.

The President added that he hopes the campaign will be embraced with vigour and enthusiasm in all municipalities around South Africa.

He also urged the youth to come to the forefront and be the champions of this campaign by taking the lead in being part of ward-based environmental education and awareness-raising.

“So let us commit today, right here and right now, that we will each do one good green deed a day, for the sake of ourselves, for the sake of others, and for the sake of our country,” he said.

Author: Bryan Groenendaal