Deputy Minister hosts E-waste Imbizo in Madibeng

OUKASIE – On Thursday, 15 May 2025, Deputy Minster of The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Ms Bernice Swarts hosted an E-waste Imbizo in Oukasie, Madibeng.

The Deputy Minister was welcomed by the Executive Mayor of Madibeng, Cllr Douglas Maimane and MMC for Community Services, Cllr Lindiwe Mhlambi at the municipality’s main building, where the DM held a meeting with traditional leaders about recycling and other matters related to her department.

Following her meeting with the traditional leaders, DM Swarts handed over 100 hundred fruit trees to each traditional house as part of the presidential programme which aims to plant 10 million trees in the country in 5 years. The president requested that 60% of the trees be fruit trees as part of food security, and 40% be indigenous trees.

At the Oukasie Community Hall, Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) had set up information stalls about recycling, and electronic waste was collected from community members in exchange for vouchers or, for safety reasons, electronic payments.

Addressing the crowd at the Oukasie Community Hall, DM Swarts warned the community that, “electronic waste often has hazardous substances such as mercury and lead, which are a health risk. These appliances must be disposed of correctly to avoid contaminating the environment and affecting the health of communities.”

The DM also encouraged the community to recycle as a sustainable way of earning an income. She said, “Waste is life because it can be converted into sustainable jobs in the community. In the circular economy, waste does not end. It can be recycled again and again”.

The DM ended the day with an inspection of Katlego Consulting, which is a growing plastic pelletisation cleaning and refining plant located in the Brits Industrial Area. The company was created with assistance from the Recycling Enterprise Programme funded by DFFE, and it has 21 permanent employees and more than 200 reclaimers (waste pickers).

Regarding the turnout in Oukasie, the DM remarked, “When you see this amount of waste, it means people have understood what is happening here today. I’m very happy because the tons of e-waste we have collected today will not end up in the environment.”