Council Transforming Youths Into Entrepreneurs
12 Manzini youths register company that will soon be turning waste into wealth
As part of the Municipal Council of Manzini’s drive to reduce pollution and keep the
environment clean whilst also reducing unemployment and poverty by creating job
opportunities, a total of 12 youths from the city are presently receiving training towards
establishment of a waste recycling operation. The youths, who underwent interviews and were selected from the 12 municipal wards, have already registered a company ‘Gone Green Recyclers” following a series of intensive
entrepreneurship training. This forms part of Council’s youth empowerment programme
which comes as a result of the city’s Local Economic Development strategic initiative.
The youth recycling project, which has been named “Imali Ngetibi” as it will be turning
waste into money, is also supported by Eswatini Fair Trade (ESWIFT) and the Eswatini
Environment Authority (EEA). ESWIFT is supporting the initiative through 360 degrees
entrepreneurship capacity building whilst the EEA has committed to procuring the required
tools and equipment for the operation. Council has contributed premises from which the
business operation will take place and also drives the entire initiative.
The business initiative comes at a time when the Municipality is in the process of
introducing waste separation from source.
The concept of waste separation from source involves segregation of different types of solid waste at the site where it is generated; be it at household or business level. There are different types of recyclable waste including glass,
paper, metal, cardboard, plastic, tyres, batteries and electronics. However, Gone Green
Recyclers will be focusing on plastic waste. These include plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic
containers, plastic cutlery and other forms of polystyrene and polypropylene materials.
The youth-driven company will collect plastic waste and process it into plastic chips after
which it will be exported to markets (recycling companies) in South Africa. The young
entrepreneurs are already receiving practical experience on the trade from a Matsapha-
based company, Eric Slabbert Agencies (PTY) LTD, which has been in the industry over two
decades.
The Imali Ngetibi operation will commence as soon as the tools and equipment
arrive and it will be based near the municipal abattoir. Council’s wish is for the business to
thrive and grow into one of the giants in the industry. It must be mentioned that a high level
state of enthusiasm has been noted amongst the youths who form part of the company and
indications are that they can’t wait to start operating.
PUBLIC ORDER, SAFETY, SECURITY IN THE CITY
The Municipal Council of Manzini has as one of its strategic objectives the improvement of
public order, safety and security in the city. The Municipality carries out this responsibility
on a daily basis. The following table highlights some of the activities that took place in
January 2020;
ILLEGAL ACTIVITY | ACTION TAKEN |
Illegal trading | 217 cases of illegal trading were reported |
Stray cattle | 30 stray cattle were impounded and they were all collected from Ngwane Park |
Bush mechanics | 16 offenders were arrested and paid fines |
Noise | 13 cases of excessive noise were reported and acted upon. These were mostly from the shops in the city centre and liquor establishments in the neighbourhoods, namely; Ngwane Park and Fairview |
Mentally disturbed persons | Three (3) mentally disturbed persons were apprehended with assistance from the Royal Eswatini Police Service |
Open fire | Eight (8) cases of open fire were identified within the urban boundaries and acted upon |
Stray dogs | 14 stray dogs were eliminated and removed from streets in townships including Fairview, Mangwaneni, Two Sticks, Ngwane Park, Moneni and Woodmasters |
Illegal structures | Two (2) illegally constructed structures were identified and the offenders were ordered to put them down |
EMPLOYEE WELLNESS A PRIORITY: MANZINI COUNCIL PARTICIPATES IN TUFF ONE
Employee wellness is one of the key strategic deliverables within the Municipal Council of
Manzini. As a result, a number of employee health and wellness activities are periodically
rolled out within the organisation. The Municipality’s athletics team took part in the 12th
edition of the Tuff One half marathon which was held at Zakhele sports ground, Manzini,
and the following pictures were taken during the event…