Swartland powers energy efficiency

Local government

Swartland Municipality scooped the greenest municipality award at the recent Greenest Municipality competition (GMC).

The awards are hosted by the Department of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.

The Municipality walked away with R130 000 in prize money.

The GMC aims to promote improved service delivery that restores community pride and a commitment to caring for the living environment.

It also focuses on improved integrated sustainable development strategies in municipalities and serves to improve service delivery by municipalities to communities.

In 2016/17, Swartland Municipality invested over R200 000 in energy efficient light emitting diode (LED) streetlights to replace existing inefficient mercury vapour and high pressure sodium streetlights.

LEDs are extremely energy efficient and consume less power than other light bulbs.

“We celebrate the constant hard work which makes our towns function; we celebrate the passion of officials who carry out work against challenging odds and we celebrate the spirit of co-operation and the efforts to use our resources wisely for the benefit of all our citizens,” said Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Anton Bredell, at the awards event.

Minister Bredell said that municipalities are central to the success of any initiative that seeks to address the challenges of climate change and resource inefficiencies.

This year the main category winners were Overstrand Municipality (awarded R70 000 for coming second) and Hessequa Municipality (R50 000 for coming third).

In the district municipalities category, the winner was Eden District Municipality, which walked away with R130 000. Second was Overberg District Municipality (R70 000) and third the West Coast District Municipality (R50 000). The municipalities will use their winnings for community development projects.