Soshanguve Hosts 50 days countdown to COP17



Tshwane executive Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa; Minister of International

Relations and Corporation Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and Gauteng MEC for

Agriculture and Rural Development Nandi Mayathula-Khoza look foward to COP17

 confrence which will be held in Durban.  

  By Mohau Ramashidja

Community members of Soshanguve flocked to Giant stadium in their numbers to be the first to witness and be part of the official 50 day countdown to the United Nations Convention on Climante Change. It is the 17^th Conference of the Parties (COP17/CMP7) on climate change, Which will be held in in Durban from  28 November to the 29^th of December.

The day’s event was filled fun and excitement with every member of the community willing to participate.The day’s proceedings progressed quite well with the Executive Mayor of the Tshwane Metro Mr Kgosientso Ramokgopa, the Gauteng MEC of Agriculture and Rural Development Nandi Mayathula-Khoza as well as the Minister of International Relations and Corporation Ms Maite Nkoana Mashabane were all present to address members of the public about issues of Climate change.“It is very important as for ordinary community members to be aware of issues of climate change and also a basic understanding of COP17. We must be able to correlate it with the lives of ordinary citizens and how it affects them,”  Ramokgopa said.

He also edged by the to monitor their carbon footprints as this also contributes to climate change. “The developed-world must change their ways of energy production and under developed­-countries must ensure that they do not contribute in the deterring of the Ozone layer,” said Ramokgopa. Nkoana-Mashabane who is also the current president of COP17/CMP7 gave a flashback on the tornado incident which affected the community of Ficksburg four weeks ago. She said the negative effects of climate change were upon us as Johannesburg had a snow fall recently. “This serves as a warning that indeed we are negatively affected by climate change,” she said.

 The minister continued by saying that the sudden erratic weather patens are not causes by witchcraft. “I am so glad to be here in the community of Soshanguve to make you aware that erratic weather patterns are not the causes of witchcraft but are caused by climate change,” said the minister.

With the main objective of COP17/CMP7 being to come up with solutions to harmful effects of climate change on food security, agriculture and health; the minster stated that the 20 000 delegates from 194 member countries must come up with a mutual agreement in their resolution to climate change. She continued by saying that “It is in Durban where parties will be held accountable to the global citizenry– ordinary people that suffer daily from the impacts of climate change have high expectations from their leaders to find resolutions to this problem which is currently affecting their livelihood,” she said.

And as for the major contributors to climate change; the minister made her intensions clear that developed worlds were to pay for their negative contribution to climate change.In all the day’s event ended with a rather entertaining twist into it. Artists such as Winnie Mashaba, Solly Moholo, Mckenzie and DJ Cleo went all out to dazzle the crowd.