October 13, 2006
By Thabang Mokoka
ANTICIPATION sizzled through the marquee as learners waited for Thamsanqa Wilky Kambule, the Soweto mathematician and educationist, to announce the winners of this year's My Dream Park poster competition.
And when he said Makhoarane Primary School in Dobsonville, excitement and disbelief in equal measures could be seen in the jubilant youngsters. Makhoarane school was awarded the R250 000 first prize at Ebony Park Primary School on Thursday, 12 October. It was the third time the competition was being held.
My Dream Park poster competition is a City Parks, Total SA and Gauteng department of education initiative aimed at inviting Joburg primary schools to design their ideal parks as a way of promoting environmental awareness. City Parks is the custodian of Joburg's green lungs and Total is the international fuel company.
Buyi Dlamini, Makhoarane's art and culture teacher, couldn't hide her joy. "I feel great that we are the winners; it was unexpected."
The winning design, by the team from Makhoarane Primary School in Dobsonville
Dlamini believes their entry won because their park was user friendly for both young and old. For example, it included a first aid room, a security guard, a fire station, a feeding kitchen, traditional dancers to attract tourism and a vegetable garden to promote healthy eating. The design also highlighted the issue of safety, with 24-hour security guards.
The chairperson of City Parks, Phumla Radebe, said, "Developing safe areas where children can play is a vital, especially in this day and age when child safety is a major concern."
She called on all stakeholders to be involved in the sustainability of the environment, saying it was a collective responsibility. The Dream Park competition was one step in dealing with the issue as a collective. "As custodians of our young minds, we all have a shared responsibility to nurture our parks and playgrounds to develop a healthy nation."
Skeen Primary School from Alexandra was placed second, winning R150 000, and Diepkloof's Ikaneng Primary School came third, winning R100 000.
The My Dream Park poster competition is in its third year. It is held to make primary school children aware of the importance of a clean environment and the benefits of open space management. The children have to produce a poster illustrating their dream of a better environment, which is entered into the competition.
The prize money is used to develop the park - including play equipment, benches, dustbins, water features, landscaping and plants, and paving. Saint Ives Primary School in Klipspruit West won the competition in its first year. The following year it was won by Ebony Primary School in Ebony Park.
Permission to use web site material
Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as:
- Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website
(www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency
(www.joburg.org.za)";
- If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original
article on this website;
- The name of the article's author is acknowledged;
-
The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill
in this brief online form).
Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 |
