Cogta KZN going green
The MEC for Co-operative Governance in KwaZulu-Natal, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, says turning to renewable energy can allow government to reach more people and provide them with services.
One of the provincial government's solar energy projects - a green rooftop - was unveiled at the MEC’s offices in Mayville, Durban, today.
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"We are excited to promote environmentally-friendly solutions to how our public institutions operate. This project will not only help to save the environment but also our constrained energy expenditure,” Dube-Ncube says, “As we speak, in this building alone, we have reduced our electricity consumption by thousands-of-rands a month. We are now moving with speed to have all our municipalities following suit”.
The MEC says the long-term goal of the project is to see all government buildings operating sustainably, off the grid.
“With the government fiscus shrinking every day, it is becoming more and more important to find sustainable ways of saving government money, and look at ways that are clean - in terms of energy - that can be utilised in a sustainable manner,” she says.
The Mayville green rooftop is part of a COP17 legacy project for KZN's public institutions.
Other pilots in the province include Grey's Hospital, the Office of the Premier and Ezemvelo Wildlife’s offices - all in Pietermaritzburg - as well as Vryheid Hospital.