Click here to listen to the mp3 advert for The Salvation Army's anti-human trafficking message

Click here to watch the footage taken by News24 at the Long Walk for Rhino's Mandela Day initiative at Robben Island School. (QVC donated Media Liaison to this initiative as part of its Mandela Day initiatives)

 Quo Vadis Communications on a field trip to KwaZulu Natal for client, Siyazisiza Trust.

Victoria Makalima, assistant Director for the Johnson and Johnson Burn Treatment Centre (left) and Roger Crawford, Executive Director, Worldwide Government Affairs and Policy for Johnson & Johnson (back right) happily assisted Nurse Ester Manson and clinical officer William Kalua from Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi throughout their two-week specialised training session at the Burn Treatment Centre at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. The training took place as a result of a public private partnership between the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Johnson & Johnson, and the University of North Carolina in USA. The hospital in Malawi recently opened a burn unit and the hands-on training Ester and William received at the leading burn treatment centre in Africa, will no doubt make a huge difference in the lives of those in need.

Released: 2nd September 2011

Findings by the Monitoring Action Project show that the Strubenvale Township in Springs has become a danger zone due to sewage that flows in the area from broken pipes. 

According to outcomes of the project’s monitoring of Springs and surroundings, the sewage problem emerged after East Rand Water Care Company’s (ERWAT) filters broke. Consequently, its Ancor Sewage Works Treatment plant pumped partially treated water into the environment. 

Brown Motsau, Programme Manager at Bench Marks Foundation said: “Although ERWAT had fixed one of the three broken filters to eliminate chances of resultant overflow, the company estimated that 50 million litres of sewage had already escaped from the pipes.”

The Monitoring Action Project is a programmed initiated by Bench Marks Foundation in 2009 with the aim to equip young people with necessary skills to monitor, observe and document the various effects industries have in the lives of community members and environment.

“Residents are angered by this,” said Motsau. 

“They want a system that will clean the water thoroughly to be put in place. This will also help to contain the situation for the sake of drinking supply, the environment and the health of community members.”

Motsau also said that the fact that the municipality is slow to respond to a potential ecological disaster is not helping either. 

“The residents of Strubenvale continue to breathe the dirty air and their environment is still being polluted,” he added. “Something must be done to help the people who live in this area.”

According to John Capel, Executive Director at Bench Marks Foundation, Bench Marks’ intention, with the Monitoring Action Project, is to ensure that the operations of big corporations do not undermine community life and destroy the environment.

The monitors’ writings and progress reports on the project are available on the website: https://sites.google.com/site/monitoringaction.

 The Bench Marks Foundation was launched in 2001 by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in response to the churches’ call in 1993 to monitor and hold businesses accountable in the new South Africa and in Southern Africa. It is chaired by Bishop Jo Seoka.

Last changed: Oct 28 2011 at 3:39 PM