Noluthando Gobizembe
Agriculture, mining, sustainability, and the environment
Nominee's Province:
Free State
Age:
35
Project Name/Description:
Owner – Village Gal Crafts
The production of plastic items emits greenhouse gases which trap heat in the atmosphere, resulting in global warming. Recycling plastic, therefore, is an important habit we should all develop. One person who grasps the value of plastic recycling is Noluthando Gobizembe. Originally from the Eastern Cape and now residing in Qwa-Qwa where she’s at the forefront of climate and environmental responsibility, Gobizembe is a model, actress, entrepreneur and climate activist. She recycles plastic material and uses it to make jewellery and women’s accessories; earrings, bangles, bags etc. Her company, Village Gal Crafts facilitates workshops for rural school children, youth as well as elderly women about the importance of plastic recycling and turning trash into treasure. Determined to spread the good news of making treasure out of trash, Gobizembe aims to expand Village Gal Crafts to other rural areas and help women in disadvantaged communities to become self-reliant and economically independent through recycled material, while also caring for the environment. What’s been happening over the past three decades of democracy, according to her, is a lot of talk and little action about climate change. "The Climate Action Bill, which aims to protect the environment and implement strategies to curb carbon emissions and pollution, is yet to be signed to being an act, while there’s still poor waste management systems from our local municipalities,” she states.
