Keitumetse Kothasana Mata
Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability
Nominee's Province:
Free State
Project Name/Description:
Boikanyo-Lesedi Environmental Waste Management
From trash to treasure, Keitumetse Kothasana Mata has identified waste management as both entrepreneurship and sustainability. While working at the City of Joburg in its finance unit, she was inspired by recyclers who are notorious in the streets of big cities such as Joburg and Pretoria, among road users. Mata realised that these waste pickers were complete entrepreneurs. “My buy-back centre is a vital hub in the Lehweleputswa region, not only for waste collection but for mentorship, youth empowerment, and shifting perceptions around recycling,” Mata said. Her Diploma in Cost Management and Accounting, which she received from the Vaal University of Technology, was very helpful in managing her business and strengthening its cash flows. Before she could operate her waste management business, he conducted her research about the effects of climate change, which drove her to be involved in mitigating those harsh effects of climate change.
