Protest halts ‘green’ launch

A GROUP of irate small, medium and micro enterprise owners forced an environmental project on-site demonstration to be abandoned in Port Elizabeth yesterday.

The R2.3-million public and private environmental and job-creation initiative was to be shown off at Helenvale

But, disrupting it, residents' group leader Ashley Sampson said: "No one will work here," as he pointed to rubbish-strewn veld that has been earmarked for an alien vegetation cleanup. The site is known as Groot Kloof.

Municipal spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said: "Illegal activity that happens anywhere in the city – with [respect] to those [who] negatively affect service delivery – will be attended to by the relevant government department."

The project, called "People Working for their Environment", was unveiled earlier at the City Hall. It is to promote the development of small land management businesses in impoverished rural, urban and peri-urban areas that will provide services to key conservation sites.

Sites will include the Swartkops River, Van der Kemp's Kloof, and Van Stadens. – Xolisa Phillip