Now in its 13th year, the Overstrand Junior Town Council (JTC) is managed by the Enlighten Education Trust in partnership with the Overstrand Municipality.

The JTC - with motto ‘we learn as we lead’ - comprises 35 members from the area’s six high schools. All the members are senior school learners from Grade 9 - 12, who display promising leadership and outstanding academic capabilities. During the 12 month term of office, junior council members learn about leadership and how a municipality operates. Over and above that, they are also exposed to different cultures and lifestyles. Community projects are vital to their role as junior town councillors and provide an ideal platform to contribute towards a better future aimed at benefiting their respective communities.

Overstrand’s Junior Town Council was taken on the first leg of their annual orientation tour of municipal infrastructure and facilities on Wednesday, 26 April, last week.

The group was accompanied by Unity Mtomile from the Enlighten Education Trust who manages the Junior Town Council and Johan van der Merwe, assistant teacher at Northcliff House College.

The second leg took place on 16 May 2017 and took the group to Stanford and the Gansbaai area to gain more knowledge about municipal service delivery.

At the Solid Waste Transfer Station, the group of junior councillors from Hermanus High, Qhayiya Secondary (Zwelihle), Hawston Secondary, Northcliff  House College and Gansbaai Academia were met by Johan van Taak, manager of solid waste management at the municipality to talk trash!

The facility consists of a public drop-off where residents can drop off builders’ rubble, recyclables and electronic waste (eg old computers, printers); a household waste transfer station a recycling/material recovery facility and a green waste (plants) chipping facility. 

The smells experienced at the material recovery facility/recycling section were not so pleasant, but the efficiency of the huge conveyerbelt and workers sorting the recyclables, impressed them never the less.

The most significant lesson learned was “recycling is something you just have to put your mind to and start doing it. It’s not difficult - minimise  the waste you generate, recycle all your plastic, glass, and metals by putting them in clear bags provided by the municipality”.

At the Kleinmond Library the members were met by Cllrs Fanie Krige and Grant Cohen as well as the area manager of Kleinmond, Desmond Lakey. Here they discussed tourism and trends, constraints and opportunities offered in the area and the most important things to know about the Kogelberg biosphere.

The tour closed with an educational tour to the Stony Point Penguin Colony. Cape Nature's senior marine ranger Cuan McGeorge handled this personally and offered a glimpse into the everyday life of an endearing flightless bird.

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