Eastern Cape environmental activism

My Name is Ntsikayekhaya “Ntska” Mateta, a 29yr old male youth born & bred in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, King Williams Town, and currently situated in Port Elizabeth “Nelson Mandela Bay" in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. I possess skills in Community Sustainable development & Ecological practices in; Permaculture, Organisation & Community Development, Activism & Leadership, Climate Change & Environmental education.

With South Africa as a country dominated by catastrophic weather patterns changing rapidly also counted as No14 Globally as one of Mega polluting countries causing climate change by severe extensive use of fossil fuels & burning of other greenhouse gas emissions. Eastern Cape is most of SA’s provinces stricken by Climate change characterised by Droughts (water shortages & unequal water allocations, Water for productive Use & Food Insecurity). With Environmental Injustices taking place the urban and rural working class are in dire living conditions being the most affected great Climate change impacts poverty, draughts, unemployment, educational & inequality etc.

Within the Eastern Cape I do volunteer work in the space of Ecological & environmental justice Fields in both Urban & rural areas focusing on Climate Change adaptation & mitigation, Ecological, Environmental justice, education & Awareness. Playing a Facilitating role in creating awareness about climate change, through creating platforms and spaces where people can engage & dialogue about climate change impacts and how to be resilient, Self-sustainable to adapt to climate change with sustainable livelihoods harmonious to the earth. All the work I’m doing comes in form of series of workshops, & practical environmental activities in different areas of the EC Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality (NMBMM), King Williams Town, Ngqushwa Local Municipality (NLM) & other surrounding areas.

In the NMBMM we focusing in the Education & Awareness programs about climate change, through piloting a series of workshops,, dialogues,practical environmental activities such as weekly Fridays Beach Clean Up’s , Positive action Tree planting, also hosting pop up cultural style of activism awareness every week, Support for the XR PE Fridays for the Future demonstration. Training Communities in Climate change mitigation & adaptation methods ecosystem Restoration, Reforestations, Food Forests by applying natural farming methods “Permaculture & Agro ecology” in their Households, community open spaces & backyard gardens.

NLM we focusing on building an active Eastern Cape Water Caucus (ECWC) a platform for Advocacy, lobbying mobilising & Organising urban & rural communities stricken by climate shocks characterised by draughts in form of Water shortages where rural small scale farmers being the most affected by livestock & produce loss due to access to water for productive use, the urban communities being affected by water cut offs, Water Tariff’s, War on leaks.In a radar of-7 remote local Municipalitysurrounding NLM we educating & training communities in climate change adaptation & mitigation methods in series of Eco village design Education “EDE” taking place in form of workshops, through applying sustainable ecological methods permaculture,Agroecoloy to set up household or backyard gardens. Teach Rain Water Harvesting Techniques, seed saving & Food processing through the “EDE’s”.

None of my work is funded-I pay for this from my own pocket, Donations & small grants from partner organisation, friends etc. I’m raising funds to support future workshops in different towns and villages across the Eastern Cape, including NMBM & King Williams Town “NLM” .The cost of hosting workshop, dialogues ,pilot studies “Train The Trainers” ,demonstrations is high &some funds are needed to peruse our goals to set up outreach, education & awareness in our communities.

“The earth does not belong to us, we belong to the earth” ~ Evo Morales ~.