THE city of Durban scooped an international award in the WWF’s 2018 One Planet City Challenge which was announced last night in San Francisco, California. Some 132 cities representing 23 countries participated in the Challenge and the eThekwini Municipality was named as a national winner in the African category.
EThekwini emerged as the strongest competitor from South Africa, with its well-rounded approach, especially regarding energy consumption targets and actions.
Receiving the award, Mayor Zandile Gumede said, “We are excited about winning this prestigious award, clearly, whatever we have been doing as the city is working and it is getting international recognition.
“EThekwini Municipality has been a leader in climate action and continues to combine ambitious targets and focused action with community development initiatives,” continued Gumede.
The jury found that Durban had made strong progress in improving sustainable mobility by building a spacious cycling network. It acknowledged eThekwini’s efforts towards sustainability to be particularly impressive, given the small size yet high population of the city.
Gumede, also Vice President for c40 Cities, was speaking on the sides of the Global Climate Action Summit held in San Francisco where she joined international community leaders engaging on issues of climate change.