JOHANNESBURG, April 25 – Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) is helping drive the clean-up of beaches along the devastated KwaZulu-Natal coastline which has seen hundreds of tons of waste deposited on shorelines by the recent floodwaters.
CCBSA is working with local agencies and partners to help clear the waste from the battered shoreline which saw the local eThekwini Municipality forced to close a number of popular beaches due to health and safety concerns.
The clean-up operations began on Friday with eThekwini’s Department of Solid Waste in the Durban CBD area and on Saturday along the Durban beachfront.
Further operations are planned to take place from Tuesday 26 April to Monday 2 May. CCBSA, together with Clean Surf and KZN Marine Network and local communities, will clean up along the greater Amanzimtoti shoreline and Athlone Park beach.
CCBSA’s Regional Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability Manager, Nolundi Mzimba, said: “A number of relief efforts are underway to assist affected communities, but we are also cognisant of the devastating impact the floods have had on Durban’s pristine coastline and sensitive river systems as a tremendous amount of waste has found its way to these areas.
“At CCBSA we have planned, in conjunction with local authorities, a number of beach clean-ups to help alleviate the pressure of clearing out the waste,” Mzimba added. “We will be working hard to help restore these affected areas to a state which local residents and all visitors can again be proud of.”
Mzimba added: “The recent floods have devastated so many communities along South Africa’s eastern coastline and it is imperative that we all come together to see how we can help bring relief and restore order and dignity to those affected.”
CCBSA has already donated almost R1 million in aid to support KZN floods victims, including the delivery of tens of thousands of litres of fresh water. CCBSA leveraged its long-standing relationship with aid organisation Gift of the Givers and donated R500,000 which has been used to provide food parcels, blankets and clothes to the most vulnerable and affected households in the hardest hit areas of Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu.
The floods have claimed the lives of at least 435 people and left thousands more homeless, and destroyed essential infrastructure in the region.
CCBSA called on volunteers to assist with the clean-up operations and said the CCBSA volunteers are easily identifiable in their red t-shirts while the Company’s Unimog will also be deployed along stretches of the coastline to assist with the operations.
ENDS
About CCBSA
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) is a proudly South African company which began operating as a legal entity in July 2016, after the merger of six non-alcoholic ready to drink bottling operations. We are level 1 B-BBEE empowered company. We employ over 7000 people at 13 manufacturing facilities across the country. As a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) and a bottler for The Coca-Cola Company, our vision is to refresh Africa every day and make our continent a better place for all. We manufacture and distribute Coca-Cola beverages that make life’s everyday moments more enjoyable, while doing business the right way. The result is shared opportunity for our customers, our employees, our communities, and our shareholders. We conduct our business ethically, transparently, and conscientiously. We espouse an inclusive business culture to reflect our African identity. We accelerate sustainable, profitable revenue growth across all categories and offer an innovative portfolio of products that respond to customer needs and consumer preferences. Profitability is important, but not at any cost. People matter. Our planet matters. We do business the right way by following our values and partnering for solutions that benefit us all.
