College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences

Motivated to change views on environmental concerns

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Recent graduate and National Student Representative Council (NSRC) Sports and Cultural Officer, Tokollo Mmamaro, obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Management at Unisa’s autumn graduations.

Tokollo Mmamaro, flanked by Former State President and Unisa Chancellor, Dr Thabo Mbeki (left), and Unisa Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Puleng LenkaBula

Growing up in a village in Dihlabaneng (Schoonoord) in Limpopo, Mmamaro was raised by her mother, who, she says, sacrificed a lot to ensure that she gets quality education, aided by her maternal uncles who were her father figures. 

Mmamaro who is a Unisa staff member, and a former Treasurer of the Johannesburg Regional Student Representative Council (RSRC), says her journey towards her BA degree started with a Higher Certificate in Life and Environmental Sciences in 2019, and since then she has continued to maintain course until she obtained her degree.


Community’s health pillared her motivation for environmental management studies

Tokollo Mmamaro, BA Environmental Management graduate and a National Student Representative Council member

Mmamaro states that her choice to study environmental sciences was influenced by the passion she had for geography studies since primary school.

While growing up, Mmamaro says she witnessed corporations endangering human health and heritage sites during their construction activities by failing to follow the correct mitigations as prescribed by, for example, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) – a tool used to assess the impact projects may pose to the environment through rigorous planning.

She states that in many instances the community is not aware of their rights to an environment that is not harmful to their well-being and to have the environment protected through reasonable legislative measures such as Section 24 of the Constitution Act 108 of 1996. This, she continues, is one of the numerous reasons she studied this qualification to educate and protect communities.


Unisa remains the first choice

Flexibility and affordability made her realise that Unisa is her preferred institution of choice, coupled with the help she says she received from NSRC members during her registration, eventually joining them.

With Unisa celebrating its 150th anniversary, Mmamaro says she wishes the institution to celebrate this milestone by opening more internships, especially in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

Mmamaro is currently registered for a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Environmental Management with her sights set on a PhD in the next few years.  In conclusion, she wishes fellow students well on their path towards graduating, pointing out that "success at Unisa requires discipline and a commitment towards studying".

#Unisa150      #Unisa150Stories 

* By Godfrey Madibane, Acting Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement

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Publish date: 2023-04-06 00:00:00.0

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