Hindu Youth Leader Appointed to KwaZulu-Natal Climate Change and Sustainable Development Council.

Youth leader Tashmica Sharma has been appointed by the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs to represent the South African Hindu Maha Sabha to serve as a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Climate Change and Sustainable Development Council (KZNCC & SDC), chaired by the Honourable Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr. Sihle Zikalala, for the period between 01 February 2021 and 31 March 2024.

In welcoming Tashmica, Premier Zikalala said: “I take this opportunity to welcome you to the Council and look forward to your contribution and oversight role. I trust that you will greatly assist the KwaZulu-Natal government in managing the impacts of climate change and promoting sustainable development in partnership with its communities”.

Her role in the KZNCC & SDC will include implementing, monitoring and evaluating response options defined on the Provincial and Districts Climate Change Action Plans/ Strategies with specific prioritization of the most vulnerable sectors, research in terms of sustainable development for appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies as well as capacity building to empower communities to respond to ecological challenges. The inaugural meeting of the KwaZulu-Natal Climate Change and Sustainable Development Council will be held on 19 March 2021.

Tashmica Sharma is an environmental scientist who has an active interest in the fields of climate change, sustainable development and urban political ecology. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D in Geography and Environmental Management under the supervision of Professor Brij Maharaj at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The focus of her study is on environmental justice and disaster management in South Durban.

Thus far Tashmica has served the South African Hindu Maha Sabha (SAHMS) as a youth leader and a member of the Women’s Forum of the Sabha. She is also the current secretary of the Shree Sanathan Dharma Sabha of South Africa.