SPEECH
DURING NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES POLICY DEBATE
ON BUDGET VOTE 27: ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS &
TOURISM, BY MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK, MINISTER
OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS & TOURISM IN CAPE
TOWN ON 8 JUNE 2006
Introduction
Chairperson, 8 June is an auspicious
date for this policy debate - falling as it does
in the middle of the Year of Deserts and Desertification,
at the start of Antarctica Month, at the end of
National Environment Week, and on World Ocean’s
Day.
There is a proverb which our
colleagues from KwaZulu-Natal will know that says
‘Akusagaywa ngoludala, kugaywa ngolusha’. Literally
translated it means that we no longer grind with
old stones - that things have changed. Ours is
a country renewed. Ours is a people emboldened
and energised both by the fires of our shared
past and by the hope and promise of future prosperity.
When the President stood before
Parliament, at the start of the year, he captured
this spirit in his challenge to us all to build
the Age of Hope. This shared national endeavour
asks much, but promises more - especially in this
portfolio. As we celebrate ten years of Constitutional
protections, it is the environment and tourism
that increasingly takes centre-stage in our efforts
to ensure that hope is grounded in lasting improvements,
sustained growth, and a better life for all South
Africans.
Oceans of Hope: Mariculture
& Regional Partnerships to Boost Food Security
Chairperson, since this is World
Oceans Day let us reflect for a moment on the
importance of our marine and coastal resources
in sustaining hope. The Honourable Members will
no doubt be aware of our process to allocate long
term commercial fishing rights - which thus far
has achieved much in transformation and empowerment,
but the reality is that the fish stocks of Africa
and South Africa are at all-time lows.
Take for example the spawning
biomass of deepwater hake - which dropped from
1050 000 tons in 1917 to less than 200 000 tons
in 2004. Catches of West Coast Rock Lobster have
declined from 10 000 tons in 1970 to less than
2000 tons today. Yet the 2005 World Fish Report
reveals that just to maintain our current per
capita fish supply of almost 7kg/year will require
a 20% increase in production by 2015, and a 32%
increase by 2020. Simply put - our oceans alone
cannot meet these needs, there is simply not enough
fish, and in the medium to long-term widespread
food insecurity threatens the hopes of our people.
To meet the shortfall South
Africa must move swiftly to develop and expand
our marine aquaculture industry - one of the issues
that the Chairperson of our Select Committee,
Rev. Peter Moatshe, has staunchly advocated for
some time. Worldwide this sector represents more
the R650 billion in global value, yet South African
mariculture accounts for only about R3 million
and about 2500 jobs. Our Department is committed
to develop the necessary legal framework, aggressively
build the needed capacity and skills, and to help
drive sustainable growth of the industry ensuring
both competitiveness and significant SMME participation.
Regionally our Department has
also been working closely with our neighbours
on the West Coast to improve the management of
the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME).
Together with compliance and enforcement initiatives
like our joint SADC marine patrols, these programmes
are helping us to protect fish stocks across national
borders, for all the people of Southern Africa.
I am pleased today to announce that we will, before
the end of this year, be signing an agreement
with Namibia and Angola to establish an Interim
Benguela Commission - to advise on transboundary
fish management, as well as the impacts of human
activities, like fishing and mining, on our marine
environment.
International Partnerships
for Hope
Chairperson, through the growing
success of our role in regional programmes like
the Benguela initiative, South Africa is earning
a reputation for excellence in environmental leadership.
This is one reason why we have been chosen by
the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to host
the International Waters Conference in 2007.
The news of our having secured
the hosting of this conference builds on the excitement
and value to South Africa of our hosting later
this year of the GEF Annual Assembly - one of
the most important global forums for deciding
on allocations of environmental financial assistance.
I can confirm today that South Africa has officially
decided to become a donor to the GEF - allocating
R38,4 million over the next five years. This will
provide us with a formal voice in the negotiations
to replenish the GEF - which we will use to advance
a more equitable and even-handed approach to resource
allocation for African countries.
South Africa has taken on ever-growing
international commitments in tourism and the environment.
Our Department is now either the lead Department,
or one of the major drivers, in 33 separate international
Agreements, Conventions and Protocols. To ensure
success in these global partnerships we have created
a specialised new unit within the Department -
International Cooperation & Resources - to
drive and coordinate our participation. In the
past year alone we have already seen the fruits
of this investment with South Africa making major
international contributions and advancing the
shared interests of Africa - like our assistance
in unblocking the climate change negotiations
in Montreal; the facilitation of a compromise
deal on the handling of Genetically Modified Organisms
at the meeting of the Convention on Biodiversity
in Brazil; and the negotiation of common African
policy positions on water and sanitation within
the Millennium Development Goals +5 Summit in
New York.
Tourism for Hope: Growth
& Jobs Through Tourism Masterplan
Chairperson, all of these international
meetings, conventions and conferences also form
a key component of our tourism strategy. We have
achieved much in leisure tourism, and plan much
for event tourism, but this year has seen the
third pillar of the Masterplan - business tourism
- reach new heights with our Business Unusual
global marketing campaign. It is our heritage
of dialogue and unique approaches, our ability
to merge centuries of African wisdom with the
demands of modern business, that sets us apart
and makes business tourism in South Africa so
exceptional - and why we will break into the Top
Ten global conferencing destinations in the next
four years.
We need to shoot for the stars
when it comes to our ambitions for tourism. We
need to set ourselves goals like finding it hard
in 2010 to find anyone who has only been to South
Africa once. We need tourism and hospitality products
of such excitement and quality that the question
is not if, but when to return. We need young people,
professionals and pensioners across the length
and breadth of South Africa who accept tourism
as their own and who make hospitality their personal
business. Only then will we meet and exceed the
targets that we have set for tourism success:
500 000 new jobs, 8,5 million international arrivals
and R100 billion contribution to the economy within
five years.
The Honourable Members may have
seen our announcement of a new R20 million Equity
Fund to support small and medium sized Wheel and
Tour Operators. This, like the R185 million that
we will, over the next three years, be investing
in the Tourism Enterprise Programme (TEP), is
funding that will be used to greatly expand the
services and support that we offer to smaller
tourism businesses. Our initial TEP target for
these next three years is in excess of R1,8 billion
in transactions facilitated, more than 2000 enterprises
assisted (75% of which will be BEE), more than
20 000 tourism SMME trainees taught in over 1200
courses, at least 840 local government officials
trained, and at least 1000 SMMEs on a new 2010
suppliers database.
Communities of Hope:
EIAs, Air Quality, and the NSSD
Chairperson, the Honourable
Members will tell you that there are communities
across our country for whom hope entails any measures
to improve their environment and access to basic
resources. One needs only to speak to families
like those in the South of Johannesburg where
low-cost housing has been developed alongside
mine dumps, landfill sites, and under high-voltage
power lines; or communities in the North West
province whose homes have been flooded by damage
to sensitive wetland systems; or to the people
of Van der Bijl Park where serviced plots lie
immediately adjacent to industry belching forth
pollution. To build the Age of Hope we need first
to build communities of hope.
This is why we have announced
the expansion of our existing EIA processing unit
and a new unit to build capacity and provide support
to other authorities involved with EIA. This combined
increased capacity will drive our new Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations. I am pleased
today to also announce that on the issue of the
quality and independence of EIA practitioners
we expect an application for the creation of a
national EIA Practitioners Registration Authority
to reach us by April next year - the result of
which will be firm self-regulation and an industry-wide
improvement of EIA standards. We also spoke this
week about new Ambient Air Quality Standards for
South Africa - to scrub the brown haze from our
skies. We will, by the end of this year, identify
South Africa’s second air pollution Hot-Spot using
unique aircraft infrastructure from our SA Weather
Service to analyse the air over areas like the
Eastern Highveld, Gauteng, Durban, Richards Bay,
Cape Town, and parts of the Eastern Cape.
2006 has also been a year in
which South Africans in every community have come
face to face with the realities of resource constraints.
We have seen major electricity shortages and blackouts;
been confronted by the threat of contaminated
water supplies; faced flooding and unseasonable
storms in some parts, and dams whose water levels
continue to fall in others. To address these challenges,
and to meet our obligations as global champions
of sustainable development, we will, by August,
be publishing for public comment our National
Strategy for Sustainable Development (NSSD) -
a powerful tool for addressing priority issues
like water quality and quantity; climate change;
waste management; soil loss and pollution; food
production; and strategic biodiversity management,
within the context of our developmental priorities
to address poverty and basic human needs. It is
a vehicle that will help us to popularise and
build on existing policy frameworks to ensure
sustainable development in all South African communities.
Parks of Hope: Expansions,
Improvements & New Parks
Chairperson, our National Parks
lie at the centre of our South African character.
They reflect and strengthen our sense of place;
they protect and support our unmatched biodiversity;
and increasingly they anchor growth, job creation,
and hope through tourism for our communities.
Since 1994 we have established five new National
Parks and added 379 000 hectares to our Parks
system. I am pleased today to announce that we
will be adding another 230 000 hectares to our
National Parks in the near future. This will include
the Knysna Forests and Soetkraal - which will
become part of Tsitsikamma, the QwaQwa Nature
Reserve which will be added to Golden Gate Highlands,
and a number of other recently acquired areas
in Addo, Namaqua, Mapungubwe, Agulhas and the
Karoo National Parks.
Our focus is ensuring that these
expansions focus on biomes, like grasslands, that
are currently underrepresented in the priority
areas identified by our newly published National
Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. This is
also one of the main reasons that, after thorough
consultation with local communities and the royal
houses, we will be able to formally declare portions
of the new Wild Coast National Park before the
end of this financial year - an area recognised
globally as a biodiversity hotspot with more than
1500 plant species alone. It is projected that
tourist numbers to the area will swell from the
current level of about 170 000 to in excess of
245 000 by 2008, and 270 000 by 2013 - creating
about 3260 direct and indirect new jobs.
We will also be declaring the
new Blyde River National Park on Heritage Day
this year. With more than 2000 plant species,
of which 163 are Red Data book plants - more than
the whole of Kruger Park - the Canyon and its
surrounds contain amongst the richest combination
of plants and animals in Southern Africa. With
an infrastructure budget of R18 million for the
next three years, and work about to start on a
R10 million luxury hiking trail, the new park
is expected to inject R500 million into the local
economy over the next ten years. With 500 planned
beds, restaurants, adventure activities and a
cableway, Blyde has the potential to become one
of the fastest growing malaria-free tourism destinations
in Africa.
Conclusion
In conclusion Chairperson, I
wish to thank all of our provincial colleagues
for the work that has been done in every part
of our country in both the environment and tourism.
I believe our MECs will agree that, as a team,
our portfolio has performed well over the past
year, and that the foundations for the Age of
Hope have been firmly laid. To Rev. Moatshe and
the other members of our Select Committee - you
have the appreciation and support of our Department.
To our Statutory Bodies, and
our Management Team and Department under Director
General Pamela Yako, I must also express the thanks
of our Deputy Minister, Rejoice Mabudafhasi and
myself - it remains an honour to work with such
talented, dedicated and enthusiastic colleagues.
Ultimately what we debate today
- the budget policy for Environmental Affairs
and Tourism - could not be more fundamental to
the dreams, aspirations and hopes of our people.
A better environment and better tourism is, quite
simply, the basic requirement for a better South
Africa.
Ngiyabonga. Ndiyabulela. Kea
le boga. Enkosi
Better Environment,
Better Tourism: Building the Age of Hope in South
Africa
Address by the deputy minister of environmental
affairs and tourism,
the honourable rejoice mabudafhasi.
(NCOP) National council of provinces
08 June 2006 - Chairperson,
Chairperson of the Portfolio committee of Environment
and Tourism and your committee
Honourable MECs
Members of Parliament
Distinguished guest,
Ladies and Gentlemen
Women and Environment
“Through out Africa women are
the primary caretakers, holding significant responsibility
for tilling the land and feeding their families.
As a result they are often the first to become
aware of the environmental damage as resources
become scarce and incapable of sustaining their
families”, these were the inspiring remarks by
Professor Wangari Mathaai. Over many decades,
women learned to manage their resources to preserve
them for future generations. Despite their valuable
knowledge, women have been sidelined in policy
and decision-making processes. The consequence
of this has been unsustainable development practices
associated with massive depletion of natural resources.
Chairperson, although we will
no longer march against the oppressive laws as
heroic women did some 50 years ago, today’s women
are faced with unprecedented environmental problems
that result in high levels of joblessness, and
poverty within our communities.
In order to empower women to
resolve these problems with courage and determination,
our department will hold its second Women and
Environment conference in Mpumalanga in August
this year in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary
of women’s protest in 1956.
This conference will be an ideal
opportunity to follow-up on decisions made at
the first conference and provide feedback on our
international engagements under the umbrella of
the Network of Women Ministers of Environment
which we co-chair with Sweden.
Waste management
Chairperson, waste management
remains one of the serious challenges faced by
our society. In response to this problem, our
department has signed Memorandums of Understanding
(MOUs) on voluntary recycling targets with the
plastic and glass industries. We also hope to
sign another MOU with the tyre industry later
this year. We are continuously engaging these
industries in order to monitor and review progress
on the achievements of recycling targets set in
the MOUs. To this end, a study to assess the impact
of plastic bags regulations will be undertaken
during this financial year.
While there is remarkable progress
achieved on recycling of waste, our department’s
future programs will also focus on the reduction
and reuse of waste. We have already attended a
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (3R) Ministerial conference
in Japan last year which was followed by a study
visit by MECs and senior officials from the national,
provincial and local government departments. We
will now be making follow ups to ensure that our
learning experience is put into practice for the
benefit of our communities.
During the current financial
year, we will in consultation with the Department
of Local Government conduct comprehensive studies
to determine the state of waste services and assess
capacity and skills challenges facing the local
government. These studies will form the basis
of a programme of action aimed at improving waste
management services by local authorities.
Chairperson, I am happy to
announce that the responsibility for the recording
and permitting of landfill sites has now been
formally handed over from DWAF to DEAT. This arrangement
will further assist the process of recording and
permitting of landfill sites; our department has
already developed a comprehensive system for this
purpose. We are currently in discussion with all
the nine provinces regarding handing over of pertinent
responsibilities once we are sure that there is
adequate human and financial capacity to do so.
The harmful effects of hazardous
waste such as obsolete pesticides and Thor chemicals
on the lives of people, plants and animals cannot
be emphasised enough. Honourable members will
recall that, during our budget speech last year,
we undertook to establish a comprehensive inventory
of the quantities and types of Thor chemicals
stored in Cato Ridge. I am pleased to report this
task has now been successfully accomplished.
Our future work will entail the implementation
of the recommended methods of disposing-off these
chemicals after consultation with interested and
affected parties.
Chairperson, our efforts to
remove the obsolete or unwanted and harmful stocks
of pesticides has been boosted by a grant agreement
which we signed with the World Bank to the tune
of 1.7 Million USD. We are now in the process
of calling upon all members of the public to declare
their obsolete stocks for disposal using this
funding.
Provision of reliable
weather information
Chairperson, allow me to remind
honourable members that the fundamental reason
for providing weather and climate forecasting
by SAWS is to facilitate planning of daily lives
and economic activities as well as for protection
of life and property of the citizens of the country.
Last year SAWS issued over 150
adverse weather warnings. These warnings were
often accompanied by advisories for vulnerable
communities to heed.
To increase its now-casting
capability, SAWS will spend in excess of R6 million
this year to expand its weather radar network
to cover existing gaps in areas of our country
prone to adverse weather phenomena. This is in
addition to a huge infrastructure recapitalization
programme which we used to install the state of
the art Lightning Detection Network (LDN) which
provides real time data on electrical storms occurring
all over the length and breath of our country.
This new network will be used in conjunction with
other meteorological tools to improve the quality
of forecasting services. The service rendered
by SAWS to society is invaluable as lightning
is a major threat to the lives of our people and
their valuable belongings. We make sure that information
reaches all communities by using local radio stations.
Social responsibility
in and around protected areas
Honourable members will agree
with me that unless communities living in and
around protected areas derive tangible benefits
from natural resources, our government will be
failing to discharge its responsibilities to its
people. One of our key challenges is that there
needs to be a fundamental shift from the current
management style of “conservation at the expense
of the poor” to people-centred approaches that
build on poor people’s priorities and capabilities.
Meeting this challenge calls for a broad-based
commitment to integrating concerns of poor and
vulnerable groups into mainstream conservation
and development processes at all levels of society.
As an important step to ensure
that we turn differences between conservation
goals and people’s aspirations from a problem
to an asset, we established a People and Parks
Forum which met for the first time in 2004. An
important outcome of this meeting was the development
of a comprehensive and ambitious action plan to
address issues such as access and benefit sharing,
co-management and establishment of partnerships.
A second meeting of the People and Parks Forum
will be held in October this year.
South African National Parks
(SANParks), through the People and Conservation
Division (P&C) is playing a significant role
in strengthening relations with communities neighbouring
our parks. Activities in this regard include public
consultation and participation through Park Forums
and implementing cultural and biodiversity conservation
projects benefiting local communities.
Chairperson, noting that 2006
has been declared the International Year for Deserts
and Desertification (IYDD), it will be appropriate
for me to reflect on our work in some of the arid
areas of our country. Over the past financial
year SANParks has partnered with communities in
the Northern Cape to launch Community Water Efficiency
Projects (COWEP) at Augrabies National Park and
Kamieskroon and Hondeklipbaai near Namaqua National
Parks. The second phase of the project which entails
a water-wise community gardening project, is planned
to take place during this financial year.
Chairperson, one of the key
focus areas for the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park
this year will be the creation of alternatives
to unsustainable uses of wetlands for communities.
This includes an R8 million programme for the
development of community gardens.
In addition the Park will continue
with the roll out of related CBNRM activities
such as Ncema Harvesting where approximately 4500
women collect ncema every year in May. They then
use this in the production of craft and other
by products which they sell to generate income.
Boosting tourism through cleaner and safer beaches
Chairperson, through one of
our flagship projects called the Coast Care programme,
our country is participating in the Blue Flag
campaign. This is an international award given
to beaches that achieve excellent standards of
service to tourists in the areas of safety, amenities,
cleanliness and environmental protection. As we
enter the 4th season of Blue Flag campaign we
can proudly say that our beaches are maintained
in excellent standards and rated amongst the best
in the world. During the past season we had 34
beaches which were awarded the Blue Flag status.
I am optimistic that this number will increase
during this season. In addition to the Blue Flag
campaign we are also implementing the WIO-Lab
project that deals with ensuring that untreated
Municipal sewage does not end up on our seas and
oceans.
Conclusion
Allow me to conclude by thanking
our Minister for his leadership, the Select Committee
for the support and political leadership as well
as their oversight role played during sometimes
difficult conditions. I must extend my gratitude
to the MECs for their support. I also wish to
thank the DG and her officials for their tireless
efforts in finding better and innovative solutions
to ensure a healthier and a safer environment
for all.
Professor Wangari Mathaai also
said “In the course of history, there comes a
time when humanity is called to shift to a new
level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral
ground, a time when we have to shed our fear and
give hope to each other”. Chairperson that time
is now. I thank you
Better Environment, Better Tourism:
Building the Age of Hope in SA
SPEECH DURING NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DEBATE ON BUDGET
VOTE 27: ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS & TOURISM,
BY MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK, MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL
AFFAIRS & TOURISM, IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
ON 6 JUNE 2006
Introduction
Hope is the firm hand of the
fisheries officer who risks life and limb to keep
fish in the sea and put poachers behind bars.
Hope is the fence that falls between the parks
of two countries once in conflict, now partnered
in conservation. It is the tread of the lion,
the leopard and the cheetah - free from shameful
death. Hope is the sure and steady breath of children’s
lungs no longer battling airborne poisons. It
is the exhilaration of the community that once
stood and watched as travellers drove past, and
who now stand proud as hosts and guides. Hope
is the whispered promise of all this, preserved
for the benefit, enjoyment, and pride of generations
yet unborn.
Madame Speaker, there are few
emotions more powerful or more infectious than
hope. It springs to life in even the most desolate
of times, endures conditions of great adversity,
and thrives when nourished by the glimpse of a
better future. It is the union of faith, potential,
expectation, and optimism - and in South Africa
it has come to define the character of our people.
The fundamental commitment of
our Department is clear: better tourism and a
better environment - to build the Age of Hope.
Firm Foundations - A
Year of Success
Speaker, there have been few
years in which more was achieved in South Africa,
both in tourism and the environment, than the
one now past. It has seen South Africa recognised
as a global ‘Champion of the Earth’ by the United
Nations; we welcomed more international travellers
than at any time in our history. Major new parks
were proclaimed; three new World Heritage Sites
inscribed; and the Black Economic Empowerment
(BEE) Charter and Scorecard for tourism was finalised.
These and so many other achievements
have been the successes not of Government alone
- but of every community, organisation, and individual
involved in tourism and the environment. They
form a track-record of trust and a firm foundation
on which we will continue to build the Age of
Hope.
Protecting Hope: Legislation,
Regulations, Compliance & Enforcement
Speaker, we know that there
are many communities for whom the environment
has been anything but a source of hope. This is
where the interests of people and the interests
of our environment converge. We must ensure that
the development so critically needed by our people
is balanced by considerations of the long-term
impact of the development - not only on our environment
but also on the health of our communities. It
is also why we promulgated the Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) regulations in April. I am pleased
to announce that we have created a specially funded
unit to build EIA capacity, and to provide the
necessary support to provincial authorities.
From EIA regulations, to regulations
for Threatened and Protected Species, and Norms
and Standards for Hunting, we have seen much legislative
and regulatory progress this year. I am also pleased
to announce today the first-ever South African
National Standards for Ambient Air Quality that
are specifically aimed at protecting peoples'
right to air that is not harmful to health and
well-being. We are now defining the specific levels
of air pollution like Benzene, Sulphur Dioxide,
and particulate matter that South Africa considers
harmful to health. Apart from giving teeth to
our air quality legislation, and effect to our
Constitutional protections, this will also help
us to decide the types of development and technology
that will be acceptable in specific areas. Developed
in partnership with the SABS, the standards will
be published for public comment for 90 days in
the Government Gazette on Friday. We will also
be hosting the first annual National Air Quality
Governance Lekgotla in October - bringing together
officials from all spheres of Government to address
air quality issues and to help us clean up the
air in all communities.
A concern often raised by Honourable
Members and by the broader public when Government
has passed important legislation is how it will
be enforced. I would like today to ask this House
to recognise the presence, in the visitors gallery,
of the men and women of our Environmental Management
Inspectorate (EMIs) - our ‘Green Scorpions’ -
who appear today for the first time in their official
enforcement uniforms and branding. We have already
appointed more than 630 EMIs within SANParks,
but this is not enough. We know how vital it is
to ensure compliance and enforcement, and how
challenging. This is why we have trained another
175 EMIs who will be appointed by the provinces
in the next three months. By the end of this financial
year at least 800 EMIs will form the sharp end
of the spear - enforcing compliance with our environmental
laws.
On the marine and coastal management
front our National Operation ORCA, which was initiated
in August last year, has seen marine products
to the value of almost R38 million seized - along
with 35 vehicles, 3 vessels and a number of other
assets. There have been 78 convictions, breakthroughs
into 4 syndicate operations, and the first-ever
long term direct imprisonment of 7 years for possession
and transport of Perlemoen. Our Environmental
Protection Fleet, led by our flagship the Sarah
Baartman, is now also fully operational. In 510
sea days last year 714 vessels were inspected,
13 rescue operations undertaken, 25 arrests made,
and 50 fines issued. We plan to boost these operations
to at least 700 sea days, with at least 1 SADC
patrol per quarter.
With the closure in July by
the Department of Justice of the specialised courts,
all environmental cases will now be heard within
their own districts. From 1 August a new dedicated
unit will be established by our Department and
the Department of Justice to attend to all cases
in the Western Cape - with officials seconded
from the Department to join a unit prosecuting
these cases in district courts, regional courts
and the High Court. By the end of this financial
year more than 100 prosecutors will also have
received specialised training in the prosecution
of environmental crimes - marine, wildlife, and
pollution-related.
Building Hope: Jobs
& Growth Through Environment & Tourism
Speaker, jobs, growth and hope
are the core business of every South African.
Through our Social Responsibility Projects and
Programmes we have created more than 16 800 job
opportunities, 254 permanent jobs, and almost
103 000 training days last year alone. This year
we will be launching a Social Impact Study to
review the direct results of these programmes
- and we aim to create a further 12 500 job opportunities,
another 300 permanent jobs, and more than 130
000 training days. The conference bags Honourable
Members, received today, are just one of the examples
of the fruits of our Social Responsibility Programmes.
These bags are produced by a craft group, of about
80 rural women called, Thubaleth’ elihle (our
good opportunity), in KwaZulu-Natal. The bags
are woven from an indigenous water-loving sedge
known as ikhwane, which is the most abundant plant
in the 400 hectare Mbongolwane wetland. Production
of crafts from ikhwane growing in the Mbongolwane
wetland forms part of an ongoing integrated initiative
to assist the local community in sustainable using
the wetland under increasing social and economic
pressures.
There is little doubt as to
why tourism has been identified as one of the
immediate priority sectors within ASGISA, as it
remains one of the most dynamic sectors in our
economy. Lest we forget - in the two decades before
11000 we received less than 1 million annual foreign
arrivals. Last year we shattered every target
we set for ourselves - welcoming no less than
7,3 million international visitors. As part of
the growth platform targeted by ASGISA, tourism
has been set some very steep goals for the next
five years: 500 000 new jobs, 8,5 million international
arrivals annually, and a contribution to GDP of
at least R100 billion a year. Our challenge in
reaching these goals will be to ensure that this
growth translates into real benefits for the person
trapped in poverty and in the second economy.
In addition to the work that we are currently
doing, I have instructed the Department to within
the next two months develop a comprehensive programme
of Second economy interventions. I am also pleased
today to announce the creation of a new R20 million
Tourism Equity Fund by our Department. This fund
will provide access to much-needed support for
small and medium sized Wheel and Tour Operators,
and will provide tourism SMMEs with a real boost
for further growth.
To further strengthen the growth
in tourism we will be strongly focused on 7 key
priorities: transport, safety & security,
product & business development, market growth,
information, BEE, and skills. Specifically to
address the skills gap, we have allocated R7,5
million to a partnership between our Department,
the Tourism Hospitality and Education Training
Authority (THETA), the National Business Initiative,
and the Tourism Business Council of South Africa
(TBCSA) - to build a consensus Skills Plan, to
revise the existing curricula, and to streamline
the process of accreditation and certification.
In October we will host a National Tourism Skills
Conference to discuss the results of a skills
audit currently underway.
Another focal point for our
interventions to support the first economy, grow
the second economy, and build real hope has been
the long term fishing rights allocations. Members
may not be aware that in total 8028 applications
were received for these long term commercial rights
- roughly double the number anticipated. With
1516 successful applicants thus far awarded rights
to catch about 600 000 tons of fish, the major
hallmark of the process has been real empowerment:
29% of the Deep-sea Hake Trawl catch is now black
controlled, up from 14% in 2001, as is 66% of
Pilchard up from 64% in 2001 and 61% of West Coast
Rock Lobster (offshore), up from 51% in 2001.
We have not forgotten our very
poorest communities in the rights allocations
either - specifically those coastal fishers who
depend on the sea for their own food needs and
the most basic of incomes. To regulate this activity
and to ensure a fair share for these fishers,
we will be publishing by August, for comment and
review, two new policies, one for Subsistence
Fishing, and one for Small Scale Commercial fishing.
We invite and urge all interested parties - especially
NGOs and our provincial and local authorities,
to contribute to this process. We will also this
year be tabling the new Integrated Coastal Management
Bill in Parliament, which will promote coordinated
and integrated coastal management - one of the
benefits of which will be ensuring access to the
coast for coastal communities, who are increasingly
restricted by development rights granted to companies
and private individuals.
Expanding Hope: Popularising
the Environment & Ensuring a Legacy
Speaker, there are signs that
our environmental concerns are fast becoming part
of the daily lives of South Africans. A good example
of an environmental battle that is being taken
up by communities across South Africa is our effort
to combat and adapt to the worst effects of climate
change. The agricultural sector is already in
the process of developing its plan, the Department
of Science and Technology is crafting a national
research and development strategy, Minerals and
Energy has just released appliance energy efficiency
labelling, and our own Department is in the process
of updating South Africa’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- in partnership with Business Unity South Africa.
This year will also see long-term planning for
climate change initiated - to assist us in directing
investments in major sectors like energy, transport
and even tourism. We will, for example, be engaging
with the tourism sector through the Tourism Grading
Council, to develop standards for waste recycling,
reducing energy consumption, and introducing green
technology.
Our aim is to ensure that the
2010 Soccer World Cup for instance leaves our
country with a legacy of green tourism infrastructure
and practices. In this regard I would like to
issue a challenge to the industry, especially
in the accommodation sector, that as their contribution
to the 2010 legacy that all new accommodation
establishments to be built should be guided by
the principle of energy efficiency. I will be
interacting with the industry in the next six
months in order to decide on a mutually agreeable
approach.
Perhaps the most visible embodiments
of our environmental success, and the points of
greatest contact with our communities, are our
National Parks and protected areas. I invite the
Honourable Members to join us this year in celebrating
a number of very important milestones - like the
80th anniversary of the Kruger Park, the 75th
anniversary of the Addo, Bontebok and Kalahari
Gemsbok National Parks, and the 40th anniversary
of Augrabies. To honour these celebrations we
will launch South Africa’s National Register of
Protected Areas in terms of the Protected Areas
Act by the end of November. We do not have a complete
and accurate record of all protected areas in
South Africa, and this Register will meet that
need as an interactive electronic database. In
2002 we set a goal for South Africa to increase
the land under formal protection from 5,3% to
8% by 2010. Over the next three years we have
budgeted more than R175 million for further land
purchases and I will give details of another 230
000 hectares of newly acquired protected areas
in the NCOP on Thursday. The expansion of the
conservation estate and the quest to have a representative
park system is important, but what is equally
important is how well we manage our parks. In
2004 Parliament promulgated the Protected Areas
Act. The Act gives us the power to institute a
performance management system of our parks. We
will be announcing by the end of the financial
year a new Park Performance Management System
which will guide our decision making system and
set the standards for the management of our national
heritage.
I would also like to announce
that to further improve the quality of the experience
that visitors have in our National Parks, and
to expand our ability to make conservation a driver
of jobs and growth, we will be investing another
R395 million in park infrastructure over the next
three years. This will be concentrated on, amongst
other projects, the upgrading of 520 existing
accommodation units, creating and supplying 100
new accommodation units, upgrading and constructing
320km of tourist roads, developing 5 new camping
sites, and improving or creating 7 park entrances.
Conclusion
In conclusion Speaker, I would
like to take a moment to reflect on a few of the
many positive changes that our Department has
undergone to ensure that we protect, build and
expand South Africa’s Age of Hope. At the forefront
of this change has been our Director General,
Pamela Yako, and her management team. Management
and operational structures have been streamlined
with, for instance: the creation of new capacity
like the specialised unit to drive our international
coordination and liaison, the new Directorate:
Litigation and Law Reform, and the new Chief Directorate:
Integrated Coastal Management, as well as the
bolstering of our research capacity in Marine
and Coastal Management. They have also led the
charge in terms of improving the representation
of women in senior management positions, which
by the end of March stood at 38% and for which
we have set a target of 46% by the end of this
financial year. Their leadership has set the pace
for our departmental achievements, for which they
are highly commended.
I would also like to express my thanks to our
Deputy Minister, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, for her
hard work and support this year, as well as to
Honourable Langa Zita, who assumed the Chairpersonship
of our Portfolio Committee, to every member of
our committee - which remains one of the most
involved, committed and active in Parliament;
and to our hard working and greatly effective
statutory bodies.
Speaker, it was Beyers Naudé
who observed that hope is more fundamental than
either pessimism or optimism. In South Africa
it sustained the cause of our long-sought freedom,
and now empowers the cause of our burgeoning prosperity.
As we continue together to intensify our efforts,
redouble our commitment, and exceed even our own
expectations we will ensure a better environment
and better tourism to build the Age of Hope.
Ngiyabonga. Ndiyabulela. Kea
le boga. Enkosi.
Better Environment,
Better Tourism: Building the Age of Hope in SA
Budget Vote Speech By Hon. Rejoice Mabudafhasi,
MP Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism National Assembly June 2006
Madam Speaker
Honourable Members
Distinguished Guests
Introduction
It is with pleasure that I address you on this
Budget Vote, which in essence depicts the achievements
of this department over the last financial year.
I will of course not only reflect on our achievements,
but also on some of the challenges that we faced
and continue to face. Additionally I will also
reflect on the programme for this year and how
we intend to achieve some of the deliverables
as defined in the departmental business plan.
It was indeed a challenging
year which saw us dealing with women leadership
and empowerment; land degradation, wetlands, invasive
alien species and the fight against poverty; democratization
and transformation of protected areas; providing
an effective and efficient weather service and
establishing partnerships and capacity for better
waste management in this country.
Women and Environment
Honourable members, as we will be celebrating
the 50th anniversary of women’s protest in 1956
in August this year, I am reminded of Chief Albert
Luthuli’s words when he paid tribute to women
and declared that “When the women begin to take
active part in the struggle as they are doing
now, no power on earth can stop us from achieving
freedom in our lifetime”
As a department we have to protect
women and children from harsh environmental conditions.
These conditions range from exposure to toxic
chemicals to breathing polluted air and drinking
unsafe water.
As part of celebrations for
the 50th Anniversary, our department will be holding
the 2nd Women and Environment Conference. Drawing
from the strengths of the commemoration of the
30th Anniversary of 16 June, a side event for
the youth will also be held during the margins
of this conference.
At an international level, we
have responded to gender equality and equity challenges
by establishing a Network for Women Ministers
of Environment which is co-chaired by South Africa
and Sweden. This network will focus on implementing
United Nations Environment Programme’s decision
on gender equality in the areas of climate change,
desertification, waste management and sustainable
development.
Land degradation, wetlands,
Invasive alien species and the fight against poverty
Honourable members, the United Nations General
Assembly, declared 2006 as the International Year
of Deserts and Desertification, with the theme
“Desertification a threat to humanity”.
To signify our commitment, we
have already launched our campaign for the celebration
of 2006 as the International Year of Deserts and
Desertification (IYDD). We launched this campaign
by unveiling a Soil Conservation Project to the
tune of R5 million on 16 March 2006 in the Madibeng
area within the Sekhukhune District Municipality,
Limpopo. There are several provincial initiatives
which are being rolled out in celebration of 2006
as the IYDD.
Through Working for Wetlands,
our department will continue to invest funds in
the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems. We
will continue to partner with the Department of
Water Affairs and Forestry in their Working for
Water Project which has been very successful in
clearing invasive species.
As apart of the NEPAD Environment
Initiative, South Africa co-ordinates the Invasive
Alien Species Programme. Of the 14 projects identified,
the following three are being prioritised: preventing
water weeds from chocking Africa’s water bodies,
preventing invasive alien plants from ruining
Africa’s productive land and preventing invasive
alien species from entering Africa.
Democratisation and transformation
of protected areas
Honourable members, as an important step to ensure
that communities living adjacent to protected
areas assume ownership and take active part in
decision-making processes and management activities
of protected areas, we established a People and
Parks Forum which met for the first time in 2004.
An important outcome of this meeting was the development
of a comprehensive and ambitious action plan to
address issues such as access and benefit sharing,
co-management and establishment of partnerships.
Later this year, we will be holding a second meeting
of the People and Parks Forum.
Providing an effective and efficient
weather service to economic sector and communities
Honourable members, one of the ramifications of
climate change is adverse weather conditions that
threaten the lives of people and their belongings.
Last year South African Weather
Service {SAWS} issued over 150 adverse weather
warnings through its website and most prominent
media.
To increase its now-casting
capability, SAWS is going to spend in excess of
R6 million to expand its weather radar network
this year. We are already sharing weather radar
data with Mozambique, with a long term goal of
establishing a regional weather radar network
involving all our neighbours in SADC.
One weather phenomenon that
causes major damage and loss of life in South
Africa is lightning. In the past financial year
SAWS installed the state of the art Lightning
Detection Network that covers Lesotho and Swaziland
entirely and also extends to cover some parts
of Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique
closer to our borders.
Partnership and capacity for
waste management
Honourable members, as part of the implementation
of the Waste Minimization Strategy, our department
is in the process of forging strategic partnerships
with industries involved in various waste streams.
These partnerships are aimed at encouraging voluntary
compliance by the industry, thus creating an enabling
environment for promulgation of the Waste Management
Bill in the near future. We have signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) with the glass industry
last year, in addition to the plastic bag MOU.
We aim to sign the tyre MOU in the near future.
At the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
(3R) Ministerial conference in Japan last year,
we made a commitment to manage waste in a holistic
fashion.
South Africa is one of the seven
countries which have signed a grant agreement
on the African Stockpile Program with the World
Bank to tune of USD 1.7 million. We have called
upon everyone to declare obsolete stocks of pesticides
in their possession so that these could be disposed-off
using funding from the World Bank.
South Africa is also developing
country which has already initiated the process
of developing guidelines for the implementation
of the Globally Harmonised System of Classification
and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).
Protection of the marine environment
and resources
Honourable members, in July 2004, we launched
the West Indian Ocean Land-based activities (WIO-LaB)
project in Madagascar. We took a robust approach
in raising awareness and educating the coastal
communities on the importance of protecting marine
environment from pollution caused by land based
activities. We have established task teams to
deal with municipal water, physical alteration
and destruction of habitats. We are also starting
to assess the impact of litter from rivers on
our oceans.
South Africa hosted the Global
General Assembly for the Foundation for Environmental
Education which is responsible for the Blue Flag
and eco-schools programs. The Blue Flag program
ensures that our beaches and oceans are clean
and safe for tourists and communities while generating
employment and skills development opportunities
for local people.
Conclusion
Allow me to conclude by thanking
our Minister for his leadership, the Portfolio
Committee for the support and political leadership
as well as their oversight role played during
sometimes difficult conditions. I also wish to
thank the DG and her officials for their tireless
efforts in finding better and innovative solutions
to ensure a healthier and a safer environment
for all.
Madam speaker, a wise woman,
Ruth Lilongula of the Solomon Islands once said
“Biodiversity is invaluable, we value our surroundings
as our identity, as who we are and our inheritance
that is given to us…Our environment is many things,
a classroom, a pharmacy and a supermarket”.
I thank you.
