23 March 2007 - Media
Statement - Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism - FRIDAY, 23 MARCH 2007:
It is official; the City of Cape Town and
Swartland Local Municipality are the cleanest
in South Africa. This announcement was made
by the Deputy Minister of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi
at the Cleanest Town Awards, taking place
in Johannesburg alongside the National Waste
Management Conference, organised by the
departments of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism and Provincial and Local Government.
The awards which carry a one million rand
grand prize for the winning metro and municipality
is presented annually to those who have
demonstrated sound environmental stewardship
at a local government level.
Speaking at the awards, Mabudafhasi said
“Municipalities also have a huge role to
motivate, train and coach the communities
to focus on waste management projects for
the benefit of local socio-economic development.
Every participant in the Cleanest Town Competition
is a winner regardless of not taking an
award back home. The bigger incentive should
be contributing to sustainable development
and creating a legacy one would be proud
to leave behind as a gift to future generations”.
The total prize pool is an awesome R4.5
Million allocated through DEAT’s social
responsibility programme. The runners up
in the Metro Category are Nelson Mandela
and City of Johannesburg in 2nd and 3rd
places respectively, whilst Greater Tzaneen
and Steve Tswhete Local Municipalities grabbed
2nd and 3rd runners in the local municipality
category.
Earlier in the day, unaware of the great
success which has befell the two Western
Cape winners, MEC for Environmental Affairs
and Development Planning, Ms Tasneem Essop,
simply said that“ for us in the Western
Cape, environmental management constitutes
a key element of our Ikapa Elihlumayo Sustainable
Development Framework – An integrated strategy
for economic development, growth and social
cohesion in the province”
It was further expected that the Deputy
President, Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, will
further outline government’s commitment
to investment and improved service delivery
in waste management as she closes the conference
on Friday 24 March, following the presidents
state of the nation address where dirt and
squalor in our poor areas where given a
broadside and energized the two departments
to fast-track waste management interventions
at a local level.
Moses Randitsheni
Waste Management Concludes With a Call
for Transformation in the Sector
23 March 2007 - Media Statement - Department
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism - FRIDAY,
23 MARCH 2007: The Deputy President Phumzile
Mlambo Nqcuka, today threw the gauntlet
at the waste management industry and challenged
them to open up what has for along time
being seen as monopoly.
Addressing more than four hundred delegates
at the closing plenary of the National Waste
Management Conference, convened by the DEAT
and Department of Provincial and Local Government
(DPLG) held at Emperor’s Palace, in Johannesburg,
Mlambo Nqcuka said “Currently our waste
management sector is dominated by a few
large enterprises with national and even
international operations. These companies
tend to be largely white owned. In general
the sector is untransformed, although recently
there has been certain transformation effort
in response to government procurement policies”
“It is clear that, means must be devised
to open up this sector to small and black
businesses and I would like to take this
opportunity to challenge the established
waste management sector to move with all
speed to devise a transformation and empowerment
strategy that would bring the sector into
line with other sectors that have developed
BBEE Charters” said the Deputy President
South Africa’s waste expenditure in municipalities
is estimated at more than a billion rand
with metropolitan areas like the City of
Johannesburg spending in excess of R150
million per annum on waste management alone,
amongst other competing environmental management
functions
“Whilst South Africans continue to live
in conditions of abject poverty, waste management
initiative like recycling, and local waste
collection schemes, could see, poor communities
through cooperatives and SMMEs generating
incoming and building on much needed skills
pool for the sector “ said Ms Pamela Yako,
Director General for Environment and Tourism.
The conference today agreed on a road –map
of consultations between national and local
government to finalise the long overdue
national waste management bill, which will
herald a new system of address South Africa’s
increasing waste challenge. Public consultation
process which open ed in January will close
on 17 April, where the final legal text
will be presented to the Minister of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism and his provincial counterparts
finally to cabinet before it goes through
the two houses of parliament later this
year
Blessing Manale
+ More
All South Africans, Especially the Poor,
are to Benefit from Waste Management Policy
and Law Reform Process
22 March 2007 - Media Statement - Department
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism - THURSDAY,
22 MARCH 2007: The Constitution of the Republic
of South Africa guarantees a right to a
healthy and clean environment to all citizens.
The government is engaged in a policy and
law reform process to meet its constitutional
obligations on environmental matters in
general, and waste management in particular.
The Dept. of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism (DEAT) in partnership with Dept.
of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG)
have jointly organized a two day conference
to be held at Emperors Palace in Gauteng
on the 22nd – 23rd March 2007. The theme
for the conference is Waste Management for
a cleaner South Africa – a local government
perspective. The three spheres of government
including the private sector and civil society
will deliberate on the development of the
National Environmental Management: Waste
Management Bill. The outcomes of the conference
will culminate in the finalization of the
consultation process on this Bill which
would be followed by the implementation
of strategies to accelerate waste management
programs throughout the country.
“We recognize that, due to its cross-cutting
nature, pollution and waste management is
neither the exclusive preserve of the Department
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, nor
of government. The private sector and civil
society have important roles to play in
promoting integrated pollution and waste
management. The fostering of partnerships
across all spheres of government, and between
government, the private sector and civil
society is necessary for sustainable and
effective pollution and waste management
to take place. ,” said Deputy Minister of
Environmental Affairs and Tourism,Ms Rejoice
Mabudafhasi.
The development of new pollution and waste
management legislation will address current
legislation gaps and secure ecologically
sustainable development while promoting
justifiable economic and social development.
In order to achieve this, the government
will encourage change of attitude and behavioral
change to promote the 3Rs or reducing, re-using
and recycling waste through community-based
projects. Through support, community initiatives
will undergo metamorphosis from survivalists
to being sustainable enterprises. Waste
management projects will add value to the
Greening 2010 initiative intended to ensure
clean and safe environment for the staging
of 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The Deputy President of South Africa, Ms
Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka will give a keynote
address at the conference on Friday the
23rd March ’07.
Award Ceremony for the Cleanest Town Competition
A Gala Dinner will be hosted by the Deputy
Minister, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, on the
evening of 22nd March ’07 to present awards
to deserving winners for the Cleanest Town
Competition.
In line with the core objectives of the
Waste Management Bill, this competition
seeks to raise public awareness and educate
all South Africans to look after the environment.
Moses Rannditsheni
New Legislation to Help Curtail Waste
22 March 2007 - Media Statement - Department
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism - THURSDAY,
22 MARCH 2007: Delegates from local governments
all over South Africa today attended a Waste
Management Conference jointly hosted by
the he Departments of Environmental Affairs
and Tourism and of Provincial and Local
Government.
The aims of the conference include providing
participants with a full understanding of
the draft waste management bill, and formulating
recommendations for addressing issues identified
during the conference. The latter may include
proposals to amend the draft bill where
applicable.
“Having recognized the devastating effects
of poor waste management practices of the
past on the majority of South Africans,
especially the poor, we set out to reform
the policy and regulatory framework governing
waste management in South Africa,” said
Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, Deputy Minister
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, in
opening the Conference.
She added that the conference “…espouses
government's vision to develop, implement
and maintain an integrated pollution and
waste management system that contributes
to sustainable development and a measurable
improvement in the quality of life of all
South Africans. We cannot allow ourselves
and the nation to drown in waste while we
can use it to create employment and eradicate
poverty.”
The Deputy Minister will tonight announce
the winners of the National Cleanest Town
Competition. Recognition will come in the
form of a R1 million award for the winning
town, and R1000 000 and R500 000 respectively
for the runners-up.
The Deputy President, Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka,
will address the conference on Friday, where
she is expected to further highlight the
Presidency’s highest commitment to cleaning
up South Africa.
The conference presents a rare opportunity
for both the public and private sector to
discuss the challenges that face the waste
sector and, through the Waste Management
Bill, to begin to chart a new path for waste
management in South Africa.
Blessing Manale
