Hon Chairperson of this session, hon Deputy Minister, hon chairperson of the portfolio committee, Adv De Lange, hon members of the portfolio committee, colleagues and Members of Parliament, all the chief executives and members of the board of public entities, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. I stand here before you almost a month before our country's democratic local government elections, in which South Africans will elect local government representatives of their choice. Hon members, the fact that our country will be holding these elections, our fourth since the dawn of freedom and democracy in 1994, points to the resilience of our democratic dispensation which guarantees, among others, freedom, equality and dignity for all. The forthcoming local government elections mark yet another step we are taking as a nation to consolidate and defend the gains of our democratic order.
Hon Chair, of significance to us as the Department of Environmental Affairs in these elections is that the local sphere of government is indeed critical to the sustainable development and management of our environment and natural resources. We say this because the sustainable development and management of our environment and natural resources constitute a concurrent function shared among the national, provincial and local spheres of government. We must therefore work together to build the capacity of all spheres of our government, especially local government, in order to ensure that we improve management of our environment and natural resources.
Hon Chairperson, we inhabit a country that is the envy of most people globally. Indeed, ours is a megadiverse country of immense natural beauty that has an abundance of natural mineral, fossil, cultural and biological resources, matched only by its people. That signifies a true rainbow nation indeed. This rich environmental heritage sustains many ecosystem services that are the very foundation of our South African livelihood and economy. Tragically, hon Chairperson, this rich natural treasure is being lost or threatened by unsustainable development practices.
It is disturbing to note that over 50% of our wetland ecosystems have been destroyed. In addition, over 80% of our river systems are threatened, and we rank among the world's top 20 greenhouse gas-emitting countries. Alongside Nigeria we are the biggest gas emitters on the continent.
Whilst we note that developments of this nature are indeed necessary, and a good sign for a developing country - that there is indeed something happening within the country - we believe that there is a need to do something about taking care of our environment. Unless we change to a more sustainable development path where we manage and protect these natural resources, we may not have anything left for current and future generations and this will be contrary to section 24 of our Constitution.
Part of what we must do in this regard is to instil in our people the understanding that the need for development and caring for the environment are not mutually exclusive. As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the management of our biodiversity, we will this year be publishing a national biodiversity assessment report, and we thank the SA Management Development Institute, Samdi. The report will give us an indication of the status of threatened ecosystems in our country, inclusive of terrestrial, marine, estuarine and fresh water systems.
Further to that, the Southern Ocean provides for special oceanography and marine biodiversity. The scientific data that is collected from Antarctica and during voyages is critical to our understanding of, among other things, the impact of climate change and weather information associated with extreme events.
The Department of Environmental Affairs is progressing with the construction of a new vessel, SA Agulhas II, to replace the old SA Agulhas 1. I am pleased to announce the name of this new state-of-the-art vessel, which is - as I have said - SA Agulhas II. The vessel will be dedicated to a South African hero/heroine whose name will be announced after an engagement with the family concerned has been concluded.
Hon members, the speedy pace of development since 1994 is necessary, but should not be to the detriment of our environment. As a country, we must strive to maintain a balance between development and environmental conservation.
Hon members, like many other countries of the world, the number one threat to our long-term sustainable development, economic growth and quality of life is related to the impacts of climate change. Climate change is already a reality! Its early impacts can be seen in declining agricultural production, higher food prices and food insecurity, which are felt most severely in developing countries like ours.
We note that the New Growth Path adopted by government offers the opportunity to build new green economic sectors which create decent jobs, and also grow our economy and develop international economic competitiveness. Working together, we must ensure that our response to climate change seizes these new growth opportunities presented by the global effort to address climate change.
Hon members, President Jacob Zuma announced prior to the Copenhagen United Nations Climate Change Conference, which was held in December 2009, that South Africa would implement nationally appropriate mitigation actions which would result in the reduction of our carbon emissions by 34% by 2020 and by 42% by 2025, subject to availability and support in regard to technology, capacity-building and finance.
As a department, working together with the people of South Africa, we are ready to give practical meaning to this commitment. Consequently, our National Climate Change Response Policy is nearing completion and we will present the Climate Change White Paper for Cabinet approval later this year.
This evolving policy outlines our vision for an effective climate change response and our transition to a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy and society. Hon members, from 28 November to 9 December this year our country will host the United Nations Climate Change Conferences - two conferences in one - in Durban. At these conferences the international and national response to climate change will become the focus of attention of all participants.
As host, South Africa will use her participation in these conferences to seek a globally acceptable agreement that supports sustainable development while at the same time addressing the challenge of climate change. We are also in the process of putting together a Climate Expo that will provide a platform to showcase what is being done here locally in South Africa - local is "lekker" - in order to address the challenge of climate change.
Hon members, last year we hosted a summit on the green economy. The summit led to a better understanding and appreciation of the green economy concept in the South African context. Flowing from this summit, an implementation plan for the environment sector's contribution to the green economy was developed. This plan will be implemented through local and international partnerships, with green investments supported by domestic funding from the National Treasury's Green Fund, as well as international funding flowing through facilities such as the World Bank's Clean Technology Fund and the newly established Green Climate Fund. Our contribution as an environment sector is 47 000 jobs, whilst we look forward to creating over 300 000 jobs across departments. Hon members, we wish once more to reaffirm that the environment sector is a major contributor to job creation, and the fight against poverty as well. Over 10 000 people are employed in our national parks as conservation officers, as well as in the hospitality facilities. Even more people are employed in the various provincial parks and more than 2 000 of these are in private game farms across the country.
As part of the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, we are implementing various Natural Resources Management and Social Responsibility programmes. These include programmes such as: Working for Water, Working on Fire and Working for Wetlands, as well as Working for Coasts and People for Parks. In the 2011-12 financial year, through these programmes, we plan to provide almost 5 million person-days of employment, a substantial increase from the 3 million person-days achieved in the last financial year. Those who are able to calculate this have told us that if it were equivalent to full-time jobs, it would be 20 833.
Our Working for Wetlands programme was able to rehabilitate 427 wetlands, which created close to 10 000 short-term work opportunities for people from vulnerable and marginalised communities. As pivotal as the job creation abilities of these programmes are, it is important that we also emphasise that these programmes have many other positive social and economic benefits.
I take this opportunity to salute the 20 Working on Fire firefighters who are present here today. They are all in yellow and some of them are in the other room. The young women and men who are here with us are very fit, disciplined and distinctively branded. [Applause.] I am also aware that the director-general and her team are training to be part of our fire-fighting capacity. They also tried to recruit me as I was walking in, but I said that the director-general go first and I would see when she came back. [Laughter.]
Hon members, going forward, we'll integrate all our "working for" programmes. In terms of this new approach, we will advertise all the EPWP job opportunities nationally, as well as opportunities for co-operatives provided by these programmes. We will also publicly announce the number of people we will take into the various programmes, namely, "Working for Waste Management and Recycling", "Greening our Parks", "Working for Water" and "Working for Wetlands". The Deputy Minister will take care of these programmes and I know that she will run with them, as she has energy.
This approach will ensure that we co-ordinate these programmes centrally, and determine norms and standards for working conditions, payment levels and registration, and support to those co-operatives, which must develop into business entities.
Hon members, we plan to introduce this new approach during this financial year. To this end we have already amalgamated all the various "working for" programme units, and a business plan is being developed in this regard. It has been signed off by the Minister in the Department of the Public Service and Administration, DPSA, and it will go to the Department of Environmental Affairs.
Hon members, we are saddened by the alarming rate at which our rhino population is being decimated by bandits and poachers operating with military precision. We are disturbed that from 1 April 2010 to date a total of 382 rhinos have been poached, of which 196 were poached in the Kruger National Park. Of these, 65 were poached between January and March 2011 alone.
To respond to this scourge we have, together with our stakeholders, developed a holistic approach to confronting the challenge of rhino poaching. In particular, we have adopted an integrated approach that will mobilise resources from the various anti-crime units in the country. Our approach also includes working together with the Defence Force, the SA Revenue Service and the SA Police Service. We have also established a Biodiversity Enforcement Unit tasked with the co-ordination and monitoring of compliance with our biodiversity legislation and associated regulations, norms and standards. Hon members, our partnership with key security institutions and other relevant departments, especially with regard to priority crimes such as rhino poaching, continues to yield results. We have also engaged the Department of Justice on the question of fast-tracking the prosecution of environmental crimes, dedicating special time to these cases.
Hon members, we are committed to a sustainable and responsible developmental approach which supports economic growth, combats poverty and creates jobs. As part of this commitment, we have put in place a new and improved environmental impact assessment, EIA, and management regime. In addition, we are moving towards alternative approaches to environmental impact management. These interventions take a more strategic view of development and dispel the myth that impact assessment and management tools are barriers to development.
Hon members, there has been a concerted effort by the department to move towards an integrated permitting system. The department already has fully integrated waste and environmental impact assessment permitting processes and some provinces have also followed suit. There are also plans to extend the one-stop process approach to the Department of Water Affairs' permitting process - for water licences - and in time we should actually be able to do this with the Department of Water Affairs.
Hon members, the Waste Act will allow us to address some of the challenges we have been grappling with for decades. This Act will also ensure that we institute mechanisms for waste avoidance, minimisation, re-use, recycling and recovery, and appropriate licensing, collection and storage requirements, as well as environmentally sound treatment and disposal of problematic waste streams. We are aware of the problems that we are currently experiencing in the area of medical waste and in this regard we will really endeavour to do our best and ensure that we deal with this area effectively going forward, and there is certainty regarding this.
Hon members, as I conclude, I want to point out that the budget we are presenting here today is actually a policy presentation that, firstly, reaffirms very ambitious and achievable targets on climate change mitigation and adaptation. There is also the unique opportunity to host a productive and successful Conference of the Parties, COP 17, and we have highlighted this. We will be ready to engage in detail with hon members on this and we are happy that we have dealt with this issue in the consultations with reference to the Green Paper. We have also presented our aggressive forward march to the green economy and job creation outcomes and, last but not least, we stand firm on intervening and bringing to book those responsible for crimes against our environment. We have what it takes to achieve these goals, and with your support we are guaranteed success. Hon members, I would like to thank various members, starting with the Deputy Minister, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi. Then there are the board members and staff, the members of the public entities that fall under the department and the related ones that work with us, and the Director-General Ms Nosipho Ngcaba and her team for the commitment they continue to show in the attainment of our strategic objectives.
I would also like to thank the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs, Adv Johnny de Lange, and all hon members of the committee for their support and robust engagements. We say to you, "Yes, continue to be robust!" That is what makes us strong. But more importantly, thank you for driving the Green Paper consultations process with such diligence. We appreciate the oversight role that you have played and look forward to working with you. We thank all of you. We also recognise our former Minister, who is here today. She is my twin, as we were born on the same day and at the same time, but in different places and hospitals. [Applause.] Thank you very much! [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister Molewa, hon Deputy Minister Mabudafhasi, hon members, especially my portfolio committee, the environmental sector family, ladies and gentlemen and hon Mike Ellis, may I on behalf of the portfolio committee extend a warm welcome to all of you at this annual debate of the Budget Vote of the Department of Environmental Affairs. I rise on this occasion on behalf of the ANC and hopefully on behalf of the portfolio committee in support of this Budget Vote allocation to the department.
Hon Minister, as you and we in the portfolio committee are aware, the department is mainly a policy-formulating department on environmental matters, and is therefore comparatively small and functions well. The department's finances and financial management systems are in good health. For years now the annual financial statements have been unqualified, with problem areas being insignificant and easily dealt with.
Our meeting with the department, especially the director-general and the chief financial officer, the Auditor-General's Office and the National Treasury once again confirmed this prognosis. Therefore, except for there being a very high vacancy rate - which is urgently being attended to in various ways - there is little to be gained by debating and belabouring the obvious. The portfolio committee's comments on the Budget Vote debate are contained in the report tabled in today's ATCs.
I thought it would be more fruitful - as a person who has been involved with environmental issues for only the last few months - to tentatively venture a few comments on the concept of sustainability which, to me as a novice, seems to be at the heart of everything we are attempting to do. To me all government's economic and social policies are underpinned and anchored by the principle of sustainability. Most political parties and civil society appear of the same mind. My own party, the ANC, at its most recent conference, confirmed this, and I quote:
The ANC's vision has therefore sought to embrace a transformative environmentalism based upon the idea of sustainable development, which is built upon the interconnection of environmental, social and economic justice.
Our vision of the future includes a sustainable economy where all South Africans, including present and future generations realise their right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing.
However, it seems to me that, although we have a theoretical agreement on the centrality of sustainability in our developmental growth path, we do not, I believe, have a shared view of the progressive and developmental meaning of sustainability within government or amongst ourselves and civil society.
I share a few thoughts for engagement. I commence with a quote from the department's Executive Summary of the South Africa Environment Outlook, which starkly poses our challenges and formulates our problem statement in respect of sustainability as follows:
The environment outlook shows that South Africa has made significant progress in the area of environmental management in the past almost two decades. Laws and strategies have been developed that focus on key environmental areas such as biodiversity, air quality, protected areas, urban and rural development, waste and disaster management. Efforts to implement and enforce the policy framework have intensified.
Despite such progress, recent detailed assessments show that we are using up our natural capital, depleting our natural resources and rapidly degrading our environment. The ecological footprint per person in South Africa is higher than the global average - that is, 2,8 ha per person in South Africa compared to 2,3 ha for the rest of the world - and has increased by 2% between 1991 and 2001. In other middle- and low-income countries the average ecological footprint declined in this period.
In general, the condition of the South African environment is deteriorating. Increasing population numbers and declining air quality are harming people's health. The natural resources are being exploited in an unsustainable way, threatening the functioning of ecosystems. Water quality and the health of aquatic ecosystems are declining. Land degradation remains a serious problem. Up to 20 species of commercial and recreational marine fish are considered overexploited and some have collapsed.
At the same time, the basic needs of the current generation are not yet being adequately met, and unemployment and inequality are still extremely high. Poverty remains deeply entrenched and is on the increase in some areas. With the majority of poorer South Africans directly dependent on natural resources to survive, we can ill afford to let the environment deteriorate. Poverty reinforces people's dependence on natural resources and makes them more vulnerable to environmental threats such as polluted and poor quality water, degraded land, indoor air pollution, and the vicissitudes of climate change.
As well as providing the basic natural resources that sustain life, such as clean air, water and food, the environment is also the basis for economic activity, and it sustains our cultural and spiritual needs. Thus, a healthy environment is not only a constitutional right in South Africa, but fundamental for a vital society and a sustained economy.
As the South African Environmental Outlook shows, however, there are increasing pressures on our natural systems and our ability to deal with these pressures is weak and, therefore, most aspects of the environment have deteriorated and continue to deteriorate.
Many challenges still lie in South Africa's path to sustainable development, some of them needing urgent and dedicated attention. The message is clear. We need to act now, both individually and collectively as a nation. If we do not act decisively, we run the risk of losing the environmental services that we all depend on.
That's the end of the quote from the Environmental Outlook of our department.
In the light of this worrying picture, what is to be done about this continuing and, in many instances, deteriorating environmental outlook for South Africa? The portfolio committee has had the good fortune to engage with Prof Mark Swilling of the Sustainability Institute at the University of Stellenbosch on issues of sustainability, and he vividly sketches a picture of our rapidly depleting natural resources nationally and internationally, and the need to steer a decisive and focused, new, progressive, sustainable growth development path into the future.
I will not deal here in detail with his brilliant thesis. In my view, that is for another occasion. Suffice it to say that he provides us with two recent observations from politicians which seem to point us in the right direction, which is towards the urgent need to limit resource degradation and resource overuse in the process of achieving economic growth in order to avoid the fate of so many failed past civilisations. The first is by our own previous Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, and I quote:
We have an opportunity over the decade ahead to shift the structure of our economy towards greater energy efficiency, and more responsible use of our natural resources and relevant resource-based knowledge and expertise. Our economic growth over the next decade and beyond cannot be built on the same principles and technologies, the same energy systems and the same transport modes, that we are familiar with today.
This is then elaborated on by the former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and I quote:
There can be little doubt that the economy of the 21st century will be low-carbon. What has become clear is that the push towards decarbonisation will be one of the major drivers of global and national economic growth over the next decade. And the economies that embrace the green revolution earliest will reap the greatest economic rewards. ... Just as the revolution in information and communication technologies provided a major motor of growth over the past 30 years, the transformation to low-carbon technologies will do so over the next. It is unsurprising, therefore, that over the past year governments across the world have made green investment a major part of their economic stimulus packages. They have recognised the vital role that spending on energy efficiency and infrastructure can have on demand and employment in the short-term, while also laying the foundations for future growth.
With this is mind, it is well worth reminding ourselves what is meant in this context when we talk of a progressive, developmental sustainability. Sustainability is the capacity of a system to endure disturbance. It is traditionally used in ecology to describe how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are typical examples of sustainable biological systems. Implicitly, sustainability for humans is the potential for long-term maintenance of wellbeing which has environmental, economic and social dimensions.
Healthy ecosystems and environments provide vital goods and services to humans and other organisms. Sustainability interfaces with economics through the social and ecological consequences of economic activity and many intuitive and literal definitions of the concept of sustainability have been offered with this understanding.
For example, the International Institute for Sustainable Development considers sustainability to be, and I quote:
... adopting business strategies and activities that meet the needs of the enterprise and its stakeholders today while protecting, sustaining and enhancing the human and natural resources that will be needed in the future.
For many, sustainability involves active management and enhancing of five critical assets. Firstly, there is natural capital - that is, the environment; then, secondly, human capital - that is, people; thirdly, social capital - that is, our social relations and structures; fourthly, manufactured capital - that is, our fixed assets; and fifthly, financial capital.
Sustainability is achieved by living off the income which, in this case, is an outflow or output from these capitals, rather than by degrading the capitals themselves.
It suffices to point out that moving towards sustainability is also a social challenge that entails international and national law, urban planning and transport, local and individual lifestyle changes - which are probably the most difficult changes to make - and ethical consumerism.
Ways of living more sustainably can take many forms, from reorganising living conditions, for example, ecovillages and sustainable towns and cities, to reappraising economic sectors such as green building and sustainable agriculture, or work practices using science to develop new technologies, for example, green technologies or renewable energies and so on, to adjustments in individual lifestyles that conserve natural resources.
Thus, sustainability is improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems. Although sustainability can be defined in such a simple manner, it is also a call to action, a task in progress or a journey, and therefore it is a highly political process.
In essence, sustainability speaks of a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic, social and environmental justice, and a culture of peace.
Historically, there has been a close correlation between economic growth and environmental degradation, meaning that, as communities grow, so the environment declines. This trend is clearly demonstrated in graphs of human population numbers, economic growth and environmental indicators. Unsustainable economic growth has been starkly compared to the malignant growth of a cancer because it eats away at the earth's ecosystems' services, which are its life-support system.
There is concern that unless resource use is checked the modern global civilisation will follow the path of ancient civilisations that collapsed through overexploitation of their resource base. Implicitly, business cannot succeed in societies that fail, and it is with this understanding that sustainability studies analyse ways to reduce or decouple the amount of resources such as water, energy or materials needed for the production, consumption and disposal of the unit of goods or services, whether this be achieved, inter alia, by improved economic management, product design or new technology.
Sustainability examines societal metabolism ... [Interjections.] I should give this to you to read! [Laughter.] Sustainability examines societal metabolism through the throughput of resources that enter and exit the economic system in relation to environmental qualities.
The primary responsibility for co-ordination and implementation of sustainability programmes rests with governments worldwide. In fact, integrating sustainability into national development policies is one of the goals of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, which South Africa is committed to implementing.
It is in this context that Cabinet passed the National Framework for Sustainable Development, NFSD, in July 2008. The NFSD is designed to, and I quote -
... initiate a broad framework for sustainable development in South Africa that can serve as a basis from which to develop and consolidate a national strategy and action plan.
The NFSD proposes a national vision, principles, trends and strategic priority areas and a set of implementation measures that are intended to enable and guide the development of a national strategy and action plan. The NFSD outlines the country's sustainable vision as follows:
South Africa aspires to be a sustainable, economically prosperous and self-reliant nation state that safeguards its democracy by meeting the fundamental human needs of its people, by managing its limited ecological resources responsibly for current and future generations, and by advancing efficient and effective integrated planning and governance through national, regional and global collaboration.
This vision is informed by the environmental, social, economic and other fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution, and the global and national priorities captured in the Millennium Development Goals, and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation ...
... that was arrived at at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, as well as, of course, government's macro socioeconomic policies.
It is a projection of the nation's aspirations to achieve a better quality of life for all now and in the future, through equitable access to resources and shared prosperity. It places the nation on a developmental trajectory which ... must move society towards greater efficiency and innovation in resource use, and the integration of social, economic, ecological and governance systems.
The government notes in the NFSD that the achievement of sustainable development is not a once-off occurrence, meaning that its objective cannot be achieved by a single action or decision. It is an ongoing process that requires a particular set of values and attitudes in which the economic, social and environmental assets that society has at its disposal are managed in a manner that sustains human wellbeing without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Furthermore, the successful implementation of the NFSD and the achievement of sustainable development objectives and targets are contingent upon the ability and willingness of all South Africans to share in this common vision. Accordingly, all sectors, including elements of the state and civil society, organised labour and business should participate in the social contract to implement the NFSD and the emergent national strategy to follow.
Economic growth often entails increased use of energy and materials in society which, in turn, gives rise to ...
Hon De Lange, you have one minute left.
A minute? All right. I don't know where all my minutes have disappeared to, but let me end off like this.
In conclusion, it seems to me that for South Africa to move away from its present path of rapid depletion of its natural resources and the continued deterioration and degradation of its environmental assets will require immediate, decisive and focused attention by all South Africans. This will be, inter alia, firstly, to develop a shared view of what is meant by sustainability, a sustainable economy, and environmental sustainability; secondly, to act in accordance with such shared understanding; thirdly, for the department in partnership with the portfolio committee to provide strong, decisive focus and unwavering leadership in regard to the meaning and implications of environmental sustainability, which will include a strong, increased focus on enforcement and compliance; and lastly, to shift ... [Inaudible.] ...
Hon member, your time has expired.
... still has its roots in ... [Inaudible.] ...
Hon member, your time has expired.
... paradigm, to a progressive, developmental, sustainable ... [Inaudible.] ...
Hon member, your time has expired.
Please, you know, I'm there. [Laughter.] This is in accordance with the vision and direction outlined by Minister Manuel and the former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, Madam Minister and hon members, more than two years ago this Parliament passed two progressive pieces of legislation that were aimed at entirely reforming the environmental considerations of mining. Legislators from all parties worked tirelessly to bring mining authorisations in line with the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Act and the National Environmental Management Amendment Act.
Essentially we wrote into law that 36 months after the commencement of the latter of the two Acts the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs would be the competent authority for the authorisation of mines. As we stand here today in this hallowed Chamber, we are confronted with a situation where the Minister of Mineral Resources has not kept to her side of the deal. While the National Environmental Management Act has been commenced with, the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Act has not been commenced with. It is a serious challenge to the legitimacy of this institution. The problem that we face, those of us that care about sustainability and the environment, is that the vast majority of new order mining rights that will exist over the next 30 years will be granted in the next five years. Mining is an important part of our economy. It creates jobs and provides foreign exchange. But it is also a highly invasive activity, and requires strong environmental regulations.
The Minister of Economic Development has highlighted that the mining sector is a major component of the New Growth Path, but he is not thoughtful about ecological limits, water constraints and biodiversity constraints. Yes, we must mine but we must not mine without limits. The costs of mining are never fully covered by miners. The externalities of mining and the cumulative effects of mining are carried by ordinary South Africans.
Let me pay tribute to the many officials in this department who are working tirelessly to improve the environmental considerations around mining. I know that many of you share my own frustrations. While the Department of Mineral Resources is receiving kudos at the moment for its recently completed moratorium on prospecting rights, it remains arrogant and treats the environment with contempt.
Last year, when I asked the Minister of Mineral Resources for the names of all mines against which her department had taken action for deviating from the environmental management plans, she refused to do so, saying it would affect their share prices. Well, Madam Mining Minister, I think it should affect their share prices. That is why I trust your department, Madam Minister, to do a better job of monitoring compliance in the mining sector, if given the opportunity to do so. You are more than prepared to announce the actions with regard to compliance that your department takes.
In the current legislative context, the Department of Environmental Affairs must, in the best interests of co-operative governance, work with the Department of Mineral Resources on a number of matters. Minister, please encourage your colleague, the Minister of Mineral Resources, to make a substantial declaration of areas around South Africa that are off limits to mining, which is in the power of the Minister of Mineral Resources to do.
Your department has spatial planning tools which could be integrated with the Department of Mineral Resources. We need to integrate data on the ranges of red data species, protected areas, Ramsar sites, sensitive ecosystems and critical water courses, so that we can determine where mining should be permitted and where it should not be permitted. And we need to expand protected areas, declaring areas like the Verlorenvlei in the Western Cape to have a special status.
There are a number of environmental management plans from applicants for onshore gas exploration before the Petroleum Agency of South Africa, which is obliged to consult with the relevant government entities about the environmental considerations in regard to these applications.
Minister, I know that you are reluctant to make comments about the subject of fracking, as you could end up being the appeal authority for environmental impact assessments, EIAs, on drill sites, if we get to that stage. But then let me address your officials. The extent of these applications in size, on average 30 000 km each, is absurd. Even if an applicant only draws eight wells in the exploration area, there are unintended consequences for land owners in the area, who could live in limbo for up to nine years while they wonder whether their farm will be fracked next. The awarding of one exploration right has major consequences for land values for people who may not even be directly affected by fracking.
Furthermore, while I spoke about the water considerations in last week's debate, let me mention now that each drill site will require a constant stream of trucks, possibly thousands of truck journeys per site, carrying water or toxic chemicals and removing waste. This traffic is highly invasive and is a heavy burden on the infrastructure of the Karoo municipalities.
Furthermore, shale gas is not the wonder solution to a low-carbon future that the applicants say it is. Compared to coal, shale gas is as bad if not worse as a source of climate change-inducing green house gas emissions. Minister, for these reasons, and because there is no policy in South Africa on fracking, no fracking should be permitted.
The DA is supportive of one Minister's being responsible for the Department of Water Affairs and the Department of Environmental Affairs. The Minister needs to strive for further coherence between these departments, especially with regard to integrating permitting, but I am not sure these departments are even regularly talking to each other.
There is a need to drastically increase the number of environmental management inspectors, especially those working on pollution issues. This Parliament, through the National Environmental Laws Amendment Act, allows for compliance officers in each of the water and environmental departments to be accredited as environmental management inspectors, EMIs, and to be able to enforce the full suite of water and environmental legislation. However, the Department of Water Affairs is resisting this, and it is a department most in need of compliance and enforcement.
A peculiar situation has now emerged with regard to the Vele Colliery, near the ecologically sensitive Mapungubwe site, where, while the Department of Environmental Affairs is still conducting an investigation into alleged transgressions in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, NEMA, the Department of Water Affairs has given that mine its water use licence. We are now only weeks away from the mining Minister's announcing whether the mining right awarded to a company to mine the sand dunes of Xolobeni on the Wild Coast can proceed. The application for this right was seriously flawed. It must be noted that the Department of Environmental Affairs, in its report on the proposed mining, said:
The department has grave concerns with regard to the proposed mining developments in the area and objects to it.
Mining, if allowed in this area, would seriously undermine excellent opportunities for sustained job creation through ecotourism. I call on the mining Minister not to allow mining to proceed in Xolobeni.
Health care waste, or medical waste, requires improved oversight by the department, in conjunction with various health departments. The department likes to trumpet that there is sufficient capacity in South Africa to treat all generated medical waste. This may be true if all treatment capacity is on line, but considering that treatment capacity is not evenly spread throughout the country, when some of the facilities are off line, or are permanently taken out of operation, as was the case in late February, there is a crisis.
I regret today that we find ourselves in a similar situation and the Minister's urgent intervention is again required, as she did in early March this year. We simply cannot have anatomical waste overflowing from storage facilities. Not all service providers in this industry are entirely ethical, and unless the capacity pressures are alleviated, we are going to have illegal dumping.
Biodiversity and conservation need greater consideration in South Africa. It is unconscionable that the government can spend R100 million on the National Youth Development Agency, NYDAs, debacle of a world youth festival last December, while cutting transfers to conservation.
South African National Parks, Sanparks, is now having its budget reduced year on year and it has to rely on its commercialisation strategy to bring in revenue. Only four of its parks are profitable and they subsidise the running of other parks. But conservation is a public good, and ecosystems have inherent value.
Emotions are running high about Sanparks' proposed two new hotel developments in the Kruger National Park. It is debatable whether these hotels are necessary, and opponents are strident in their opposition. What is clear though, is that there needs to be a more structured and ongoing discussion about national parks. The management plans of Sanparks afford it opportunities every three to five years to engage the public about park policies and programmes. This needs to be done more effectively.
Furthermore, it is time that government institutes a commission, much like the US Congress did when it commissioned the report entitled "Advancing the National Park Idea: National Parks Second Century Commission Report", so that we can address the issues of public ownership of parks, and allow stakeholders from all communities to contribute to planning the future of these parks, and what developments should be permissible.
It is regrettable and deeply sad that as figures stand now we are on track to having at least as many rhinos poached this year as there were last year, and we urge the Minister, as she has said, to further fight against rhino poaching.
The new Oceans and Coasts branch of the department has important work ahead in enforcing the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act. It has, however, immediately been challenged by the Minister of Transport's announcement last week of his intention to lease the sea shore and sea bed around Vetch's Pier. The Sea-shore Act does not supersede the provisions of the Integrated Coastal Management Act, which commenced on 1 December 2009.
Flowing from the Integrated Coastal Management Act, the state is the trustee of all coastal public property and must ensure that it is managed and protected in the interests of the whole community. So the question is why the Minister of Transport made this announcement when you, Madam Minister, have not excluded the land in question from coastal public property? Because eThekwini wants to use this land for a small craft harbour. Even if you do exclude the land from coastal public property, this Parliament would have to ratify your decision.
Notwithstanding the fact that the proposed Vetch's development is deeply problematic for a number of reasons and should not proceed, please engage with your Cabinet counterpart, Madam Minister, on this matter. If you have been approached to exclude the land in terms of the Integrated Coastal Management Act, please inform us.
In conclusion, this department is mostly very well run, and it has a long history of unqualified audit opinions, but it must fight for its place at the planning table. Environmental considerations must be at the forefront of development and sustainable development.
The stakes are high. The 2007 State of the Environment report points to a general decline in our environment, and the trend has not changed. Let us enforce our excellent legislation to the greatest degree, and let us ensure that our economy grows and creates opportunities, while being more efficient in its use of resources, and with consideration of the ecological barriers to growth. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Thank you, Chair. Hon Minister, Deputy Minister, members of the portfolio committee, guests and the department, I greet you. Minister, I must say what a contrast there is between the two departments, Water Affairs and Environmental Affairs, as if they were not under one Ministry. One is doing extremely well and the other one is doing extremely bad. Maybe you need to take the environment part and plant it in the water so that it can also do better, like the environment! Speakers have alluded to the fact that the department is well run. I think we in Cope would also attest to that.
Having said that, let me say that every citizen in South Africa has the right to a clean and conducive environment, as enshrined in our Constitution, and therefore to the wellbeing of our people's being protected. With this budget of R2,8 billion, this department, alongside other stakeholders, has to ensure that this constitutional right becomes a reality for all South Africans.
We know, as a matter of fact, that much of our water is polluted, a number of our beaches have lost their Blue Flag status, and much of our top soil is now at the bottom of the Indian Ocean or Atlantic Ocean.
We are the third most megadiverse country worldwide. Despite this rich inheritance we still see the plundering and pillaging of our natural and wildlife resources on a daily basis.
Regarding fracking in the Karoo, I know that last week the Minister actually responded to this. She said that if Shell's fracking plans in the Karoo were found to have a negative impact on the region's water reserves, it would not be issued a water licence. I hope that the Minister will stick to that.
Smoke pollution is still a major problem and so are green house gas emissions. If someone were to take the matter to the Constitutional Court, I'm certain that the court would find that the government had been deficient in regard to its constitutional mandate.
One of the most shocking environmental issues since 2009 has been rhino poaching. In 2007 poachers killed 10 rhinos in the Kruger National Park. In 2010 an estimated 333 rhinos were killed, compared to the 122 rhinos killed in 2009. The police have arrested 133 people in the past two years. Two well-known veterinarians were arrested for being involved in a rhino poaching syndicate. It is unacceptable that the very people who are supposed to be saving these animals are the culprits! Education and awareness about rhino horn is one way in which a mystical belief in its medicinal value can be laid to rest. We welcome the integrated approach the Minister has referred to in her speech.
We have one planet and one environment. Therefore, we stand firm on the optimal protection of the environment. Solar heaters for heating water and solar ovens for cooking and baking should be universally employed in the rich and poor areas of South Africa. There can be no excuse for not resorting to the energy from solar radiation for heating and cooking.
The provision of sustainable and safe energy cannot be the sole mandate of the Department of Energy. It should be equally the mandate of the Department of Environmental Affairs. We therefore propose that biogas digesters be set up in the rural areas. Rural communities will get clean energy at little or no cost. The use of digesters will protect against deforestation and prevent groundwater contamination. They will also provide natural fertiliser and alleviate the drudgery of fetching firewood. The use of this technology is both affordable and user-friendly.
South Africa is hosting the Conference of the Parties, COP 17, at the end of the year. We will have to show progress in our green policy. The White Paper points out that if COP 17 negotiations do not succeed in decreasing the earth's temperature by 2, the impact on South Africa will be catastrophic. The time for change is now. Let COP 17 bear some tangible results, so that we can show the world that South Africa has what it takes. South Africa is known as a country of miracles. Let the Madiba magic work wonders for COP 17.
Chairperson, there is no excuse. The global renewable market has grown almost 60% per year over the last five years. People are migrating to cleaner energy technologies. Our citizens must be encouraged to do the same. Education is key. Biodiversity and conservation require a broad range of scientific skills that have to be provided through education.
Currently, only 2% of waste tyres and 44,5% of packaging are recycled. Germany, for example, produces 30 000 million tons of garbage annually. The introduction of the Green Dot system in Germany has reduced this garbage by one million tons annually.
We know that our water is worth much, but I want to leave you with this quote:
We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.
Planet Earth is under siege from climate change. Thailand was almost destroyed by a tidal wave just a few years ago. More recently we have seen Japan's people suffer at the unforgiving hands of nature. We do not need to see any more destruction to realise that climate change is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Let us not fail our future generations. History will judge us all. I thank you.
Chairperson, hon Minister, let me start by giving credit where credit is due. This is certainly a well-run department, which is staffed by people who are clearly passionate about the work that they do. There are still some concerns, such as the Buyisa-e-Bag project, which has proved to be a consistent plastic bag around the neck of this department. But, I trust that this issue will finally be resolved this year.
I also want to pay tribute to our new chairperson, hon De Lange, who has shown real enthusiasm for these issues and has injected a new sense of urgency and direction into our dealings with the department.
Finally, I want to welcome you, Minister, and say that I have been impressed by how quickly you have taken to the task at hand. I therefore trust that with this team in Parliament the department and the Ministry will be able to confront the many environmental challenges we face as a country.
Allow me to say this to the hon Minister. Let us make no mistake; we are facing large environmental challenges as a country. Unfortunately, we are dealing with a legacy of severe environmental degradation, where the interests of our minerals-energy complex took precedence over environmental concerns. It is therefore imperative that we don't now perpetuate the mistakes of the past in our rush to exploit our vast mineral reserves.
In this regard, it is totally unacceptable to the ID that the Department of Environmental Affairs still does not have any authority with regard to environmental authorisations concerning mines. This anomaly was dealt with by Parliament over two years ago. However, because the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Act, MPRDA, has never been implemented, the Department of Mineral Resources still sits with all the authority.
We cannot allow this situation to continue any longer. At the very least, this department needs to insist on certain areas of our country being made strictly off limits to mining. It also needs to play a leading role in the review of the MPRDA, which the Department of Mineral Resources has stated that it will undertake.
This department also needs to direct the current debate over the emerging concept of a green economy. We cannot allow this debate to simply focus on a distinct economic sector, as encapsulated in the New Economic Growth Path. This concept needs to be shifted from that of a green economy to a green society, where natural resource constraints form the basis for all our development decisions.
It has now become clear that it is our generation that will in many ways determine the future of humanity. By 2050 the global population will peak at around 9 billion and then start declining. At the same time, according to current trends, many of the world's ecosystems will be severely degraded and the earth's climate will have passed the tipping point of dangerous destabilisation. Essentially, it is the next 40 years that will determine whether humanity is placed on a sustainable path of increasing prosperity or is doomed to a world racked by conflict over increasingly scarce natural resources. In hosting COP 17, South Africa has a pivotal role to play in ensuring that the international community agrees to a global deal that will break with the current destructive trends. Minister, I have been to four COPs in various capacities over the last 10 years, and they have not left me with an overwhelming sense that the world is serious about averting global climate catastrophe.
Indeed, Durban is our last shot to get this right and we have to give it all our best. Instead of downplaying expectations, we must ratchet up the pressure on countries. We must be engaging in diplomatic efforts across the globe, finding out what it will take to shift some of those countries that are refusing to budge on this issue. We must employ all tactics, including civil society action and making sure that the global media exposes the hypocrisy of those countries that refuse to live up to their responsibilities.
This COP can no longer be business as usual for the world and we need another negotiating miracle to take place on our shores. As the continent most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, it is fitting that it is here where a final break must be made from our carbon-intensive path and a global future of sustainable prosperity must finally be agreed to. This is our time, let's make it happen. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members and former Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, the UDM supports Budget Vote 30. [Interjections.] We would like to congratulate the Minister on her appointment to this portfolio. The hon Minister is not new in the portfolio, as she was on the committee that debated and approved environmental legislation which started as far back as 1995.
Most environmental issues occur at local government level. The advent of the local government system created a system in which each and every municipality has its own responsibility with regard to developing its area. However, very little is being done to ensure that the councillors understand the nitty-gritty of spatial development planning. As a result, they are vulnerable to bogus consultants and their shoddy work.
The UDM proposes that after every municipal election there should be compulsory training for councillors. The focus of the training programme should be on the implementation and monitoring of the current integrated development programme. Lack of discipline and enforcement of bylaws is costing our environment dearly.
We further propose the development of a basic guide document that would serve as a councillor's bible on environment-related issues. Such a document should, among others, detail basic steps on how to deal with environmental impact studies, land demarcation for waste management, arable land, grazing land, wetland, dams, the preservation of natural resources and the restoration of the biosphere. Lastly, many of our townships and rural areas are vulnerable to the effects of climate change through tornadoes, storms and soil erosion. Perhaps this department should take the lead in the establishment of green battalions in the affected areas throughout the country, by creating indigenous forests, parks and nurseries. It should also work closely with the Department of Human Settlements in ensuring that everyone who gets an RDP house is given trees to plant for the protection and greening of their home. These strategies would create thousands of jobs for communities.
Kodwa ke maqabane, nibagade xa kutyalwa le mithi kuba kukho oosicelo ngoku abahamba namaxhwele begawula le mithi. Enkosi. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[However, comrades, you must monitor them when they plant the trees because there are those who are in the company of traditional healers who request to be given the trees and are going around cutting them. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon chairperson of the portfolio committee, members of the portfolio committee, our former Minister, Mama Sonjica, with whom I share a mother - they share a birthday and I share a mother with her - distinguished chairpersons, the executives of public entities, distinguished guests, our environmental ambassadors, ladies and gentlemen, environment is a catalyst to economic growth and development. Biodiversity is our wealth and we need to conserve it. We will do our best to enhance the indigenous knowledge of our communities of the conservation of our biodiversity.
We are implementing the Social Responsibility Programme, which not only addresses conservation issues, but also eradicates poverty and creates jobs. This programme created 16 840 work opportunities and accredited training. We have enrolled 480 youth in the Environmental Youth Service.
Last year, we launched project Buyisela, which has an integrated approach as it includes greening, waste management, recycling, water conservation, and rehabilitation of degraded land. This programme is being implemented in Mthatha, Nkandla, Ladybrand, Bushbuckridge, Butterworth and Thohoyandou, and the remaining municipalities will be implemented this year.
Last year we also contributed to the 2010 Fifa World Cup by implementing greening programmes in all host cities. We are planning to take the lessons learnt from this programme into the hosting of the 17th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change, COP 17, in November 2011, this year.
This year, we will create 17 154 work opportunities. We will also enrol 600 young people in our Environmental Youth Service Programme. We will intensify our local government support in order to ensure that all our departmental programmes are integrated into the provincial and local government plans. This will enable an integrated approach, ownership by all spheres of government, and effective and efficient service delivery.
Our legislation and policies for waste management are in place and we will strengthen our local government support to ensure its implementation by municipalities by ensuring that waste is institutionalised in the integrated development plans with a dedicated budget and human resources. We will strengthen the existing initiatives of "Buyisa-e-Bag" to create more job opportunities and establish entrepreneurships, and that will realise our vision: Waste is wealth.
Medical waste has been a challenge, and we will therefore adopt a multipronged approach, which will involve the Department of Health and other sector stakeholders in establishing norms and standards. We are also exploring the public-private partnership model with Treasury to respond to adequate infrastructure, and we will develop a joint programme of action to address this challenge. We cannot allow industries to pocket millions of rands at the expense of our people's health. Our Green Scorpions from the compliance and enforcement unit will deal with noncompliance accordingly. We are finalising site assessment regulations and norms and standards for the remediation of contaminated land; thereafter, the contaminated land provisions of the Waste Act will come into effect.
Chairperson, the meteorological work carried out by the SA Weather Service continues to play a critical role in issues of climate change adaptation and mitigation. This will also be of benefit to economic sectors, such as maritime transport, aviation and agriculture, to enable them to plan in advance. South Africa is a country that is prone to weather-related disasters that are generally related to thunderstorms and lightning, mostly in KwaZulu-Natal. In addition to the existing meteorological work, we have started education and awareness programmes.
With regard to our oceans, we all know that our oceans cover three quarters of the earth; thus the importance of protecting them. A year ago the world experienced marine oil spillages, an example of which is the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill. This caused environmental degradation of marine ecosystems. As we understand the risks that are inherent in this, the department recently hosted its first National Storm Surges Workshop, which brought together all interested parties in order to share knowledge and best practice in coping with natural disasters linked to the marine environment, and in enhancing preparedness.
We have launched the buoy oceans monitoring system, which will provide us with information on the state of the oceans. We are also reviewing the Recreational Water Quality Guidelines for Coastal Waters. I call on all stakeholders to intensify their awareness campaigns. The ultimate intention is to develop effective early warning systems to pre-empt the catastrophic impacts of such possible hazards.
During the 10th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change, COP 10, which was held in Nagoya last year, we adopted the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits. The department has progressed very well in ensuring community-based natural resource management in order to achieve fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of indigenous biological resources. We awarded our first bioprospecting permit to a pharmaceutical company in the Western Cape in collaboration with the San community at !Khwa ttu. Collaborations of this nature between indigenous communities and commercial or private parties will focus on enterprise development and sharing with local communities the benefits from indigenous biological resources.
We will be exploring partnerships with other relevant institutions to work out a viable formula that allows us to process some species for medicinal purposes; hence we will develop a plan that will regulate the degree of utilisation of species, such as pelargonium and syringa. Pelargonium is used as medication.
Game farming or wildlife ranching, which is very important, is an important provider of employment in the provinces of Limpopo, Northern Cape and Mpumalanga and in other provinces, and it is a rapidly growing sector in the Eastern Cape. In this financial year, 2011-12, we will develop regulations relating to the hunting industry to ensure a national system is implemented in terms of the regulation of the sector.
The conservation of our biodiversity in our protected areas and national parks system is one of the key focus areas of our department. Last year we successfully hosted the fourth People and Parks Conference in KwaZulu- Natal. Amongst some of the deliverables of that conference was a National Co-Management Framework that was launched to provide harmonised uniform guidelines for conservation authorities and successful restitution claimants. Whilst in the past communities were excluded from playing a role in protecting the environment, today they are shareholders and play a critical role under co-management agreements in support of rural development.
We work closely with land owners to ensure their participation in our Stewardship Programme which allows land owners to use their land for biodiversity and conservation purposes.
In discharging our responsibility in the management of marine biodiversity, we are also actively and consistently engaging with our regional and international stakeholders with whom marine ecosystems and species are shared to promote and protect biodiversity. The use of marine protected areas is working well in the department through collaboration with provincial conservation agencies and local authorities.
We will continue to see to it that we have clean air in South Africa. We are aiming to ensure that the air our people breathe is clean enough and at an acceptable level which does not pose any danger to the health and wellbeing of our people. We have been monitoring the ambient air in the Vaal Triangle Priority Area for a while and need to conduct a mid-term review to check if we are achieving that.
In an effort to expand the national ambient air quality monitoring network and also to support air quality monitoring activities in the areas declared as air quality priority areas, the department is in the process of installing and managing three additional air quality monitoring stations in the soon-to-be-declared Waterberg Priority Area.
The department will be proactive in developing and implementing programmes to empower women, young people and people with disabilities. In tandem with our commitment last year in our Budget Vote speech, the department hosted the 2010 Women and Environment Conference under the theme: Towards a green growth path - women at the forefront of poverty eradication. The conference was also used to focus on enhancing the role of South African women in leveraging economic opportunities from ecosystems.
With regard to public awareness and education, the department, in collaboration with lndalo Yethu, will intensify the public awareness and education programme to include climate change, in order to ensure that our people understand the phenomenon of climate change, and in turn solicit their views and inform them of the opportunities generated by the emerging green economy. It will also include messages about conservation of our oceans and coast, proper waste management practices, and conservation.
This programme targets communities and religious groups, employing relevant methods of engaging these communities, and it will also be extended to schools. We will ensure that all parts of South Africa are reached by our message for, unless we work together with our different communities, our efforts as the government may not make a significant impact. We want our communities and youth to participate actively in environmental management and be environmental ambassadors.
Hon members, allow me to introduce our young ambassadors who are seated there. Please stand up, Hulisani and Mukovhe from Tshiluvhi Primary School in Thulamela Municipality in Limpopo, which is one of the pilot municipalities. They came with their project co-ordinator. [Applause.] Please be seated. These ambassadors are implementing a waste management project at their school. They have reused plastics from the waste stream and created the most beautiful art. The garments they are wearing are of plastic. Some of them seated there have many.
In conclusion, I wish to thank the premiers, MECs, mayors and all sector stakeholders for supporting the department in ensuring that we build a society that lives in harmony with its environment.
I particularly want to thank the Minister for providing leadership and the departmental management led by our Director-General, Nosipho Ngcaba, and the staff for the sterling work and co-operation towards fulfilling our constitutional mandate. Let's continue with this team spirit. Working together we will deliver on our mandate.
I also want to thank the chairperson of the portfolio committee, Adv Johnny de Lange, members of the committee, and all our stakeholders and entities who are here with us. Please continue the good work. Let's have a clean and healthy globe. Of course, hon Holomisa will be in the forefront of doing that, as he used to do that. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, climate change has long since ceased to be a scientific curiosity, and it is no longer just one of many environmental and regulatory concerns. As the United Nations Secretary-General said, and I quote:
It is the major, overriding environmental issue of our time, and the single greatest challenge facing environmental regulators. It is a growing crisis with economic, health and safety, food production, security, and other dimensions.
The ANC-led government has recognised that climate change is a reality in South Africa. The science governing climate change predicts that the temperature in South Africa will increase by between 1 C and 3 C and the country's rainfall is projected to decrease by 5% to 10%. What is of more importance than the statistics is that the South African government is beginning to look at how the impact of climate change on our citizens will be experienced.
The government has recognised that the country's greenhouse gas emissions are too high. This means it emits well above the developing countries average - and more than many developed countries. This is mainly due to reliance on coal for electricity.
Here are the future implications for South Africa. The change in temperature and rainfall will have implications for a number of sectors. Water resources are already under pressure in South Africa, and climate change will lead to a decline in the availability of water resources. This will happen at the same time as socioeconomic development increases the demand for water.
Agriculture is an important source of livelihood for many rural Africans. Yet maize productivity will decrease under climate change, and the areas in which maize can feasibly be grown will decrease, forcing a shift to more drought-tolerant crops, such as sorghum.
Grassland pastures will also change to shrub land and risk invasion by alien plants. The change in range for plant growth will also affect biodiversity, threatening the high number of endemic species found in South Africa, such as the fynbos of the Cape floral kingdom.
The areas of risk from malaria and other vector-borne disease will also increase. That said, South Africa has begun the process of developing plans for adaptation and mitigation of climate change. These policy documents highlight the need to increase the use of green technologies and adaptation to a low-carbon economy.
The politics, economics and social aspects of climate change are global. We are organising and leading COP 17 in South Africa and hope to bring it to a successful conclusion by the end of December 2011.
Chairperson, the budget allocation for the programme of climate change reflects the seriousness with which the South African government is taking the issue of climate change, as is seen in the following. In 2010-11 there was an allocation of approximately R574 million, increasing to R623 million in 2011-2012 and peaking at R654 million in 2012-2013.
Furthermore, South Africa is indeed privileged and honoured to be hosting the 17th United Nations conference on climate change, COP 17, in December 2011. The conference should be used as a rallying point to inform and mobilise our commitments in regard to issues of the environment.
We are indeed humbled by the confidence shown by the UNFCCC in Africa's ability to host this meeting again, after Kenya successfully hosted it in 2006. This presents another opportunity to rise to the occasion, just like we did when the world gave us an opportunity to host the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup tournament.
South Africa needs to utilise the confidence shown by the world and build on the good work done in Mexico. We need to move towards the 17th conference in a spirit of ensuring open consultations with all parties and stakeholders, in order to emerge with an outcome that is acceptable to all parties.
However, we do not need to wait for COP 17 to work on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implementing strategies for cleaner technology and the green economy, including clean energy. The time to ensure that section 24 of the Constitution is realised is now. All South Africans have a constitutional right, and I quote -
a) to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing; and
b) to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations ...
Chairperson, the ANC supports Budget Vote 30: Environmental Affairs. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, South Africa is a land with a rich and diverse environment. Marine and terrestrial animal life abounds. We have the Drakensberg Mountains, the forests of Knysna, the mighty Orange River, the arid dryness and harsh beauty of the Karoo, the biodiversity of our wetlands - we have it all within South Africa.
This land is for the use of all of us, for our shelter and for our economic benefit. But this land must also be cared for and looked after, not only for our children, but also because we have a solemn custodial duty to the planet and all who live upon her. Pollution management, particularly the poor water quality of our rivers, must be addressed. Poor water quality not only leads to waterborne diseases but also damages agriculture, which in turn hinders economic growth. Our oceans must also be protected and rapid response measures must be in place to curb the effects of any oil spills upon our coastal and marine environment, if and when they occur. Our wetlands, such as iSimangaliso, must be well protected and monitored. They are a rich source of biodiversity, a jewel in the crown of the South African environment, and must be treated as such.
Marine and terrestrial wildlife poaching is still out of control. We need to adequately resource our task teams appointed to stop the poaching of our wildlife before it is too late. The IFP calls for much stricter antipoaching legislation and harsher sentences with longer jail terms and bigger fines. Poaching syndicates are enormously wealthy and the small fines and jail terms meted out by our courts have little or no effect on them.
Rhino poaching is still a great concern, but we are glad to see the department taking steps to address it. The assistance of the Defence Force and the establishment of special task teams to combat rhino poaching are long overdue, but very welcome. Poaching syndicates must be identified, infiltrated and shut down by our law enforcement agencies, and we should work closely together with international law enforcement agencies in order to achieve these goals. The firefighters who continuously battle raging mountain and forest fires must be well resourced and afforded every kind of logistical assistance with the protection of both our flora and fauna.
South African National Parks, SANparks, must also address the issue of the safety of visitors in parks. Table Mountain is one such area of concern, with frequent attacks on tourists. More must be done to ensure the safety of our tourists and citizens when they are visiting our national parks.
Another point of concern to the IFP is the high cost of entry to SANparks, Mr Mabunda! [Laughter.] These are some of the sites for citizens, and these costs form a barrier to entry for the ordinary South African, who cannot afford them. We would like to see some form of rebate for South African citizens, so that all may enjoy the natural beauty of our land.
In conclusion, the IFP would like to see a zero tolerance approach adopted by the department when it comes to the destruction of our environment, its flora and fauna. We want to see adequately staffed and resourced environmental offices.
We also wish the Minister and her department all the best for the coming year. I would like to congratulate this department ...
Hon member, your time has expired.
... because it is being run by "girls" - from the director-general to the Minister, alles [everything]. [Applause.]
Order! Order! Before I recognise the next speaker, I would like him to take his seat for a moment. There is an echo. We can't hear speakers properly due to an echo which is caused by the microphones being turned up to a very high volume. If they could be turned down a little bit, those echoes would be a thing of the past and you would have done this House a great favour. I now recognise hon S N Swart.
Chairperson, I hope you can all hear me. I really miss being in this portfolio committee. I served in it for five years and am now still stuck with Justice. I see Johnny is now sitting here. I wish him well, and I wish you all very well, because this department is really exemplary here in Parliament.
We believe that we must be good stewards of our environment, and clearly this department has been a good steward of the finances and the budgets that have been given to them. We commend them for that from the ACDP side.
Whilst the department prepares for the 2012 National State of the Environment Report, let us be reminded of what was said in the previous 2007 report. It indicated that the poor in South Africa and those living with HIV/Aids are becoming increasingly vulnerable, due to the changes in our environment. Poor people suffer the most from increasing climate variability, declining air and water quality, degraded land and declining natural resources due to over-exploitation, pollution and food insecurity. Next year's report will no doubt sketch an even gloomier picture of the state of our environment.
Against this background, the department is expected to enforce compliance with a growing number of environmental laws, with dwindling financial and personnel resources. This is unacceptable and must be addressed, particularly when one considers wastage in other departments. The buck stops with us here in Parliament. We have the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act and we can look into that and make sure that this department has sufficient finance.
As far as climate change is concerned, it is regrettable that previous Conference of the Parties, COP, agreements have fallen woefully short of the action needed. Minister, why should governments that meet at these global forums not be held accountable by their Members of Parliaments, MPs, and through the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU? Maybe MPs don't have the political will? We trust that COP 17, to be held this year in South Africa, will yield better results.
The ACDP also believes that as far as the environmental impact assessments, EIAs, are concerned, whilst they are a crucial tool to protect the environment, we are concerned about delays, as we have seen in some of the portfolio reports. This is a frustration that businesses and companies are experiencing. How will these delays be addressed, when we understand that they are caused mainly by staff vacancies? Clearly the EIAs are not the obstacles, but rather the delays in looking into that.
We have seen, with Shell's plans to drill wells for natural gas in the Karoo, the importance of these EIAs, and it is interesting that the environmental management plan submitted by Shell has been described as a worthless paper exercise. We agree with colleagues here that fracking should not be allowed, considering international experience in this regard.
The issue of rhino poaching has been raised by many speakers, and we as the ACDP share the concerns regarding rhino poaching. Clearly much more needs to be done to stop the wanton killing of rhinos. Let us get the message out that rhino horn is not medicinal, and let us cut demand.
Lastly, we as the ACDP would like to express our gratitude to the management and officials of the department. We really thank this portfolio committee and the public entities for their hard work in attempting to ensure that our environment is protected, notwithstanding the challenges they face. The ACDP will support this Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, on 14 April 2011 the heads of state of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Brics, held a joint press conference at the third Brics Summit in Sanya, Hainan Island, in the People's Republic of China, where the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, stated in his speech, and I quote:
We shared our expectations for the 17th Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change which South Africa is hosting at the end of the year.
South Africa wants to ensure a legally binding climate change agreement that will govern the world's response to the increasingly visible effects of climate change.
Chairperson, the whole world will be focusing on the important climate change conference, since South Africa has become a brics member. South Africa is under considerable pressure to oversee the negotiation of a legally binding agreement on how to mitigate climate change, as the Kyoto Protocol commitment period nears its end next year.
The Department of Environmental Affairs has allocated a budget of R223 million for the climate change conference. Climate change is a new programme introduced in the current financial year with the aim of facilitating an effective national mitigation and adaptation response.
The Department of Environmental Affairs has seen the consequences of global warming, melting of glaciers, floods, drought, a rise in the sea level, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity, etc. Responding to these challenges, we were happy to release a National Climate Change Policy and White Paper. The policy will further build on our broader understanding of what can be done by all stakeholders. Governments, businesses, labour, civil society and each individual citizen will take action to reduce greenhouse emissions.
The Department of Water and Environmental Affairs submitted its strategic plan for 2011-12 from the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, allocation of R2 846 million in the 2011-12 budget. The department has many challenges to face, with the statement of problems and the critical sector outputs.
The top priority area for the department for the medium term includes the following: support of local government in the areas of air quality management, water management, coastal planning and open space planning; strengthening compliance and enforcement activities; and setting up linkages between climate change and the green economy with sustainable development.
The department's third quarter of 2010-11 indicated that 15 742 work opportunities and 6 700 full-time equivalents had been created. In addition, more than 17 000 work opportunities and 8 350 full-time equivalents are expected to be created by the end of the year.
The department is promoting the empowerment of designated communities by creating 30 000 full-time equivalents and 60 000 work opportunities over the medium term, through implementing Expanded Public Works Programme projects.
I hope that these objectives and measures in the departmental strategic plan will be achieved. This strategic plan of the department finds expression in many sections with regard to environmental safety, protection, sustainability and conservation, in accordance with its programme and aligned activities.
I would also like to highlight that the department should be briefed in future before ratings and performance bonuses are finalised.
Climate change impacts on global environmental, social and economic systems. In November 2010, the department published the 2010 National Climate Change Response Green Paper for public comment, and the White Paper was set to follow in the first half of 2011.
The climate change Green Paper should recognise that sustainable development and green jobs are an unequivocal future, as all indications and logic point out that natural resources, including minerals, will be depleted. Therefore, this Green Paper should support policy initiatives on the green economy, the provision of decent jobs, and sustainable development.
Climate change poses an enormous threat to economic growth. About 70 million people and up to 30% of Africa's coastal infrastructure could face the risk of coastal flooding due to rising sea levels and intense storms of great frequency over the oceans. The department has initiated a process for outlining a comprehensive implementation framework on climate change for Africa, which unpacks climate change mitigation and initiatives to be embarked on in Africa.
This year we will be hosting COP 17. This big international meeting is a significant milestone for South Africa, especially in the light of the critical stage at which the climate change talks are. South Africa voluntarily announced at Copenhagen that it would act to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 34% by 2020, and 42% by 2025. In conclusion, the hon Minister has shown her commitment through her performance contract with the President. The department will be following the Ministry's leadership to work to fulfil the environmental programmes which will be needed to balance and meet the mandate of service delivery. Chairperson, the ANC supports the Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, global climate change presents the most significant challenge of all the world's environmental challenges. It will have a dramatic impact, not only on the environment, but also on economic and social development and it needs to be dealt with urgently and holistically.
At the previous Conference of the Parties, COP 16, the debate was mainly about climate debt. In Africa, this issue has taken on proportions similar to decolonisation. Yes, Africans do have the right to be at the front of the queue in respect of compensation for the environmental damage caused by developed countries, and to claim equity from the west by virtue of historical responsibility.
Ask the layman in the street what he understands by climate change, and he will probably say that it is something about the hole in the ozone layer. It is very possible that the average South African is experiencing ecofatigue. This refers to our inability to support or sustain environmentally sensitive practices, even though we know that we disregard them at our peril. Have you ever seen a sign, "The world is coming to an end"? I have, and many times in the past I have laughed and turned my head away at the thought, thinking, "How silly!" The truth is, however, that if we continue to use nonrenewable resources at the rate we are doing and pollute air and water at the rate we are doing, the world as we know it is going to come to an end.
The man in the street is overwhelmed. Often, when we cannot solve a problem, we give up and have a "that's life" attitude, believing that there is nothing we can do to prevent global warming. Hence, our ecofatigue. Can the ordinary South African citizen contribute to reducing his carbon footprint? Yes, most definitely. "Reduce, reuse, and recycle" should become a daily mantra.
Colleagues, as legislators we have a responsibility to do more. Let us look at our own carbon footprints. It is estimated that a Member of Parliament from outside of the Western Cape has a carbon footprint four times higher than the average South African. The parliamentary programme is designed in such a way that a plenary lasts for a total of approximately eight hours per week. If we had a more intense programme for longer hours on fewer days, we would be able to reduce our carbon footprints.
While I acknowledge that an ideal situation would be to move towards a paperless Parliament, I can't say that I agree with this ideal at this stage. Many Members of Parliament are not computer literate, and those of us with visual disabilities are not well catered for. But there are ways in which we could cut down on paper. For example, do we need an 18-page committee meeting booklet every day? One detailed copy once a week would be fine, and a single-page addition could be sent out daily, if necessary. Do we need a 10-page Order Paper every day? Why not a detailed one once a week, and a one-pager every day?
Don't get me started on Parliament's labelled bottled water. The bottles that are used are not biodegradable and therefore add to the waste delivered to the landfill site. The quality of potable water in Cape Town is very good, and what is wrong with drinking water out of a glass?
Government-driven policy is the step to creating change. The possibility of a carbon emission tax, alluded to by the Minister of Finance, may be one way of forcing people into making correct choices. We all remember the plastic bag legislation and the initial resistance to it, but look at how well we have adapted to it.
The Green Paper on climate change is a step in the right direction and it is being processed in order to prepare for COP 17. However, is South Africa ready for COP 17? The Department of Environmental Affairs seems to think so; I don't. Let me tell you why. We heard in the committee last week that neither the costing, nor the business plan for the 17th session of the COP is in place, and that is with seven months to go. The National Treasury has indicated that funds are available, but it is waiting for the submission of the business plan. The director-general told the committee that she didn't quite know when the plan would be finalised.
Minister, your department needs to take this matter seriously, or else we are going to land up being embarrassed. The department has no clue how many delegates will be attending, or what security will be provided - with seven months to go. The current COP 17 website merely features eThekwini's tourist attractions. COP 16 was not a great success. We need to debate that report in Parliament and learn from it.
South Africa has the opportunity to shine at COP 17. While it is indeed an honour to host this, great responsibility comes with it. We need to pick up the momentum and run with it, or else the advocates of "Kill the Kyoto Protocol" will win. Nothing short of a legally binding agreement is good enough. The DA pledges its full and unreserved support for COP 17 and firmly believes a new climate change agreement is possible. [Applause.]
Chairperson, and all protocol observed, the ANC-led government believes that all citizens of South Africa, present and future, have the right to a safe and healthy environment and to a life of wellbeing. The broad objective of the Department of Environmental Affairs is to fulfil the aforementioned right. In this context, growth and development in South Africa will be based on the principles of sustainability. Each of us has a part to play in the new democratic South Africa that will benefit its entire people.
The Department of Environmental Affairs is leading South Africa's environment sector into achieving sustainable development towards a better quality of life for all. Member Morgan ...
Ke dumellana le wena ... [I agree with you ...]
... as regards the infrastructure that we need to protect our rivers, to which the Minister has already alluded in her speech.
Ke kgolwa hore beke e fetileng ha re ne re le dipuisanong tsa metsi, ke ile ka hlalosa hore re na le marangrang a dikgwerekgwere a kgale a dilemo tse ka bang 50, ka ba ka bua ka ho toba ka Setereke sa Masepala wa Sedibeng se tsejwang ka lebitso la Lekoa-Vaal, hore re na le dipeipi tseo ho sa hlokeheng hore re di lokise kapa ho di fetola empa di hloka hore di nkelwe sebaka ke tse ding.
Ka nako e nngwe koloi ha e sa tsamaye re bona phoso ho mokganni hore ha a kgone ho e kganna. O tla fumana hore mokganni o na le mangolo a felletseng mme o kgona ho kganna koloi, empa bapalami ka koloing ba etsa hore ho be thata hore mokganni a kganne koloi. Mmuso o kenya ditjhelete nako le nako empa kaekae ha ho be le phano ya ditshebeletso e bonahalang, ho na le moo ho hanang teng, empa lefapheng lena, kaofela re bone hore Letona Molewa o sebetsa jwang ka batho bao e leng hore ba etsa bobodu. (Translation of Sesotho paragraphs follows.)
[I believe that last week, when we had a discussion about water, I explained that we have an old sewerage system of about 50 years old, and I particularly mentioned that in the Sedibeng District Municipality, which is known as the Lekoa-Vaal, there are some pipes that we don't even have to repair or change, they just have to be replaced.
Sometimes when the car does not move, we identify the problem as being the driver's inability to drive. You will find that the driver has all the necessary papers and therefore can drive, but the passengers in the car make it difficult for him to drive. The government allocates funds all the time but in some areas there is a lack of noticeable service delivery; somewhere things are not coming together. However, in this department we have all seen what Minister Molewa does with the people who are involved in corruption.]
If things went my way, I would say that in every committee's programme there should be a standard item, "Corruption". Every committee has to talk about corruption every now and then. Maybe if we hammer it from time to time, it will bring a change and also change the mindset. But we don't want to paint all officials with the same brush. We have very good officials who are working in the manner that they are supposed to work in. We hope that in regard to the problem that you are talking about, water, about which there have been complaints over and over again, the Minister will be more than happy to get a report from you and she will do what she has just done, because we have many people who are in acting positions, while others have gone on pension.
Mohlomphehi Ndude o buile ntho e tshwanang ka ditshukudu hore kgopolotaba hore bontate, re ka etsa mosebetsi o betere ha re ka sebedisa lenaka la tshukudu. [Setsheho.] Bontate ka Ntlong mona le lona moo, le tlameha ho ikwetlisa, le je dijo tse nang le phepo e ntle le ho fetola mokgwa wa rona wa ho phela. Hona ho tla re thusa mosebetsing wa rona oo re nahanang hore lenaka la tshukudu ke tharollo. Re nahana hore ha re tloha mona mesebetsing ya rona re tla ya jiminasiamong ho ya ikwetlisa. (Translation of Sesotho paragraph follows.)
[Hon Ndude said the same thing about rhinoceroses, which is that the idea, gentlemen, is that we can do a better job if we use rhino horn. [Laughter.] Gentlemen in the House and you over there, you must exercise, eat healthy foods and change your cooking methods. This will help us in our work for which we believe the rhino horn is the solution. We think that when we leave our places of work, we will go to the gymnasium and exercise.] Mrs Ndude, the solar energy system is already available in other communities, especially poor communities, where we are talking about RDP houses. When a house is built, the solar energy system is put in at the same time. We are getting there bit by bit. As we know, Rome was not built in a day, but we need co-operation from all of us, regardless of our party affiliation, because when we come here we come here, for the citizens of South Africa, because it was not a few people, a small collective, that voted for us to be here.
To add to that, with regard to air pollution, industries are the major culprits. At Vanderbijlpark, we have the SA Iron and Steel Industrial Corporation Ltd, Iscor, which is known as ArcelorMittal. They pollute so much but they are not punished according to the law, and we hope that in this case the Minister will take steps so that we are sure that laws do not just decorate the books, but that they work. If you want to decorate a book, you can colour it and not decorate it with laws.
Ho ba bang ha se ka boomo, re na le setjhaba seo e leng hore motlakase ha o so ka o fihlella ho bona le ha ho na le mokgwatshebetso wa solar empa re lokela ho tshepahala mmusong, re se ke ra tshwaya mmuso phoso bakeng sa ntho e nngwe le e nngwe e nyenyane. Le rona re le batho re na le seabo seo re ka se nkang hoba re kentse letsoho kotsing ena. Re hula motlakase empa re na le pholisi ya ho thuswa ka motlakase eo e leng hore ha o sa kgone ho reka, o tlatsa foromo, o thuswe empa re kgetha ho utswa motlakase. Ha o se o re hlola, re besa mello, re bese dipatsi mme re silafatse moya mme bongata ba batho bo kule. (Translation of Sesotho paragraph follows.)
[With the others it is not deliberate, we have communities for whom electricity has not been accessible even though there is a solar system, but we have to be honest with government, we should not criticise government about every little thing. We as people have a role to play because we are also to blame for this crisis. We steal electricity and yet there is a policy to help for those who cannot afford to buy it with electricity; you just fill in a form and get help, but we choose to steal electricity. When we are unable to do so, we make fires which create pollution in the atmosphere and cause illness to a lot of people.]
Hon Greyling, we agree with what you say, but you must also take into consideration the fact that some of the mishaps are due to national catastrophes that are simply beyond our control. However, we need to try, using every means, to deal with this, and we must, where possible, help government and act responsibly.
Furthermore, we litter all over and do all these things, and we don't nurture our environment effectively. Government has shown the steps it has taken by investing money so that we can develop the environment, especially when we talk about job creation by means of the green economy. Surely, when you say government has a pivotal role to play, you are referring to all of us here. All parties in government have a role to play. When you say "government", you are talking to all of us, and not only the ruling party, although it has to use the whip to show that lawlessness will not be tolerated.
Countries that are not co-operating in this global challenge are also worrying government. Sure, you and I know that processes and negotiations are in place, and the conference that the hon Bhengu has talked about is coming to South Africa. We are on track, but we need others to co-operate because without them we, as South Africa alone, cannot deal with the situation.
I agree with the General that the integrated development plan, IDP, must not be for record purposes. We were there, and we held a public meeting, but councillors themselves have to understand the nitty-gritty aspects, for example what exactly we are talking about when we talk about the IDP and local economic development. The bylaws are also not being effectively implemented.
We also have industries coming from their firms at night to dump rubbish in our locations, and they will always choose black communities - they will never go to other communities. So, it warrants all of us taking a stand. The Green Scorpions that we are talking about must really bite; they must not just be Green Scorpions in name.
Training is already taking place. There are inspectors and they are trained, but the problem is that we need to make sure that people are not forever on training. We have people going on training and compromising service delivery. Training, especially job training, has shown that it is one of the most effective methods of training. When a person gets the theory, he or she must also get practice. We should try to cover this, so that service delivery does not suffer.
Mrs Connie Zikalala, I agree with you that we all have a role to play, especially in protecting agriculture, as it is the centre of economic development in the rural areas. Without agriculture we would just be singing a song that would take us nowhere with rural development.
Wildlife poaching is rife. We have seen in the newspapers that the law is working. However, we have heard on the news that people have unfortunately lost their lives because of this illegal practice. We are trying, using every means, to protect lives as well, not only the lives of the animals, but our own lives as well. If people are ...
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr M B Skosana) Hon member, your time has expired.
Just one minute. [Laughter.] Okay? Just one minute. I was just saying that the administration is committed to implementing measures that address wildlife trafficking, air pollution, water ... [Inaudible.]
Hon member, your time has expired!
Thank you. [Applause.]
O nketsang jwale rakgadi? [What are you doing to me now, auntie?]
Hon members, before I call upon the hon Minister to respond, let me remind you about the Rule on crossing the line. The Rule says that you should not cut between the speaker and the Chair, because you will be breaking their concentration. Kgosi, please remember that we don't do that. I now call upon the hon Minister to respond. Hon Minister, you have nine minutes; they have saved four minutes for you.
Hon Chair, let me start by thanking all the colleagues who participated. This is indeed a great debate. I suppose we all agree and understand that the issues of the environment are of great importance. That's what came across to me in the debate.
Secondly, thank you very much for all the accolades that you showered upon the department. I suppose the same should be said to you and about you. If you were not holding us accountable, I'm sure that we would not be pulling up our socks as we are.
I also thank the director-general and the staff. We will definitely increase the work pace and deliver the best for South Africans, who are so much in need of the services supplied by the job that we do.
All the leaders of the opposition and our leader of the portfolio committee have a lot in common today. Thank you very much for the work that you do, and for all the accolades that you have showered upon us today.
There are issues that I am perhaps not going to be able to touch on; my apologies for doing that if I run out of time, but I'll try to be as quick as possible.
Cutting across what I have heard being raised is the issue of the legislation that has been passed, as well as the process of setting up regulations by the two departments - Environmental Affairs and Mineral Resources. Hon member Morgan and other hon members raised this matter. We are very conscious of those issues and I want to assure you that from our side, Environmental Affairs, we will definitely continue to drive this matter. We have a meeting with the Minister of Mineral Resources pending. The teams at technical level have concluded discussions and we had an appointment in our diaries for last week, but something happened that necessitated our having to shift it a bit. We will report accordingly once this discussion has taken place.
Regarding the issue of the Karoo and fracking, subsequent to our response last week, I had a discussion with the team in the Department of Environmental Affairs. Fortunately there is an expectation in terms of the law, as well as the procedures, that even though I said and still say that as a Minister I can't stand here and say that I definitely won't have to respond to issues of the environment, the EIA appeal, there might in any case be that eventuality, or there may not be. It is, therefore, important and safe for me to stay out of this. Fortunately the officials have been called upon to make their input at that level and that's what we are going to do.
The other matter that I think we need to deal with is the issue of the integration of our work with regard to EIAs, Water Affairs, and all the licensing issues. I did indicate that there is already a system that we have put together regarding managing the waste and the EIA processes, and we are moving towards water integration to create one system. This is because we realise that there are things in common in the expertise that you need in assessing the environmental impact assessment, the impact on water, and all those issues. So, it is necessary to keep comparing notes. The discussion we are holding with Mineral Resources, we are also holding internally, as a department. I want to assure hon members that that process is ongoing.
With regard to the issue of medical waste, hon member Morgan, this is not the first time you have submitted a letter, which is here. We will definitely attend to it. It's a short-term measure, but we do have long- term measures as well, which we intend to use to attend to this matter. We will obviously continue to discuss this and give you feedback on it.
Regarding the issue of biodiversity and SANparks, which I want to link with the issue of the shortage of funds, we are always putting submissions to Treasury requesting more funds, and so on. We are aware of the pressure that comes with the five priorities of government - education, health, etc and the conditions that we are in with regard to job creation in our country. Given that kind of situation, we always ensure that wherever we can, we look at other ways of raising funds. Whilst biodiversity is an important issue and we are looking at the SANparks as conservation areas which need to be restored, we really think that we should continue to debate the "how" part of our conservation in relation to fundraising mechanisms.
We have examples from the past. I always say to Ntate David that in my previous life in Madikwe Lodge we developed the kinds of facilities that bring revenue to government without degrading the environment. That is the reason why we say that development is not a cousin to the environment; neither is the environment a cousin to development. We need to strike a balance. In that situation we don't have to degrade our parks, but we do believe that where there is a shortage of funds we need to continue to look at other ways of doing things in the manner in which we do.
Greening the parks, greening the areas, the green economy and so on are very important issues. Hon Holomisa is a very good example of that. We have approached each other to talk about greening the areas where they work as a society and as a community.
There are various examples mentioned by the hon member Kalyan. Today we are not fighting! She demonstrated how we as individuals should reduce our own individual carbon prints on our own, and that's how we should actually begin. The examples she mentioned need to be debated here in Parliament. We need to look at all those issues.
The hon Deputy Minister raised issues of recycling and all those are very important. We should not just talk about them; we need to ensure that we put them into place.
The green economy, hon member Greyling, is not just about doing things differently; it's about developing. It's not another definition of sustainable development; it's a mechanism to implement sustainable development. People-centred environmental recycling programmes and so on are also going to work. That's why in the Department of Environmental Affairs we have selected those particular areas that help us to address the challenges of environment pressures as areas in which to introduce green economies, as these take people on board and take cognisance of them. Ordinary communities will benefit. That is why we are talking about core practice. [Inaudible.]
Hon Minister, wind up please.
Let me just deal quickly with rhino poaching. Thank you very much, colleagues, for mentioning the issue of rhino poaching. We will continue to work together and we appreciate the comments you have made. Please support our rangers when they are found wanting out there, when they do some other things in this policing process, because they do come across that challenge as well.
Finally, regarding COP 17, we believe that COP 17 will go well. We have two different roles played by two different departments. Our department, Environmental Affairs, is dealing with the logistics - the issue of co- ordinating the country - and we have had very successful events where we are rolling out the programmes educating ordinary members of society and even talking about what the COP 17 and climate change are all about. We have done that. The country is in dialogue, as we speak, in preparation for our discussions.
We believe that our integration with the basic group ... Thank you very much your the support for the budget. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
I tried to add a few seconds, but I seemed to be spurring you on!
Hon members, since this is our last EPC before the Easter break, allow me, on behalf of the presiding officers, to wish you and your families a well- deserved - I won't say restful, but I'm saying a well-deserved - Easter break, because you are still going to work. I also, of course, wish you peaceful local government elections.
With this, we conclude the debate on this business. The committee will now rise.
Debate concluded.