Hon Chairperson and hon members, I rise once again ... [Interjections.]
Order! Order, please!
... on behalf of the Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs to ask for your indulgence and support for this report. The Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs undertook an oversight visit from 23 to 27 July last year, to assess and review matters on which the committee had held public hearings and briefings, and also to open opportunities for further engagements on various issues with the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs, as well as their relevant entities.
The oversight visit started at the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs headquarters in Pretoria, where the committee held briefings with both departments. This was followed by further oversight visits to the Western Witwatersrand Basin to view ongoing efforts with regard to the treating of acid mine drainage, AMD, which poses a huge threat to the environment, especially service and ground water.
The committee also visited the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, to assess the viability of the collaborative biodiversity conservation initiative that this botanical garden has undertaken with the surrounding communities, and to encourage the adoption of natural capital accounting in the country's national botanical gardens by the SA National Biodiversity Institute, Sanbi.
Finally, the committee visited Eskom's Megawatt Park head office, where the committee toured the site of the solar photovoltaic project. The committee also visited a similar solar photovoltaic project at the Lethabo Power Station in the Southern Gauteng province. I am sure members would rather prefer reading this report at their leisure, so I would like to make a few brief remarks.
Firstly, with regard to AMD, we visited the Western Basin because, as you know, water is decanting from there. One can actually see how it runs out; however, the steps that have been taken by government have stopped this decant. Now steps are actually being taken to reverse it and to get the water down even further. That has been going very successfully.
Secondly, there were news reports that the Cradle of Humankind is being affected by AMD. We consulted extensively with scientists and all of them said that it was not correct. In fact, the water today is of a better quality than previously. I would urge people who go to Gauteng, or those who are close to the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden, to visit it. It really is a good learning experience.
Finally, it is quite an eye-opener, when one goes to Eskom's Megawatt Park and engages with Eskom, to see how they are engaging around renewable energy. One can see that some sites, like Megawatt Park, are providing renewable energy and not energy from the electricity grid. Please help and support us by adopting this report. I hope you sleep very well. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Hon Chairperson, I move:
That the Report be adopted.
Motion agreed to.
Report accordingly adopted.