One of the main tasks of the ANC after the 1994 elections, as we embarked upon a sustainable and environmentally friendly growth and development path, was to ensure that the protection of a healthy and safe environment becomes one of our highest priorities, as it is a crucial resource that we have to preserve for the next generation. We then said that in order to do that we have to protect our natural environment and enact a new generation of environmental legislation, which will not only protect our natural resources but also preserve them for generations to come.