Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Molewa, hon Deputy Minister Mabudafhasi, hon members and distinguished guests, the ANC's vision has sought to embrace a transformative environmentalism based upon the concept of sustainable development, which is built upon the interconnection of environmental, social and economic justice.
The ANC's vision is of a South Africa that aspires to be a sustainable, economically prosperous and a self-reliant nation that safeguards its democracy by meeting the fundamental human needs of its people and by managing its limited ecological resources responsibly for current and future generations.
In November 2011, Cabinet approved South Africa's National Strategy for Sustainable Development and Action Plan, which is aimed at providing both private and public sector organisations with guidance in their long-term planning. It sets out key areas which require attention, to enable a shift towards a more sustainable development path. The lessons learned during the implementation period of the Action Plan from 2011 to 2014 will inform the review process and development of the second phase of the strategy, which will cover the period 2015 to 2020.
The Department of Environmental Affairs continues to lead South Africa's participation in international engagements at multilateral and bilateral levels, with the aim of advancing national and regional interests in relation to issues of environmental management and sustainable development. The medium-term plan for 2011 to 2016 indicates that the top priority areas include support to local government in the areas of air quality management, waste management, coastal and open-space planning, strengthening compliance and enforcement activities. The plan is also aimed at ensuring that a significant contribution is made to the achievement of the national priorities, particularly the New Growth Path.
Climate change caused by human activities is considered to be among the most serious threats to global sustainable development, economic activity, human health, physical infrastructure and natural resources. These impacts will seriously undermine efforts to achieve sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals. The main changes in the South African environment are increasing variability in the climate, declining air and water quality, degraded land, and declining natural resources due to overexploitation.
Responses to global warming are not expected to reverse trends in the near future. Thus responses are changing to include strategies that focus on how to adapt to climate change, together with steps that aim to reduce or mitigate the effects of climate change. At its 53rd National Conference in December 2012, the ANC noted that climate change has a negative economic and social impact on the lives of the people and, in particular, on the most vulnerable in society. The conference resolved that the global efforts to achieve the stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere must be intensified and green economy policy programmes implemented. The conference further resolved that South Africans must adapt to and manage unavoidable and potentially damaging climate change impacts through interventions that build and sustain social, economic and environmental resilience.
Following an extensive and consultative process with relevant stakeholders, the Cabinet approved in October 2011 South Africa's National Climate Change Response Policy. The climate change policy set out South Africa's climate change response strategy and presents our country's vision for an effective climate change response and a long-term transition to a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy and society.
The National Development Plan shows a clear move to embracing low-carbon growth and calls on government to send a signal to industry and consumers that we are living in an environmentally stressed world. Protecting and improving the quality and safety of our environment is one of our critical outcomes aimed at ensuring that the current and future generations will continue to enjoy their constitutionally enshrined right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing.
The continuing plundering and pillaging of our natural resources is therefore an area of grave concern. Hence, we will continue to put systems and processes in place in support of the priority of fighting crime and corruption. It requires all of us as a collective to take drastic measures to help combat crime. The chairperson has covered the area of rhino poaching and the strategy to combat crime.
In his Budget Speech, the Minister of Finance announced that direct spending towards environmental programmes continues, such as installing solar water geysers, procuring renewable energy, low-carbon public transport, cleaning up derelict mines, addressing acid mine drainage, supporting our national parks, and in particular, saving our rhino population, which gets R75 million in the mid-term. Let me pause a bit.
Hon Minister, all our speakers have lamented about the issue of rhino poaching, which is a threat to the country. I agree with the speakers from the opposition side and also in the ANC - we are lamenting on the same issue. As Gen Holomisa has indicated, the syndicate is within and we must do something, Minister. Our intelligence section should check, in fact, these plans. What is happening within the country? There is no person who can come from Mozambique or Swaziland into our country and poach our rhinos. When we go to work, others get busy planning how to kill a rhino and remove its horn so as to sell the horn and get a lot of money for it. That is unacceptable.
Minister, I should think we will support you in your endeavours and we have seen the processes whereby law enforcement is protecting these rhinos. But now these criminals have gone all-out to fight our law enforcement in the parks - that is also unacceptable. The communities living next to those parks must assist the government with the relevant information in order to curb this rhino poaching.
Mabasisize Ngqongqoshe bakhulume eMpumalanga, eLimpopo kanye naKwaZulu- Natali ngalolu zungu oluboshwayo mayelana nokubulawa kobhejane ukuze sikwazi ukubamba lezi zigebengu ngoba phela lapho kunezigebengu khona ayikho into enhle. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[We are urging them to inform us, Minister, about the rhino poaching syndicate in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal so we can have these criminals arrested. Nothing good has ever come out of criminal activities.]
The fight against unemployment and for the eradication of poverty remains one of the ANC's key priorities in respect of which we all have a responsibility and an obligation to make a contribution. The Natural Resources Management Programme, which was transferred from Water Affairs, has increased Environmental Affairs' capacity to create more employment and skills development opportunities in the implementation of the Expanded Public Works Programme for the environment sector.
Some of the notable achievements in the implementation of these programmes during the 2011-12 financial year include the creation of 65 182 new work opportunities, 49 746 accredited person training days and 23 074 full-time equivalents.
As part of the ongoing commitment to support emerging businesses, 846 small, micro and medium-sized enterprises were supported in implementing these programmes. A total of 548 young people from various communities also benefited from the implementation of the National Youth Service.
The Wildlands Conservation Trust is to be one of 32 beneficiaries of a massive national project aimed at building human capacity and creating jobs in the biodiversity sector. The large-scale project, titled Green Work, is aimed at developing priority skills in the biodiversity sector to create sustainable job opportunities for 800 unemployed graduates and matriculants. The posts are targeted at South African citizens from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly from rural areas. The focus is on the unemployed youth who must have either a matric certificate or a national diploma or bachelor's degree.
The ANC's position on environmental issues has been consistent and is reflected in the RDP document. It is this vision that has informed the various policies, programmes and actions of government since 1994. Contributing towards these policies, programmes and actions and the outcomes of building a better Africa and a better world, Environmental Affairs will continue with efforts of advancing national environmental interests through a global sustainable development agenda. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. Thank you very much. [Applause.]