Isikhathi sami ngizosicela. Yebo ngiyawasekela amazwi ashiwo nguMongameli uZuma wokuthi kwamanye amaqembu aphikisayo kwembula kuyembeswa, ngesilung aku-ICU Nokuba zibekhona ezinye izingqinamba okhethweni lokuchibiyela eNtshonalanga Koloni, kodwa ke ngizothanda ukusho ngokungangabazi kumaqembu aphikisayo ukuthi ayihlabi ngakumisa, niyohamba nize nibambe utalagu uKhongolose uzobe lokhu elihola lelizwekazi. Bese ngiyabuya sengiyakuphendula. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Mr M P SIBANDE: I will ask for my time. Of course I support the words spoken by President Zuma - that other opposition parties are in a very bad state and could be referred to, as one would say in English, as being in the ICU. Although there were some problems during the by-elections in the Western Cape, I would like to say without a doubt to the opposition parties that you don't judge a book by its cover, and that is your pipe dream. The ANC will always be in power in this country. I want to answer you now.]
Hon Walters from the DA, I don't think it's true that the Western Cape is the first to develop a strategy on climate change. [Interjections.] No, it's not. Listen to this one: The ANC-led government has developed policy instruments that guide decision-making in water resource management, current and future water needs of the various sectors of our economy and a regulatory framework for compliance with legislative requirements.
UKhongolose lowo. Futhi ungaphinde ubuye ubuyekeze isitatimende sikaMongameli uZuma sika-2010 eCopehagen uKhongolose kodwa i-DA into eyenzile kuphela iyisifundazwe sokuqala esingaqikeleli ubulili. [That is the ANC. Furthermore you may revisit President Zuma's statement made in Copenhagen's in 2010. The DA's province is the only province that does not comply with gender equity.]
The shortage of water is mainly caused by climatic conditions through low rainfall and high evaporation rates, rapid population growth and economic development. South Africa is a semidesert country with only 8,6% of rainfall available as surface water, and this rainfall is one of the lowest percentage ratios in the world.
Similar to surface water, ground water resources are relatively limited compared to the international average. This has led to an increased demand from the rising population for the available water resources in the environment.
The total amount of waste that pollutes the country's ground and surface water and contributes to water scarcity is difficult to measure. This is mainly industrial effluent, domestic and commercial sewage, acid mine drainage, agricultural run-off and litter.
Some rivers in coastal provinces and the Vaal in Gauteng have high levels of inorganic salts. These salts are detrimental to animal and human health if proper quality tests and purification processes are not carried out. Though sewage is normally processed at water treatment plants across the province, failure to maintain or upgrade infrastructure results in increased shortages and low levels of water quality in the country.
A recent example is the future plan by the Grootvlei Mine in Springs, Gauteng, to treat the acid-contaminated underground water that flows into the Blesbokspruit wetland. This wetland which is one of the tributaries of the Vaal River, is a high-priority conservation area. It is a habitat for birds and water plant species, and also supplies water to nearby mines and workers.
The department's strategic plan mentions a low increase in its expenditure for 2010-11 compared to other years. The impact of this on new investment in dam construction for rural and other water infrastructure for rural communities is therefore a concern. New infrastructure is vital for the provision of clean water, the prevention of water losses through pipe leakages and the prevention of occasional flooding caused by the absence of retaining walls.
With regard to rural programmes, the supply of rainwater tanks to rural schools and subsistence farmers and the Working for Water programmes have resulted in temporary job opportunities. These interventions, whilst short- term, address the lack of bulk and sustainable water infrastructure in rural areas.
There has been a great improvement in the provision of water supply to South Africa, especially the poor, from 59% in 1994 to 96% in 2008, but no information is made available on the quality of water supplied to communities to match the qualitative success of more than 90% for basic water access. For instance, there is a large section of the population that depends on raw water harvested from rivers and streams, that leads to the spread of water-borne disease.
More data needs to be provided on the department's programme on water quality across the provinces and municipalities.
Any debate on environmental affairs that does not refer also to global warming and climate change, will be incomplete. Global climate change is possibly the greatest environmental challenge facing the world in this century. Although often referred to as global warming, global climate change is more about the serious disruption of the entire world's weather and climate patterns, including impacts on rainfall, extreme weather events and rising sea levels, rather than just moderate temperature changes.
Nazi ezinye izinselelo engifuna ukuzedlulisa Ngqongqoshe isikhathi singakapheli ngoba basuke babamba isikhathi sami. [Here are other challenges that I would like to present to the Minister before my time expires because they wasted my time.]
Ministers, here are some of the challenges.
Ngizoqala emanzini. [I'll start with water.]
Please Minister, we have concerns about rehabilitation. Is it sustainable or not? Of course, it is not enough just to rehabilitate the environment.
Lapho kugujwa khona ezimayini ngaphansi komhlaba, izinkwali ezivulekile kanye nalapho bekugujwa khona i-asbestos kanye nama-granite lapho umhlabathi usolo unjalo. [In the mines underground, in open cast quarries, in the asbestos and the granite mines the land still remains the same.]
And the worst part of it is: Who owns those people who are busy with the rehabilitation?
Laba abenza amatshe amancane okwakha. Kunemifula kanye namadamu amaningi eMpumalanga, kunamadamu i-Driekoppies, iMaguga, i-Badplaas, uMkhondo, i- Heyshope, i-Jerico kanye ne-Loskop. Ngingawabala. [For those who make small building stones, there are many rivers and dams in Mpumalanga, rivers such as Driekoppies, Maguga, Badplaas, Mkhondo, Heyshope, Jericho and the Loskop. I can count them.]
There is Driekoppies Dam, Maguga Dam, Badplaas Dam, Umkhondo Dam, Estu Dam, Loskop Dam, to mention a few - and other municipalities' dams - but people are still suffering in getting water.
Another challenge concerns Silulumanzi in Mpumalanga in Mbombela municipality where people are forced to buy water which is very expensive. This means that it's even expensive to go to the toilet since you have to flush.
I also have a concern about the dumping of hospital waste such as needles. These people must be prosecuted. Who are the people who have been brought to book so far? This needs to be investigated. The ANC supports both Budget Votes No 37 and Budget Vote No 29. Ngiyabonga. [Thank you.] [Applause.]