Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister and hon members, the UDM supports Budget Vote No 29.
Nam ndiyancoma, ingxelo kaMphathiswa iyathembisa. [I also approve; the Minister's report is promising.]
Environmental degradation, especially in disadvantaged communities, is well documented. I remember that shortly after his release and return to his home in Qunu, former President Mandela asked me about the absence of trees and birdsong, of which he had fond childhood memories. My response was that because of poverty and lack of development, people had chopped down all the trees and the birds had migrated.
The challenge for South Africans, under the leadership of this department, is to restore the biosphere in all communities, based on the plant and animal life that was historically indigenous to each area. This must go hand in hand with better water management, as well as improving education for communities on environmental conservation. These steps would go a long way towards reducing the negative impact of climate change on a micro level.
Government should encourage the newly structured Department of Water and Environmental Affairs and the National Planning Commission to work closely together to ensure that environmental considerations are integrated in the policies of all three tiers of government. We're signatories to many international treaties, such as the Kyoto Protocol and the recent Copenhagen Declaration.
If is, for instance, this department and the National Planning Commission that should advise on whether or not pursuing energy generation through coal or nuclear power stations is in line with our environmental obligations.
I submit that it is these two departments that should reign in any abuse of national resources, in order to preserve it for future generations. In the same vein, we should seriously consider relocating the National Strategy for Sustainable Development section from this department to the National Planning Commission.
Turning to the forthcoming World Cup, I wish to say that the department should capitalise on the Fifa World Cup tournament by identifying certain days, perhaps public holidays and weekends, to encourage the public to participate in cleaning up public spaces. I speak from experience, because we did this in the Transkei between 1988 and 1993. In this way we would be inculcating a culture of ownership among South Africans.