Chairperson, in supporting the adoption of this Budget Vote the ANC says it believes that all citizens of South Africa, present and future, have a right to a safe and healthy environment and a life of wellbeing. The broad objective of our environmental policy is to fulfil this right.
In this context, growth and development within South Africa will be based on the principles of sustainability. The ANC, therefore, emphasises environmental infrastructure funding more, and I'm going to present its input.
This is a transversal sector which needs special dedication to ensure that there is enough of a resource base. It is clear that there is political will and intellectual ability in the department. The political- administrative dichotomy that prevails in this department is a matter that the ANC cannot ignore. We commend both the Minister and the director- general, hon Buyelwa Sonjica and Ms Nosipho Ngcaba, respectively.
It is the responsibility of the ANC to give credit where it is due, without forgetting the important leader of our committee, the chairperson. I would like to say that the motherly and parental care she gives to all of us as members is a demonstration and justification of what the ANC saw in her before appointing her to this position. I want to make it categorically clear that there is cohesion and unity in this committee. There's no tug of war, even among the political parties represented. [Applause.]
The challenge within the sector is to fully implement the intentions behind the suite of environmental legislation. At times, therefore, it is difficult for the sector to justify environmental expenditure on the basis of avoiding environmental, social and economic costs, as well as on the grounds of the public good.
The environmental sector in provinces is not high up on the agenda. In most cases it is not a stand-alone department but is combined with sectors like agriculture, economic development, arts and culture, and also sport. Generally, environmental-sector activities at provincial level are reported with limited financial detail, partly due to the environmental function being coupled with various other sectors.
At the local level it appears that solid waste services continue to lag behind other basic municipal services, partly because smaller budget allocations are made via the national Municipal Infrastructure Grant, to solid waste infrastructure, and because waste services receive inadequate operational budgets at the municipal level. The large backlog in ensuring that waste disposal sites are brought up to an adequate standard for permits to be awarded will impose substantially new capital expenditure requirements on the sector over the next five years - much of which could be avoided by upstream interventions.
Certain subsector plans, such as those for biodiversity and conservation, but more so for waste management and pollution control, continue to specifically identify insufficient financial resources as a constraint. Given the new regulatory powers over air-quality management at provincial and local levels, there's also significant risk that air-quality management will not be sufficiently resourced in the near future, particularly enforcement and compliance activities.
Historically the environmental sector has generated little of its own revenue, aside from conservation bodies. There's growing acceptance of the need to recover the administrative costs of authorisations directly from the polluter. For example, the new Environmental Management: Air Quality Act and Environmental Management: Waste Management Bill both provide for the recovery of costs for the provision of licences. This has the potential to raise additional revenue to finance the costs of authorisations and compliance monitoring.
The environmental fiscal reform process of the National Treasury provides further impetus to raising revenue through the implementation of "the polluter pays" principle. The environmental policy outlines a clear framework for the establishment of environmental charges and taxes. This opens many new opportunities for the use of economic instruments in support of environmental objectives and has the ancillary objective of raising revenue for the fiscus and for environmental authorities.
This fiscal reform system has the potential to raise significant revenue while simultaneously promoting more environmentally responsible behaviour. The policy further points out that the taxes that are necessary to fund government activities and the provision of public goods and services, as well as wide-ranging taxes on products that contain agents harmful to the environment, could serve as potential sources of funding mechanisms for the environmental sector.
Fiscal instruments, like the current plastic-bag levy, have the potential to generate a significant amount of revenue for the sector. However, the application of these instruments will require a significant amount of research, institutional set-up as well as a period for piloting their feasibility. As a result, these mechanisms can be considered medium- to long-term interventions. A short-term solution would be for Treasury to review the resourcing model for the environmental sector, taking into account the concurrent mandates, different provincial structures and increasing environmental challenges, especially those relating to global climate change.
The ANC also welcomes the role that has been played by MaRhadebe in pursuance of her duties on matters of climate change. I also want to make it categorically clear that the interface between the political head of this department and the administration is an aspect that, as the ANC, we must take to other departments. There is no competition, rather they complement each other. There is no chicken-and-egg dilemma in this department. There is no "economic" sharing of information with the portfolio committee. The open-door policy that prevails is a matter that we will remain proud of, as the ANC and the citizens of South Africa. [Applause.]
Sihlaba umkhosi kuni nonke ke malungu ale Ndlu ahloniphelikeyo, ukuba masitsho ngazwi-nye kuNongxowa ohloniphekileyo, uMphathiswa uGordhan nabasemagunyeni, ngelithi mabenze okufanelekileyo banike okusingqongileyo imali eyakwenza umsebenzi welisebe ungabi nakusilela.
Siyibonile indlela eliyisebenzise ngayo eli sebe laa nkitshizana yonyaka ofileyo, kwaye neempula zikalujaca zikhe zamunca iminwe. Loo nto ithetha ukuba xa lingafumana okuthe chatha, kungasindwa ngobethole kwesikaTambo, kwesikaSisulu, kwesikaTshonyane - okaHani, kwesikaNzo, ewe kwesikaKumkani uJonguhlanga, apho ufaf' olude olungumzukulwana kaMandela lumi khona. Nditsho naseJozini kwaMhlabuyalingana Mam' uZikalala. Xa ke ngoku linikwa ngaphantsi koko, ikati iyakude ingalali nje ide yakhe uvez' inyawo eziko. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Masiqule siligangathe ke ngokungathi kuyaliwa maqobo nani maqobokazana, simxhase nangasentloko uMaRhadebe, ukuze akufezekise akuthunywe ngokaNxamalala, ngoba uGxalaba libanzi lokuthwala iingonzenze zoluntu loMzantsi, nditsho uKhongolose, walibethelela ePolokwane elithi makubekho umahluko kwimpilo yeempula zikalujaca kulo lonke eli silimiyo. Nditsho nkqu ne-Afrika yonke iwathe ntsho yawakhupha amehlo angangawesele, ngenkunzi yethembakazi, Mafamankosi, yokuba uMzantsi Afrika uza kusibek' endaweni siyi-Afrika.
Mayingabi luxanduva lukaMphathiswa kuphela ke, kodwa nathi masiwenze mfutshane umbhinqo ibe ngathi sixhoma inja elolini okanye sidl' imfene. Ngxatsho ke mawaba namawabakazi ezwe lakowethu. Nditsho ndisithi umbutho wesizwe unoxanduva lokunika isikhokelo kweli lizwe, kodwa uyatsho, nanjengoko wawutshilo xa wawufuna ukubekwa kule ndawo ubekwe kuyo, ukuba "Xa simanyene sisonke singenza lukhulu."
Okufanele ukuba kudlalwe ngamalungu ale Ndlu, kubalulekile, hayi ukubalulekela umbutho wesizwe, kodwa abantu boMzantsi Afrika ne-Afrika. Amagqala namagqalakazi akhoyo apha kule Ndlu alithemba lokugqibela lwesi sizukulwana. Sinoxanduva lokuqinisekisa ke ukuba amakhadi emibutho awasahluli, ngoba indawo esingqongileyo ayazi lupolitiko; ngoba indlala ayazi mbutho; ngoba intswela-ngqesho ayazi mzi ofanele kukujongwa nongafanelanga kujongwa. Koko singabantwana beli lizwe sisonke simanyene masiqinisekise ukuba sivul' izandla zethu, siqinesekis' into yokuba nalo mnyhadala wale bhola ekhatywayo nezakhiwo ezithe zakhiwa ezinye zaphuculwa kweli lizwe ziyanakekelwa, kwayeo sisonke sithi: "2010 Fifa World Cup, feel it. It is here." Ndisatshaya. [Kwaqhwatya.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[We appeal to all the hon members of this House to speak with one voice to the Minister of Finance, Minister Gordhan, and those in authority, that they must act appropriately and allocate funds which will enable the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs to function efficiently.
We have seen how this department spent the meagre amount allocated to them last year; even the poor could lick their fingers. That means if they could get a little more, that will result in wealth to the areas where Tambo, Sisulu, Tshonyane, Hani and Nzo resided. There would also be wealth in the residential area of King Jonguhlanga, where the tall grandchild of Mr Mandela has established his own residence. Mrs Zikalala, even Jozini at uMhlabuyalingana will be wealthy. When the department is allocated less there will be extreme poverty. [Applause.]
Ladies and gentlemen, let us be fully prepared as if we are waging war and support MaRhadebe from all directions so that she can achieve what Nxamalala has asked her to do. The party which has the responsibility of shouldering all the problems of the South African citizens - I mean the ANC - emphasised, at Polokwane, the fact that there must be a difference in the lives of the poorest of the poor in the whole country. Even Africa is hopefully expecting South Africa to put it on the map.
Let it not only be the responsibility of the Minister, but let us also work diligently. The nation's party has the responsibility to give guidance in this country, and it is also declaring - as it declared when seeking the power to rule - that "working together, we can do more."
The role that the members of this House must play is important, not only to the ANC, but also to the citizens of South Africa and Africa. The veterans, who are present in this House, are the last hope of this generation. We have the responsibility to ensure that the different political affiliation membership cards do not separate us, because our environment does not know any politics, poverty knows no organisation, and unemployment cannot differentiate between a house that needs security and another that does not. We are all children of this country and united; we must ensure that we open our arms and ensure that the soccer World Cup tournament and the infrastructure that has been constructed and upgraded in this country are well taken care of, and that we are all saying: "2010 Fifa World Cup, feel it, it is here." I thank you. [Applause.]]