L Hendricks: WeedBuster Week

13 October 2006

Members of Parliament
Councillors
Distinguished guests
Programme director
Ladies, gentlemen and learners

Molweni, good morning, Goeiemore

I am pleased to be here at the Wesbank Primary School in Delft to celebrate
WeedBuster Week and to rejoice in our efforts in protecting our environment,
which is often a silent partner in our efforts to restore the dignity of this
country and its people. Thirty years ago, in 1976, students took the lead in
protesting against their dignity being taken away by the apartheid state. In
attaining democracy in 1994 the democratic government committed itself to give
our people back their dignity, and has been doing so through providing access
to water, sanitation, electricity, housing, education, social welfare and much
more; including, and very importantly, access to the environment.

It is critical that as we create a better life for our people so that we
ensure the environment, and factors that affect the environment such as having
sufficient water and good quality water, are not neglected so that we create a
country and a society that is desirable to live in and is sustainable for
future generations.

This year as we celebrate the 30 year anniversary of these uprisings, we
recognise the important part that the youth have had and continue to have in
shaping this country. The challenges for the youth of today are very different
and I believe that looking at environmental issues, water issues and the
economy should be very high on the agenda of today's young people.

Our event here today is to celebrate the splendour of our indigenous plant
species; and highlight the dangers and problems created by alien invasive
plants to our environment, our water resources, and to our economy so that all
of us, especially the youth, get involved, get their hands dirty and play their
role in removing these plants.

Challenges of invasive alien plants in South Africa

Invasive alien plants have invaded over 10 million hectares of South Africa,
and because they multiply so fast if left unchecked, the problem could double
in the next 15 years. As learners and our future generation you need to be more
aware of these plants so that you can take help take responsibility for
removing them and protecting our natural resources.

There is no dispute; invasive alien vegetation is a real challenge to us in
protecting our natural heritage. There is enough evidence that if we do not
deal with the scourge of invasive now, the price we will have to pay in the
future will be devastating to our country's development. These problems will
arise because of the damage invasive species cause to the environment and the
economy, which includes:

* Invasive alien plants reducing our water supply. Estimates indicate that
these plants are guzzling up seven percent of South Africa's annual water
run-off. And what is especially alarming is that this figure will get
progressively worse if nothing is done. Water is essential not only for our
basic needs but for industry to develop and grow; new mines, new factories, and
new offices and hotels all need water. The international music star Jay Z who
is in the country this week is also promoting access to water because he
recognises how critical water is for South Africa and Africa's survival and
growth.
* Invasive alien plants degrade our rich biological diversity. One of the
reasons people travel to South Africa and the Western Cape is because of its
natural beauty and environment, if invasive alien plants overrun this
environment they damage our tourism industry.
* Invasive alien plants damage the ecological integrity of our natural systems
and also create problems for planting of crops. People depend on these natural
systems for their livelihoods and our country cannot do without food
production.
* Invasive alien plants fuel the wild fires that cause havoc in our country,
and they make fire management difficult.

To deal with the problem of invasive plants effectively, we need the right
tools in our armoury. Prevention is obviously better than cure, and
considerable improvements have to be made to ensure that new invasives do not
enter our shores unnoticed. The need for constant improvement in our
understanding of how these invasives spread, and how we must deal with them,
also cannot be stressed enough.

The Western Cape and alien invasive plants

Programme director, I am pleased that today's event is being held in the
Western Cape, which is world-renowned for its unique indigenous plant
species.

Table Mountain National Park alone has over 2 100 indigenous plant species
which is more than what Canada or the United Kingdom has for their entire
country. Invasive alien plants threaten this diversity, particularly because
many of the invasive species are very fire-prone.

The Western Cape makes up 10% of South Africa's landscape and boasts one of
six floral kingdoms in the world?

The Cape Floristic Kingdom

The Cape Floristic Kingdom contains one of the highest levels of species
richness, with 5 880 species and 68% species that occur nowhere else in the
world (known as endemism). A study in 1998 estimated that 4,84% of the Western
Cape was invaded by invasive alien species and new studies are underway to
reassess the extent of invasion. The species that mostly invade the Western
Cape are acacia sp and eucalyptus sp, with invading species such as bug weed
and pampas grass emerging. Did you know that pine trees that escaped from
plantations have invaded our mountainous areas and caused damage?

South Africa is a water-scarce region and we cannot afford to lose our most
valuable natural resource to thirsty, water-guzzling invasive alien plants. The
mean annual run-off of the primary catchments in the Western Cape is estimated
at 6 555 million cubic metres of water, whilst the annual loss of run-off
caused by invasive alien plants in the region is 1 036 million cubic metres.
This equates to 15,82% water use by invasive alien plants, or 166 millimetres
of rainfall. Water scarcity is not new to the people of the Western Cape and
you are all aware of how this part of the Western Cape has suffered from water
restrictions and that water needs to be brought to the Cape Metropolitan from
the other areas. Simply put: invasive species cannot be allowed to consume the
water we need to meet basic needs and to sustain and promote development. And I
want you to join me in declaring invasive alien plants 'public enemy number
one.'

Working for water campaign

In order to combat alien invasive plants the government established the
Working for Water campaign in 1995 to clear our country of these plants; and it
is a great honour to celebrate the 11th year of the Working for Water Programme
in the Western Cape, which is the "birth place" of this internationally
acclaimed Programme. This campaign was started in 1995 with a grant of R25
million from the then Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) Fund. Prof
Kader Asmal, the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry at the time, was the
inspiration behind the Programme, with former President Nelson Mandela as the
Patron-in-Chief.

As the Programme grew, its social focus broadened. It seeks to benefit the
poorest of the poor, and this has led to a particular focus on single-parent
households. It has provided work opportunities to those living with HIV and
AIDS, thereby restoring their dignity and respect. It has also endeavoured to
provide opportunities to victims of crime, as well as to those that live in
areas of violence and intolerance, and those that foster orphans.

All of this has been done without compromising the Programme's focus on
controlling invasive alien plants. The Programme has provided training and work
opportunities to tens of thousands of South Africans who had previously been
denied the dignity and hope that employment brings. It has sought to work with
partner departments in being a sensitive provider of training and work
opportunities, with many social interventions.

Twenty thousand people are employed annually in the Programme, of which 52%
are female, 19% youth and one% disabled. During 2004/2005, 142 417 initial and
507 139 hectares follow-up clearing were completed. The benefits from clearing
the invasives have been shown time and again with improved water flow, better
fire control management, less risk of mud slides, better water quality, and
greater biological diversity.

With the widespread prevalence of poverty, we should remember that the
natural environment is a powerful ally in our efforts to create jobs and create
a better life for our people. So not only are we creating jobs through clearing
the invasive aliens and empowering the people who work in the programme, but
there are also opportunities for using the wood and plants that have been
cleared to make furniture, coal and woodchips. The improved natural environment
also creates tourism opportunities and prevents job losses that would have
inevitably resulted from an area being overrun by invasive alien plants.

WeedBuster campaign

This week with our celebration of the WeedBuster campaign we aim to create
greater awareness of the need to manage and contain invasive alien plants,
because even through so many hectares of land have been cleared, there is still
much to be done and we cannot allow the situation to get out of control. Our
theme "stop the invasion, plant indigenous" highlights the very real threat
caused by invasive alien plants and the need for ordinary people to respect
their local environment, and plant indigenous vegetation and trees.

The campaign involves many different government departments and is being led
by my department, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, through the
Working for Water Programme. The support by a number of partners and
stakeholders is necessary for the success of this programme and is appreciated;
I am very pleased that this year we have been able to include the Department of
Education and that schools have become actively involved.

The problem of invasive plants affects most countries, and countries around
the world have united to protect their water resources by preventing and
controlling the spread of invasive alien plants. In our efforts to combat
invasives, South Africa has partnered with Australia and New Zealand, and we
are part of the broader Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP).

By far, the most powerful tool in our armoury for dealing with the problem
revolves around educational and awareness initiatives. Annual events such as
Water, Arbour and WeedBuster Week, present us with opportunities to unite as
custodians of our natural heritage and they raise our awareness to exercise
this custodianship responsibly. Educators play a vital role in raising
awareness of invasive alien plants and in promoting corrective action. And for
this, I salute you.

Let us unite, and share our knowledge of our indigenous vegetation in all
our schools. If the enthusiasm and passion of these learners here today is
anything to go by, I am confident that we can win the battle against invasive
alien plants and safeguard our indigenous legacy.

Being able to identify invasive alien vegetation is not enough we need to
empower ourselves to also identify those indigenous plants which alien
vegetation replaces. What we do in our gardens is perhaps the best barometer to
judge this awareness. I would like to challenge all citizens to start the
battle in their backyards, by identifying and removing invasives; and promoting
the planting of indigenous species, in order to protect our natural heritage.
From our backyards we must move to clearing community parks and gardens of
invasive; and there are a number of ways to do this, for example, by initiating
or joining a volunteer hacking group.

I am passionate about this wonderful Programme, and like my predecessors, I
would like to see it climbing to new heights in conserving our environment and
creating sustainable opportunities for our people.

Finally, our presence here today signifies our ongoing commitment to
eradicating invasive alien plants and contributing towards creating an
environment that is sustainable for future generations.

I thank you! Ndiyabulela!

Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
13 October 2006