Speech by the Honourable Deputy Minister Sotyu handing over ceremony of Wilo and Ntlangaza plantations to Nqabe Traditional Council, Eastern Cape, King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality
Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Ms Nokuzola Capa;
Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ms Pinky Kekana;
Deputy Minister of Human Settlement, Ms Pamela Tshwete;
MEC of North West Health, Mr Sambatha.
Executive Mayor of Amathole District Municipality, Cllr Anele Ntsangani
Executive Mayor of Mnquma Local Municipality, Cllr Tunyiswa Manxila-Nkamisa
Chief Manelisi Sandile of Nqabe Traditional Council The representatives of the Forestry Industry Distinguished guests Ladies and gentlemen;
It gives me great pleasure to be in your presence today for the plantation handing over ceremony of Wilo and Ntlangaza plantations to the Nqabe Traditional Council, especially because yesterday, I was handing over two other plantations to the communities within Imidushane Traditional Council.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has been leading a process to develop the Commercial Forestry Sector Masterplan, working in collaboration with key stakeholders in the sector. The Masterplan is essentially the growth, investment and transformation plan for the sector. The plan was approved for implementation during November 2022, and is currently in the third year of implementation.
Part of the deliverables of the Masterplan is the transfer of plantation resources such that Government focuses on Policy and Regulation, as well as creating an enabling environment for the sector to thrive. The Nqabe Traditional Council submitted an offer to enter into a Community Forestry Agreement (CFA) in terms of Section 29 of the National Forests Act and confirmed interest in respect of the future management of Wilo and Ntlangaza plantations. After numerous engagements between the Department and the Nqabe Traditional Council, the CFA was approved on the 3rd of March 2023, by the Honourable Minister of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy.
For this reason, I am happy to hand over the management of Wilo and Ntlangaza plantations to the beneficiary communities of Nqabe Traditional Council. The combined extent of these plantations is approximately 224 hectares.
The handing over of these plantations is in line with the provisions of the National Forests Acts, 1998 (Act No.84 of 1998). The purpose of this Act is to promote the sustainable management and development of forests for the benefit of all; promote community forestry and promote greater participation in all aspects of forestry and the forest products industry by persons disadvantaged by unfair discrimination.
Section 29 of the NFA allows communities that are interested in managing State Forest plantations to submit their request to enter into a CFA with the Minister. The purpose of today’s ceremony is for me, on behalf of the DFFE, to formally hand over the management of Wilo and Ntlangaza plantations. The transfer of the management of these plantations will go a long way to improve the livelihoods of communities within Nqabe Traditional Council.
The handing over of these plantations is in line with the provisions of the National Forests Acts, 1998 (Act No.84 of 1998). The purpose of this Act is to promote the sustainable management and development of forests for the benefit of all; promote community forestry and promote greater participation in all aspects of forestry and the forest products industry by persons disadvantaged by unfair discrimination. Section 29 of the NFA allows communities that are interested in managing State Forest plantations to submit their request to enter into a CFA with the Minister. The purpose of today’s ceremony is for me, on behalf of the DFFE, to formally hand over the management of Wilo and Ntlangaza plantations. The transfer of the management of these plantations will go a long way to improve the livelihoods of communities within Nqabe Traditional Council. The Department takes cognisance of the fact that these plantations are not necessarily in a condition that is ideal for timber production purposes and require a lot of work and resources to turn them around. These plantations are categorised as woodlots, and I would like to make a commitment on behalf of the Department, in collaboration with key role-players, will provide that we will provide the community with the necessary support that is required to make these plantations a viable business in the future.
The Department will work with the affected communities to develop a plan that will ensure the management of these resources in a sustainable manner going forward. We commit to undertaking initiatives such as site species matching to determine the ideal species that can grow well in this area, provision of technical and advisory support services and training of beneficiaries to empower them with knowledge and skills of sustainable forest management. These commitments are further outlined in the post settlement support package that is in the process of being finalised by the Department.
Where feasible, we will also try to link communities with strategic partners who will then assist with additional expertise and resources to recapitalise the plantations.
Another area of support will be to assist communities to aggregate the smaller plantations so that collectively they address the issues of economies of scale. In this way barriers to markets and other resources will be addressed.
As I have already indicated that the forestry sector has developed the Commercial Forestry Masterplan, and this work is done in line with the ideals of this plan. The Forest Industry and labour are represented on the structures of the Masterplan, and it is envisaged that they will collaborate with government when they are called to assist in in enhancing developmental initiatives of the beneficiary communities.
Programme Director I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the role-players and stakeholders who made this initiative possible. Negotiations and discussions as well as the associated processes are often expanded and complex, but ultimately, we have reached the goal of empowering our communities to participate in the mainstream economy.
Thank You.
