Program Director
MEC for Environment in the Northern Cape, MEC Sylvia Lucas
Executive Mayor of the Frances Baard District Municipality, Councillor Khadi Moloi
The Mayor of Phokwane Local Municipality, Councillor Vuyisile Khen
Senior Officials from our Municipalities
All Protocol Observed
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am deeply humbled to be back in the Northern Cape after our successful engagement with the community of Komaggas last week working together with the leadership of the province. We were in Komaggas last week to hand over permits to seven Bio prospecting permit holders as part of our service delivery programme of government that aims to extend the Green Economy benefits to all our people.
Today, working together with the provincial leadership of the Northern Cape, we are in Hartswater to handover this 15.2 million Randsworth Landfill Site that was funded as part of our Working on Waste Programme.
The Department of Environmental Affairs through the Environmental Protection and Infrastructure Programme is funding the implementation of various environmental projects in the Northern Cape using labour intensive methods in line with the requirements of Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP.
Among some of the key requirements of the EPWP, is that while addressing the mandate of the Department, we need to create jobs, develop small businesses and also ensure that skills development opportunities are created. During the construction phase of this site, about 288 people were employed mostly drawn from the local community.
We expect this landfill site to be in operation for the next twenty (20) years and the Municipality would from now on operate it in full compliance with the Waste Act whose implementation we are also monitoring.
This Act, advocates steps in the waste management hierarchy, which in the overall informs waste management in South Africa. This landmark legislation seeks to address the problems we have had for decades over our waste. By instituting mechanisms of waste avoidance, minimisation, reuse, recycling, recovery, appropriate licensing, collection and storage requirements as well as environmentally sound treatment and disposal of problematic waste streams, This Act will allow us to drive recycling as part of our Green Economy Plan that aims to create jobs, with the municipalities expected to be central to effective management of waste. It therefore means that the municipalities are also part of our efforts to create green jobs in the green economy that we believe your community should also be part of.
In line with the Green Economy Plan, measures will be implemented to strengthen and expand our economic growth through recycling and enterprise development so that we can generate and sustain jobs as well as formalise existing jobs in the waste area as part of the economy. Our targets for 2015 are to create 69 000new jobs in the waste sector and 2 600additional SMMEs and cooperatives participating in waste service delivery and recycling
Therefore development of the National Waste Management Strategy is an important milestone in the process of implementing the Waste Act and in establishing an integrated approach to waste management across government and our broader society.
In addition, this Strategy sets out a programme for universal provision of waste services according to standards developed in terms of the Waste Act.
This is also a government-wide action plan with defined targets on recycling, job creation and SMME development, including the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility through the development of Industry waste management plans, the declaration of Priority Wastes. In addition the Strategy identifies the need for 800 Environment Management Inspectors at various government levels to implement the Waste Act.
As a national department which is at the forefront of ensuring that environmental policy making is responsive to the challenges faced by our people, we have realised that without the support and commitment of the provinces and municipalities, we cannot achieve our objective of ensuring that our people’s right to a clean environment and air is attained and sustained.
Ladies and Gentlemen, since municipalities are at the coal-face of service delivery, they are best positioned to champion clean environments and ensure that our people benefit from the various legislations aimed at giving them access to clean and habitable environments. It is for this reason that we are gathered here to handover this project to the community of Phokwane Local Municipality.
As we all know, environment is a concurrent function that requires us all to work as different spheres of government to ensure that enough financial and human resources are channelled to this function to meet this constitutionally enshrined obligation placed on us as the environment sector and as various spheres of government.
Mabogo dinku aa thebana
A healthy South Africa, which is one of government’s priorities, will be realised not only by the number of hospitals we build, but by going back to basics and that inter alia includes keeping our environment clean and build a healthy nation.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this project aims to bring us closer to that objective of government using the Extended Public Works Programme principles.
It is estimated that South Africa generates millions of tonnes of waste from household, commerce and industry. Much of this ends up in landfill where it degrades and generates methane which contributes to our total greenhouse gas emissions which are causes of climate change. In addition there are more resources lost and extra emissions created when those products dumped in landfill are replaced.
It is also estimated that 45% of South Africans, mainly living in informal settlements and rural areas do not have access to domestic waste collection services. In addition the country has about 1 292waste disposal sites, of which 442are unauthorised, many of which must be formally closed.
Guided by the Waste Act and the National Waste Management Strategy, by 2016 at least 95%of urban households and 75%of rural households must have access to adequate levels of waste collection services and 80%of waste disposal sites must be permitted.
After conducting a study on unlicensed landfill sites across the country, the department has identified lack of technical skills in landfill site operation contributing to poor management of the sites. In response the Department has since trained 325 Landfill Site Operators from 164 municipalities across the country. Part of our long term plans, as articulated in the Waste Strategy is to build less of landfill sites and encourage separation of waste at source to encourage recycling.
We do all of this because the Constitution of our country places the responsibility on government – national, provincial and municipalities - to ensure that every person has access to basic services. We also must make sure that poor people or households are not discriminated against due to their economic status, hence we have a Policy that caters for indigent households.
We are aware that some households just cannot afford the cost of waste services including refuse removal due to their poor economic situation. As a pro-poor and pro-development government, Cabinet resolved on the National Policy for the Provision of Basic Refuse Removal Services for Indigent Households. The provision of an adequate and sustainable waste service delivery system in South Africa has had many challenges and there has been very little progress with regard to significant movement in this area and we believe that with the legislative framework and co-operation from various spheres of government we can deliver services to our people.
Mabogo dinku aa thebana
We are alive to the fact that addressing these challenges will not be easy, given the capacity and resource constraints we face as a developing country with large income inequalities and competing development priorities. Nevertheless, the implementation of the waste management hierarchy and achievement of the objectives outlined in this strategy is integral to achieving a sustainable future and a better life for all South Africans.
In conclusion, together, with you as provincial and local government, I know we can build stronger, healthier communities, a cleaner environment and a more prosperous and successful life for everyone in the Northern Cape and South Africa in general.
I thank you.
Minister Molewa addresses the handover ceremony of the Hartswater landfill site to Phokwane Municipality
