Budget Vote speech by the Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs, Honourable Ms Barbara Thomson, National Assembly, Parliament
Honourable Chairperson of the session;
Honourable Minister of Environmental Affairs, Dr Edna Molewa;
Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers;
Honourable Chairperson and Members of the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs;
Honourable Members of Parliament;
Distinguished Chairpersons and Chief Executives of Public Entities;
Government officials present,
Representatives of the private sector;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is no coincidence that we debate our Budget Vote on Environmental Affairs today, Africa Day. As South Africans, we should use the opportunity to reconnect and recommit ourselves not only in support of all government interventions to build a better Africa and a better world, but also particularly to protecting and conserving our environment. South Africa is an integral part of Africa and as such our sustainable development agenda is intrinsically linked to the sustained development and upliftment of all African people.
As a country, South Africa cannot escape the negative impacts of climate change – something that we have all experienced in recent times. It would also be prudent for us to remember that it is our poor communities, women, children and the elderly who are most exposed to these negative impacts. Our Departmental budget must therefore talk to and is indeed designed to cushion the poor against these negative impacts.
“Working For” Programmes: Empowering Youth and Women
Honourable Members, our focus in mitigating the effects of climate change and related environmental impacts such as droughts, flooding, desertification and so forth, is to involve the young people of our country in our efforts to conserve our environment. In fact, their involvement goes beyond this. In line with the government’s commitment to radically transform the economy, youth and other vulnerable categories such as women are central to our efforts to the develop the green economy and transform the wildlife and bioprospecting economies. By promoting inclusivity in these and other identified growth areas in the environmental sector, we will improve the lives of our people, not only today, but for generations to come.
During our Department’s Budget Vote debate last year, I highlighted some of the important job creation and empowerment programmes the Department was funding under its Environmental Protection and Infrastructure Programme (EPIP) as part of our contribution under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP). I am happy to announce that we have made significant progress in achieving the targets we have set under the Expanded Public Works Programme.
Our achievements in this regard received acknowledgement by President Zuma in his 2017 State of the Nation Address when it was announced that more than 61 000 work opportunities were created through the Environmental Programmes such as Working for Water, Working for Wetlands, Working on Fire and Working for Ecosystems during the previous financial year. More than 60% of the beneficiaries were young people and women.
The past year also saw the Working on Fire participants working overtime once again as they battled the very high number of disastrous fires here in the Western Cape and elsewhere. The negative socio-economic consequences that such fires posed were considerable, and by addressing this proactively through the development of sufficient fire fighting capacity under this programme, the brave women and men of our Working on Fire programme were able to reduce the social and economic consequences to affected communities in the province. This was money well spent.
Through our investment under the Working for Wetlands programme we have improved or secured the health of more than 80 000 hectares of wetland area, and provided 17575 employment opportunities. Working for Wetlands has also provided 180 753 days of training in both vocational and life skills. Teams that form part of the Programme are made up of a minimum of 60% women, 20% youth and 2% people with disabilities.
Wetlands remain however the most threatened of all South Africa’s ecosystems, with 48% of wetland ecosystems being critically endangered and we will therefore continue to fund interventions under this programme.
Last year over 6000 jobs were created and 856 SMME’s supported in National Parks through the Expanded Public Works programme. Over the next 3 years we plan to increase to 18 000 the number of jobs created under this programme.
Honourable Members, given the scale of need and the challenges posed by environmental degradation, particularly for the most vulnerable in society, there is a need for a much greater level of investment into this sector. Government is not able to carry these costs alone, and a particular focus this year will be on unlocking investments into the sector through amongst other international funding opportunities and corporate sector engagements.
Waste Economy
The waste sector is probably the greatest new contributor to growing our economy. It is a sector that is still under development, and that holds huge potential.
As the Minister promised last year, the Department will continue to hand over tools of trade to some of the registered waste collectors. The tools are intended to assist the Waste Pickers to maximise their efficiencies in their operations, which is expected to directly improve the waste collection rates.
During the Presidential Imbizo Week in April, we handed over a bakkie and a trailer to two entrepreneurs based in Msunduzi Municipality in KwaZulu natal. This is being used to improve the refuse collection rate in unserviced rural areas of the municipality.
The Department also handed over various tools for the clearing of vacant areas that will be converted into play areas for children in Mzunduzi Municipality. To date we have handed over 15 trolleys to the South African Waste Picker Association in Mooi River for use by the waste pickers working with the Buy-back centre.
Through the tools of trade programme, the Department intends to increase the recycling rate in the country, improve the working conditions of waste pickers, facilitate the growth of small businesses in the sector, contribute towards the creation of decent sustainable job opportunities and contribute towards the creation of a growth path for waste pickers.
The waste recycling economy is an exciting approach that will not only eliminate threats to environmental quality and its integrity, but also positively contribute to the growth and development of South Africa’s economy.
Community empowerment through investment in Protected Areas
Working with communities adjacent to national parks, World Heritage Sites, provincial and local conservation areas, is important given the benefit local communities can derive from these protection zones.
This year we will focus on the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Natal – a Park that marked the beginning of a new era of developing to conserve through land restitution and growth when it was proclaimed in 2000.
With a population of some 640 000 people around it, iSimangaliso is situated in one of the poorest regions in the country. Eighty percent of people around iSimangaliso live below the poverty line and unemployment is rife – youth unemployment is around 80% and only 15.3% of the economically active population is formally employed. There is a high dependence on social grants for survival.
Over and above that, in this financial year, we will also launch the Thohoyandou National Botanical Garden in Limpopo as the 11th National Botanical Garden to be managed by SANBI. The establishment of this National Botanical Garden, coupled with an effective marketing approach will create many economic opportunities for communities around the Garden.
During 2017, the redevelopment of the southern sections of the Park and uMkhuze will be completed. An EIA record of decision has been issued for the major redevelopment of Sodwana Bay and detailed planning for infrastructure in the Coastal Forest Reserve and Kosi Bay is in progress. This planning includes 24 local community-driven tourism investment accommodation opportunities and related businesses that will result in more local communities starting to see real benefits.
Partnerships for environmental awareness and protection
Honourable Members, the creation of partnerships with key stakeholders are critical in building a united front against the negative impacts of environmental neglect and degradation. Last year, in partnership with the Northern Cape Government, we celebrated World Ozone Day in Upington, where we had over a thousand school children and community members attending. We raised awareness on the dangers of being exposed to the sun, and the impacts the environment suffers with depleted ozone. We believe that this intervention helped to increase our people’s understanding of what that they can do to help protect the ozone layer.
Working with entities such as SANBI and SAWS we continued to interact with learners during the last financial year to raise environmental awareness.
Through its Biodiversity Education and Empowerment Programme, SANBI reached 51 168 school learners through its Schools in the Garden Programme. About 7 161 beneficiaries were reached through SANBI’s environmental awareness raising initiatives such as the celebration of environmental theme days, exhibitions, holiday programme and community programmes aimed at reducing biodiversity crimes and promoting biodiversity conservation.
In order to develop, train, recruit and retain its staff and in compliance with relevant legislation, the South African Weather Service – SAWS - will continue with its interventions on dual career-pathing and the SAWS University bursary programme among other initiatives.
In August last year, we also launched of the Department’s strategy Toward Gender Mainstreaming in Environment Sector 2016 – 2021 at the seventh Women in Environment Conference in Kimberley.
This Strategy serves as a tool to enhance compliance with national gender priorities. It aims to provide a framework and strategic direction for gender mainstreaming as well as outlining funding opportunities in the environment sector. The Strategy understands that women remain an integral part of government’s environment programmes and their participation is critical in ensuring inclusiveness in environmental planning and decision-making.
Our Environmental Monitors programme is combatting poaching and wildlife crimes in general and has proven to be a success. The young cadets – mostly women – received major recognition for their work and have won several awards one of which was conferred by the UN. Here I am referring to the Black Mambas, the internationally renowned group of mostly young South African women who not only assist in combating poaching, but also spend their time raising awareness and educating their local communities on the importance of wildlife and conservation.
People and Parks Programme
Ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties to CITES in Johannesburg in 2016, the Department hosted 7th People and Parks Conference.
At this conference, participants adopted the Midrand Declaration committing partners to amongst others to work together to harmonise relations between people and nature; thereby unlocking the economic potential of protected areas for the benefit of adjacent communities in South Africa.
In a ground-breaking announcement, the Chief Land Claims Commissioner pledged to accelerate the land claims settlement process by concluding 50 of the outstanding 77 land claims against protected areas by 2018. In addition, a total of R80 million is earmarked for infrastructure development and a further R20 million that will be allocated for Business plan development.
The delegates also committed to increase the involvement of the youth in conservation and assist with funding opportunities aimed at youth empowerment and job creation. This will be through the establishment of a Youth Conservation Programme as an integral component of the People and Parks Programme.
National Action Plan and Land Degradation Neutrality
South Africa, as a Party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), reviewed the 2004 National Action Programme (NAP) to combat desertification, land degradation and to mitigate the effects of drought for South Africa and developed a new NAP for the period 2017 to 2027.
This is an important achievement, especially because approximately 91% of South Africa’s landscape is drylands, and this makes it susceptible to desertification. Both desertification and land degradation are intricately linked to food security, poverty, urbanization, climate change, and biodiversity thus, are among the most critical environmental challenges in South Africa. The NAP will be a key tool in addressing these threats.
The Department also initiated the process to develop voluntary targets towards Land Degradation Neutrality and this process will be finalised in the 2017/18 financial year. This is linked to the Sustainable Development Goals, and more specifically SDG goal 15 with the objective to maintain or even improve the amount of healthy and productive land resources over time and in line with national sustainable development priorities.
South Africa will also prepare for and participate in the 13th meeting of this year’s Conference of Parties to UNCCD, and will promote the adoption of a future strategic framework and decisions that will ensure that drought risk management issues are adequately addressed to enhance resilience to drought.
The Department is working towards the finalisation of our national adaptation strategy, and will work with the sector departments, provinces and local authorities to ensure alignment with the various climate change response plans.
Our rich biodiversity has made South Africa one of the world’s fastest growing tourism destinations. It will be important to further address those factors, which threaten our biodiversity, including desertification and land degradation.
During this financial year we will build on these positive results through the land user’s incentives programme partnering with the private sector and communities to restore and maintain more natural resources. The programme creates opportunities for Community Based Organisations to access private sector resources.
Conclusion
Adapting and mitigating, the effect of climate change is something that requires a commitment from all of us. Educating our communities and raising awareness amongst particularly young people have become more important as we all learn to adapt to a changing world.
It is the youth, the children that are the leaders and decision-makers of tomorrow and they need to be equipped with the knowledge and the workings of the environment.
Environmental education based on life experiences should begin during the very earliest years of life. Beginning this process in the early years, when attitudes toward the world around them are forming, is essential. Such experiences play a critical role in shaping lifelong attitudes, values, and patterns of behavior toward natural environments.
Working with our colleagues in Limpopo, we launched the inaugural South African Green Schools Programme last month. This is a pilot project, which amongst others, aims to raise awareness among learners of the problem of environmental degradation. The care for, and protection of, our environment has to start at a young age and I would like to appeal to all schools and young people to participate in small-scale projects that support meaningful action on environmental issues in their respective schools and communities.
Honourable Members, let me conclude by saying our nation’s future and that of the African continent rely on a well-educated public to be wise stewards of the very environment that sustains our families and our communities. Only through sustained environmental education can we make the complex, conceptual connections between economic prosperity, benefits to society and our collective well being as part of the African continent. Ultimately, the collective wisdom of our citizens, gained through education, will be the most compelling and most successful strategy to mitigate and reverse the environmental challenges facing our country, the SADC region and Continent. This Budget has been shaped to ensure we achieve this outcome as well as the many other outcomes highlighted in the Minister’s speech.
I would like to thank the Honourable Minister, Dr Edna Molewa for her leadership in this difficult portfolio as well as the Director-General, Mrs Nosipho Ngcaba and the entire team at the Department for the support and the commitment to make our sector deliver in conformity with our constitutional obligations.
I thank you.
