Minister Edna Molewa’s speech during visit to Ga-Rankuwa Eco-factory, Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa
Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Councillor Kgosientso Ramakgopa,
Deputy Speaker of the North West Legislature Mme Jane Manganyi
Councillors
The Head of the Jobs Fund, Ms Najwah Allie-Edries,
Manager of the Eco-Furniture factory here in Ga-Rankuwa, Ms Boitumelo Rampeng,
Representatives of SANParks,
Representatives of the Department of Environmental Affairs,
Members of the media,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Every now and then, the stars line up. The Eco-Furniture programme is one such intervention.
The Eco-Furniture programme is part of the Department of Environmental Affairs. The programme was started 10 years ago as an Eco-coffin programme. It took a dramatic turn when attention was shifted to focus on using its invasive alien biomass to manufacture school desks for the Department of Basic Education. With the support of the Department of Basic Education, and additional funding of the Jobs Fund, the programme is now turning into one of the Government’s most innovative, and successful, employment-creation programmes under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), implemented through the South African National Parks
Ladies and gentlemen, last year, we committed to ensuring that we work with existing green sectors to maximise job creation co-benefits, largely through the EPWP.
Our EPWP budget of over R9 billion over the MTEF period is for the implementation of concrete programmes in the land restoration, water resource and ecosystem service management sectors.
I reported during my department’s budget speech for the 2015/16 financial year to Parliament in May that we are on course towards the commitment made by the ANC in its manifesto to create five million job opportunities.
In the 2014/15 financial year, 69,158 work opportunities were created through our EPWP Environmental Programmes.
One such project is the Ga-Rankuwa Eco-Furniture programme Factory that we launched last year jointly with the Executive Mayor, Councillor Kgosientso Ramokgopa. But, before I expand on this project, let me pause to point out that the Ga-Rankuwa Eco-Furniture programme factory is one of the many ways in which the spread of invasive species can be reduced and jobs created in marginalised and poor communities.
Ladies and gentlemen, we underestimate the threat of invasive alien species at our peril. Their ability to convert natural systems, as well as agricultural systems, to waste lands can undermine all ecological and economic development, foundations in our country. For example, it has been shown that water catchments can dry up completely, when invasive species displace the indigenous vegetation. Not only do the rivers not run, but even if the invasive are cleared, the rivers may still not run for years. This is because the ground-water reserves may also have been depleted and must first recover before the rivers can run again.
The point is that we have to control invasive alien plants, and that is the first priority of this Eco-Furniture programme, and the associated value-added industries.
We are approaching the 20th anniversary of the Working for Water programme, designed to do exactly that. It is widely regarded as one of the world's most innovative and successful programme, and has achieved remarkable successes - some 38 000 previously unemployed people are doing this clearing work, and over 2.8 million hectares of land has been cleared.
But the fact is that invasive are spreading at such a rate, and new invasive species continue to establish, that far more needs to be done. The Eco-Furniture programme is part of that focus.
I want to mention at this point that the long-awaited National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act Regulations on Alien and Invasive Species were passed into law late last year. These Regulations are a critical component of the integrated approach to the prevention and control of invasive species.
Why I am mentioning this here, you may be wondering. It is because the focus that we have on value-added industries, including the Eco-Furniture programme, can help landowners to take control of land that they have allowed to become invaded. The costs of doing so can be high for badly neglected land, and the utilisation of this biomass can help to bring down the cost of this responsibility, while producing then useful products and thus contributing the growth of the South African economy.
As I have mentioned, what has catapulted this programme to what we now have, is the partnership with the Department of Basic Education. From almost a standing start, this programme - with the remarkable management drive and determination from Olga Jacobs and her team, and our DEA officials - is now looking to put over half-a-million learners behind a desk, mostly for the first time in their school careers.
Half-a-million. And not just any desk, but a high-quality, solid-wood desk that will last for many decades. And a desk that is significantly less expensive than what most schools have been paying for desks. Some people used to jokingly (and irreverently) call it the Walking on Water programme: it certainly has come close to performing miracles in this case.
Ladies and gentlemen, just over a year ago the Department of Environmental Affairs partnered with the City of Tshwane and North West Development Corporation to establish this Eco-Furniture Factory in the Ga-Rankuwa Industrial Park. The aim is to use invasive alien vegetation to create school furniture and create green jobs in the process.
We expect to create over 3 000 jobs through the programme, across the country. Currently 226 full-time jobs opportunities have been created for previously unemployed people here at the Ga-Rankuwa factory, mainly from the City of Tshwane’s Tshepo 10 000 programme. The programme is expected to create 900 EPWP jobs opportunities in Ga-Rankuwa, once the factory is fully operational.
Over and above skills development, the City of Tshwane’s overall objective is to contribute to government’s New Growth Path and job creation agenda.
The Ga-Rankuwa Eco-Furniture programme factory is also a credit to the City of Tshwane. It has developed an industry around the clearing of invasive biomass, converting the trees into usable material and manufacturing an assortment of furniture products.
Providing work for the local unemployed is an important aim of the project, and in this respect it is doing well. The project provides job opportunities that bring the unemployed into a working environment to obtain skills and work experience.
Besides the creation of employment opportunities, the project provides extensive training in fields that have a good absorption rate in the public and private sectors. However, experience has shown that employees tend to remain with the factories, as there are career progression opportunities. The factory is also embarking on the establishment of a training facility.
There is an abundance of invasive alien plants that must be harvested and used in this factory. The key targeted species are eucalyptus (gum) and pine trees, but several other invasive species are being harvested. The factory requires at least 160 cubic metres of logs per month. In order to achieve this, at least 400 cubic metres of trees are removed per month. The surrounding area will also be cleared of other invasive plants. To date, the factory has harvested over 1 210 cubic metres of trees.
The factory is currently capacitated to produce 200 school desks per day. This will be geared up to 400 double-combination desks per day. In addition, we are looking at the manufacture of other products such as coffins, garden benches, chess tables, walking sticks and cement-fibre boards. It currently runs five days a week with two shifts per day.
Ladies and gentlemen, the expansion of the Eco-furniture programme is being considered and may include furniture that Government can use for its own purposes. The quality of this furniture is on show for you all to see. The expansion is going to go to building materials. We are kitting out houses for our parks. We are looking at shelving for public libraries. The scope to use the invasive alien biomass for productive purposes is massive.
We may be able to move to the potential of wood-plastic composites, in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation, making an even broader range of useful products, and helping us to rid the countryside of the scourge of invasive alien plants in the process.
One of the most exciting opportunities is the potential of converting shacks to long-term green houses, using a cement-fibre board that has remarkable properties for fire-resistance, thermal comfort, security, noise abatement and other benefits for our poor. I do not want to talk too much about this now, as it is a launch in its own right. But you had a glimpse of the potential in the video shown by Ms Rampeng.
We also have exciting potential opportunities for converting biomass to energy, working in partnership with the Independent Power Producers.
I have also already told our management that we must now raise our focus on eco-coffins, to help to reduce the cost of bereavement for the poor. I want to see women's groups partnering with us, along with the faith-based organisations, to really make a difference in this regard.
This is very exciting work, demonstrating yet again the commitment of our Government to meet the needs of our people.
I want to commend the Tshwane Metro for their proactive approach to working with us, to make this magnificent factory available to the EFP. We owe a great debt of gratitude, too, to the North West Development Corporation. And the Jobs Fund has provided not only an impetus to the programme, but value guidance in terms of best management practices.
Thank you. Thank you.
There are several hundred people from the area, who will secure work in the programme, who will echo his thanks. You see some of them here, in the sea of yellow. The Mayor's personal involvement in this must be acknowledged and appreciated.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me let you in to a necessary change of name for this programme. It was originally called the Eco-Furniture Factories. We naturally shortened it to the EFF. When a noisy rabble chose to use this same acronym, we thought it better to call it the Eco-Furniture Programme - the EFP.
My thanks to each and every one of you for what we are collectively doing for our environment and our nation. I am so delighted to see so many young people - and so many women among them - being part of this success. We are going to build on this, together. Together, we are going to do more.
How delightful to be able to commission this Eco-Furniture programme factory here in Ga-Rankuwa.
Thank you.
