Affairs and Forestry 2006/07, National Assembly
23 May 2006
âWater and Forests for Shared Growth and Economic Developmentâ
Madame Speaker
Honourable members
Our stakeholders, and
Distinguished guests from the civil society
I am delighted to present the water, sanitation and forestry contribution to
the âAge of Hopeâ and the related challenges that President Mbeki referred to
in his State of the Nation Address earlier this year. In the aforesaid address,
the need to move faster to tackle the challenges of poverty, underdevelopment
and marginalisation confronting those caught within the Second Economy, was
highlighted. We humbly submit that today our budget vote is a vehicle to
finance the instruments aimed at addressing some of these challenges.
In our response to the call by the President on the need to contribute to
the building of the capacity of the State, our department has instructed the
Water Research Commission to conduct a study of all capacity building
initiatives currently taking place within the Water Sector. The results of this
study will inform our 2025 Vision on Capacity Building.
We have initiated partnerships with the Tshwane University of Technology and
Universities of the Western Cape, Free State and Cape Town to develop learning
interventions to improve the skills base of the department and create a pool of
young technicians and engineers. An education programme for school children is
currently being undertaken by our department in partnership with Rand Water
Board and the Water Research Commission.
Government identified lack of skills as a major impediment to the
acceleration of service delivery and economic growth. Our contributions to the
Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition in South Africa (JIPSA) driven
by the Honourable Deputy President knows no boundaries, and I am pleased to
announce that we have negotiated a third agreement with the Peopleâs Republic
of Cuba in terms of which a team of engineers from Cuba will be seconded to the
department to facilitate effective service delivery and undertake On-the-Job
Training (OJT) of our technicians. We have also been offered the opportunity to
send students for training in Cuba.
In order to reposition the Department for accelerated service delivery, we
have undertaken internal restructuring and reorganisation. This led to the
establishment of the Forestry Branch and the Gender and Disability Unit. In
response to the Presidentâs call to place women at the centre of
decision-making, we have appointed five women to management positions in my
department in the last two months. This is an achievement that our department
and the Water Sector should celebrate. We have also taken steps recently to
strengthen the strategic role of our regional offices, which as you might know
are the implementation arms of the Department.
Combating poverty through local government support
Support to Local Government is part of the main aspects and role of my
department. A major project has been launched to assess each and every Water
Services Authority (WSA) in terms of complying with water related legislative
and regulatory requirements. The Provincial Water Summits that were held in all
the provinces which culminated in the National Water Summit have enriched our
understanding of the service delivery challenges faced by municipalities
throughout the country.
Our department has placed great emphasis on a Sector Wide Approach (SWA)
where we have accessed donor funding and pooled it together to achieve common
objectives under the auspices of the EU funded Masibambane Programme. These
funds have enabled municipalities to address capacity and institutional
constraints. We have literally facilitated the transfer of millions of rands to
capacity building programmes for local government.
Our department has also successfully spearheaded a number of collaborative
initiatives such as the establishment of Water Sector Forums in all the
provinces and the National Joint Response Team comprising DWAF, and our
partners, the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG), the South
African Local Government Association (SALGA), National Treasury (NT), and
corresponding Provincial Joint Response Teams. These Response Teams support
municipalities in deciding on the most appropriate water services provider
arrangements, and in taking transfer of assets and staff. We will continue with
this support until all Water Service Authorities (WSAs) have put in place water
service provision arrangements and have taken transfer of those assets and
staff that fall within their jurisdiction. We also have signed a MoU with
COSATU and NACTU committing ourselves to job creation, benefiting the locals in
all our projects.
Much work has been done to develop our Water Services Sector Support
Strategy which will be launched later this year. Part of the process has
included provincial workshops as well as focus groups to identify key services
provision problems and challenges facing municipalities. We are all aware of
the huge demands on local government and the human resource constraints many of
them face. We will in the current financial year within the Intergovernmental
Relations (IGR) continue to provide hands-on support and expertise to address
the capacity gaps in local government. Officials from our nine regional offices
are working with municipalities; engineers and technicians have in the same
vein been mobilised and deployed to the weakest municipalities.
Combating poverty means scaling up infrastructure for universal
coverage.
Madame Speaker, I am proud to announce that South Africa is the first
country to implement the 2004 decision taken at Dakar that all countries should
hold a sanitation week. We launched the first ever sanitation week in March
this year with the aim of promoting health and hygiene and raising the profile
of sanitation in our country.
We have therefore launched a sanitation acceleration delivery strategy
called âOperation Gijimaâ which targets the provision of rural sanitation. It
is designed to create jobs in the process of eradicating buckets. To make sure
that this happens we have allocated R11,4 million for 2006/07 for a sanitation
job creation project and we have deployed 21 engineers to focus specifically on
the bucket eradication project. The Alfred Nzo District Municipality, at Mount
Eyliff, is delivering 1 900 toilets per month.
The backlog of sanitation in schools has been reduced from 4 300 in
September 2004 to 2 118 by March 2006, with 2 190 schools reached in the last
financial year. We have targeted 2 117 schools to be provided with sanitation
this financial year. 300 clinics still lack sanitation facilities. 2 185 toilet
seats were provided in the 2005/06 financial year to clinic lacking these
facilities, and we will continue to work with the Department of Health to
address the backlogs once updated statistics are available to us.
The delivery of water remains constant at approximately one million per
annum and we see a steady increase in the delivery of sanitation services.
Approximately 19,2 million of our 22,4 million poor, i.e. 85% of all poor
households are currently receiving their water free of charge. Our Department
is addressing the âpolicy challengesâ that have been identified in the
implementation of the Free Basic Water policy so that all our communities can
benefit from this service. Specific challenges around the quantity of free
basic water within the context of HIV and AIDS as well as certain
implementation issues have been identified and are currently under
consideration from a policy point of view by my Department.
Our Department has been hard at work during this past year, holding summits
in each of our nine provinces to better appreciate the water and sanitation
needs of each province and to ensure that water and sanitation is integrated in
the Provincial Growth and Development Strategies (PGDSs). These summits were
not only a success, but they proved to be very useful strategy to ensure that
the machinery of government functions more smoothly. These summits provided an
opportunity for DWAF as a Sector Leader to engage in a Real Time joint needs
analysis and prioritisation with Provincial and Local government, Private
Sector, Academic institutions and other stakeholders within the sector.
The outcomes of the summits held by DWAF will definitely influence the
Policy formulation processes and the trends in budget allocations within the
department. DWAF has commenced with processes to amend the National Water Act
and the Water Services Act. The amendments to the Forestry Acts have been
completed and have come into effect.
Combating poverty requires institutional reform
If we are serious about accelerating economic growth and development we have
to ensure optimal use of our resources and ensure that our institutions are
functioning efficiently and effectively, and are financially sustainable. We
cannot effectively address our backlogs and service delivery challenges while
our water service institutions remain as fragmented and under capacitated.
Our institutional reform strategy is designed to create regional water
services providers to achieve greater efficiencies based on financial
viability. Through this strategy we want to take advantage of the economies of
scale, ensure optimal use of water resources, achieve alignment of existing and
future regional infrastructure, and ensure equitable access to water services
between developed and under developed areas. We expect that through this
process, we will maximise benefits derived from the existing capacity of our
Water Boards.
In accordance with the international best practice of decentralising and
democratising water resources management, great strides have been made in terms
of the establishment of Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs). The Inkomati CMA
has already been established and we are in the process of establishing more. We
envisage to establish the Thukela; Usutu-Mhlathuze; Gouritz; and Olifants-Doorn
Catchment Management Agencies in this current financial year.
DWAFâs role as supporter, leader and regulator within the sector, has
necessitated that our budget for Water Resources Management be increased from
R1,6 billion in 2005/06 to R2,2 billion in 2006/07. This allocation is expected
to rise to R2,4 billion and R2,96 billion in 2007/08 and 2008/09
respectively.
Combating poverty also requires strengthening our regulatory role
In the recently held National Water Summit, we were pleasantly surprised by
a call from local government for stronger regulation by our Department. Many
municipalities have indicated that without stronger regulation, budgets will
not be spent efficiently and that sustainability of service delivery may be
under threat as functions like operation and maintenance may not be
prioritised. We therefore make a commitment to finalise our Regulatory Strategy
by the end of the current financial year.
Subsequent to the problems experienced in Delmas, we embarked on a
comprehensive and robust drinking water quality management programme to both
regulate and support municipalities in ensuring that drinking water adheres to
the standards we have set. We have thoroughly investigated allegations of
maggots in drinking water in certain parts of our country and the results of
this investigation confirm that our water is safe to drink. A number of
Municipalities are now submitting monthly drinking water quality reports to our
Department and where necessary we are providing hands-on support and taking
corrective action. There is also a joint CSIR and DWAF database displayed in
the exhibition area which captures the state of the water in terms of quality
for each locality in the Free State Province which we plan to roll out to other
provinces.
Contribution to the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa
(AsgiSA)
Madame Speaker, water is an engine to development and poverty alleviation.
Water is an important input into the accomplishment of the AsgiSA. Three years
ago the President announced in this House the Olifants River Water Resources
Development Project in the Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces to provide water
for this hugely under-serviced area of our country and to unlock the mining
potential in support of the Growth and Development Strategies of these
Provinces.
I am glad to announce that the raising of the Flag Boshielo Dam as the first
phase of this project is almost complete. We are now continuing with
preparation for the implementation of the second phase and an amount of R300
million has been provided for in the budget. The construction of the De Hoop
Dam will comprise the first component of the second phase. This will not only
anchor the project but will also bring hope to those citizens who have been
deprived of basic human needs for so long. It will also create an opportunity
for expanding the mining activities in the area with associated stimulation of
economic growth and the creation of jobs.
The people living in the Sekhukhune District will reap the benefits related
to the construction of a road around the reservoir and the commencement of the
construction of the De Hoop Dam on the Steelpoort River. Some of the benefits
associated with this large infrastructure project will also be shared in the
Greater Tubatse District Municipality. Implementation activities will take into
account the need to minimise the negative impacts on people and ecological
systems. The project will certainly support our Governmentâs initiative for
accelerated and shared growth, AsgiSA.
In the Eastern Cape, there is a development programme in the Umzimvubu area
focusing on hydropower, afforestation and agricultural development. The
Department is looking at water needs to support this good initiative which will
bring huge economic growth benefits in this poor part of the country. There is
rejuvenation of eco-tourism around the N1 which is close-by to the Gariep Dam
and there is also a project of aquaculture to stimulate the livelihoods of the
Gariep community.
This year work will commence on a five-year programme to refurbish existing
water resources infrastructure. This is necessary to ensure the continued
supply of water at the required levels of assurance. The estimated cost of this
programme is about R1,7 billion.
In the light of our announcement last year of a relevant feasibility study
being undertaken, it gives me great pleasure to announce that on 3 August 2005
Cabinet gave us a go-ahead to start the process of establishing a National
Water Resource Infrastructure Agency whose main purpose would be to develop and
manage infrastructure to ensure economic benefits whilst providing for social
needs.
As an arm of government, we will not abandon the poor. Towards addressing
underdevelopment and marginalisation and ensuring that the poor share in
growing prosperity, we have initiated a programme of rainwater harvesting in
rural communities as well as a programme for supporting small scale black
farmers with a budget of R25 million for the current financial year.
We are almost completing the pilot project of our rainwater harvesting
programme with 73 rainwater harvesting tanks, affectionately known as the
Matangwana In the Free State (around Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo), being built in
25 villages across four provinces. During this financial year we envisage to
spend R12 million on a further 1500 rainwater harvesting tanks across five
provinces.
Combating poverty through Water Allocation Reform (WAR)
Honourable Members, last year we launched the Water Allocation Reform
programme, known as the WAR programme. The WAR programme is one of the
Departmentâs transformation highlights and it aims to reallocate water to
historically disadvantaged communities and individuals in order to address the
racial and gender biases that still exist in accessing water for productive
purposes.
We have earmarked this programme for accelerated growth and development
where we hope to see poor farmers graduating to commercial activities. As part
of the Reform Programme we have undertaken rehabilitation work at the Shiloh
irrigation scheme where we spent R13,2 million during 2005/06 to provide a
reliable water supply to the resource poor farmers on the scheme. Further
support will be provided to assist these farmers to become commercially
viable.
Combating poverty through the protection of our Resource
Whilst WSAâs performance in registering their water abstraction, and their
increasingly positive attitude towards water conservation and water demand
management, is encouraging, the situation in respect of discharges from sewage
treatment works into water resources is cause for considerable concern.
There are disturbing indications of resource degradations in several parts
of the country. The state of affairs at a number of sewage treatment works
throughout the country was recently investigated in a research study
commissioned by the Water Research Commission. The study revealed that there
were significant inadequacies in all aspects of the management of the
facilities operation, maintenance, rehabilitation and upgrading / extending at
about two-thirds of the works studied. The result is that the effluent
discharges are polluting the rivers into which they are discharged, with
corresponding negative effects on the quality of water available to downstream
users, including increased difficulties in treating water abstracted from the
rivers for subsequent human consumption.
The study has not yet assessed the extent to which the results of the
limited survey only 51 treatment works were studied, out of a total of around 1
400 facilities represent the country-wide situation, but there is reason to
expect that there is a large number of works with similar deficiencies.
The Forestry Sector Transformation Charter
During our address last year, we notified parliament about the Broad-Based
Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Charter process for the Forestry Sector that
was launched at the Forestry Indaba held on 18 April 2005. Since then, the
Charter Steering Committee and its Working Groups representing stakeholders
from the forest industry, government, labour and civil society has made good
progress with the development of the Forestry Charter. Various regional
consultation meetings have also been held where key elements of the Charter
were discussed with a wide range of stakeholders in the timber growing, saw
milling, pulp and paper processing and charcoal and pole production
sub-sectors.
The point has now been reached where the Steering Committee will consider
and finalise the draft charter during this month. The Chair of the Steering
Committee, Ms Gugu Moloi will hand me the document by the end of May 2006,
where after I will call a meeting with stakeholders to launch the publication
of the Charter as a draft document for public comments. There are a number of
key priority areas for BBBEE in the forest sector that have been identified by
the Steering Committee and its working groups and to which both industry and
government are committed.
Once public comments have been received on the draft Charter and the
Steering Committee has had an opportunity to finalise the document, it will be
presented to the Minister of Trade and Industry and the BEE Council. This is
scheduled for the end of September 2006. It must, however, be noted that a
number of Codes of Good Practice that set out benchmarks for BBBEE in the
country still need to be finalised and the forest sector role-players will
still have the opportunity to align the Charter with these benchmarks once the
Codes have been Gazetted.
International involvement
Our international involvement is both guided by and geared to support South
Africaâs commitment and contribution to the goal of the Economic Integration of
Africa, based on strong Regional Economic Communities. We will continue to be
active members of sub-regional structures established under the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) Treaty as well as the Revised Protocol on
Shared Watercourses. This involves amongst others, the establishment of River
Basin Organisations or their consolidation where they exist, to ensure the
judicious, equitable and sustainable management of our shared water resources.
This applies equally to our commitments relating to our bilateral relations
with our neighbours.
We intend playing an active role in ensuring that the African Ministersâ
Council on Water (AMCOW) effectively discharges its role as the custodian of
water resources in Africa in our common quest to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
Targets for Water and Sanitation. One of the major challenges that lie ahead is
the critical role that the water sector has to play in achieving the New
Economic Partnership for Africaâs Development (NEPAD) Infrastructure Programme.
We will also undertake the necessary high level consultations with other water
user sectors such as agriculture and energy, towards ensuring that water
contributes to the broader economic development of the continent.
I would like to share with you that South Africa has an extremely high
profile in the international water sector as a leader in Integrated Water
Resources Management (IWRM) This year, I had the privilege of having the
Chairpersons of the Portfolio and Select Committees in our delegation to the
Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico. We were frequently referred to as an
example of the best practice and we are recognised for our commitment to
scaling up service delivery within a framework of sustainable development and
economic growth.
Let us scale up our efforts today and defend the right of access by every
person to safe drinking water and to an environment that protects our precious
water and forestry resources. Let us conquer our most urgent enemies: poverty,
underdevelopment, and environmental degradation. We cannot afford to lose this
battle, for it is essentially the battle for life.
I would like to thank my special advisors for their contribution and
support. I would also like to express my appreciation to my Director-General
Jabu Sindane for his leadership and commitment, as well as all the officials of
my Department for their hard work and dedication. A word of thanks also goes to
the Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry and the representatives
of the entire water and forestry sectors, including municipalities and all the
associations.
In conclusion, it gives me great honour and pleasure to use the opportunity
presented by this address to launch the book: A history of the first decade of
Water Services delivery in South Africa 1994 to 2004. I dedicate this book to
the two Presidents of South Africa who served during the first decade of
democracy, namely Presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, and to my
predecessors who served as Ministers of Water Affairs and Forestry during same
period, namely Ministers Kader Asmal and Ronnie Kasrils. My Department and I
are highly indebted to the two presidents and the two ministers for the
leadership that they have provided us with in laying a firm foundation for
democracy and water services delivery in South Africa, thereby also putting us
on a path to achieving the Manager Director Generals and to remain true to the
ideals of the Freedom Charter that exhort us to share in the wealth of our
country.
I thank you very much.
Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
23 May 2006
