K Mosunkutu: Tabling of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment Annual
Report

4 December 2007

Speaker of the House Mr Richard Mdakane
Madam Deputy Speaker: Sophia De Bruyn
Premier: Mbhazima Shilowa
Members of the Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Friends and Colleagues
Guests
Ladies and gentlemen

1. Introduction

I feel privileged to have this opportunity to account to this legislative
authority, and by extension, to the citizens of Gauteng. This is a brief
account on what my department has done to contribute to a future with a
humanism that is the core of the abiding aspirations of all South Africans. I
believe that it is important to note that today's discussions take place nine
days after the start of the 16 days of Activism Against Women and Children
Abuse campaign.

Needless to say, this campaign is aimed at eliminating what is an antithesis
to the very core of the humanism that so many have sacrificed so much to
attain.
Notwithstanding the bountiful material gains yielded by our democratic
dispensation, every day and in all corners of the land, some women and girls
are still beaten, raped, psychologically tortured and/or killed. Some of the
victims of this bestiality are left with little hope of a better tomorrow. The
perceived impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators is built, to a large extent, on
the moral foundation of patriarchy, inequality and the persistent racial
bigotry that our democratic dispensation still has to completely wipe out.

As a direct contribution to the 16 Days of Activism campaign, the awakened
men and women of my department started yesterday community food gardens, in
Chiawelo, for the victims of this heinous crime. Also in direct support for the
campaign, other community food gardens will be started tomorrow in Meadowlands.
These projects are implemented working hand-in-glove with the communities of
Chiawelo and Meadowlands. Naturally, we also participate in other provincially
co-ordinated initiatives. It is also a fact that, essentially, all government
programmes are aimed at reclaiming the humanitarian fibre of our nation. We do
that in the form of government programmes in order to build a caring and
effective government that continuously seeks to extend human rights to all
people, women and children included.

Commenting on the report by the Portfolio Committee, I first wish to commend
the Committee, under the chairpersonship of Madam Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, for
their oversight performance in relation to the work of my department. In their
report, the Committee raised a few issues that I have to respond to. Before I
proceed and respond to these issues, I wish to join the Committee in giving a
perspective to some of the milestones notched by the department during the
financial year under review.

2. Some milestones notched during the year under review

2.1 Fighting poverty and building secure and sustainable communities:
Starting with the strategic objective of building secure and sustainable
communities, it should be noted that certain segments of our population
continue recklessly to debase the very source of materials we all depend on to
build a better life for all our people.

It is a fact of life itself that we derive provisioning, recreational and
regulatory services from the ecosystem. Taking steps to reverse this gratuitous
destruction, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) enacted
the National Environmental Management Act (Nema), as amended. Among other
issues, the Act called for rectification of some of the permits issued for the
development of some socio-economic infrastructure.
Despite the tight time frames and the complex nature associated with the
process, I am happy to announce that the relevant departmental unit managed to
process well over 1 400 rectification applications within the stipulated
time-frame. Additionally and further contributing to the provincial strategic
objective of stimulating faster economic growth, more than 1 600 Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) applications were processed during the year.

Further contributing to the objective of developing healthy and sustainable
communities, our Sustainable Use of the Environment Branch produced a Waste
Collection Standard and Waste Cleansing Standards. We also produced Abattoir
Waste and Sewer Treatment Plant Manuals.

Related to this broad strategic goal is the work that we do in the
agricultural sector to fight poverty. In addition to providing hands-on
assistance to 106 food production units, which include poultry and vegetable
projects, we helped bring to life 35 new community food projects during the
year under review. In addition 9 308 household food gardens were also
established and the beneficiaries were provided with, among others, the
requisite gardening tools, seeds and training by officials of the
department.

We were also able to contribute towards:

2.2 Stimulating faster economic growth and drastically reducing
unemployment: Members of the house are probably aware that my department is the
first South African and continental recipient of the International Standard
Organisations (ISO) 17020 certification. The road towards this international
recognition started during the year under review. Essentially the award
recognises the world-class standards of the inspection work we do in
certification. This work entails first-class calibration of the tools used in
the industry. It also entails ensuring that the necessary levels of sterility,
throughout the critical areas in the abattoir environment are maintained. This
international recognition will certainly contribute positively to the country's
international standing, especially in the export market.

Using standards that led to the ISO 17020 recognition, 4 292 abattoir
inspections were carried out, 10 805 export veterinary certificates were issued
and 1 023 export consignment inspections were conducted this was all done
during the financial year under review. Having finalised and launched the
Gauteng Agricultural Development Strategy, we also finalised the
Agro-processing Strategy. Through this strategy, vigorous development of
down-stream agricultural sectors, including pharmaceutical, essential oils,
bio-fuels, leather and hides and processed animal feed industries, is
envisaged.
We hope to provide more a positive and concrete outcome of this development in
the near future.

Collaborating with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), we also launched
a R1,5 million hydroponics crops production project. In addition to being a
valuable resource in the battle against poverty, this project is expected to
also contribute to job creation and the economic development strategy of the
province especially as it will further enhance production of export quality
crops.

In another collaborative work with the ARC, we commissioned research into
ethno-botany and the first ethno-botany project was launched. This also has a
potential to contribute to the provincial economy. The World Health
Organisation estimates that approximately between 70% and 80% of the
populations of developing countries rely on traditional medicine.

Our provincial ecosystem boasts thousands of plant species that are
important in ethno-botany. Over 30 000 of these species are reportedly used as
medicine in one form or another and about 350 of these are used and traded as
medicinal plants. Numerous species of these plants are harvested especially
from our grasslands. Available reports suggest that over 700 tons of plant
products are traded annually in Gauteng, making this an unlikely but
potentially lucrative commercial sector, if properly harnessed. The strategic
goal of building an effective and caring government was not neglected. Our
contribution in this area of work, include the establishment of the Gauteng
Environmental Management Inspectorate.

2.3 Building an effective and caring government: Launched in July 2006, the
provincial Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs) are already a recognized
brand. True to what a brand should do, the Green Scorpions inspire confidence
among those who know that a better life for all is intertwined to a healthy and
sustainable environment.

The EMIs are a disciplined and capable force that contributes towards the
realisation of our quest for a better life for all. They are a disciplined
force that understand and respect human rights, the value of life and the
environment. They are fully aware of the strategic objective of further
facilitating provincial and national economic growth for the benefit of all our
people. Within the short period of their existence, they have investigated over
42 cases, including international trafficking in flora and fauna.

The work of the Gauteng Green Scorpions is, naturally, supported and
complemented by the outstanding vigilance of the department's Legal Services,
Policy and Research Coordination Branch. To ensure effective governance and
curb what could easily translate to unbridled and anarchic greed, this Branch
has had to defend effective governance against numerous industrialists. The
promotion of good inter-government relations also constitutes part of the work
performed by the Branch – to this extent, the branch formulated, during the
year under discussion, the department’s Intergovernmental Relations
Implementation Protocol.

Outstanding work contributing to realization of the objective of building a
caring government department was also executed by the Human Resources
Development Directorate. Four Adult Basic Education and Training programmes,
involving over sixty workers, were implemented during the financial year under
review. To further build a pool of potential targets for employment within the
department, especially for the scarce skills category, we exceeded the
provincial target of taking eight percent of the total departmental personnel
as interns as we took on board 14,7% interns.

Also of critical importance, the vacancy rate was reduced from 23% to 15%
during the year under review, despite the fact that the department had grown in
size by 44%. Through the work of this directorate, we also created, during the
year under discussion, a middle management forum not only for purposes of
preparing and training the second layer of leadership, but also to increase the
department's participative management capacity.

Through our Transformation Branch, we also have notched significant success
in relation to employment equity with well over 60% of managers coming from the
previously disadvantaged racial groupings of our society. We also have 43%
female Chief Directors, 41 % female Directors, 41% female Deputy Directors, 46
% female Assistant Directors and a 53% female junior management cadre.

External to the department, the branch contributed to the development of the
Provincial Preferential Procurement policy. Working with national departments,
we are also involved in the development and implementation of the Broad-Based
Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEEE), especially for the agricultural
sector.
Friends and colleagues, we are fully cognisant of government's approach to
communications which exhorts us all to communicate in a manner that encourages
citizens to be consciously involved in the complex social transformation
process. Aware of this strategic approach, we have used various communication
platforms, including internal communications through our intranet and internal
print media. We also have used our website for two-way communications with
external stakeholders. The department's media relations have been able to
adequately communicate, through the commercial media, the service delivery
milestones of our department.

Direct inter-action with stakeholders has also been maintained through the
BKB processes, the MEC's stakeholder engagement calendar and capacity building
workshops. Details of the department's performance, during the year under
discussion, are documented. Copies of this report are available. I now wish to
proceed and comment on the report compiled by the Portfolio Committee

3. Comments on the Portfolio's report

Whist I commend the Portfolio Committee for their wonderful oversight work,
I wish to re-iterate a comment I made during a similar presentation in this
House last year. Elements of the report then had encouraged me to comment thus:
‘We have a responsibility to show evidence of earnest attempt to understand the
objective circumstances regardless of the newness of the situation. This
comment was occasioned by the fact that it became clear, at least to me, that
our constitutional and legislative mandate and restrictions are not fully
understood by the Portfolio Committee.

I do think that it is important to repeat the remark that I made last year
on this occasion. No human action takes place outside of established objective
reality and since we want to achieve our objectives, necessarily we must strive
to understand the social, economic and political conditions that would help to
determine whether we are succeeding or failing in our stated objectives.
Emphasising the absolute correctness of this as a departure point, Amilcar
Cabral, writing in 'The weapon of theory' remind us of the saying "no matter
how hot the water from your well, it will not cook your rice." The saying
expresses a fundamental truth that, however fine and attractive the reality of
others may be, a reality can be best understood through detailed knowledge of
the phenomenon.

I must say that, according to my observation, colleagues still need to put
more effort with regard to earnestly trying to understand the milieu in which
their oversight work is conducted. Failure to do this could easily render
excellent efforts immaterial to the real situation. I should first briefly
indicate that the department was given an unqualified audit report without any
emphasis of matter and in my opinion this reflects a clean audit although there
is some dispute as to what is the status of "other matters" in relation to the
definition of a clean audit.

For this, I am grateful and extend my appreciation to all managers and staff
members of the department. This said and done, I wish to note the following
comments of the Portfolio Committee:

3.1 Comments on under-expenditure: I've noted that the bulk of comments from
the Portfolio Committee revolve around departmental expenditure. On Page nine
of the committee’s report, the committee erroneously notes under- expenditure
in relation to the World Heritage Site and Dinokeng. An attempt to objectively
understand the situation would have obviated this glaring error.

Dinokeng and the World Heritage Site are located within a different
Government department. The R1 000 allocations was meant simply to hold the
account alive as we are still conducting some minor administrative work for
some of the Blue IQ projects. This was explained to the committee.

3.2 In the introductory comments of the report, the committee states that it
conducted an oversight visit to beneficiaries of the department's programmes in
Ekurhuleni. Another stakeholder engagement with citizens of Sebibeng was
undertaken. Indeed, these are important elements of participative democracy. It
is, however, important to note that comments from two critical stakeholders
should not necessarily be construed to be what happens in general.

Departing from the specific, it always is critical to move to the general.
Moving from this point of view, it would probably have been revealed that a
total of 44 capacity-building workshops were held in all municipalities within
Gauteng. Members of the public, among others, are the target audiences of these
engagements.

In addition, more that 20 information sessions were held in Multi-Purpose
Community Centres of Gauteng. Bearing this in mind, it would, perhaps, have led
to some circumspection prior to suggesting that there is gross lack of
information, on the side of the public, on what the department is doing.

3.3 Acquisition of vehicles and protection of state assets: The Portfolio
Committee's comments, on page 23, in relation to steps taken to ensure better
protection of government assets, are reduced to poor planning. I wish to remind
the House that the need to better protect state assets is an ongoing challenge.
Elements of the past, both within and outside the system, still consider
government a soft target. Taking extra security measures, including ensuring
electronic finger-print identification of personnel who use government
vehicles, would, in different circumstances, be acknowledged as positive
pro-active management steps to better utilise resources and maximize service
delivery.

I also wish to acknowledge the positive comments of the committee on inward
focus in relation to skills development. In steps calculated to increase the
pool of available scarce skills and as a measure aimed at retention of scarce
skills, we have already started offering a large number of bursaries for
further education and training of external candidates on skills and disciplines
relevant to our work.

I also wish to acknowledge the recommendations made by the Portfolio
Committee on page 25, point nine. In relation to the recommendation that the
Green Scorpions should intensify its working relations with local
municipalities, I wish to report that steps are already underway to achieve
this goal. We hope that we will soon be able to report more positively on this
aspect.

4. Conclusion

In conclusion, allow me, Comrade Mdakane, Speaker of the House, to use this
opportunity to reaffirm my commitment to the policies and programmes of the
African National Congress, without which the crime that I spoke of in my
introduction and, indeed, the immense political, economic and social benefits
that millions of our people today enjoy, would not have been possible.
Knowing that, to quote the words of Ho Chi Minh, 'only when the root is firm,
can the tree live long where victory is built with the people as the
foundation,' I commit to continue, in partnership with our communities,
contributing to the solidification of the tree of our democracy through
efficient and effective service delivery.

I also wish to take this opportunity to thank the Head of my department, Dr.
Steven Cornelius, and all managers and staff members in the department.
Consciously or otherwise, these men and women spend the better part of their
working lives contributing to a great cause - building a better life for the
people of Gauteng.

I thank you for this opportunity and for listening to my message.

Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Gauteng
Provincial Government
4 December 2007