Forestry at the launch of the Inkomati Catchment Management Agency
2 November 2006
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
It is both a pleasure and a privilege to join you today at this very
important occasion.
Today, South Africa is joining other countries of the World in implementing
one of the resolutions agreed to at the Rio World Summit in 1992. This
resolution was further reinforced at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg. The resolution is a simple yet profound one. It is
a resolution that decision-making regarding natural resources be done at the
lowest appropriate level; a resolution that people should be involved in
natural resource management decisions that affect their lives.
The White Paper on a National Water Policy for South Africa gives effect to
this approach, allowing for the establishment of Catchment Management Agencies,
which "will be developmental in nature, and serve the interests of equity,
corrective action and optimum use of water. The governance structure of
Catchment Management Agencies will balance the requirement to reflect the
interests of various stakeholders with the need to ensure the effective
management of the catchment area."
So, we are here today to witness the birth of the first of 19 Catchment
Management Agencies. It has been a long gestation period, but I am sure that
this baby will grow into a healthy and wise adult in time.
President Mbeki, in his State of the Nation Address, pointed out that this
year sees both the 15th Anniversary of the first meeting of Convention for a
Democratic South Africa (CODESA), and the 10th Anniversary of the adoption of
our Constitution. Both these events were seminal in that they shaped the road
ahead for our country, a road towards peace and prosperity. In these years we
have travelled well down this road and have indeed made much progress. However,
there are still many challenges ahead, and these challenges we must face
head-on if we are to achieve our dream of a truly peaceful and prosperous
nation.
National Government has not been scared to face the many challenges of
redressing the inequities that have scarred our history. But re-building a
nation is not for the faint hearted. It was in the early 1860's that Abraham
Lincoln, the United States President who was responsible for the dismantling of
slavery in that country, noted that "a house divided against itself cannot
stand." After almost five years of civil war, President Lincoln pointed out
that the hardest part of the war was to be able to accept each other in
brotherhood and sisterhood, and to work together to re-build the nation.
Some 140 years later we as a nation find ourselves in a similar position.
The house could not stand and it is now up to us, together, to re-build our
nation for the benefit of all its citizens. To quote President Mbeki: "Periods
of a decade and decade-and-a-half are but fleeting moments in the life of any
nation." In our case we have lived through these years conscious of the
enormous effort it would require of all of us to unshackle our country from the
heavy chains that tie us to its past. We have known that it would take
considerable time before we could say we have eradicated the legacy of the
past. We have expected that the circumstances handed down to us by our history
would indeed condemn us to a 'petty pace' of progress towards the achievement
of the goal of "a better life for all."
While we have done well over the past 12 years, we still have much to do and
achieve. We are a water scarce country. We are also a country with very high
levels of poverty, particularly in our rural areas. Because of apartheid, the
vast majority of poor people in this country are black. Poverty wears the mask
of an African woman. It is our job to change that. It is the job of the
Inkomati Catchment Management Agency to change that. We must eradicate poverty
so that all our people can live in dignity, so that all our children can reach
their full potential, so that our nation can grow and prosper.
This means that we must find creative ways to ensure that water is available
to black people in South Africa; not just water for drinking, food and washing,
but water for productive purposes water for irrigation, for businesses, for
economic development. We must find creative ways to redistribute water and
access to the benefits derived from water.
Compulsory licensing is one tool in our armament for redistribution of
water. It is a tool that will, and must be applied in the Inkomati area very
soon. This is an area of water stress; demand exceeds supply here. You know
that we cannot make more water. Therefore, in order to achieve equity, in order
to give black people access to water for productive purposes, we will have to
reduce the water use by the privileged white minority. The Catchment Management
Agency will be a crucial part of this process. It is my sincere hope that
through the representation of all stakeholders on the Catchment Management
Agency Board; through widespread consultation, the people of the Inkomati area
will work together for a sustainable and equitable distribution of water.
Of course, this is also an area prone to droughts, and floods, like many
other parts of South Africa. The Catchment Management Agency will have to plan
for the future. It will have to plan, with the people of Inkomati to ensure
that there is sufficient water to get through the dry and the wet periods. It
will have to plan what to do when there is not enough water. It will have to
plan how to ensure sufficient water of an appropriate quality to foster
economic growth and development in this area. In this planning it will have to
work very closely with local, provincial and national government. This
Catchment Management Agency will lead the way in ensuring that local
governments' Integrated Development Plans, the provincial growth and
development plans, the plans of national departments and the National Water
Resources Strategy, are all reflected in and supported by the Inkomati
Catchment Management Strategy.
Crucially, I also expect the Catchment Management Agency to forcefully drive
a programme for water conservation and demand management in all sectors using
water in this area. We know that there are high levels of water wastage in
local authorities. We know that many farmers can improve their water use. We
know that removing illegal plantations and invasive alien plants will make more
water available for legitimate users and for redistribution to those who have
no water.
And at the same time, while trying to squeeze out enough water to meet the
needs of the people of Inkomati, the Catchment Management Agencies will have to
ensure that they protect our rivers and wetlands. They must ensure that there
is sufficient water to meet the reserve; water that is crucial to maintain the
life and health of our rivers; water that will ensure that our children's
children can still bask in the beauty of our rivers.
The Inkomati Catchment Management Agency faces another challenge, however:
ensuring that we provide water to neighbouring states as agreed. The Southern
African Development Community (SADC) region is one of the few areas in the
world with a functioning protocol on managing shared river basins. Our water
law is very progressive on this matter, recognising the importance of ensuring
water for downstream countries. We do this not just because it is the law and
we are obliged to, but because we are committed to the development of the
region, and we know how important water is for development, in South Africa,
and in Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and indeed, everywhere.
The presence today of the Ministers from Mozambique and Swaziland shows the
importance of multilateral co-operation in the use and management of shared
watercourses. South Africa has established a joint water commission with
Mozambique and with Swaziland, as well as all three countries forming the
Tripartite Permanent Technical Committee. This committee will help to manage
the water flow of the Inkomati River and Maputo River during times of drought
and flood, and they will be looking at how to protect and develop these water
resources.
I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate Mozambique on their
willingness to host the Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM) Secretariat.
This commission sees co-operation between South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique
and Zimbabwe to improve general water resource management in the Limpopo Basin,
as well as do water resource assessments and work with the United Nations
Habitat on a project on land use planning, flood warning and flood
mitigation.
The Inkomati Catchment Management Agency was the first to be established.
Since then I have established another three, and I will establish a further
four during the course of this year. We must recognise that it has been a slow
process to reach this point, but things are now beginning to gather speed and
momentum. It is my firm belief that the slower processes have allowed for
better and deeper consultation as well as allowing the necessary time for less
informed stakeholders to get on board. Ultimately, I believe that this approach
is more credible and will provide for a more sustainable institution in the
longer term.
It is extremely important that we bring all stakeholders on board,
particularly the poor and the marginalised. The establishment of this Catchment
Management Agency is a critical part of deepening democracy in this area. It is
important that we place our crosses on ballot sheets on election days. But this
is not the "be-all and end-all" of democracy. The right to have your say about
a variety of matters that impact upon your life is an important aspect of a
democratic society. Catchment Management Agencies will foster more localised
water resource management through participative structures and processes.
Hence, with time and the development of institutional capacity Catchment
Management Agencies will be delegated increasing functions and
responsibilities. They will become, once operational, the voice and face of
water resource management in this water management area. As such, I expect them
to communicate with stakeholders, to listen to stakeholders, and to ensure that
stakeholders have the channels and mechanisms to communicate their needs and
requirements to the Agency. In particular, I expect them to listen to the
voices of the poor, the marginalised and the weak.
I expect this Agency to be developmental in nature, to champion the
development and upliftment of poor, rural and marginalised communities. I
expect them to help us to achieve the government agenda.
The first Business Plan for the Inkomati Catchment Management Agency has
been developed and approved by me. The Catchment Management Agency has
appointed a Chief Executive Officer Mr Sizile Ndlovu. Within the next few
months they will make appointments of first line managers and will start making
their presence felt within this water management area. My department will
provide technical, administrative and financial support throughout the
institutional development period.
The family of Water Management Institutions represents a reservoir of
technical and managerial skills that we must harness in the process of building
the capacity of all institutions responsible for managing water and delivering
services to our people. The Komati Basin Water Authority (KOBWA) around the
corner is a case in point where you can foster good working relations and the
sharing of expertise. We need to appreciate and strategise on how to
efficiently use the skills and expertise of the people in the Water Sector that
have been accumulated over time. We must also keep in mind that government over
the past number of years has heavily invested in these people. This is the
investment that we need to utilise for equitable social and economic
development.
I am aware that the Board of the Inkomati Catchment Management Agency has
developed a plan to communicate their activities and new role they will be
playing in the management of water within the entire Catchment and will soon be
seen and heard by all our communities. I applaud and encourage these
efforts.
I will ensure that the Board of Inkomati puts in place excellent corporate
governance supported by good functional policies, systems, procedures and
compliance requirements so that they are not found wanting by oversight bodies
and do not let down the people of Nkomati through poor governance of the
institution. Be assured of my department's full support in this matter.
Let me end by commending Board Members for taking an enormous responsibility
of stewardship of the first water Catchment Management Agency of its kind in
South Africa. Your task requires a high degree of integrity, commitment, and
responsibility. I trust that you will exercise your role in this spirit, and in
the interests of the people of South Africa, and in the aim of developing a
better life for all.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
2 November 2006
