L Hendricks: WeedBuster Week

8 October 2007

MEC
Mayor and Councillors
Members of the Portfolio Committee on Water Affairs and Forestry
Members of the Select Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs
Distinguished guests
Programme Director
Ladies and gentlemen and learners

Dumelang, Good morning, goeiemôre.

I am honoured to be here in the Namaqua district to launch the National
WeedBuster Week and to join this community in celebrating our efforts to
protect the environment. This event is the first opportunity I have had to
visit Pella and I am very pleased to be here.

Our country has a very beautiful and diverse environment from the sand dunes
and beautiful flowers of the Namaqualand to the forests of Knysna, and the
beaches of Durban. It is the diversity of this country that defines us and it
is these natural resources that we must protect, to quote President Mbeki in
his speech at the adoption of the new Constitution in 1996: "I owe my being to
the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the
deserts, the trees, the flowers, the seas and the ever-changing seasons that
define the face of our native land.

My body has frozen in our frosts and in our latter day snows. It has thawed
in the warmth of our sunshine and melted in the heat of the midday sun. The
crack and the rumble of the summer thunders, lashed by startling lightening,
have been a cause both of trembling and of hope.

The fragrances of nature have been as pleasant to us as the sight of the
wild blooms of the citizens of the veld.

The dramatic shapes of the Drakensberg, the soil-coloured waters of the
Lekoa, iGqili noThukela, and the sands of the Kgalagadi, have all been panels
of the set on the natural stage on which we act out the foolish deeds of the
theatre of our day.

At times, and in fear, I have wondered whether I should concede equal
citizenship of our country to the leopard and the lion, the elephant and the
springbok, the hyena, the black mamba and the pestilential mosquito."

But amidst of all the beauty and the wonders of our country, we must not
forget our challenge of being a water scarce country, and the role this
resource plays in our environment and our economy. This past year we have
experienced an unusually hot summer, with less rainfall, which has resulted in
many of our dams being at very low levels. When compared to last year this time
our average dam levels are 20% lower – however this average picture hides that
in some areas such as Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal who have received good
rainfalls, their dam levels are doing okay, while in provinces such as Limpopo
and North West there have been severe water restrictions imposed on communities
and farmers. Fortunately the rains in many parts of the country over the past
few days have brought us some relief, yet we cannot relax and must still
protect our water resources, our most precious of natural resources.

The damage caused by alien invasive species for our environment and for our
water resources are significant, and the removal of these species, as well as
preventing them from spreading is a priority. The estimates we have show that
between 6% to 7% of our annual water run-off is being consumed by invasive
alien plants, and what is especially alarming is that this figure would get
progressively worse if we do not address the problem. In an environment where
we already have water scarcity we cannot afford to loose such a large amount of
water to alien invasive species. The negative impacts of alien invasive species
also do not stop there - others include: The degradation of our rich biological
diversity which is our heritage and must be protected. Our biological diversity
is also important because it underpins our tourism industry and creates jobs.
The damage done to the ecological integrity of our natural systems on which we
all depend for our livelihoods. For example, when species such as Water
Hyacinth take over a dam or a section of a river, they do not allow certain
species of fish and animal life to continue.

The problems of fire management and the havoc that alien-invasive fuelled
wildfires wreak on us from time to time, which happens because the alien
invasive species burn quicker and more intensely – they also use fire as a
means to spread so after the fires one can see the alien species growing
faster.

These species also take over productive land, which limits the land
available for planting agricultural products or food, they also can be
poisonous so cannot be eaten by animals and limit the land available for
grazing.

It is critical that the public are aware of the problems created and damage
caused by alien invasive species, so that they do not unintentionally bring
banned species into the country or spread them from one area to the next.
Prevention is obviously better than cure, and improvements must be made to
ensure that new invasive do not enter our shores unnoticed. The need for
constant improvement in our understanding of how these invasive spread, as they
do, and how we deal with them, also cannot be stressed enough.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Working for Water programme, which is led by my
department, was born out of the need to address the problems of alien invasive
species. Through the clearing, burning, use of biological control and spraying
of herbicides, we are tackling this massive problem of removing the alien
invasive species. Importantly, in doing so we are creating jobs and are
contributing to poverty alleviation.

I am very aware of the problems of poverty in this area and that Namaqualand
has been recognised by the government as a poverty node that receives attention
under our national poverty alleviation programmes. Prior to 1994 our country
has a long history of ignoring the economic development of people in small
rural towns, and it is important that the democratic government addresses the
needs of communities such as Pella.

Through the Working for Water Programme, and other Expanded Public Works
Programmes, we are helping to create some employment and are giving people
skills that they can use once they have left the programme. I am pleased to
hear of the positive impact that Working for Water has had on employment in
Pella, and the 55 opportunities that Working for Water provides to contractors
and workers from this area, result in approximately 300 people, or a third of
this town's population, directly or indirectly benefiting from the
programme.

Throughout the country, Working for Water has made a huge impact in
communities such as Pella, with approximately 30 000 work opportunities being
created annually. This programme has targeted the unemployed and ensured that
women are given an equal opportunity for employment in the programme. We have
also provided work opportunities to the youth, people with disabilities and to
those living with HIV and AIDS, thereby helping to restoring their dignity and
respect.

While Working for Water is an Expanded Public Works Programme, and therefore
does not provide permanent or full time employment, we have over the 12 years
since its creation ensured that the many tens of thousand of people who have
passed through the programme are given the dignity of being able to work and
earn an income for themselves, as well as, given skills development and
training. These skills are important so that once people exit the programme (to
create space for new entrants) they are able to use their new abilities to find
alternative employment or even start their own business. We have seen many
examples of people who have started very successful enterprises, some using the
very alien species cleared to make crafts and manufacture household items. I
have also been informed that there are plans to look at other businesses that
can use the cleared invasive, such as charcoal, furniture, and firewood.

Not that far from here, in the small Northern Cape village of Kakamas near
Kamieskroon, there is a craft business set up that is using the branches of
alien vegetation to manufacture what are known as 'memory sticks' that are used
by computers. The project creates jobs and contributes to the alleviation of
poverty through harnessing existing craft skills to something that is needed by
businesses and people who use computers across the world.

I encourage the contractors in the Pella Clearing Project who are due to
exit the programme to take that step so new people can benefit from the
programme, but they must to use their new skills and knowledge of invasive to
find other work or establish a small business like others have done, and to
even create opportunities for others. I will speak to our Northern Cape
regional office to look at bringing one of the government's small business
support organisations to visit you in Pella so that you can explore
opportunities for small businesses in this area.

Programme Director, in trying to create jobs and economic opportunities we
should always remember that the natural environment can be a powerful ally in
our efforts. So it is not only in the area of crafts or furniture manufacturing
that opportunities exist. By clearing the invasive we make our environment more
attractive for tourists to come and visit. And yes, people do want to come and
visit places like Pella, tourists want to explore the different landscapes,
cultures and history that exist across our vast and diverse country. More and
more tourists are coming to South Africa, and more South African's are
exploring their own country – many of whom are looking for interesting things
to do and new places to visit. Our Minister of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism informed us earlier this year that in 2006 there are over 8 million
people coming from other countries to visit South Africa, and this was an
increase of over 1 million people from the previous year. There are
opportunities in this area.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have already spoken about the impact that invasive
have on farming and grazing land, the clearing of invasive species and the
rehabilitation of that land will also mean that the land can be used for
farming. I am informed that the Department of Agriculture has already assisted
some contractors who have exited the programme with small scale farming
opportunities. Existing farmers can also make use of the exiting Working for
Water contractors, and use the contractors skills and knowledge of invasive to
clear their farming land so that it can be productively used.

To conclude, through this year's Weed Buster Week we are showing the
importance of protecting our natural resources and removing alien species, and
that by removing invasive not only do we create a better environment but we can
also create economic opportunities and employment. We need to educate people
and create awareness of the problems of alien invasive species so that we are
able to take control of this problem and prevent the spread and further damage
that can be caused by invasive.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Working for Water programme is more than just a
job for many of those involved – it is contribution to improving the
environment and to protecting our natural resources. I am encouraged by this
programme and the work that is being done to clear the invasive in this area,
and I ask that you keep up with the good work. I call upon all members of this
community to continue being Weed Buster and fighting invasive alien plants.

I would like to acknowledge the presence of the Mayor and Councillors, and
to thank the local government for their support of the Working for Water
programme in the fight against the invasive alien species. Your ongoing support
for this programme and working with the community to create new economic
opportunities and contributing to creating a better life for our people is very
important.

Finally, I would like to thank the organisers of this event who have gone to
so much effort in arranging everything here today.

I thank you

Issued by: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
8 October 2007