Ms Nomatyala Hangana at a conference on Waste Management, Emperors Palace
22 March 2007
Programme director
Honourable Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
MECs for Local Government and Environmental Affairs
Honourable Mayor of Ekhuruleni Metropolitan Municipality, Councillor Duma
Nkosi
All Mayors and Councillors present
Director-Generals and other Senior Officials of our three spheres of
government
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen:
As we pursue the targeted economic growth of 6 percent set out in
Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA), it is
imperative that we manage the proportionately higher amount of waste as
effectively and efficiently as possible. Failure to do so will place an
insurmountable burden on the future generation that will be left with an
environment that will be harmful to their well-being.
It is therefore opportune for the Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism (DEAT) to introduce the Waste Management Bill at this point to create
an environment conducive for the building leaner and healthier living space for
now and the future.
Our main challenge is how we can create a healthy balance between higher
growth in economic activities and the extent of damage to our precious
environment. All the benefits of growth would be undone if we fail to manage
the side effects created by the waste generated by such growing economic
activities and subsequent higher consumption level. It is the responsibility of
Local Government to ensure that individuals are protected from hazardous
environment. To achieve this objective, municipalities are expected to play a
leading role in refuse removal and the management of waste in general.
It is my assertion that the timing to host this conference on waste
management, a subject which is well documented and highly spoken but
disappointingly with little significance of scale when it comes to outputs on
the ground. Some of you will concur with me that waste management services is
receiving a lip service hence it is a leg behind from all other sectors. This
conference presents to us an opportunity to change the ranging perceptions,
attitude and miscommunications that are attributed to the non-delivery of
services by local government.
President Mbeki in his State of the Nation Address of 9 February 2007
encouraged us to renew our pledge, to act in partnership to realise the
happiness for all that should come with liberty, to work together to build a
South Africa defined by a common dream. Our common dream Deputy Minister should
be to empower municipalities to breakthrough the repulsive and ugly state of
our environment.
The Polokwane Declaration adopted in 2001 has mooted to reduce waste
generation and disposal by 50 and 25 percent respectively by 2012. Information
drawn from the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) hearings held in 2005, showed
that overall waste management especially the management of refuse removal was
one of the foremost backlog challenges to be addressed by municipalities in all
provinces.
Waste management receives less prominence in municipal strategies and plans
despite the potentially negative impacts on the health and safety of poor
communities and the integrity of the environment.
Various IDP Assessments highlighted a range of issues such as (1) a lack of
institutional structural capacity, (2) insufficient technical capability and
skills, and (3) inadequate intergovernmental collaboration, which have impeded
negatively on the potential of integrated development planning to adequately
address the development challenges and issues facing the communities residing
and conducting business in the metros and districts of our country. Integrated
development planning across the spheres is important in guiding infrastructure
investment, service delivery and economic development at a local level.
In taking stock of this sector my preliminary examination informs me that
the contributory factors include:
* failure to elevate waste management on equal footing with other
sectors
* false assumption that public sector can single-handedly attend to all waste
management challenges
* acute lack of deployment of resources to prioritise waste management
* lack of coherent planning framework at local government
In particular, accelerating service delivery will also contribute to the
Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGISA), and will assist
in achieving the targeted economic growth rate of 6 percent through job
creation as well as the establishment of well-serviced areas conducive for
economic investment and development.
Accelerating service delivery requires us to creatively introduce new ways
of supporting local government to develop the capacity to discharge its mandate
as a sphere of government. The Five Year Local Government Strategic Agenda
adopted by Cabinet proposes three priorities, namely:
* mainstreaming hands on support to local government in order to improve
municipal governance, performance and accountability
* addressing the structure and governance arrangements of the state in order to
strengthen, support and monitor local government, and
* refining and strengthening the policy regulatory and fiscal environment for
local government.
In order to achieve greater acceleration in service delivery, towards
meeting the millennium development goals, hands on support should be channelled
to municipalities to intensify the current capacity.
Programme director, I must say that the Waste Management Bill could not have
come at a better time. It comes at a time when the whole focus of government
and other key stakeholders is channelled to strengthen the capacity of local
government to realise universal access for all citizens. Universal access must
mean all South Africans must access basic predictable and reliable service
levels in the key areas we have already committed. The first decade of our
freedom was about breaking the back of mass access to services; the second
decade has to be about universal access to critical services.
In our deliberations we should discuss the Waste Management Bill in relation
to the roles each sphere of government should give to municipalities.
Chairperson the role of DEAT is to establish the legal framework for waste
management and ensure that local government have the necessary capacity and
resources to effectively carry out waste management responsibilities.
We need to provide local government with guidelines; capacity building
measures to ensure that they have the technical know how to fulfil their waste
management responsibilities. Capacity should be enhanced on planning, adequate
budgeting, cost accounting, financial monitoring and evaluation. Most
municipalities do not have accurate information on the real costs of
operations. Introduction of improved planning tools, accounting and financial
analysis should be the thrust of the broader efforts to increase the
efficiency, accountability and commercial orientation of waste management.
In order to achieve waste minimisation, we have to look into partnership
arrangement between municipalities and private sector, especially where waste
collection is insufficient. To extend service coverage especially in low-income
areas the use of low-cost areas, community managed collection systems should be
encouraged.
Waste generation is conditioned by people's attitudes towards waste, their
patterns of material use, their interest in waste reduction and minimisation is
influenced by general awareness. Awareness building measures should therefore
be introduced to improve waste handling practices. I wish you well in your
deliberations.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Provincial and Local Government
22 March 2007
Source: Department of Provincial and Local Government (http://www.dplg.gov.za)
