Environmental Affairs and Tourism Budget Vote
6 June 2006
Madam Speaker
Honourable Members
Distinguished Guests
Introduction
It is with pleasure that I address you on this Budget Vote, which in essence
depicts the achievements of this department over the last financial year. I
will of course not only reflect on our achievements, but also on some of the
challenges that we faced and continue to face. Additionally I will also reflect
on the programme for this year and how we intend to achieve some of the
deliverables as defined in the departmental business plan.
It was indeed a challenging year which saw us dealing with women leadership
and empowerment; land degradation, wetlands, invasive alien species and the
fight against poverty; democratisation and transformation of protected areas;
providing an effective and efficient weather service and establishing
partnerships and capacity for better waste management in this country.
Women and Environment
Honourable members, as we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of
womenâs protest in 1956 in August this year, I am reminded of Chief Albert
Luthuliâs words when he paid tribute to women and declared that âWhen the women
begin to take active part in the struggle as they are doing now, no power on
earth can stop us from achieving freedom in our lifetimeâ.
As a department we have to protect women and children from harsh
environmental conditions. These conditions range from exposure to toxic
chemicals to breathing polluted air and drinking unsafe water. As part of
celebrations for the 50th Anniversary, our department will be holding the 2nd
Women and Environment Conference. Drawing from the strengths of the
commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of 16 June, a side event for the youth
will also be held during the margins of this conference.
At an international level, we have responded to gender equality and equity
challenges by establishing a Network for Women Ministers of Environment which
is co-chaired by South Africa and Sweden. This network will focus on
implementing United Nations Environment Programmeâs decision on gender equality
in the areas of climate change, desertification, waste management and
sustainable development.
Land degradation, wetlands, invasive alien species and the fight against
poverty
Honourable members, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2006 as the
International Year of Deserts and Desertification, with the theme
âDesertification a threat to humanityâ.
To signify our commitment, we have already launched our campaign for the
celebration of 2006 as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification
(IYDD). We launched this campaign by unveiling a Soil Conservation Project to
the tune of R5 million on 16 March 2006 in the Madibeng area within the
Sekhukhune District Municipality, Limpopo. There are several provincial
initiatives which are being rolled out in celebration of 2006 as the IYDD.
Through Working for Wetlands, our department will continue to invest funds
in the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems. We will continue to partner with
the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in their Working for Water Project
which has been very successful in clearing invasive species.
As apart of the New Partnership for Africaâs Development (NEPAD) Environment
Initiative, South Africa co-ordinates the Invasive Alien Species Programme. Of
the 14 projects identified, the following three are being prioritised:
preventing waterweeds from chocking Africaâs water bodies, preventing invasive
alien plants from ruining Africaâs productive land and preventing invasive
alien species from entering Africa.
Democratisation and transformation of protected areas
Honourable members, as an important step to ensure that communities living
adjacent to protected areas assume ownership and take active part in
decision-making processes and management activities of protected areas, we
established a People and Parks Forum which met for the first time in 2004. An
important outcome of this meeting was the development of a comprehensive and
ambitious action plan to address issues such as access and benefit sharing,
co-management and establishment of partnerships. Later this year, we will be
holding a second meeting of the People and Parks Forum.
Providing an effective and efficient weather service to economic sector and
communities
An honourable member, one of the ramifications of climate change is adverse
weather conditions that threaten the lives of people and their belongings. Last
year South African Weather Service {SAWS} issued over 150 adverse weather
warnings through its website and most prominent media. To increase its
now-casting capability, SAWS is going to spend in excess of R6 million to
expand its weather radar network this year. We are already sharing weather
radar data with Mozambique, with a long-term goal of establishing a regional
weather radar network involving all our neighbours in Southern African
Development Community (SADC).One weather phenomenon that causes major damage
and loss of life in South Africa is lightning. In the past financial year SAWS
installed the state of the art Lightning Detection Network that covers Lesotho
and Swaziland entirely and also extends to cover some parts of Namibia,
Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique closer to our borders.
Partnership and capacity for waste management
Honourable members, as part of the implementation of the Waste Minimisation
Strategy, our department is in the process of forging strategic partnerships
with industries involved in various waste streams. These partnerships are aimed
at encouraging voluntary compliance by the industry, thus creating an enabling
environment for promulgation of the Waste Management Bill in the near future.
We have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the glass industry last
year, in addition to the plastic bag MoU. We aim to sign the tyre MoU in the
near future.
At the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (3R) Ministerial conference in Japan last
year, we made a commitment to manage waste in a holistic fashion. South Africa
is one of the seven countries which have signed a grant agreement on the
African Stockpile Programme with the World Bank to tune of USD1.7
million. We have called upon everyone to declare obsolete stocks of
pesticides in their possession so that these could be disposed of using funding
from the World Bank.
South Africa is also a developing country which has already initiated the
process of developing guidelines for the implementation of the Globally
Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).
Protection of the marine environment and resources
Honourable members, in July 2004, we launched the West Indian Ocean
Land-based activities (WIO-LaB) project in Madagascar. We took a robust
approach in raising awareness and educating the coastal communities on the
importance of protecting marine environment from pollution caused by land based
activities. We have established task teams to deal with municipal water,
physical alteration and destruction of habitats. We are also starting to assess
the impact of litter from rivers on our oceans.
South Africa hosted the Global General Assembly for the Foundation for
Environmental Education which is responsible for the Blue Flag and eco-schools
programmes. The Blue Flag programme ensures that our beaches and oceans are
clean and safe for tourists and communities while generating employment and
skills development opportunities for local people.
Conclusion
Allow me to conclude by thanking our Minister for his leadership, the
Portfolio Committee for the support and political leadership as well as their
oversight role played during sometimes difficult conditions. I also wish to
thank the Director-General and her officials for their tireless efforts in
finding better and innovative solutions to ensure a healthier and a safer
environment for all.
Madam speaker, a wise woman, Ruth Lilongula of the Solomon Islands, once
said âBiodiversity is invaluable, we value our surroundings as our identity, as
who we are and our inheritance that is given to usâ¦Our environment is many
things, a classroom, a pharmacy and a supermarket.â
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
6 June 2006
Source: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (http://www.deat.gov.za)
