the Northern Cape Legislature
15 June 2006
Hon Speaker
Premier
Colleagues
Ladies and gentleman
Tomorrow, 16 June is the date which we declared Youth Day, and marks the
culmination of heroic struggles our Youth waged during the struggle against the
Apartheid regime 30 years ago.
During this time we pledged to rededicate ourselves to commemorate the lives
of thousands of youth who lost their lives in the 1976 uprising. Judging by the
events that followed later after 1976, it is now clear and understandable that,
the struggle of 1976 had to do with the struggle for the realisation of the
basic tenets of the Freedom charter.
And because this beautiful land and our vast province belongs to all who
live in it and because we all should share in what it has to offer, it is so
appropriate to dedicate Vote 13 to the youths of 1976. Our responsibility to
deliver as a department gets new meaning through the sacrifices they made.
Honourable Speaker, last year during the budget speech we announced projects
with special status, we called them âDepartmental Flagship Projects.â I will
discuss the progress on each when we look at the individual budgets of the
directorates in Vote 13.
The departmentâs overall budget has increased from R49,9 million to R60,3
million which is a 20% increase. This increase is mainly due to an amount of R6
million transfers towards the Big Hole Project.
Administration
Speaker, our first programme, namely, Administration, was allocated a budget
of R21,156 million. The objective of this programme is to implement best
practices in the leading, managing and the formulation of policies and
priorities.
This programme intends to render efficient and effective support services
and monitor performance outputs, ensure compliance to the Public Finance
Management Act and other prescripts and also ensure effective and efficient
administration of project funding and reporting.
In this programme:
* seven Human Resource (HR) policies have been approved
* the department has increased its personnel with 60%
* A total of seven women were appointed in management positions
* we allocated bursaries to 12 employees amounting to R42 140
* the Namakwa Regional office was opened setting the pace for a regional
presence as well as a one-stop service for the department
* 81 officials were taken through various training programmes.
Tourism
To ensure the effective management and promotion of tourism in the Northern
Cape we allocated a budget of R14,390 million.
In advancing the priorities of the Northern Cape Provincial Growth and
Development Strategy (NCPGDS) and the Accelerated Shared Growth Initiatives of
South Africa (AsgiSA), the tourism master plan has been concluded and sets out
a clear and practical strategic framework for the development and promotion of
tourism in the Northern Cape.
The drafting of the Master plan was not only one of our flagship projects
which became a reality, but it was also endorsed as the White paper for Tourism
by Cabinet.
We have already started to implement the policy with the following
actions:
The First Provincial Tourism Conference was staged during April 2006
targeting a total number of 400 delegates from the broad Tourism Stakeholder
sector. We were surprised with 526 delegates who registered. The Tourism
conference was aimed at launching the Provincial Tourism White Paper and to
create a platform for decision makers in government, business and civil society
to understand the future strategic direction of tourism in the province.
The department will not betray the trust of the conference delegates whose
views on tourism growth are clearly captured in the Kimberley Tourism
Declaration. This will serve as a basis for a post conference programme of
action which will be undertaken and will include a provincial tourism road show
which targets local and district municipalities and the tourism fraternity in
their regions.
South Africa is facing a skills deficiency with no exception to the Northern
Cape in general and the provincial tourism sector in particular. To address
this national dilemma, skills development has been given priority in the
Provincial Growth and Development Strategy. To this end the department has
concluded the provincial tourism skills identification audit which identifies
the skills gap in the provincial tourism industry. This skills development
programme will have a positive impact on the quality of service in all district
municipalities. A Provincial Steering committee will be established by July
2006 to facilitate the implementation of a Tourism Skills Development Plan.
In line with AsgiSA and the NCPGDS, the department has concluded the
provincial tourism investment promotion and facilitation strategy. This
investment strategy affords us the opportunity to identify investment
opportunities and create an investment climate in the tourism sector.
To determine the impact of tourism on the provincial economy and to
encourage public and private sector investment into the tourism sector, the
department concluded a Tourism Economic Impact Assessment Study. The study
demonstrates in clear terms the significance of tourism, indicating that in
2005 Travel and Tourismâs direct Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contribution was
six percent to the Northern Cape economy and it is projected to increase to
7.1% by 2015.
A Tourism Road Signage Strategy was conducted to increase accessibility and
visibility of tourist attractions in the province.
The province through, the development of a new brand and logo will position
the Northern Cape as a preferred Tourism destination. We had a very successful
launch of the brand during the tourism Indaba in Durban during May and it was
received with overwhelming enthusiasm. A Brand Roll out Plan will be launched
which includes the development of a Cooperate Identity Manual and a Strategic
Marketing Plan, which will assist the NCTA and the province to the alignment of
visual language of the brand. The plan will also include advertising, awareness
initiatives etc. which is ultimately aimed at increasing domestic and
international visitation by two percent by March 2007.
Through the NCTA an exciting Cape to Namibia route has been concluded and
was a collaborative effort between Western Cape, Northern Cape and Namibia.
This route has also been introduced and well received at the tourism Indaba.
This year the route will be introduced at the World Travel Market in
London.
Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) companies were graded to enhance their
competitive advantage. Establishments graded increased from 85 to 245 and a
total number of 160 establishments have been graded during 2005/06. I want to
re-emphasise that we in government took the decision that our officials will
only make use of graded facilities. I hope this serves as a motivation for
accommodation owners to participate in the grading drive of the department. I
wish to announce that we are also supporting the implementation of a grading
system for facilities that comply to the needs of people with disabilities.
A tourism institutional and legislative review was conducted to align all
Northern Cape tourism institutions with the requirements of the Tourism White
Paper. The Legislative amendment and alignment of the NCTA Act will be
processed and the establishment of a new NCTA Board will be launched soon after
the legislative process has been completed.
The De Beers Big Hole Project is another of our flagship projects and we are
glad to report that the department contributed R 6 million in 2005/06. We will
contribute another R6 million during 2006/07 as a contribution from the
Northern Cape Government to develop a conference centre at the Big Hole.
These are significant upgraded facilities through the partnership
established between Local Government, Municipal structures, De Beers, the
Northern Cape Government and the private sector. A total of 400 jobs have been
created during the construction phase. The conference centre we advocated is
also becoming a reality.
We will be launching a Tourist Guiding Forum in Francis Baard in September
2006. Five additional previously disadvantaged individuals (PDIs) were
registered as Tour Guides and we also launched the campaign against illegal
tourist guiding. The campaign on rooting out illegal tourist guiding will
continue throughout the province.
The Kgalagadi Access Road undertaken by the NCTA in partnership with the
Department of Transport and the District Municipality of Siyanda is in progress
and ways to accelerate the process are being finalised.
Three tourism flagship projects were announced last year, namely âThe Orange
river from the beginning to end,â âThe walking with ancestors tourism projectâ
and the commercialisation of the provincial reserves: Doornkloof, Rolfontein,
Goegap and Oorlogskloof.
We have progressed with these projects and have added another few potential
tourism developments, namely a possible steam train project; the development of
a holiday resort at Douglas; a development at Boesmansput; the establishment of
A Wilderness School at Rolfontein and the expansion of the Wildebeestkuil Rock
Art Centre in co-operation with the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.
Six of these nine projects were show cased by Department of Trade and
Industry (the dti) at the recent Tourism Indaba and an amount of R3.1 million
is in the process to be secured for conducting feasibility studies and business
plans.
Tourism market assessment and opportunity identification for the coastal and
major rivers of the Northern Cape was conducted and completed. The study will
unlock the economic potential of coastal, marine and river tourism in order to
grow the economy of the province.
Environment
When we discuss the programme on environment we must take note of what the
National Minister, Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk, said âA sustainable world is not
only possible, it is imperative. There is no greater asset for humanity than
the long-term health and well-being of our planet. There can be no goal more
crucial to our survival than the protection and nurturing of our
environment.â
Our aim in the department and specifically in the directorate of environment
is in line with the above, as we want to ensure an environment that is not
harmful to the well-being and health of the people. We allocated R7,617 million
for 2006/07 for this purpose.
Impact management
A total of 161 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) applications with a
value of development of R240,20 million were processed. During the same period
a total of 464 Environmental Management Progress Reports (EMPR) applications
were processed.
In an effort to speed up service delivery during the second quarter of 2006,
an officer will be assigned to each district municipality to assist the local
municipalities in Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and Local Economic
Development (LEC) processes.
Regulatory services
The Deputy Director Regulatory Services and Integrated Environmental
Management attended the United Nations Convention to combat desertification
that was hosted in Kenya in October 2005.
The State of the Environment Report and the Environmental Implementation
Plan will be reviewed and updated during the fourth quarter of the 2006/07
financial year.
A conference on Sustainable Development and Climate Change is planned for
September 2006.
Green Scorpions
The establishment of the Green Scorpions has been much in the news. As far
as environmental affairsâ regulatory service is concerned, the department is in
a process of training Environmental Management Inspectors in preparation for
the implementation of the new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations
in terms of the National Environmental Management Act. At this stage an
Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI) will be based in each district
municipality.
The departmentâs interaction with the South African Police Services (SAPS),
the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the National directorate of Marine
and Coastal Management has highlighted the magnitude and escalation of poaching
of our resources along the Northern Cape coast. Consequently, two environment
officers based at Hondeklipbay and Port Nolloth will also be appointed.
The department is, however, extremely mindful that as a province we have to
cover 385 kilometre of coastline and that we are under capacitated, opening the
doors to poachers. An appeal has therefore been made to the national Department
of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) to increase the number of
enforcement officers at DEATâs cost for duty along the coastal and marine
zone.
Coastal management
The department completed the Northern Cape Coastal Management Plan in April
2005 as a guideline document. A bi-annual Coastal Management Newsletter will be
launched during the National Marine Week in October 2006.
Mari-culture developments at Hondeklip Bay was also emphasised as a flagship
project and the University of Stellenbosch is currently conducting an abalone
pilot project.
The provincial government believes that a revival of the fishing industry in
the province can go a long way to offsetting the negative consequences of
minerals downscaling on the Namaqualand coast.
The Northern Cape Government, in the Provincial Growth and Development
Strategy identified the development of mari-culture and the fishing industry as
key features in the Northern Cape (NC)economy.
The department assisted in raising R7 million from DEAT for use by the
Fishing and Mari-culture Development Agency (FAMDA) in the Mari-culture Park
Project at Port Nolloth and for mari-culture development in Hondeklip Bay. We
also assisted fisherman in these two communities to apply for near shore
crayfish and long-line fishing licenses. While we were pleased that more
Northern Cape fishermen received crayfish permits, we were disappointed that
the majority of applicants from Hondeklip Bay were unsuccessful.
Tragically, four of these unsuccessful applicants drowned this week off the
Port Nolloth coast. It seems that in desperation to put food on the table they
had risked their lives and faced the perils of rough seas. On behalf of the
Northern Cape Government, our department and the House we wish to express my
condolences to their bereaved families.
Waste management
Preparations for the transfer of the Landfill Management function from DEAT
were finalised in March 2006.
An audit on infrastructure built with asbestos contaminated material was
conducted in Prieska at a cost of R250 000 00. The data of the samples that
were taken is in the process of being analysed for results.
Although we are progressing with fighting the negativity around and the
tragic consequences of asbestos in the NC, we must be and are ready to face the
North West Cross Boundary asbestos pollution challenges which will be added to
the Northern Cape and which will have implications on the available
resources.
Cleaning and Greening was yet another of our flagship projects and the
Department spent R2,45 million on Cleaning and Greening Projects in a total of
18 towns in all the five District Municipalities. 90 people were employed per
town.
I have to admit that, although we are very committed with this project, we
need more involvement of municipalities and civil society. A large number of
trees were planted but not maintained and died. We and I know I am
generalising, still do not have a culture of keeping our direct surroundings
clean. We must change the face of the place we live in, the place where we
raise our kids and the place where we want tourists and visitors to stay longer
and stimulate our economy. Thank you for those understanding it and doing it.
Please take another step and encourage others to do the same.
The good news is that SANBI, The South African National Biodiversity
Institute, is implementing a R10 million greening and cleaning project in all
the five district municipalities, at R2 million per district, with the support
of DTEC.
The Cleanest Town Competition was implemented at district level and the
districts entered their winners in five categories for the Provincial
Competition. In total 19 towns were entered for the Provincial Competition.
A category, the Cleanest Mine Town was for the first time added as part of
the competition to recognise the efforts from mines towards integrated waste
management in the province.
The department initiated a data collecting exercise during 2005 to determine
the waste management status quo at municipalities in the province. This is a
very relevant exercise due to the non existence of data.
An Air Quality Management section will be established in the department
during this financial year as required by the National Environment Management,
Air Quality Act.
A draft memorandum of understanding with the National Nuclear Regulator on
the management of disposal of nuclear waste in the province was completed.
Environmental education
In decentralizing the functions to the districts, Environmental Education
offices were opened in Springbok and Calvinia in July 2005.
A total of 1 362 learners, youths and educators were taken to four Nature
Reserves.
Four presentation manuals on fauna and flora endemic to the Rolfontein,
Witsand, Oorlogskloof and Goegap Reserves were completed. The purpose of these
manuals is to ensure uniformed and more effective presentations.
A Waste Management Resource pack was launched during the Environmental week
during 2005 as part of support to Educators and the establishment of a mini
resource centre was initiated in Springbok during the year and will be in
operation in this year to enhance the availability of environmental resource
material to the public. The idea is to establish mini resource centres in each
district as part of decentralising the function.
To be even more efficient new Environmental Education offices will be opened
in Kuruman for the Kgalagadi area and in De Aar for the Pixley ka Seme
area.
We acknowledge that more has to be done on environmental education but we
are limited by the resources to our disposal.
Conservation
Speaker, I now want to turn to the last directorate, Conservation which
deals with ecosystem, biodiversity and natural heritage management for which we
allocated a budget of R16,324 which represents a four percent increase for this
financial year.
Wildlife management
The two PDI professional hunters who performed best during the professional
hunters training course in 2003 were sponsored by the department to attend the
Safari Club International Hunting Convention in Reno, Nevada, United States of
America (USA) in January 2006 as part of our programme to transform the hunting
industry.
To enable easy access to licences and to discourage illegal hunting and
angling, we enabled the public to purchase Angling or Hunting licenses at any
of 162 Post Offices and Postal Agents in the Northern Cape Province.
Special investigations
The conservation branch of the Green Scorpions is slowly getting off the
ground. This newly formed unit will be responsible for sufficient and effective
law enforcement on conservation issues and compliance with the new Protected
Areas Act and Biodiversity Act.
At present only one of the nine posts is currently filled, while seven
officials have been trained as Environmental Management Inspectors to be
deployed in the five regions of our province to implement the relevant
biodiversity legislation.
Even with limited personnel no fewer than 66 investigations into
irregularities, such as the illegal trade in crocodiles, tortoises and Hoodia,
have been conducted.
Recently, a trainee member of the Green Scorpions and the SAPS had to bust a
farmer and confiscate almost eight tons of illegally harvested Hoodia Gordonia
plants with a commercial value of R2 million.
It is well known that the Northern Cape Province possesses scarce, rare and
tremendously valuable flora with important herbal and medicinal qualities. The
Northern Cape Province has already lost out on the financial benefits which
should have enhanced the lives of our citizens, because of the vague and
unregulated situations surrounding bio-prospecting of these scarce resources.
Industries have also been established outside of the Northern Cape Province for
cultivating, processing and selling of plant material that originates from this
province, without any benefit for the people of the province.
We requested the Minister that he should assist by considering measures in
the regulations to protect this unique heritage of our country and to create
the instruments for the province to be able to economically empower our people
to benefit from their own intellectual property and unique natural
products.
The Intervention in the unsustainable use of Quiver trees was also announced
as a flagship project and the population status and resource availability
surveys continued throughout the year.
Recent concerns on the decline of the endangered species Aloe pillansii
(Giant Quiver tree) have prompted the initiation for a PhD study. Accordingly,
external funding of R300 000 was secured for this project to investigate the
reasons for decline and the impact of climate change on these species.
Permit administration
The past year 138 professional hunters, with 724 international clients
hunted in our province with 61 hunting contractors accommodating the hunting
clients. 6 703 animals were hunted with an estimated income of R12 million for
the game alone.
The game industry, in animal translocation alone, is valued at an immense
R212 million within the Northern Cape Province during the previous financial
year.
Protected areas management
The commercialisation of the provincial reserves which is also a flagship
project, is progressing slower than anticipated but we were successful in
securing R4,6 million from DEATâs Social Responsibility Funding.
Several school groups comprising approximately 1800 learners were taken for
Environmental Education visits on the nature reserves as part of the programmes
run by the Nature Reserves Management.
Four of the five staffed nature reserves had managers appointed after an
absence of managers of nearly two years. The Jan Middelpos bush camp was
officially opened on Goegap in September 2005.
We will assist private landowners and communities with the establishment,
management and development of other protected areas.
The rehabilitation of the Ramsar site at the mouth of the Orange River at
Alexander Bay, which is also a flagship project on the list, is in progress and
a full report on the activities is available. We are positive that this area
will be recognised as an international conservation site in due time and that
it will assist in a big way to stimulate tourists to visit that part of our
province.
Bi-annual monitoring of biodiversity is conducted at the Orange River Mouth
Ramsar Site. A booklet was compiled on the birds of the Orange River Estuary
area. This booklet will improve environmental awareness and attract bird
watching to the region.
It is envisaged that this area will be proclaimed as a Provincial Nature
Reserve under joint management by 2007.
Conclusion
Speaker, Premier, colleagues, ladies and gentleman I have reported on many
activities that we undertook during the last financial year and I gave you a
glimpse of what we envisage for this year and although I know it deserves an
applause, we must remember that the criteria against which we must be measured
is the PDGS and AsgiSA.
To adhere to the above with the means at our disposal is our challenge. A
challenge that must be met!! Ralph Waldo Emerson said: âGo put your creed into
your deed.â And that is exactly what we want to do.
Honourable Speaker, I submit this budget to this House with enormous
gratitude towards my Creator for his mercy bestowed on me and my family during
this year where we were challenged with ill health. I want to thank the
Premier, all my colleagues, the members of this House, officials and the public
at large for their support and prayers.
My gratitude goes towards everyone who is helping to make the department and
the Ministry work. I specifically want to thank the Head of the Department, Ms
Pat Mokhali and her Directors, all staff members of the Department and Ministry
and the NCTA for their hard and dedicated work. We are becoming a team. Thank
you once again to Ms Juanita Beukes, the chairperson and the members of the
portfolio committee, the rest of the members of the legislature as well as the
members of the public in the gallery and of cause the media. We appreciate your
presence and support.
I conclude with the closure words of President Mbeki during his State of the
Nation Speech earlier this year
âClearly the masses of our people are convinced that our country has entered
into its Age of Hope. It is up to all of us, through our National Effort, to
build a winning nation, to do all the things that will ensure that the
mountains and the hills of our country break forth into singing before all our
people, and all the trees of the field clap their hands to applaud the peopleâs
season of joy.â
Thank you
Issued by: Department of Tourism, Environment and Conservation, Northern
Cape Provincial Government
15 June 2006
