Programme Director;
His Worship, the Mayor of eThekwini Mr Xaba;
Chief Executive Officer of the Water Research Commission, Dr Jennifer Molwantwa;
Representatives of eThekwini Municipality;
Dr Mkhize, DDG for Environmental Programmes
Mr Martie Milne, Acting DDG in the Office of the Premier
Representatives of Transnet National Ports Authority,
Leadership of WILDTRUST,
Representatives from our universities and research institutions,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
It is a great pleasure for me to join you today as we celebrate World Oceans Day 2026 and officially launch two studies that add immensely to our understanding of the challenges facing our rivers, estuaries and oceans.
"REIMAGINE: Beyond the world we know, a new relationship with our ocean" is this year's theme for World Oceans Day. It challenges us to think beyond our current paradigm for managing our environment. It invites us to imagine a future wherein humanity and nature thrive.
Reimagining our relationship with the ocean means recognising that our ocean is not merely an inexhaustible natural resource that we can exploit at will. Nor is the ocean an alien ecosystem divorced from the rest of our lives.
No, the ocean is a living system upon which we rely for our survival. It is fundamental to the air we breathe, the food we eat, climate regulation and economic wellbeing.
Most importantly, reimagining our relationship with the ocean means recognising that the health of our oceans is affected much earlier than the point at which our rivers reach the coastline. The decisions that we make in our homes, businesses, municipalities and industries determine the state of our rivers, estuaries and oceans
This source-to-sea logic is not new to us. It is the founding premise of our National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, which extends our coastal zone inland to include the very catchments that drain into our coastal waters, and which holds our estuaries as coastal public property in trust for present and future generations. What today's launches do is give scientific substance to a legal framework we have long had in place. Indeed, today's launches embody this very notion. They show how science and innovation can help us to reimagine a more sustainable future – from the catchment through to the coast.
The two projects being launched today challenge us to reconsider what we understand by pollution and resilience. For far too long, plastic pollution has been seen merely as a problem of waste management. However, as these studies prove, this is an incomplete way to look at things.
Plastic pollution affects the health of our ecosystems, our healt, the ability of people to earn a livelihood, our economic activities, and even the resilience of our communities. Thus, reimagining our relationship with the ocean requires us to consider how to produce, use and manage our resources sustainably.
The studies being launched here offer clear evidence that plastic pollution is a multi-dimensional challenge that requires a multi-dimensional response.
This first initiative is aimed at understanding/assessing the environmental challenges facing Durban Bay. The eThekwini Municipality serves as a major gateway for trade and investment. However, the Bay faces mounting pressures arising from activities further up our rivers.
What the study reveals is alarming. However, the good news is that by looking at the socio-ecosystem dynamics of the Bay, the study has identified measures to enhance resilience while enabling economic growth.
The second initiative is aimed at understanding/assessing the microplastics and associated pollutants entering our rivers through the catchment areas of Msunduzi and Swartkops.
Together, these studies tell us something very important. If we want to restore and conserve our estuaries and oceans, we must effectively manage our rivers. Our response to plastic pollution is not only a domestic one. South Africa is an active negotiator in the United Nations process to conclude a legally-binding global agreement on plastic pollution, with the next decisive round of negotiations set for early next year. We are also progressing the ratification of the Nairobi Convention's Protocol on Land-Based Sources and Activities, which addresses precisely the kind of pollution this study tracks from catchment to coast.
Ladies and gentlemen,
One of the most encouraging aspects of today's launches is that it is an illustration of our District Development Model in action.
The District Development Model was introduced to help us plan, budget and deliver improved services as One Government, using One Plan and making coordinated investments. This is a classic example of National, Provincial and Local Government working together. The partnership between WRC, Transnet and other stakeholders must also be noted.
We recognise that development challenges cannot be solved by one person or by a single department working in isolation. Rather, success in development depends on alignment between spheres of government, partnerships with the private sector, collaboration with traditional leaders and, above all, citizen involvement.
The case of plastic pollution is a classic illustration of why such coordination is necessary. No one department can solve it. No municipality can solve it in isolation. Indeed, no university, research institution, state-owned entity or private organisation can solve this problem on its own. What is required is partnership. What we see today is just that.
National government, provincial and local governments, the Water Research Commission, Transnet, universities and organisations from civil society have all joined hands in pursuit of a common objective. This is cooperative governance at its finest.
In the coastal space, this cooperative governance is given concrete form by the National Coastal Committee and the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Coastal Committee, both established under our Integrated Coastal Management Act. The District Development Model and these statutory committees are not in competition. They reinforce one another - and a study like the Durban Bay socio-ecosystem assessment is exactly the kind of evidence base that should travel through both.
As District Champions for eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, it is my job to assist Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and Minister Dean Macpherson in overseeing the implementation of the District Development Model in the Metro.
What that means in practice is ensuring that we are aligned in planning, budgeting and implementation; removing any barriers to service delivery; developing the capabilities of the Metro; and building partnerships for inclusive development.
Ultimately, the District Development Model gives practical effect to our National Development Plan by translating our national objectives into concrete results for communities to enjoy.
To this extent, the District Development Model itself is an exercise in reimagining. It represents a practical expression of reimagining ocean governance, fostering integrated planning, collaboration, and coordinated service delivery across all spheres of government. It asks us to move away from fragmented planning. It encourages us to view our management approaches and development challenges through the lens of interconnectivity and partnerships. Today's launches give an excellent example of what is possible when institutions operate outside of the organisational box.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We observe Youth Month this month. The theme of reimagining our relationship with the ocean is fitting for this occasion because our youth are the custodians of our future oceans.
By reimagining our relationship with the ocean, we can unlock new opportunities for young people to participate meaningfully in the blue economy through marine science, innovation, environmental stewardship, entrepreneurship, and sustainable ocean-based industries.
Development means sustainability, economic opportunity and growth. On this Youth Month, let us commit ourselves to create development opportunities for our young people.
South African youth represent great potential. Sadly, however, a large number of our young people are locked out of economic opportunities. But the transition to a greener economy could present new opportunities to change this.
Environmental restoration, waste management, recycling, scientific research, conservation, maritime industries and the wider ocean economy can all contribute toward meaningful job creation and entrepreneurship amongst our youth. In this regard, my Department has created 5 729 work opportunities for coastal communities. The work opportunities are created based on the Expanded Public Works Programme, which my DDG spoke to earlier. These work opportunities create much needed employment opportunities for 60% women, 55% youth and 2% people living with disabilities.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dr Sylvia Earle, the distinguished American oceanographer, once said, "With every drop of water you drink, every breath you take, you're connected to the sea". Reimagining our relationship with the ocean is not some theoretical ideal. We must change how we think, how we govern, how we consume, and how we behave.
Reimagination means recognising that each river leads into an estuary that leads into the sea, where all life on earth depends.
With the knowledge provided by the two launches we have today, we now have the evidence for better decision-making and new pathways for solving our problems.
Thus, ladies and gentlemen, let us together re-imagine a world where our rivers flow freely from pollution. Let us together re-imagine resilient coastal environments which provide habitat for biodiversity and livelihoods for people.
Let us re-imagine cities and industries which embrace sustainability and responsible resource use. Let us re-imagine our oceans that continue to sustain life and prosperity of our future generations.
I thank you.
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