When the gates of Victor Verster flung open, he took those
memorable first steps that symbolised the many steps we
were to take in our quest to move our country to a new era of
sustainable development that benefits all our people
irrespective of their race, creed or station in life. The
emergence of Tata Nelson Mandela out of incarceration
further symbolised the emergence of a paradigm where as a
nation we recognised that development should benefits us
today, whilst at the same time we should not deprive future
generations access to the same resources and natural
assets.
Honourable Members, the 2007 State of the Environment
Report is quite revealing in reminding us of the damage we
continue to inflict on our environment. It highlights the
deteriorating condition of the South African environment and
a right to a healthy environment as articulated in the
Constitution. Although we recognise the role of other
government departments, we respond directly to Outcome
10 which demands of us to “Protect and enhance our
environmental assets and natural resources”.
The financing and resourcing of the environmental sector in
particular in provinces and municipalities is not high up on
the agenda. We are working closely with the National
Treasury to explore fiscal instruments like emission tax as
pronounced by the Minister of Finance and the current
plastic bag levy in pursuance of generating significant
revenue for the sector.
South Africa joins other nations of the world in observing
2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). This is
an opportunity to heighten awareness on biodiversity which
we will consistently carry out in partnership with our partners
in the sector, the South African National Biodiversity Institute
(SANBI) and the South African National Parks (SANParks).
This is the celebration of life on earth and the recognition of
the links between biodiversity, ecosystem services and
human well-being.
Rural Development
As part of our strategic focus and in response to the broadgovernment
inclination towards rural development, we will
ensure that the integrity of ecosystems on which rural
economies are based is enhanced and protected.
Working together to speed up economic growth and
transform the economy to create decent work and
sustainable livelihoods.
Honourable Members, we have set aside R400 million for
the Eco-Towns programme that we are rolling out to 10
municipalities. The project – Buyisela- is an initiative led by
our department in partnership with Indalo Yethu and the
Department of Water Affairs. This initiative aims to create ten
eco-towns modelled on sustainability as a legacy project
which will serve as a framework or blueprint for other towns
to follow. Buyisela means giving back or restoring, which in
essence captures the thrust of cleaning and greening efforts
which go beyond just lawns and trees, but also creates biorecreational
spaces for our people to enjoy their
neighbourhoods whilst also protecting and enhancing the
quality of the open spaces which could have been a
breeding ground for criminal activities.
In the midst of the world economic meltdown, the United
Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) called for a
Global Green New Deal (GGND) according to which
governments are encouraged to support economic
transformation to a greener economy. It should promote
sustainable and inclusive growth to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals and reduce carbon dependency and
ecosystem degradation.
In responding to this international context, we will work
towards the development of a National Green Economy
Strategy; hence we will be hosting a Green Economy
Summit during the first quarter of this year which will be used
to define key elements of this strategy, gain valuable insight
on key areas of focus and issues requiring attention in the
short, medium and long term.
Working together we need to act now to mitigate the effects
and adapt to the impact of Climate Change
Honourable members, Climate Change poses an enormous
threat to economic growth, sustainable development and our
ability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGS). By 2080, about 70 million people and up to 30% of
Africa’s coastal infrastructure could face the risk of coastal
flooding because of sea level rise and an increase in storm
intensity and frequency over the oceans.
Climate Change threatens Africa’s food security with some
parts of the continent expected to experience a reduction in
agricultural yields of more than 50% by 2050. The oceans,
covering 70% of the earth, plays an important role in the
climate change debate, particularly the role it plays in
providing moisture for rain. The western parts of South Africa
are projected to become drier, with some key agricultural
sectors expected to be impacted quite severely, resulting in
accelerated loss of biodiversity, particularly the Fynbos as
well as chronic water shortages as we have seen in the past
two seasons in the Southern Cape. In addition, the northeastern
parts of the country are expected to get wetter with a
highly energised climate, risks of flooding and damage to
property from tornadoes.
Responding to these challenges we will release a National
Climate Change Policy and White Paper which should be
concluded by the end of 2010. The policy will further build on
a broad understanding of what can be done by all
stakeholders - government, business, labour, civil society
and individual citizens - to take action to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions.
More needs to be done to prepare our communities and arm
them with information to demystify the climate change
debate and secure their informed understanding of human
activities that contribute to climate change. We will use our
public participation engagements to spread the message of
Climate Change.
This year marks 150 years since the South African Weather
Services (SAWS) was established. In celebrating this
achievement, the theme “150 years of service to South
Africans” has been chosen to showcase the wealth of
climate data and information we have as a country and
which informs policy and strategies in climate change
adaptation measures.
Working together to conserve and protect our oceans
and coasts
The Integrated Coastal Management Act came into
operation in December last year. We regard this as a
significant milestone representing our first legislative
instrument towards a holistic and integrated approach to the
conservation and management of the South African
coastline.
There is recognition of the challenge regarding the
management of oceans spaces in our adjacent ocean areas.
The threats of climate change, including severity and
frequency of storms, droughts and other extreme weather
events, can only be appreciated when we understand the
physical processes that occur in our adjacent ocean areas.
This therefore warrants a comprehensive Ocean Strategy.
Marine Protected Areas continue to be a significant
conservation tool for the protection of marine biodiversity.
Historically they have been associated with dispossession
and exclusion of vulnerable communities from access to
natural resources. The Department will continue in its efforts
to optimise effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas both
offshore and inshore.
Estuaries, the interface of river and sea water, represents
important water bodies crucial for our ecosystem functioning.
Of the 200 estuaries found along the South African coast,
25% are in a degraded state. This degradation is due to
inappropriate developments along the banks and in the
catchment areas. The Department will focus its attention
proactively on these degraded systems and will prioritise
developing management plans that will seek to improve
functioning of estuaries in associated hinterlands.
Building a better Africa and a better world
Honourable Members, in May this year, we will be
repatriating species of black rhino - which is not indigenous
to our country - to Tanzania. About two decades ago 8
individuals of this rhino species – Diceros bicornis michaeli –
was imported to our country and kept at Addo Elephant
National Park. I am happy to announce that, following a
request by the Tanzanian Wildlife Authorities, we will be
donating 32 of these animals to our Tanzanian counterparts
since the species has become almost extinct in its original
habitat. This is one of those fairy tale ending stories where
an alien species has become a gene pool to restock
depleted ranges.
Honourable Members, through our leadership as President
of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment
(AMCEN), we were able to transform the ministerial forum
into the key voice of Africa on the Environment. This was
also evident through the role played by AMCEN in crafting
and galvanising Africa’s common negotiation position on
climate change which was taken to the United Nations
Framework on Climate Change Conference of Parties 15
(UNFCC CoP15). Furthermore under our Presidency we
have initiated a process for outlining a Comprehensive
Implementation Framework on Climate Change for Africa,
which unpacks the climate change mitigation and adaptation
initiatives to be embarked on within Africa.
In the SADC region our efforts are geared towards a SADC
Protocol on Environment which seeks to support the
development and implementation of environmental policies
and legal frameworks, in areas like biodiversity and
conservation focusing on Transfrontier Conservation Areas
(TFCAs), environmental planning (among others, EIA
process alignment across our borders), climate change, air
quality, pollution and waste management, ocean
management, environmental education and capacity building
as well as regional meteorological initiatives.
At the recent Climate Change talks in Copenhagen, South
Africa committed to reduce its emission by 34% by 2020 and
42% by 2025, depending on the availability of financial and
technical support. South Africa will host the Climate Change
Conference of Parties at the end of 2011. As the Conference
of Parties (COP) President after Mexico, we will be directly
involved in the attempts to advance the process towards an
international climate deal. This is an opportunity for South
Africa to make its mark in advancing and positioning itself
within the agenda of developing nations and in preparation
for the Conference of Parties to be held in Mexico in 2010.
That we will be hosting this big international meeting is a
significant milestone for South Africa, especially in light of
the critical stage of the climate change talks.
Fighting Crime
Last year we highlighted that environmental crimes were a
source of great concern, requiring urgent intervention
especially given that it is often committed by organised crime
syndicates with international connections. To address these
crimes adequately, enforcement and compliance capacity
needs to be increased. However, this will only be effective if
we were to bring the criminal justice system into the
equation.
South Africa has been under tremendous pressure in the
past two years with the rising number of rhino horns being
poached in public and private protected areas. The
department is establishing an interim National Wildlife
Reaction Unit specifically to complement the work of the
Environmental Management Inspectors commonly referred
to as the Green Scorpions, aimed at responding to address
broader environmental crimes and wildlife smuggling
activities in South Africa. We need to appreciate that this
matter has huge implications not just for us as South Africa,
but also for the region.
Our Green Scorpions have also been hard at work to ensure
that anyone who flouts our environmental laws is brought to
book as indicated by the recent raids following illegal
dumping of medical waste in the Free State. With a total of 4
661 environmental cases reported nationally from the 1st
April 2008 to the 31st March 2009, we have a compelling
case for the establishment of environmental courts.
Last year I made a commitment to pursue the re-opening of
environmental courts. Honourable Members, I am happy to
announce that I have engaged the Minister of Justice and
Constitutional Development regarding the re-opening of
time-slots dedicated to the processing of environmental
crimes in our existing courts. Our launch site will be the
Johannesburg Regional Court in Gauteng on the 20th May
2010. Other pilot sites will include Durban Regional Court in
KwaZulu-Natal, Nelspruit Regional Court in Mpumalanga
and the Hermanus District Court in the Western Cape.
Further roll-out to other provinces will be considered on an
annual basis.
Overtime we have trained over 300 prosecutors and over
200 magistrates on environmental crimes in preparation for
this reopening and we have also distributed Prosecutor
Manuals on Environment Crimes to the National Prosecuting
Authority (NPA).
Balancing the Impact of Development on the
Environment effectively
At the core of advancing the environmental sector
programmes a number of frameworks and tools have been
developed. I am pleased to inform the House that I plan to
publish the new Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
regulations to come into effect in July 2010. The last
financial year saw steady progress towards the development
and implementation of an environmental assessment system
that is effective in enhancing environmental quality whilst
efficient in terms of both time frames associated with
decision-making and maximising value for money.
This signifies a quantum leap for us in that apart from
aligning the 2006 Regulations with the new and improved
Act, the 2010 EIA Regulations seeks to streamline the EIA
process and enable integration with other processes such as
water use licences, emission to air licences and mining
related approvals. It will also introduce an approach where
sensitive ecosystems are treated with more care than those
areas that are not under threat – this will be achieved
through the introduction of a Listing Notice dedicated to
activities planned for sensitive areas.
Honourable Speaker, let me end by reminding the House
that 2010 is the year of action as pronounced by the
President in his State of the Nation Address. This Budget
Speech is indicative of our commitment and dedication to
service delivery in synch with the mandate given to us by the
electorate.
I thank you