Hon Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, hon Deputy Minister Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, hon Deputy Chair, hon Chief Whip, hon members of this august House, and all of you esteemed ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed a great pleasure for me to stand before you to deliver our very first Budget Review in the NCOP, as the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs.
I sincerely welcome this opportunity to share with hon members the progress made, the challenges that lie ahead and the plans for the management of our environmental and water resources in ensuring that service delivery is attained and actually given to our people.
Just a month ago, the people of South Africa spoke through the ballot box in the 2011 local government elections, placing their confidence in the ANC- led government. We will not disappoint them.
It is against this background that I would like to share with you some of the milestones that have been achieved as we work together with our people.
I will start with the water sector. When our government took office in 1994, a mere 62% of households in South Africa had access to drinking water, and I dare say clean drinking water. Today, that figure stands at an average of 93%. I would like to take this opportunity ... [Interjections.] Listen to English - "average" - and then you will not make that comment.
I would like to take this opportunity to dedicate this important work that has been done to our stalwart and many others who came after him, Prof Kader Asmal, whose work it was that really brought us this service delivery.
We are working hard to continue to achieve the 100% that is needed. We are also collaborating with our local government to increase their capacity to deliver quality services to all South Africans. We are aware that many of our rural communities have, in many instances, actually been bypassed by our bulk infrastructure, which we will attend to through better planning that will help us to close the existing service delivery gaps. We will also undertake to deal with the challenge of illegal water connections to our infrastructure.
I want to take half a minute, or just a fraction of a minute, to explain what I am talking about, and the importance of ensuring that we support local government. Many of our rural people still do not have water, as I have said. This result does not have to do with the 93% that has been delivered, but is a result of a gap that exists between where water is provided and the infrastructure that links it to the people. This is really a very serious weakness that we are attending to.
The water sector is a strategic catalyst for job creation and economic development. Virtually all strategic sectors that are drivers of the New Economic Growth Path depend, in large measure, on the availability of water as a resource, including mining, energy, industry and agriculture, as well as social development. What can we do without water? It is important that we locate water at the centre of the development of our people in general.
Our reconciliation strategy of our capacity to meet our water needs tells a great story indeed - a challenge in the management of resources, as we have already identified. We will have to respond to this challenge of water availability and provision for economic growth. Measures in this regard include, amongst other things, the exploration of our groundwater reserves; the desalination of seawater in coastal areas; the harvesting of rainwater; recycling and reusing approaches; inter-basin transfers, and the very important behavioural issue of water conservation. We cannot afford to waste water, anywhere, any time in South Africa.
South Africa's drinking water ranks amongst the best in the world. There are only a handful of countries globally where one can actually drink water directly from a tap with confidence. And we are proud to say that South Africa is actually one of those few countries. We comply with set World Health Organisation standards, and intend to keep it that way. Critical to this effort is increasing the capacity of local government to deliver quality water services to more people, so that the sewer that continues to leak, in some instances, owing to broken infrastructure, is actually dealt with.
On this score, the following are most important in dealing with the quality of water. An integrated approach to water provision is needed to ensure a continual supply from source to tap. I dare say source to tap again, because we do not have to see any further infrastructure bypassing the people and going to either an Eskom plant or an agricultural irrigation scheme.
The other important aspects include the refurbishment of waste water treatment infrastructure including through our Accelerated Community Infrastructure Programme; enhancing water and waste water treatment skills through mandatory training; consistent monitoring by our emergency response facility; a targeted, risk-based regulation system to ensure that all municipalities are informed of risks, with tangible targets set for improvements in water planning; and strengthening the Blue and Green Drop certification programme to ensure that local authorities are capacitated in waste water management. In this regard, we would like to indicate that the Blue Drop and Green Drop 2011 report will soon be released. It will give insight into municipal service delivery of quality drinking water and the state of municipal waste water treatment works.
As far as our water-related regulation and transgressions are concerned, we will continue to increase and strengthen the enforcement capacity of the Blue Scorpions. We have increased the issuing of directives against transgressors and successful prosecution of these. We have strengthened and are further strengthening our verification and validation processes in clamping down on water theft and other unlawful activities. We have continued with the application of the polluter pays principle without fear or favour.
Finally, on our legislative review process, we aim to address the negative consequences emanating from the practice of water entitlement by certain sectors of our society. We will make possible the reallocation of water resources to other sectors of the economy and indeed to our people, especially those sectors that have been identified as critical in advancing the objectives of the New Growth Path. We will also make possible the reallocation of water resources to new human settlements across the country.
On water security and security of supply, we would like to highlight that we need to deal continually with the exploration of ground water as a further strategic source and increase the use of rain harvesting, as I said earlier; train and support municipalities on ground water management; establish a national ground water archive and support the municipalities with the implementation of artificial recharge where feasible; continue to monitor ground water resources, especially in the context of extraction, acid mine drainage, transboundary aquifers and climate variability; and explore the potential of the desalination of seawater, and we have already begun doing that in the Bitou municipality, particularly in Sedgefield, George and Mossel Bay in this province. In Mpumalanga we will implement the Mokolo and Crocodile River West water augmentation project, to the tune of about R2 billion, to deliver water to Eskom's new Medupi Power Station and other industries in that area and to the people in the Lephalale area for domestic use.
We are constructing the Spring Grove Dam on the Mooi River in KwaZulu- Natal, at a cost of R2,2 billion, and investing R91 million to raise the Hazelmere Dam to augment the water supply to Umgeni Water. In the Limpopo area we will construct a water conveyance system from the Vaal Dam to Secunda to augment supply to power stations in Sasol.
Added to this, there are a number of other water projects around the country, such as water treatment works which I know the Deputy Minister is working on, and a bulk distribution system. We will also be looking at the Nandoni Dam in Limpopo, and completing a pipeline from Flag Boshielo to Mokopane. Feasibility studies and designs of the Umzimvubu and Foxwood Dams have also begun. There are also the distribution pipelines and reticulation networks from the Jozini Dam in KwaZulu-Natal; and there is the Groot Letaba augmentation project, consisting of the raising of the Tzaneen Dam. In addition, we are finalising plans for the construction of the Nwamitwa Dam and the associated water treatment plants and bulk distribution pipelines.
Plans are well advanced to conclude an agreement with Lesotho with regard to the second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, in order for us to be able to augment water provision in the area of Gauteng.
On the quality side, I am pleased to announce that later this month we will host the third Municipal Water Quality Conference from 27 to 30 June, which is next week, in order to bring together the municipality and water service institutions, as well as our civil society and private sector partners to look at the issue of water quality. The theme of the conference is: "Changing the landscape of municipal water quality in South Africa".
In a broader context, we are currently leading and presiding over the African Ministers' Council on Water and the specialised committee in that regard.
When it comes to environmental matters, keeping our biodiversity intact is indeed vital to ensure the integrity of ecosystems, such as clean water and clean air. Loss of biodiversity puts our economy and quality of life at risk, and reduces socioeconomic options for future generations.
Sadly, we have seen over 50% of our wetland systems being destroyed, and that is really very serious. We cannot afford to have that happening continually. Over 80% of our river systems are threatened, and we are amongst the world's top 20 greenhouse-gas-emitting countries.
Our efforts to address these challenges include environmental education and awareness to empower our people to make sustainable livelihoods a reality; catchment rehabilitation; the clearing of water-consuming invasive alien plants; and rainwater harvesting.
The effects of climate change are becoming a reality, with increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters such as tornados, fires, floods and droughts. These impacts can be seen in declining agricultural production, higher food prices and food insecurity, which are most severely felt by the poor.
The fires in the Western Cape over the past decade have been more prevalent and damaging than ever before. The rooibos farmers in the Western Cape have had to adapt to changes in weather patterns. The communities living along the Limpopo and Orange River basins have experienced massive flooding and disruption in their farming. Changes in ocean temperatures and currents have resulted in a southwards shift in some of our fish stocks, including the West Coast rock lobster, leaving the West Coast communities stranded in poverty.
In this regard, our climate change response policy White Paper is nearing completion. It will outline our vision for effective climate action and a gradual transition to a climate-resilient and low-carbon economy and society.
We must use the fact that South Africa is hosting the United Nations climate change conference, UNCCC, in Durban, in November to December this year to strengthen Africa's voice in the solutions to the global climate change crisis and to enhance climate-related economic and job-creating investment in our country and Africa as a whole.
Therefore, we are putting together a climate expo as a platform to showcase ourselves and Africa. We are partnering with civil society, and with provincial and local governments, to ensure that we rally our people behind Team South Africa.
Contrary to the widely held belief that our environment management portfolio hinders development, we wish, once again, to reaffirm that the environment sector is a major contributor to job creation and the fight against poverty.
Every day, as we speak, more than 10 000 people wake up to work in our different parks. Even more people are employed in the various provincial parks and more than 2 000 people work at private game farms across the country. We have also integrated and linked our poverty and job creation Expanded Public Works Programme with our efforts to restore and maintain ecosystems services through programmes, such as Working for Water, and Working on Fire - which I know the Deputy Minister deals with as well.
In the 2011-12 financial year, the Working for Water programme will provide almost five million person days of employment - a substantial increase from the three million person days achieved in the last financial year. Our Working for Wetlands programme, which I know the Deputy Minister will speak about, rehabilitated 427 wetlands and created some 10 000 short-term work opportunities for people from vulnerable and marginalised communities.
We are committed to the sustainable development approach to economic growth, poverty alleviation and job creation. As part of this commitment, we are working diligently towards a comprehensive and balanced approach to the monitoring, evaluation and enforcement of our environmental legislation. For example, we are extremely concerned about the dramatic increase in rhino poaching by bandits and poachers operating with military precision. To respond to this scourge, we have developed a holistic approach to confront the challenge of rhino poaching through the mobilisation of resources from various anticrime units across the country, including the Defence Force, the SA Revenue Service and the SA Police Service.
The rhino poaching situation is but one example of the scale of environmental crimes occurring in our country. In this regard, we have established a biodiversity enforcement unit to co-ordinate and monitor compliance with our biodiversity legislation. We have established partnerships with key stakeholders, institutions and government departments, and the process continues to yield results. We have engaged the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to fast-track prosecution with regard to environmental crimes, including the allocation of dedicated times to these cases.
We are moving towards an integrated permitting system, with integrated waste and environmental impact assessment permitting processes first in line. We have put in place a new and improved environmental impact assessment and management regime, which takes a strategic approach to development and dispels the myth that the impact assessment and management tools are barriers to development.
We have initiated the implementation of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act, which allows us to address some of the challenges that we have been grappling with for decades, including waste avoidance, minimisation, reuse, recycling, recovery, appropriate licensing, collection and storage requirements, as well as environmentally sound treatment and disposal of problematic waste streams.
In addition, the National Environmental Management: Waste Act allows us to develop a recycling economic sector, with the municipalities expected to be central to this programme. This year we will be setting recycling targets to help us monitor the rate at which we are implementing effective waste management.
The environmental integrity of our country and the need to safeguard our water resources is the responsibility of all of us, and we should discharge this with the commitment and zeal that it deserves.
As I conclude, I would like to thank all of our esteemed members in this House: the chairperson, the select committee and hon members, as well as the entire membership of this august House for the work that they have been doing, which includes work they have been doing with our Deputy Minister here, with such dedication. I also thank our management in the department under the able leadership of our two acting directors-general and the director-general who is still in Hollywood a bit, but he will get there. Thank you very much for helping us to execute this very important task. We dedicate all our time and energy to working through these programmes on the environment. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Chief Whip, Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members and distinguished guests, the month of June has been set aside by our government as Youth Month, as well as National Environmental Management Month. It is proper and fitting at this time of our evolution as a democracy to acknowledge the role played by the youth in the struggle for a united and democratic South Africa.
Their brave stance against apartheid policies and colonialism gave birth to the new dawn of democracy that we, today, are celebrating and are proud of. It is indeed important that we celebrate this memorable milestone and our achievements, whilst also bearing in mind that we still have more work to do in ensuring that we create a better life for all South Africans.
It is within this context that we also celebrate National Environmental Management Month. We ask the youth and the citizens of South Africa, again, to rise and fight for a safe and healthy environment that is not detrimental to our wellbeing and that is part of our future.
With regard to Budget Vote No 30: Environmental Affairs, the environmental sector has been at the forefront of ensuring that the natural resources of our country are conserved. Now we need to ensure that these resources are used sustainably for the benefit of all South Africans. A safe, healthy and functional environment is the constitutional right of everyone, and all sectors are dependent on this for their survival. Economic growth, health, education and the provision of basic services are all dependent on a safe, healthy and functional environment.
The department's budget allocation increased by R407,6 billion, which, after taking inflation into account, is an increase of 11,4% for 20ll-12. The main allocations are for Programme 3 - Oceans and Coasts, which receives a total budget allocation of R723,3 million in 2011-12. This represents a real growth rate of 1,5% in the budget allocation for the Oceans and Coasts programme. The increase in the budget is related to the replacement of the polar research vessel, which is urgently required for all coastal and marine research. All these allocations are aligned with the strategic plan of the department and are all required for it to implement its mandate.
The department has indicated that research and integrated coastal management - to improve local government institutional capacity to effectively apply the oceans and coasts policy and regulations and to increase the number of provincial and local authorities with coastal management units - are strategic objectives to be achieved over the 2011-12 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period.
However, the budget allocations for the subprogrammes Integrated Coastal Management, and Oceans and Coastal Research declined. So, the select committee would like to reiterate that in order for provinces to do their work, they need to be supported with resources and training.
The biodiversity and conservation programme received a budget allocation of R430,4 million in 2011-12. A large proportion - 80,5% - of the biodiversity and conservation programme's budget is comprised of transfer payments to the SA National Parks, Sanparks, and the SA National Biodiversity Institute, Sanbi, which are key conservation initiatives and which are fully supported. Sanparks and SANBI are entities that are tasked with managing our natural resources, which support ecotourism and provide important ecosystem services that mitigate against climate change effects. These organisations are essential for implementing the biodiversity mandate and more funds should be allocated for this purpose.
The Select Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs fully supports the transfers to these entities.
This leads me to the climate change programme. A significant output of the climate change programme will be the successful hosting of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December this year in Durban. The department has also boosted its research efforts to make good-quality contributions to the conference, and this is fully supported.
The climate change branch of the department has developed a National Climate Change Response Policy Green Paper 2010, with relevant government departments and other stakeholders. The Green Paper is currently being worked into a White Paper for adoption by Cabinet, by mid-year. All the activities and the progress made thus far are applauded. Minister, director- general and your team, you have done well so far. I take this opportunity to wish you the best during the upcoming negotiations. Let's deliver on our promises made in Cancun.
Halala! Amaqobokazana angalal'endleni yazini kunyembelekile! [Well done!]
Regarding Water Affairs, the two policy priorities identified within the budget allocations for the financial year are aligned with the transformation of the sector. These priorities include managing scarce water resources whilst ensuring that access to safe drinking water and sanitation is adequately provided to the constituents of South Africa. The task of ensuring the vital resource of water is secure for now, but in the future it will be difficult.
Therefore, the department has developed the Water for Growth and Development Framework. This initiative aims to strengthen institutional capacity, mainstream decision-making in the sector, diversify the sources of water used, strike a balance between supply and demand, address service delivery backlogs, and change water-use behaviour amongst stakeholders now and for the future.
The risks, threats and challenges to water availability and supply have been identified, and the budget allocations for the roll-out of these interventions within the provinces are provided for in the conditional grants.
The framework and the related activities are ambitious, but are urgently required. According to the United Nations, South Africa is ranked as a water-scarce country, getting only about half the world's average rainfall amount. Therefore, the need to conserve and manage our water resources sustainably for economic development is of national concern.
In the 2011 state of the nation address, our honourable President also stressed the fact that water infrastructure is needed to reduce the water supply backlog and increase service delivery. These service delivery requests still exist, especially in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, and in other areas where the issue of access to potable water remains a critical one.
The Blue Drop drinking water and the Green Drop waste water certification scheme is an achievement for the department since water provision is a local authority competency, whilst the department is tasked with ensuring that water quality is of an acceptable standard. In this regard, the department issued 96 - that is 60% Blue Drop and 52% Green Drop - status certifications to municipalities in the country. This is good news for all our communities out there in that they have access to safe drinking water.
Furthermore, leakage through poorly maintained infrastructure not only reduces the quantity of safe and clean drinking water reaching consumers, but also reduces the income of water service authorities, which is needed to deliver such services. The water that leaks still has to be paid for. This is an area that the department has started to take very seriously with its War on Leaks programme.
This intervention is applauded since water can be saved by fixing the leaks. Water infrastructure management and regional implementation and support are the top budgeted spending programmes in the department. The bulk of the department's budget is allocated to these two programmes, which are aligned to the core functions and priorities of the department and receive a combined amount of 82,7% of the budget.
The budget allocation to Programme 3 is in support of the development, rehabilitation, operation and management of bulk raw water infrastructure, which is aligned to the strategic priority of the department to contribute to economic growth by ensuring the supply of water for domestic, energy, irrigation and industrial use.
The need to accelerate access to water-related services was highlighted by the President in his state of the nation address, in which he indicated that R2,6 billion would be spent on water infrastructure, with priority given to the provinces of Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape where a large number of people do not have access to safe drinking water.
The regional implementation and support programme accounts for the largest percentage share allocation, that is 56,5% of the total budget for the Department of Water Affairs. The budget allocation for Programme 4 increased from R4,4 billion in 2010-1l to R5,6 billion in 2011-12, which is an increase of 22,6% in real terms. This allocation is needed for our provinces and local authorities. So, Minister, our committee fully supports this allocation.
The International Water Co-operation programme is a new programme introduced in 2011-12 and which is responsible for promoting and managing international relations as they relate to water resources between countries. Programme 6 received a total budget allocation of R26,l million in 2011-12. The International Water Co-operation programme is comprised of three subprogrammes, namely International Relations Management and Support, Africa Co-operation, and Global Co-operation.
The budget prioritisation of the Africa Co-operation subprogramme is strategically aligned to the performance target of implementing six bilateral technical co-operation agreements with African countries by 2013- 14. Over the 2011-12 year, the Africa Co-operation and Global Co-operation subprogrammes will intensify their efforts in sourcing funds.
In conclusion, Minister and comrades, this department addresses major government priorities, providing good quality water and ensuring a healthy and sustainable environment for all South Africans. Therefore, the Budget Votes presented to us this afternoon adequately address these government priorities. The Select Committee on Land and Environmental Affairs fully supports Budget Votes No 30 and 38. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, Mr Geyer from the Western Cape, the SA Local Government Association, Salga, hon members, firstly, I would like to thank the new Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs and the Department of Environmental Affairs for their presentations to our committee.
With regard to Water Affairs - this is one and the same Minister - the Minister inherited a department with a leadership crisis and many challenges. The Auditor-General's report revealed R1 billion of irregular expenditure on the extension of contracts and deviation from procurement policies. However, thanks go to the Minister for turning the Department of Water Affairs around.
Most of the existing directors-general and deputy directors-general and the chief financial officer of Water Affairs are all in an acting capacity at present, and we trust that they will be appointed in a permanent capacity as soon as possible.
The budget allocation for the Department of Water Affairs for the 2011-12 financial year amounts to R9,9 billion. The proposed budget increases over the three-year Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period are R9,9 billion, R10,2 billion and R10,9 billion respectively, which represents a 15,6% increase in real terms over the three-year period. The budget for the Department of Environmental Affairs increases by 11,4% from R2,4 billion in 2010-11 to R2,8 billion in 2011-12.
The largest expenditure over the medium term has been on the acquisition - as we heard earlier - of the polar research vessel to replace the SA Agulhas. This falls under the Oceans and Coasts programme. The department also received an additional allocation of R279,9 million, which will be shared with the Department of International Relations and Co-operation for, amongst other things, the hosting of the Conference of the Parties, COP 17, Convention on Climate Change that will be held in Durban later this year. I am sure we all wish this department a very successful convention.
Municipalities in seven of the provinces owe the water boards more than R1,04 billion. This figure excludes Rand Water, the biggest water board in South Africa. The Free State municipalities - I am from the Free State - make up a large proportion of this debt. Indeed, some R363 million was owed to two water boards in the province, namely Sedibeng and Bloem Water alone.
According to the department, some 98% of all present water resources have already been allocated and the availability of new water resources may soon become a major restriction on growth in the country. The scarcity of water impacts on social and economic development. Most of the water boards have reported a decline in their raw water quality owing to pollution and contamination of the river systems by industrial, agricultural and human waste entering these river systems. This has resulted, as the report states, in extensive disinfection and purification measures which increase the cost of potable water to the municipalities.
Acid mine drainage remains a worrying factor. There are many mines in the Welkom area, for example - and I know Gauteng is a big problem - which have ceased production and have still not been rehabilitated. It is time that the mines be held responsible for the pollution and contribute to the costs of acid mine drainage. Likewise, it is also important that the department take action against industries, farmers and users that are using water illegally. Some 120 mines were operating without water licences last year.
We all await the publication of the Green Drop report, last published in April 2010, which will now hopefully be released on 26 June at the Municipal Water Quality Conference.
The 2007 State of the Environment report indicates that there are numerous environmental challenges and that the state of our environment has, in fact, deteriorated in every respect. This is according to this report. Mining rights are granted in sensitive ecosystems, in Ramsar sites and in water systems without regard to the long-term environmental effects. The protection of our fragile environment needs the co-operation of all stakeholders, such as the police, justice, health, and local government, to name but a few.
The National Environmental Management Act, Act 107 of 1998, Nema, is supposed to give overarching environmental legislative protection with regard to matters such as the sustainability of ecosystems, co-operative environmental governance, marine living resources, mining, biodiversity, pollution, waste and integrated coastal management.
One of the contentious issues which will have to be decided upon will be the issue of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" as it is known, in the search for shale gas in the Karoo and in the Northern Cape. The Minister will then have to take into account any environmental impact assessments and earth tremors, which have been reported in the papers, such as in the United Kingdom where it was proved that earth tremors had been directly caused by hydraulic fracturing. Environmental - together with sustainable - development will have to be given much thought and attention.
By 2025, some 23% of the world's younger population will be living in sub- Saharan Africa. Owing to global climate change and the ever-increasing world population, great stress will be placed on the world's environment. Hotels - and who knows what's next - are being planned, for example, in our national game parks. The department has the difficult task of simultaneously enforcing our good legislation while growing our economy. We must all use our existing resources more efficiently, thereby protecting our fragile environment. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Mme [Mrs] Edna Molewa, hon members, distinguished guests who are here with us today, water and the environment are catalysts for economic growth and development. Our role as a Ministry is to ensure that our country has enough water and that the environment is protected in order to meet our country's developmental needs.
Service delivery is the business of all spheres of government. It is for that reason that the Ministry, in collaboration with sector partners in all spheres of government, has identified water and environmental challenges and hot-spot areas affecting water and the environment. We are finalising our turnaround strategies and plan of action to address the prioritised challenges.
We have met with the premiers, MECs and mayors and agreed to establish task teams composed of senior officials from our Ministry, affected national and provincial departments and municipalities, in order to ensure that the plan of action is implemented and that they report directly to the provincial government and to our Ministry. As a Ministry, we have adopted a hands-on approach to support both the provincial and local governments to ensure that water is provided to our people and also that the environment is protected.
We are mobilising community leaders to come on board and participate actively in the management of water and the environment. Their indigenous knowledge will help us to achieve the sustainability of water and the environment. Water and the environment are everybody's business. Allow me to give you an overview of our programmes.
We are finalising our local government support plans, which will be monitored by premiers, MECs, mayors and our Ministry. Those plans seek to address major challenges to water and the environment. The collaboration with the provincial and local governments improved service delivery as we have managed to do interventions which gave us positive results. We have managed to unblock water challenges, for instance in Setlagole Village, in the North West, by constructing a borehole water scheme, and unblock water challenges in Mukula Village in Limpopo, to mention a few instances.
One of the key challenges in the provision of water services is the ageing infrastructure and inadequate technical skills. Through our regional bulk programme, we are making remarkable progress in addressing the infrastructure challenge. Since the inception of the regional bulk programme, we have created 7 221 jobs, while 1 210 job opportunities are projected for this current financial year. We are also finalising the formulation of response teams to provide hands-on support to municipalities as a way of addressing technical capacity.
We are hard at work on waste management for a healthy South Africa. The improper operation of waste disposal sites and inadequate refuse collection keep us awake at night; we do not sleep. We are supporting municipalities in the development of integrated waste management plans, which will be incorporated into the integrated development plans, IDPs, in order to ensure proper resourcing of the provision of waste services. In the current financial year, we will train 450 landfill site managers. We have a lot of illegal landfill sites.
We are also supporting municipalities to ensure that the refuse collection service is provided adequately to all citizens of our country. We will strengthen the existing initiatives of Buyisa-e-Bag, to create more job opportunities and establish entrepreneurships, so that we realise our vision: "Waste is Wealth".
We acknowledge that the issue of medical waste needs a multipronged approach, which will involve the Department of Health and other sector stakeholders. We will develop a joint programme of action to address this challenge.
In response to building a healthy South Africa, we will ensure that the air our people breathe does not pose any danger to their health and wellbeing. We have identified the hot spots in our country, which include the Vaal Triangle and the Highveld as priority areas, and we are also doing monitoring. The Waterberg will soon be declared a priority area. The department continues to roll out the Clean Fires Campaign, Basa Njengo Magogo, which we have just launched to reduce pollution.
We are implementing a social responsibility programme that has created 16 840 jobs and accredited training. We have enrolled 480 youths in the Environmental Youth Service programme. This year, we will create 17 154 work opportunities and enrol 600 young people in our Environmental Youth Service programme.
Last year, we launched the Buyisela programme, which has an integrated approach that includes greening, waste management, recycling, water conservation and the rehabilitation of degraded land. Ten municipalities have been identified for this pilot phase. This programme is being implemented in Mthatha, Nkandla, Mantsopa, Bushbuckridge, Butterworth and Thohoyandou. It will be implemented in the remaining municipalities this year. We are saying mayibuye indawo yethu [bring our environment back].
We are implementing an accelerated community infrastructure programme, to which we have allocated R83 million, in Cape Town, eThekwini, the City of Johannesburg and the Nelson Mandela Metro to address water conservation and demand-management challenges. The intervention focuses on leak repairs, pressure management, education and awareness, and the use of effluents to offset demand for potable water.
We launched the War on Leaks project in Mogale City, which is aimed at educating water users about the importance of repairing water leaks. The youth educate the communities on fixing leaking taps and toilets, thus creating job opportunities and skills development. Through this we are targeting the youth. This project has created 146 job opportunities, which exposed the youths involved to various forms of skills training in Gauteng, the Free State, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape. In KwaZulu-Natal, 81 unemployed graduates have been trained in technical skills and employed by the Department of Water Affairs and by municipalities.
The Ministry has prioritised the following programmes to empower women, young people and people with disabilities. In terms of the Adopt a River programme, we are targeting women in that they have to look after the rivers, because our rivers are polluted and have deteriorated. They identify the source of pollution and also look at water as a source of food security. They do not just clean the rivers, but also use the water as a source of food security by having gardens and other things that they develop. They have been trained and have acquired skills in water quality, among other skills. With these skills, we empower them to be water ambassadors in Limpopo, the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and the Free State, which were the pilot provinces. We will expand the programme to include the North West, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape and Gauteng.
In 2010, we held the Women and Environment Conference. The conference was also used to focus on enhancing the role of South African women in leveraging economic opportunities from ecosystems. A national women and environment forum was composed, which represented all the provinces. We have also hosted the Women in Water Awards for women who have developed comprehensive projects, proposing solutions to water challenges.
I am also proud to announce that later this year we will host a conference of African women in water and the environment, in the build-up towards our 17th Conference of the Parties, COP 17. This platform will enable women across the continent to share best practices and experiences in the area of water and environment management.
The 2020 Vision Programme for youth development is one of our key education initiatives, which aims to educate learners from Grades R to 12 about water resource management and water conservation. This is the brainchild of the late Prof Kader Asmal. We will be holding a conference this week, starting this Saturday, 25 June to 28 June. We are going to dedicate this conference to him. This project has educational materials, which have been developed by us and the Department of Basic Education. We are going to pilot it in 135 schools.
Regarding the youth conference that is starting this Saturday, we have also invited the Southern African Development Community, SADC, region's youth. We are proud of their achievements. We need more young minds to fill the skills gap that we are experiencing in both the environment and water sectors, and also because we have international waters. We must begin to share ideas.
Annually, our learners participate in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. It gives me great joy to say that Motebele Moshodi received the Stockholm Junior Water Prize in 2005. Our learners go every year to participate, that is those who win nationally. We also award bursaries to learners to encourage the youth to see water as a career choice. We need engineers, scientists, hydrologists, and others.
We have started with our climate change public awareness campaign, spearheaded by Indalo Yethu, aimed at creating awareness about the impact of climate change. The theme is "Save Tomorrow, Today". Regarding water conservation, we have a partnership with Eskom in a water and energy-saving campaign, with the theme "Know Your Water".
Through our rural development programme, we have provided 5 280 rainwater- harvesting tanks. Currently, an amount of R11 million is invested in the construction of our main pipeline for the Blocusso Trust Project. There are many projects to mention, but my time has been too short. I cannot really cover two departments in 10 minutes. Thank you. [Applause.]
Deputy Chairperson, members of the NCOP, hon Minister and Deputy Minister and guests, thank you for affording me the opportunity to address you on behalf of the honourable Anton Bredell, Minister of local government, environmental affairs and development planning of the Western Cape provincial government.
The national environmental strategic outcome has been defined as government having to "protect and to enhance our environmental assets and natural resources". This all-encompassing outcome has been adopted by the Western Cape department of environmental affairs and development planning within the ambit of strategic objective 7, as a working approach to addressing the environmental concerns specific to this province. This approach implies environmental service delivery without compromising the overall contribution in realising the commitment to ensure that citizens have the right to a clean and healthy environment.
Permit me to highlight significant milestones achieved by this department and provide a brief overview of what our intentions are as a means to improve service delivery through the administration of the environmental mandate.
With regard to water as a vulnerable resource, the department has been focusing on land-based pollution sources of the environment, particularly in terms of human activities that affect the quality of inland and coastal waters. A provincial programme of action has been established, and the department is also currently developing a Western Cape integrated water resource management plan.
Factors that impact on our water resources are, amongst other things, effluent discharges from waste water treatment works and industrial plants that may contain pollutants, such as heavy metals, faecal coliforms, or run- off from farms owing to agricultural activities in the form of highly organic fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides.
Such contaminated water can result in eutrophication owing to the high organic loads, or it can be a health hazard, as it may contain toxic chemicals or disease organisms, thereby making our water resources vulnerable to environmental degradation.
The following recommendations can be made in terms of protecting and managing our vulnerable water resources. There is a need for heavy metal studies to be conducted at estuaries and water resources where there is a threat of heavy metal contamination, especially where subsistence fishing is taking place. There is a need to investigate the impact of pesticides, herbicides and insecticides on the water quality in the estuaries and water resources. Setback lines to limit the impact caused by agricultural practices are required. Effluent standards should meet the water use licence conditions. Where septic tanks are leaking and polluting the ground water, the local authority has to intervene in terms of basic service delivery. In addition, accredited laboratories are required for testing saline water samples.
With regard to zoning schemes to accommodate renewable energy facilities, at present no provision is made in the individual municipal zoning schemes in the Western Cape for renewable energy facilities in the form of solar and wind energy. This type of development requires great parcels of land, and it is not anticipated that there are suitable areas of vacant land zoned for industrial purposes available within the urban edge. It is therefore anticipated that renewable energy and/or facilities will mostly be developed on agricultural zoned land.
Up until now, applications were considered as a temporary departure in terms of the zoning scheme. A temporary departure from land use is, however, only valid for a temporary period, with the result that investors have not been very keen to invest money in short-term projects. The proposal implies that their investments are secured for the lifespan of the facility and that permanent rights are allocated. On the other hand, farmers may benefit from using low-potential agricultural land for alternative uses as a supplement to their primary agricultural income.
The proposal will set a standard on how to evaluate applications of this nature and will set norms and standards which will be applicable for the province as a whole. The proposal is deemed to be the best long-term solution in rural areas and will ensure that no land use management problems will be experienced when the facilities are decommissioned.
We have also been developing a strategic assessment of sites suitable for wind energy facilities in the Western Cape. This will help to clarify the environmental impact assessment criteria used by decision-makers in assessing applications for wind energy farms, reduce uncertainty so as to discourage investment of resources in areas that may be unsuitable for wind energy developments, ensure a co-ordinated and sustainable approach to the development of wind farms that enhances the development of the renewable industry while not negatively impacting on other industries, such as tourism, and provide a balanced approach that will suit developers and communities at large.
With regard to waste management, the department is also in the process of drafting a waste management licensing plan, which will assist in ensuring that all waste management facilities in the province will be licensed to strengthen compliance monitoring and enforcement and ensure the rehabilitation and closure of waste management facilities. Furthermore, this will contribute towards the achievement of the national outcome 10 target to license 80% of the waste disposal facilities in the country by 2015.
To reach this target, extra funds will have to be secured for municipalities to enable them to license their operational and closed waste disposal facilities and to get their existing facilities in compliance, thereby minimising the impact on the environment and the health of people.
A further concern with regard to this is that municipal infrastructure grant, MIG, funds from district municipalities were taken away, and this has impacted very negatively on the regionalisation of waste disposal facilities and their licensing. This is a very important issue that will have to be addressed to ensure that the national outcome 10 target will be achieved by 2015.
With regard to sustainable energy, the first draft of the Bill has been submitted to legal services and the department - that is, internally only - for comment and vetting on 6 June 2011. The Bill will provide for provincial planning, that is both the department and the municipalities will be involved jointly in sustainable energy planning for the Bill. Planning will therefore be conducted jointly by the department and municipalities, reflecting the status quo of the sustainable practices in the province and forward planning with targets and bases.
It is intended that by addressing the manner in which households use and have access to energy, the energy poverty in this province can be addressed and improved, for example by providing and facilitating solar water geysers, as opposed to households utilising conventional geysers; by reducing the number of households using fires to cook or for warmth; by providing alternatives; and by providing electrification where necessary.
There are a number of ways to reduce energy poverty, but the underlying principle is to provide safe and more efficient use of energy. Thank you for listening to me today. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister Edna Molewa, hon Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi, hon members, comrades and distinguished guests, I think it would be appropriate for us to congratulate the department on its programmes, in particular on the programme to encourage the youth to study water-related courses. It is also important for such programmes to be popularised, because I don't think that all of us - or, all young people - know about these programmes.
Before I deliver my speech, I want to say that during our recent "Taking Parliament to the People" trip in Sekhukhune, Limpopo, the main issue there was the water challenge. I heard the Minister talking about Lephalale in Limpopo. I think the Sekhukhune area also needs serious attention, hon Minister.
During our provincial week, as the delegates from the North West ... I think the Minister, as a former premier, would know that in the Dinokana Village and surrounding areas in Ramotshere Moiloa municipality there is a serious water challenge which has always existed. There is a need for us or for the department to attend to that area.
The young people of South Africa have declared themselves the economic freedom fighters. [Interjections.] Not Julius, but the young people of South Africa. They are saying that there is a need to ensure that blacks or African people can get access to shark diving and whale watching ... [Inaudible.] ... so that it is not only Martha and Gert who can access these two particular important things. This is because we want to ensure that we achieve our economic freedom in our lifetime. The department will need to work very hard on this particular matter, because this earthquake called economic freedom fighters is unstoppable. So we would want the department to take this matter very seriously. [Interjections.]
Are you speaking for Sipho?
Yes, I am speaking for Sipho, because Gert already has access.
Which Gert are you talking about? [Laughter.]
The ANC believes that all present and future citizens of South Africa have the right to a safe environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing and that the broad objectives of its environmental policy must be aimed at fulfilling this right. The central goal of the ANC economic policy therefore is to create a strong, dynamic and balanced economy, with due regard to the environmental impact thereof and within the context of overall environmental protection policies.
The ANC's vision and position seek to embrace a transformative environmentalism based upon the idea of sustainable development and built upon the interconnection of environmental, social and economic justice, which vision and position have been consistent. It is this vision that has informed the various policies, programmes and actions of the ANC-led government since 1994.
The ANC, therefore, ensured that environmental rights were firmly entrenched in our Constitution so that both individuals and communities are able to defend their right to a safe and sound environment. An obligation is placed on the state by section 24(b) of the Constitution to protect the environment, to prevent pollution and ecological degradation, to promote conservation, and to secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.
Over the past 17 years, the ANC-led government has focused on prioritising people's needs while safeguarding the country's natural assets with new policies and legislation that have been designed to secure sustainability and to cause environmental issues to move into the sociopolitical arena, bringing together human rights, equitable access to natural resources, social justice and equity.
The range of legislative policy and institutional developments that have occurred over this period have served to bring about a new environmental management approach, which focuses on poverty alleviation and development towards a better quality of life for all.
The resolutions on the environment taken by the ANC at its Polokwane conference in December 2007 have placed our country on a historic path and foundation in their objective to get South Africa working towards realising our developmental goals of halving poverty and unemployment, thereby firmly entrenching environmental justice as an integral part of our national democratic revolution.
It should be acknowledged that South Africa has over the years developed a good environmental stewardship in the country, considering the close link between the environment, human welfare and economic development. In this regard, South Africa has developed appropriate institutions, and policy and legal frameworks for creating a better and sustainable environment and future for all citizens.
South Africa's environmental governance policy frameworks aim to strike a reasonable balance between the environment and development within the context of sustainable development. We have made commendable progress on waste and pollution minimisation, on air and atmospheric quality management and on the burning issue of climate change.
The ANC-led government's emphasis on effective protection of South Africa's environmental resources, as articulated in the 2010 state of the nation address, therefore reflects the constitutional directive for the government, as a public entity, to safeguard the wise and sustainable use of the country's environmental assets.
However, growing economic demands on environmental resources through population growth and associated poverty in rural areas strongly influence the country's priorities and policies, and hence its ability to meet its environmental goals.
An undesirable combination of circumstances in South Africa, some of which link closely to decreasing social coherence and social capital, makes people vulnerable to environmental change. These conditions include poverty, population growth, inadequate access to basic services and the transformation of ecosystems to provide the resources to meet rising population demands, poor land use practices, invasive alien species and habitat destruction, as well as accelerating changes in our environment owing to climate change.
The cumulative evidence of increasing human vulnerability to environmental change in South Africa calls for a significant policy response and action on all fronts. Responding to vulnerability requires building on people's own responses, providing institutional support, and promoting resilience and adaptive capacity among the people most at risk.
One of the most effective responses to human vulnerability to environmental change is to strengthen mechanisms that provide early warnings, such as vulnerability assessments and disaster management planning. Vulnerability assessment can measure the severity of potential threats on the basis of known hazards and the levels of vulnerability of societies and individuals. It can be used to translate early warning information into preventative action and is necessary for early warnings and emergency preparedness.
A defining moment in the global battle against climate change has been reached, and leadership on climate change, in terms of legislation and oversight, is critical. Climate change is a global issue that affects all of us. Changes in climate patterns mean that extreme weather events such as heat waves, floods, storms, droughts and bush fires will become more frequent, more widespread or more intense. The expected impacts of climate variability are likely to adversely affect the wellbeing of all countries, particularly the poorest countries in Africa.
Therefore, a focus on climate change is central to development and poverty reduction agendas. We, as representatives of the people, are best placed to be at the forefront of the climate change debates, and are thus in a unique position through our legislative powers, oversight functions and budget allocations. In addition, we must take a leadership role in promoting behavioural change and a deeper understanding of climate change issues amongst our constituencies.
There is a need to effectively conserve South Africa's environmental resources in the face of the ongoing negative consequences of human population growth. The ANC supports the Budget Vote.
Lastly, I just want to say that we have one Minister of Water Affairs. We can't have another Minister on an island called the Western Cape; he or she should be an MEC, member of the executive council. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, South Africa has a unique environment. We have one of the richest of the world's six floral kingdoms and the third highest level of biodiversity in the world. We have been given much, and therefore much is expected of us.
Ek wil graag die aandag vestig op 'n paar van die kwessies wat reg op ons voorstoep is. Die Clanwilliam-dam is die lewe, suurstof en bloed van Clanwilliam en dorpe vanaf Citrusdal tot Springbok. Die veiligheidsregulasies is egter dubbelsinning en die kapasiteit van die dam is verby sy limiet gestrek. Cope moedig dus die plaaslike grootmaat- infrastruktuurprogram aan om 'n oplossing te vind in terme van hierdie dringende kwessie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[I would like to draw attention to a few of the issues right on our doorstep. Clanwilliam Dam is the life, oxygen and blood of Clanwilliam and towns from Citrusdal to Springbok. However, the safety regulations are ambiguous and the dam's capacity has been stretched beyond its limit. Cope therefore encourages the local bulk infrastructure programme to find a solution to this urgent matter.]
Secondly, Minister, the dam in Camdeboo municipality in Graaff-Reinet is endangering the lives of people close to the dam. The maintenance costs of the dam are too high for the municipality itself. We therefore strongly suggest that the department take over the maintenance of the dam to ensure safety for the citizens of Graaff-Reinet.
Agb lede van hierdie Huis sal onthou dat Beaufort-Wes sedert 2010 'n ernstige droogte belewe. Hierdie droogte is vererger deur klimaatsverandering en het 'n groot las op die munisipaliteit geplaas. Meer onlangs is 'n waterherwinningsplant genstalleer om die las van voldoende watertoevoer na die dorp te verlig. Ons moet egter in die toekoms 'n langtermynoplossing vir droogtegeteisterde dorpe soos Beaufort-Wes kry. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Hon members of this House will remember that Beaufort West has been experiencing a serious drought since 2010. This drought has been aggravated by climate change, placing a big burden on the municipality. More recently a water recovery plant was established to relieve the burden of adequate water supply to the town. In the future we must, however, find a long-term solution for drought-stricken towns such as Beaufort West.]
We are aware of the challenges facing the Department of Water Affairs. In 2010, only 30 municipalities were functional in terms of municipal water service provision, 110 were dysfunctional, 99 were high-risk, and the situation at 23 municipalities was critical. This issue is the mandate of both the Departments of Co-operative Governance and Water Affairs.
Meer kommerwekkend is die instandhouding van die grootmaatwaterinfrastruktuur wat nog steeds 'n probleem is. Die Stad Kaapstad moet R60 miljoen betaal vir waterlekkasies wat te danke is aan groot, gebarste pype. Dit is 'n vermorsing van water en geld. Verder, in plaas daarvan om goeie dienste aan ons burgers te verskaf, hou die departement aan konsentreer op lopende tariewe eerder as om behoorlike dienslewering aan ons gemeenskappe te verskaf. Di benadering moet verander. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[More worrying is the maintenance of the bulk water infrastructure, which still remains a problem. The City of Cape Town has to pay R60 million for water leakages due to large, burst pipes. This is a waste of water and money. Furthermore, instead of providing good services to our citizens, the department continues to focus on current tariffs, rather than rendering proper services to our communities. This approach will have to change.]
In order to align ourselves with the President's call for job creation, the filling of vacancies is of vital importance. Skills are desperately required in the water sector, without which we cannot move forward. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, and hon members, water is a catalyst for growth and development, and should be used to achieve the economic growth and job creation objectives of our country. In this context, we would like to focus on three areas, which are water pricing, water losses and infrastructure investment.
On water pricing, a trends analysis is beginning to suggest that South Africa is moving towards pricing water at a level that will begin to work against our country's economic competitiveness. This is driven by a policy framework that requires the water industry to be financially self- sustainable and, therefore, recover all its capital and operating costs from user charges. This is the policy framework that drives water pricing by water boards and is pushed to drive water pricing by municipalities. The high bulk water price increases in the past two years are a direct result of both a lack of economic regulation in the sector and the water pricing policy framework. The unfortunate consequence is that more and more middle and high-income households and SMMEs, that is small, medium and micro enterprises, are beginning to default on payment. This then leads to an inability by municipalities to pay water boards for bulk water.
We understand that the establishment of the economic regulator is under way. However, we would like to suggest that the Minister initiate a process of reviewing the water pricing policy, especially the ideology behind it.
With regard to water losses, water losses in the country's distribution infrastructure and homes of low-income households that cannot afford to pay high water bills have reached unmanageable levels. We are losing between 20% and 40% of water delivered by our bulk infrastructure. A significant part of the problem is that many water and waste water treatment schemes inherited by municipalities from pre-1994 authorities were without documents, such as updated drawing designs.
Consequently, in some of the inherited municipalities, it is not known where infrastructure, such as pipes, is laid, or the age of the materials used. The increasing use and pressure on these pipes lead to regular pipe bursts and leaks. We need a major, countrywide intervention of the magnitude of the Working for Water programme to address this. The purpose of such an intervention would be to locate the pipelines, assess their condition and implement a refurbishment or replacement programme. Local government calls upon the national government, through the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs, to partner with it in this proposed initiative.
The proposed programme can be an Expanded Public Works Programme in terms of which unemployed young matriculants will be trained and utilised. It could be a pioneering initiative towards locating and registering the state of all Public Service infrastructure, such as roads, water and waste water treatment plants, electricity infrastructure, clinics, schools, etc.
This will assist in informing infrastructure maintenance and refurbishment programme plans. In this way, we could create jobs and reduce the wastage of increasingly scarce and expensively treated water, while at the same time improving the efficiency with which we utilise our natural resources.
In terms of infrastructure investment, the SA Local Government Association, Salga, notes with appreciation the number of mega water projects that will ensure supply, quality and quantity. Bulk water supply has become one of the major constraints to socioeconomic development in many municipal areas.
We, however, remain concerned that water supply assurances in areas that are not suitable for mega projects remain a binding constraint on socioeconomic development. There is a need for both sustainable funding and institutional arrangements to achieve this. The long-awaited institutional reform for bulk water services provision is now long overdue and we would like to request our Minister to push her department to complete this work.
On the environment, Salga would like to comment in respect of the government's response to acid mine drainage and funding of environmental functions at the municipal level. The rapid rise in the levels of acid mine water poses a serious threat to both the environment and infrastructure. In areas of Gauteng such as Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni, the issue of acid mine water is approaching crisis proportions. Municipalities are very concerned about the clarity and speed of implementation of response measures.
Salga wishes to request the Minister, in her response to this debate, to outline clear response measures, with timelines, indicating the extent to which these implementation timelines with regard to the response measures will avert the crisis.
The Constitution lists the environment as a concurrent function of provincial and national government. In addition to one of the objectives of local government, as stipulated in the Constitution, which is to promote a safe and healthy environment, the following municipal functions, as assigned to local government by the Constitution, can be considered essentially environmental functions: refuse removal, refuse dumps and solid waste disposal, also known as waste management services; air pollution; pontoons, ferries, jetties, piers and harbours; cleansing; and municipal parks and recreation.
In urban areas, with the exception of refuse removal, refuse dumps and solid waste disposal, which are funded from user charges, all these functions are meant to be funded from rates income as part of the basket of 34 municipal functions that should be funded from the same rates income.
In rural areas, none of these services are funded as there are no user charges or rates levied in these areas. The national government has since passed a policy that requires waste management services to be provided in all parts of municipal areas, including our rural areas.
There is a need to develop a sustainable funding model and policy for these environmental functions. As Salga we request the Minister to add this to her list of activities for this financial year. We thank you, Deputy Chair. [Applause.]
Hon Chair, let me start by making corrections. When our department fights the problem of environmental challenges caused by mines, it is responding to what we call "the industrial liberation of the 19th and 20th centuries", which was brought about by capitalism. Some of the people who talk of that - we opened their mouths democratically through the 1994 breakthrough - forget that this was their own decision.
Therefore, what this government does is not the correction of 17 years of mining, but the correction of many years of mining during which time our people were denied rights. [Interjections.] That is what the hon Worth must note.
Well, they still have a licence.
The other issue is that indeed when we talk of a provincial programme of action, it should be located within the Minister's strategy. This is not a provincial programme of action independent of the South African Ministry. Therefore, the Western Cape should locate itself correctly in such a way that it is not detached from South Africa. [Interjections.]
I think we need to welcome what Salga said. But we request Salga to also intensify capacity-building in municipalities. Municipalities need to complement what the state is doing as the third sphere of government. It can't be that everything will always be done by the department. We need complementary relations as spheres and organs of state. We say this because water shortages in most cases are as a result of the lack of capacity to lead at the local level.
The position of the ANC on environmental issues has been consistent and it is reflected in the Reconstruction and Development Programme document. It is the vision that has informed the various policies, programmes and actions of government since 1994. This is a plan to better the lives of the people.
In November 2004, Cabinet adopted a climate change response strategy, which outlines South Africa's response to climate change. The document sought to address those issues identified as priorities when dealing with climate change within the country. This is geared towards the objective of reducing carbon emissions so that our atmosphere does breathe the correct air that is necessary for the survival of fauna and flora.
According to the Green Paper on the National Climate Change Response Strategy, our government regards climate change as one of the greatest threats to sustainable development. Indeed, the ANC has played a leading role in shaping global debates on environmental justice, including through our participation in the Rio Earth Summit, followed by South Africa's hosting of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, whose resolution has informed all departmental strategies that we are talking about today. However, we still need more efforts as the people of the country to realise those resolutions.
South Africa will be hosting the 17th Conference of the Parties, COP 17, on climate change in Durban in December this year. South Africa will be seeking an outcome that is fair, equitable, implementable and effective in response to the issues of climate change. What then should be an expected outcome of this conference? I think we need to commend the Minister on the debate she presented in Mexico last year. Taking from that, I think we have seen the political will by South Africa to engage on this one.
I think, going forward, Minister, you have to ensure that indeed the Copenhagen Accord, in which South Africa played a major role, is realised, because we were a role-player in that accord. We also need to ensure that other - especially developed - countries are bound by the Kyoto Protocol. The indecisiveness of the Copenhagen 15th Conference of the Parties, COP 15, means that we have a major challenge as South Africa to rise to the occasion.
South Africa and Africa will be hardest hit by the impact of climate change. We are aware that the current vulnerabilities to floods and fires in informal settlements are exacerbated by their location in flood and ponding-prone areas. The use of inferior building materials, structures built on sand dunes, and inadequate road access for emergency vehicles can therefore be prevented by proper human settlement planning by all spheres of governance and civil society.
South Africa, like other countries, is experiencing unique and abnormal climate changes, such as winter rainfall in areas where we used to receive summer rainfall. This is beginning to tell us that indeed trouble is coming. This demonstrates the effects of climate change. It is imperative that we recognise the centrality of all spheres of government in addressing climate change and that the necessary support is provided for alignment, integration and co-ordination of climate change.
We are happy and we commend the Minister on talking about public climate change awareness, which should also be extended to our traditional leaders where some of these things are happening. We see veld fires in areas where there are traditional leaders. All these things are happening there. Therefore, this awareness must be taken to the traditional leaders, indunas [headman] and everyone so that together we can prevent the scourge that comes about a result of climate change.
In Cancun, Mexico, there was concern, especially between the delegation of South African parliamentarians and European Union parliamentarians, about the role parliaments play in terms of climate change. It's as though it is just an element that concerns only the executive authority and that parliamentarians are not engaged.
Therefore, if some countries do not want to sign a particular binding commitment, it is still a problem. Therefore, we need, as the South African Parliament, to begin to locate ourselves strategically on how to debate this matter and to come up with policies that will enhance the work of our executive authority in South Africa, in Africa and in the world at large. I think this is very important. However, we do acknowledge the good work that the executive authority is doing.
The biodiversity enforcement unit and the national wildlife crime reaction unit have been established to strengthen the protection of fauna and flora. We are happy with some of the issues that are happening in the country, especially the example of the protection of rhinos. There is a high rate in the killing of rhinos because the criminals want the horn. Protecting the rhino should also form part of protecting the natural environment of our rhinos. Regulations for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora were published to combat this illegal activity. We would want the government to indeed make sure that, as a leader, it takes charge.
With regard to this department, we welcome the 10 000 jobs that were created as a result of hospitality and biodiversity, and we need to commend that. However, the department, together with other departments, especially the Department of Energy, should begin to campaign vigorously for the use of solar systems and wind systems so as to begin to reduce the use of fossil fuels, because that, in essence, is a contribution to climate change that causes climate warming.
Together with the department we have seen our people in the Working on Fire programme, the Working for the Coast campaign, Working for Tourism and in many other campaigns. These are commendable campaigns that show that the department is indeed prepared to not only create jobs, but also to ensure that this is a people-driven society.
In conclusion, in terms of what has been said about various provinces needing bulk water supply to be fast-tracked, there is another area that the department must pay attention to at Nandoni, Limpopo. There is a project that is supposed to be taking water to the Batlokwa at Matoks. But there is a conflict with the bidders. We would like the department to intervene because people can't wait for the conflict involving those who want to gain monetarily to end. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Chair, I want to start by expressing appreciation for the contributions made by hon members during the debate. They indicate the level of commitment of this august House to these matters which are quite complex and very important in our lives. In the six and a half minutes that I have to speak, I will try to deal with these issues. I'm trying to negotiate for the extra minute that I lost earlier on. I have so many issues listed.
In summary, the discussions really covered a lot of areas, indicating that there is great understanding of the work that we do. Much more importantly, I would like to highlight that the hon Qikani indicated and demonstrated very clearly to all of us that the work that President Zuma alluded to in his state of the nation address is actually being rolled out in this discussion today, as we speak. That indicates that there needn't be as much detail as the President gave on the day of the state of the nation address, because this is the detail that we are giving. It has been covered very well by the hon Qikani.
I want to touch on the issue of the threat to water: There is 97% allocation, or so it is said. We did indicate, in our speech, that there is a process that we have started of reallocating water to the other sectors of our economy, especially given the Water for Growth strategy and the current entitlements that we see.
We do see a threat that cuts across especially the agricultural sector that indicates to us that there is actually allocated water which is now an entitlement of that sector that is not actually being used; that has, in some cases, not been allocated to anybody who exists - no warm body in agriculture. So there has to be a reallocation. You can't say that there has been an overallocation to the tune of 97%, when some water is actually being hoarded by people who do not exist, while communities are running short of water. So we are doing this study and we will definitely have discussions with the agricultural sector and everybody concerned to deal with that matter.
We take the issue of the pollution of water very seriously, and many colleagues have spoken about this issue. The Blue Drop and Green Drop project is our response to that. I just want to correct something, perhaps even contextualise a bit. When the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs says that many municipalities are dysfunctional, that doesn't mean that that translates into the work that Water Affairs or water services does. It's a system of functionality of administration.
In our water programme you will notice that that will be reflected in the Blue Drop or Green Drop report - how municipalities are able to deliver water services, quality water services, to the people. So, read the Blue Drop or Green Drop report which is coming out next week in order to understand water as a service in water services municipalities, and not the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs' report. Of course we have to deal with that dysfunctionality, but it's not quite linked to this right now.
With regard to the sensitivity of the environment and issues such as fracking and hotels that are being built in our protected areas, I would like, just in one sentence, to indicate that it is our duty and obligation as the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs to ensure that we really respond in an appropriate manner to any event and eventuality where there is development. We are not here to stifle development because we want to be a growing and developing nation. However, there has to be a balance because environmental sustainability is about that.
If, as we do the environmental impact assessments, we find that fracking will indeed prove to be detrimental to our environment, we will respond accordingly. The same applies to the hotels that are being built. We ourselves are building those hotels; it's one of our institutions. We can't have one of our institutions actually degrading the environment. Again, in that regard, the EIAs will be done and we will take it from there.
About two or three weeks ago I opened a very good hotel, as many of you may have seen, in one of our nature conservation areas. It is a first-class example of a green facility. So it is not a given that when a hotel is built in a protected area it will always be detrimental to the environment. This hotel is the best ever example of a green facility that one would find anywhere. It is in the Free State and many others are coming. [Laughter.]
I would like to caution the Western Cape by suggesting that we wait for the national land use management plan. You can't have the tail wagging the dog. The dog must wag the tail. That's how it happens all the time. [Interjections.]
That's what Malema is doing.
So many people are afraid of Malema that they will even talk about him when I am talking about the environment. This obsession about Malema, please! I am talking about the tail wagging the dog. The tail, which in this case is the Western Cape, must wait for national legislation on land use management. [Applause.] It's coming. This ANC-led government is in, otherwise you will formulate a law and later on we will just say, "Please, just throw it in file no 17." So, please let's wait.
With regard to waste management licensing and the regional landfill sites, it is not always going to be a given that we are going to conclude that a landfill site must be regionalised because there are pros and cons. So, again, evaluations will be done to determine which one is the best.
Regarding the water tariff and Salga, we are in the process right now of reviewing that programme. We would like to work with you and everybody else throughout that programme, because we do believe that there is a need to look at that. By the way, we have found that the cost of water is very high, on the contrary. So, we must find a solution somehow to alleviate the problems that our communities have.
In conclusion, the issues of bulk water infrastructure and the shortage of water for our communities that we see glaringly every day, we have located within the broader planning of the department. As I said, we are now moving towards providing water in a full cycle - a cycle of water from source to tap. So, with regard to the issue of bulk water infrastructure shortage in that even though there are pipes to take water to the people there isn't bulk infrastructure, is a thing of the past, as we go forward. This includes the Nandoni Dam because it was a dam constructed with no pipes. Later on the pipes were faulty and then faulty again, and so on.
Therefore, this whole infrastructure with Salga will conclude a whole plan. As a matter of fact, we said last week at a joint meeting with our municipalities and provinces that we would develop a national plan for water infrastructure and cost it, no matter how long it took us, as long as we knew that certainly this was where we were going as a country and that we were providing water from source to tap.
I want to thank you very much. Environmental matters are really all in your hands. Legislatures, let's play a role. We can be the determiners of the outcome of every COP if we get the citizens' voice through the hon members here, not only in South Africa, but even in countries like America that are giving us a hard time. Let's hear the voices of the people. We thank you for the support. We hope that South Africa will get a very, very good outcome from COP 17. Thank you, Chair. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.