NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO 1315
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 18 SEPTEMBER 2009
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 17)
1315. Mrs A T Lovemore (DA) to ask the Minister of Water and Environmental
Affairs:
(1) Whether her department will apply black economic empowerment
(BEE) criteria that are aligned to the National Water Act, Act
36 of 1998, and to the agricultural charter agreed between Agri
South Africa and the Department of Agriculture in the future to
applications for the transfer of water use authorisations for
farming; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether any action will be taken to expedite the re-assessment
of such applications that have been rejected or not approved
since 2007 on the basis of BEE criteria that are not aligned to
the said act and the agricultural charter; if not, why not; if
so, what action? NW1663E
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REPLY:
(1) Yes. The application of the BEE criteria in the
agricultural charter will be considered for implementation to
the extent that it is consistent with the National Water, 1998
(Act 36 of 1998)
(2) No action will be taken by My department to expedite the
re-assessment of the applications that were not approved as they
were not aligned to the National Water Act (NWA) however the NWA
provides for appeals against any decisions of My department to
be lodged with the Water Tribunal. Contact details therefore are
provided to the applicant in every decline letter.
ooOoo