Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Minister, hon Members of Parliament, departments, family, the director-general and guests in the gallery, the ANC-led government will continue, wherever it is required, to make its humble contribution to the African Union and the United Nations' peacekeeping initiatives on the continent.
The ANC does this because it believes that Africa cannot develop if the continent is not peaceful and that there can be no peace without development as the two are indivisibly intertwined. As it was amplified at the Ready to Govern Conference in 1992, which stated that the mineral wealth beneath the soil is the national heritage of all South Africans, including future generations, as a diminishing resource, mineral wealth should be used with due regard to socioeconomic needs and environmental conservation.
Since our first democratic elections in 1994, the ANC-led government has placed human rights at the heart of our nation's development agenda and has enshrined in our Constitution the right to an environment that is conducive to the health and wellbeing of our people and one which is protected for the benefit of present and future generations.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, for the first time placed the people and conservation at the centre of environmental management. The ANC government ensures that South Africans continue to enjoy their constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to their health. There is a great focus on addressing challenges in the area of pollution and waste management.
The ANC-led government's work focuses on ensuring that there is less waste disposed of at landfill sites, increased waste services and waste management systems. Effective environmental impact assessment and management systems are in place to ensure that we are able to effectively and proactively manage, minimise and mitigate potentially negative impacts of significant development activities and development patterns in line with the ANC-led government's policy, legislation, goals and strategies.
It is estimated that each year air pollution costs the public health system over R3 billion to address air quality-related respiratory infections. This pollution includes greenhouse gas emissions, which are the causes of human- induced global warming and climate change. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of this century and impacts on global environmental, social and economic systems as it threatens to undermine developmental gains.
South Africa is rich in species, ecosystems and natural heritage which form the very foundation of our economy and society; providing eco-system services such as food security, and clean and secure water.
In October 2011, Cabinet approved the National Climate Change Response White Paper. The policy paper sets out South Africa's vision for an effective climate change response, and a transition in the longer term to a climate-resilient and lower-carbon economy and society. The ANC-led government's work focuses on implementing the policy towards the development and implementation of the National Vehicle Emissions Strategy, which will clearly define the national approach on dealing with carbon emissions from the many vehicles on South African roads.
One of the recent achievements in efforts to dealing with waste is the recently launched National Waste Management Strategy during 2011. The strategy aims to promote effective minimisation of waste and ensure the effective and efficient delivery of waste services, among others. The Environmental Impact Assessment and Management Strategy process is another initiative that facilitates a participatory process in order to compile a strategy that gives effect to the objectives of integrated environmental management within the context of the principles of sustainable development.
An area of concern is the continuing plundering and pillaging of our natural resources. To tackle this scourge head-on, the ANC government will contribute by continuing to put systems and processes in place to fight environmental crimes and the lack of compliance with legislation.
To ensure that land and infrastructure development takes place in an environmentally responsible and sustainable manner, the ANC-led government ensures that there are adequate instruments to improve efficiency and effectiveness of environmental impact assessment systems across the country. These systems include development and environmental management frameworks where certain areas are identified as critical development areas with increasing development pressures.
The ANC-led government intends to initiate the development of regulations to legislate the development of Strategic Environmental Assessments, and is further working towards the development of a Strategic Environmental Management Framework for energy applications, specifically renewable energy applications.
The ANC-led government promotes behaviour that contributes to sustainable development through the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 2008, particularly recycling efforts, and the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act 2004 to address monitoring and enforcement in air quality management.
In 2008, the Cabinet approved the National Framework for Sustainable Development. The approval signalled a new wave of thinking aimed at promoting the effective stewardship of South Africa's natural, social and economic resources. This National Strategy for Sustainable Development and Action Plan - also referred to as NSSD 1 2011-2014 - was approved by the Cabinet on 23 November 2011.
The NSSD 1 builds on the 2008 NFSD and several initiatives that were launched by the business sector, ANC-led government, NGOs, civil society, academia and other key role-players to address issues of sustainability in South Africa. The NSSD 1 is in the implementation period 2011-2014.
The lessons and evaluation of progress regarding the implementation of NSSD 1 will inform NSSD 2 2015-2020. This is a proactive strategy that regards sustainable development as a long-term commitment, which combines environmental protection, social equity and economic efficiency with the vision and values of the country.
The NSSD 1 marks the continuation of a national partnership for sustainable development. It is a milestone in an ongoing process of developing support, and initiating and upscaling actions to achieve sustainable development in South Africa.
The 1992 Rio Earth Summit, which was followed by the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, provided a platform to learn and begin to implement sustainability practices. The 2012 Rio+20 identified two important themes to support the country's efforts. These are the green economy, in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and the institutional framework for sustainable development.
The following five strategic objectives are identified in the NSSD 1: Enhancing systems for integrated planning and implementation; sustaining our ecosystems by using natural resources efficiently; towards a green economy; building sustainable communities and responding effectively to the climate change's various interrelated and enabling interventions that promote sustainable development being implemented throughout the country.
The NSSD 1 identifies 113 interventions that can be monitored for implementation. Twenty headline indicators have been identified to monitor progress in the implementation of NSSD 1 2011-2014. These headline indicators are selected from existing indicators, including the Development Indicators, the Millennium Development Goals and the 12 ANC-led government's outcomes.
South Africa's commitment to a long-term sustainable development trajectory that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable requires scientific, technological and innovative capabilities supported by strategic public investments and strategic partnerships. The ANC-led government in collaboration with all key stakeholders galvanised action towards the implementation of the strategy through the harmonised planning and execution of programmes.
The Constitution of South Africa recognises the vital role of both ecological and mineral resources in a development path and that these are not necessarily opposing objectives in a development path.
Mainstreaming biodiversity in the mining sector provides direction on how to avoid, minimise or remedy mining impacts as part of a thorough environmental impact assessment, the EIA, and a robust environmental management programme. As such, the guidelines establish a four-step mitigation hierarchy aimed at encouraging proactive planning that would avoid disturbance of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity as a first approach.
In cases where loss of biodiversity cannot be avoided, the mitigation hierarchy encourages finding alternative methods in mining that would minimise the impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services. The mitigation hierarchy makes reference to the importance of rehabilitating those areas where biodiversity loss was unavoidable and could not be minimised.
Ukunakekela imvelo nokuthuthukisa izimpilo zabantu bakithi ngeke sikuyeke, ngeke sikuhlukanise njengoba siqhubekela phambili sikwenza siyinhlangano ebusayo uKhongolose. Njengoba uMongameli wethu ohloniphekile uZuma eke wasikhumbuza enkulumweni yakhe yonyaka ayethula kule Ndlu yesiShayamthetho, ukuthi lena kuzoba yinkombandlela lapho zonke izakhamuzi zaseNingizimu Afrika zizoba namanzi ahlanzekile, ugesi, ezokuthuthwa kwendle, imisebenzi, izindlu, ezokuthutha, ezemfundo, ezempilo ezizingeni eliphezulu, ezokungcebeleka nezemvelo ehlanzekile. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[We, the ANC-led government, are determined to improve our people's lives while at the same time sustaining our ecosystems by using our natural resources efficiently. Our hon President Zuma reminded us about this in his state of the nation address that he presented to this House earlier this year. The NSSD 1 is a guide which will enable all the citizens of South Africa to have access to clean water, electricity, sewerage, employment opportunities, housing, efficient transport, proper education, good health care, entertainment and a healthy ecosystem.]
Ours is to ensure that the key programmes we execute respond positively to or support the noble ideas espoused in the NDP. Every child born in SA today must, upon their 21st birthday, be a living testament and an heir to the strides ... The ANC supports the Budget Vote. [Time expired.]