House Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members of this august House ...
... ek en my kollega Sinclair kom 'n lang pad saam. Die doelwit is dieselfde, die politieke voertuig het begin verskil. Ons het met 'n Maserati gery. Hulle kom met 'n klein karretjie agterna. [... my colleague Sinclair and I have come a long way together. The aim is the same, except the political vehicle has changed. We drove a Maserati. They are following in a small car.]
On 22 April, the people of South Africa went to the voting stations and gave the ANC-led government an overwhelming mandate to go forward, saying "working together we can do more".
Von Goethe said:
Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.
What does this mean? It means to live a dignified life, a purposeful life, and to improve the quality of life. This was captured in the manifesto of the ANC. A safe and healthy environment is the key to the very survival of life on this planet. Environmental sustainability can only be achieved if pollution and waste are managed and prevented, environmental impact developments are assessed and mitigated, and global issues of air quality and climate change are addressed.
I am thankful for what hon Minister Van Schalkwyk did in his capacity as the then Minister of Environmental Affairs and also in the world. Furthermore, environmental sustainability can be achieved if compliance with environmental legislation is monitored and evaluated. We are all part and parcel of this and are in this together to ensure a prosperous society that lives in harmony with its natural resources.
The utilisation of our natural resources must enhance economic growth and poverty eradication. We need to create a safe environment within the given budget of R3,4 billion by creating jobs. The department's 2009-10 budget allocations support and meet both the department's key strategic priorities identified in the strategic plans, as well as the government's priorities articulated in the 2009 state of the nation address.
South Africa's national resources represent rich and diverse national assets that provide important economic and social opportunities for the human population. This, in turn, has developed a strong reliance on these resources for commercial opportunity in food and recreation. These resources have facilitated job creation and general economic enlistment in the country. The focus must be on improving service delivery; better co- ordination between government departments and local municipalities in environmental management in terms of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act; and saving water, fixing broken pipes and taps and getting qualified technical people into municipalities in terms of water and waste management - thus, capacity-building. We are concerned to see that 20% of the positions in the department are vacant.
We believe that poverty eradication improves environmental management. Abject poverty forces people to place a new value on the environment as they are more concerned about living for today rather than for tomorrow. We propose a programme to create a large number of green jobs, namely employment in industries and facilities that are designated to mitigate the effects of climate change.
We welcome the increase in the budget for environmental quality and protection, marine and coastal management, biodiversity and conservation, as well as the additional funds from National Treasury for climate change research. In fact, South Africa has a high level of plastic bag littering, and we welcome the money allocated to this programme of recycling.
We call on the department to roll out the Keep my Town Clean/Keep my City Clean campaign in all areas. Rooifontein is a small town in Namaqualand in the Northern Cape. The people of Rooifontein keep their town clean. Why? It is because they want to keep it clean - I worked there during the elections. South Africa can learn a lesson from these people of Rooifontein. Why? They educate their learners to protect the environment and not to throw papers around. In spring, Rooifontein is covered with flowers - a healthy clean environment that also adds to the quality of life. They are poor people, but they are dignified.
Waste management, driven by municipalities, needs serious attention. The location of dumping sites too close to towns is a health hazard, as in Hartswater in the Northern Cape. Proper fencing of these sites, as well as access control, needs to be improved because people without work live on these sites and look for food. We, as Members of Parliament, have to do our work during constituency periods and visit these sites, evaluate them and follow up on issues with the department. We call on the department to do an audit of the number of experts in waste management in provincial departments who can assist municipalities with the correct advice.
To have quality drinking water will lead to an improved quality of life. The waste disposals of industries on the banks of the Vaal River in the Vaal Triangle and of mines in the catchment area of the river must not find their way into the Vaal River. If this happens, it will reduce the water quality of the river and have a negative effect on water irrigation, specifically in the Vaalharts Irrigation Scheme. The irrigation scheme actually starts at Christiana and ends at Taung. It affects the quality of production and the quality of drinking water of the people in the Vaalharts region, as well as the poor people. We call on the department to monitor the dumping of waste and sewerage in the Vaal River. It is our task as Members of Parliament to be vigilant when we visit our constituencies.
South Africa's coastline is a unique part of our environment. In the Northern Cape, we have 380 km of coastline with a small harbour at Port Nolloth. Marine and coastal management must develop and manage marine and coastal environments that ensure the sustainability of marine resources while maximising economic opportunities. Integrated coastal management is responsible for managing a variety of human impacts on the coastal environment by regulating activities along the coastline - for example, with regard to 4x4 vehicles and quad bikes in the coastal zone. We call on the department to, within the next year, improve coastal patrol through a water unit in partnership with the SA Police Service, as they are presently using a rubber duck to do law enforcement, and to indicate with clear signs where 4x4s and quad bikes are allowed to drive along our Northern Cape coast. Signboards at Port Nolloth have been put up indicating where not to drive, but not where one is allowed to drive along the coast.
Furthermore, we call on the department to assist municipalities with the development of a coastal disaster management plan; to interact with the De Beers marine unit to implement a harbour master at the Port Nolloth harbour; and to enforce access control to the coastal area between Groen River and Brak River, in partnership with the Kamiesberg Local Municipality in Namaqualand.
The Orange River flows into the sea in Alexander Bay and forms a delta. Having seen what has been done to the Richards Bay coastline in the St Lucia area, can't the same be done to Alexander Bay? I propose that the department, together with the Minister, pay a visit to our coastline up to Alexander Bay in order to familiarise themselves with the circumstances. There are also tourism possibilities in that development.
In conclusion, we have to deliver on our mandate which we received from the voters. Let us do that. The ANC supports this Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]