REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN 2014/15—2018/19, ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLANS (APPS) 2014/15 AND THE BUDGET VOTE 30
OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS (DEA) AND ITS ENTITIES, DATED 8 JULY 2014.
1. Background
The Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs
(hereinafter referred to as the Portfolio Committee) having considered the
directive of the National Assembly to consider and report on the Strategic
Plan, Annual Performance Plans and Budget allocations
of the Department of Environmental Affairs (hereinafter the Department) and
all entities reporting to it, tabled by
the Minister of Environmental Affairs, and in terms of the Public Finance
Management Act (Act No 32 of 2003), reports as follows:
2. Introduction
The Portfolio Committee having being recently constituted,
in the 5th democratic Parliament, invited
the Department on 25th June 2014, to present the overview of its broad mandate
and that of its entities to the new Committee. This interaction was to afford the new Committee members the
opportunity to familiarize themselves with and gain useful insight into the
work of the Department and its constitutional mandate before engaging with the
Strategic Plan, Annual Performance Plans and the 2014/15
Budget Vote in the subsequent week. In this initial engagement with the
Department, the department was represented by the Director General, the Chief
Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other relevant senior executive
management members of the Department.
2.1 Overview by the Department of Environment Affairs and its
Entities
The Department has the mandate to ensure that the South
African environment is protected and that natural resources are conserved. This
mandate is derived from Section 24(b) of the
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which stipulates that “all South Africans have a
constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or
well-being, and to have the environment protected for the benefit of the present and future generations” through relevant legislations.
2.1.1 Legislative mandate
The core business of the Department is underpinned by the
Constitution and the following pieces of legislation:
•
The National
Environmental Management Act, (NEMA) 1998 (regulatory framework for the management and protection of
environmental resources and coordination in relation thereto) was enacted to
provide for the following subsidiary issue-specific legislation on biodiversity
and heritage resources; oceans and coasts; climate
change and air quality management; and waste and chemicals management.
•
National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004 - regulates
air quality.
•
National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 - regulates and sets out the
mechanisms for managing and conserving South Africa’s biodiversity, its components and institutions (e.g.,
SANBI).
•
National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 - regulates waste management; provides for national norms
and standards for regulating the management of waste
by all spheres of Government; and provides for the licensing and control of
waste management activities.
•
National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal
Management Act, 2008 (Act No. 24 of 2008) -
establishes a system of integrated coastal and
estuarine environmental management in the Republic; ensures that development
and the use of natural resources within the coastal zone is socially and
economically justifiable and ecologically sustainable; determines the
responsibilities of organs of State in relation to
coastal areas; controls dumping at sea and pollution in the coastal zone.
The Department fulfills its mandate through formulating,
coordinating and monitoring the implementation of national environmental
policies, programmes and legislation with the
additional support from its entities, such as iSimangaliso Wetland Park
(iSimangaliso), the South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI), South
African National Parks (SANParks), and the South African Weather Services (SAWS). It is noteworthy that the main activities of the
Department are divided into seven programmes, comprising of the following:
Programme 1: Administration
The purpose of this programme is to provide leadership,
strategic centralised administration and executive
support, corporate services and to facilitate effective cooperative governance,
international relations and environmental education and awareness.
Programme 2: Legal, Authorizations and Compliance
The purpose of this programme is to promote the development of an enabling legal regime, Licencing
and/or authorisation system that promotes enforcement and compliance with
relevant environmental legislation.
Programme 3: Oceans and Coasts
The purpose of this programme is to promote, manage and provide strategic leadership on oceans and coastal
conservation.
Programme 4: Climate Change and Air Quality Management
The purpose of this programme is to improve air and
atmospheric quality, lead and support, inform, monitor and report efficient and
effective international, national and significant
provincial and local responses to climate change.
Programme 5: Biodiversity and Conservation
The purpose of this programme is to ensure the regulation
and management of all biodiversity, heritage and conservation
matters in a manner that facilitates sustainable economic growth and
development.
Programme 6: Environmental Programmes
The purpose of this programme is to ensure the
implementation of the expanded public works programme (EPWP) that has important implications for the environment and to conceptualise and
implement green economy projects in the environmental sector.
Programme 7: Chemicals and Waste Management:
The purpose of this programme is to manage and ensure that
chemicals and waste management policies and
legislation are implemented and enforced in compliance with chemicals and waste
management authorisations, directives and agreements.
3. Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans (APPs) of the
Department and its Public Entities for 2014/15
As the national partner to provinces in a concurrent
function, the Department leads the environmental sector by setting the policy
and legislative framework and the norms and standards required for
environmentally sustainable development in the country.
This role is evident through the large numbers of policy and legislative
instruments initiated, processed and administered by the Department.
It is in this foregoing context that the newly constituted
Portfolio Committee received briefings on 1st July 2014 from the Department and its entities on strategic
plans, annual performance plans and budget for the 2014/15 financial year. This
was to ascertain whether the allocated budget to the Department and its
entities was aligned to achieve the strategic outcomes
conceived in the respective strategic plans and APPs documents and also to
determine whether the budget is aligned with the Government’s strategic priorities for the
current 2014/15 financial year, as informed by the National Development Plan.
This report, therefore, details
the findings and recommendations of the Portfolio Committee after its
engagement with the Department and its entities on the matters outlined above.
In addition to the 2014/15 Budget (including the Estimates
of National expenditure for the MTEF period) tabled
in Parliament by the Minister of Finance, the Portfolio Committee was also
briefed by the Department on the following documents, which were also tabled in
Parliament:
•
The Strategic Plan of the Department for
2014/15—2018/19;
•
The Annual Performance Plan of the
Department for 2014/15; and
•
The Strategic Plans and Annual
Performance Plans for 2014/15 of the Departments entities:
o
South African Weather Service (SAWS);
o
iSimangaliso Wetland Park (IWP);
o
South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI); and
o
South African National Parks (SANParks).
3.1 Department of Environmental Affairs
The Department provides leadership in environmental
management, conversation and protection to ensure the sustainability of the
South African environment for the benefit of South
Africans and the global community in perpetuity.
3.2 Departmental Strategic Goals
The Department’s strategic goals over the medium term are to:
•
Ensure that the Department has optimal
capacity to deliver services efficiently and
effectively;
•
Ensure that South Africa’s environmental assets are
conserved , valued, sustainably used, protected and continually enhanced for
the benefit of both current and future generations;
•
Enhance socio-economic benefits and
employment creation in a safe, clean and healthy
environment for both present and future generations;
•
Provide leadership in environmental
management, conservation and protection towards sustainability for the benefit
of both current and future generations of South Africans;
•
Manage the interface between the
environment and development to encourage the transformation of the development
trajectory to an environmentally sustainable, inclusive, low-carbon and green
economic growth path;
•
Promote compliance with environmental legislation and act decisively against transgressors;
•
Develop and facilitate the
implementation of a climate change adaptation and mitigation regulatory
framework;
•
Work and participate in international
United Nations (UN) platforms to ensure that the international
climate change and global warming is fully mitigated by the international
communities’
•
Facilitate the transition to
environmentally sustainable, job creating and low-carbon, green development
pathway through the national Green Fund and environmental
projects in the expanded public works programme; and
•
Improve the provision of quality waste
management services across the country with clear environmental health benefits
for communities, particularly those without previous access to waste management
services.
•
Participate and contribute meaningfully
in the international effort, within the ambit of the United Nations, to craft
new sustainable development goals (SDGs), which will replace and enhance the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) after 2015.
3.3 Budget of the Department
The Department’s budget allocation for the
2013/14 financial year was R5.206.8 billion, whereas the Department received a total allocation of R5.668 386 billion for the
2014/15 financial year. The budget increased by R461.6 million over the previous 2013/14 financial year. The
allocation has been broken down into the following programmes, as indicated in
Table 1:
Table 1: Departmental budget allocation over the medium
term expenditure framework
Programme |
Budget |
Nominal Rand change |
Real Rand change |
Nominal % change |
Real % change |
|||
R million |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
2015/16 |
2016/17 |
2013/14-2014/15 |
2013/14-2014/15 |
||
Administration |
777.3 |
653.4 |
681.4 |
693.9 |
-123.9 |
-162.0 |
-15.94 |
-20.85 |
Legal, Authorisations and Compliance |
113.3 |
122.6 |
129.0 |
133.4 |
9.3 |
2.1 |
8.21 |
1.89 |
Oceans and Coasts |
318.2 |
357.4 |
424.6 |
448.3 |
39.2 |
18.3 |
12.32 |
5.76 |
Climate Change and Air Quality |
233.8 |
227.7 |
240.1 |
274.6 |
-6.1 |
-19.4 |
-2.61 |
-8.29 |
Biodiversity and Conservation |
576.7 |
636.8 |
669.6 |
692.0 |
60.1 |
22.9 |
10.42 |
3.97 |
Environmental Programmes |
3 121.8 |
3 598.3 |
3 756.3 |
4 233.3 |
476.5 |
266.4 |
15.26 |
8.53 |
Chemicals and Waste Management |
65.7 |
72.2 |
79.2 |
84.0 |
6.5 |
2.3 |
9.89 |
3.48 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL |
5 206.8 |
5 668.4 |
5 980.2 |
6 559.5 |
461.6 |
130.7 |
8.87 |
2.51 |
Source: National Treasury (2014) Estimates of National
Expenditure.
National Treasury, Pretoria.
3.4 Strategic Priorities for 2014/15 per programme
The Department has demonstrated that it was fully
capacitated as it spent 99.7 per cent of its allocated budget for the 2014/15
financial year, although the auditing of the
Department’s 2013/14
financial statements is still underway. The Department also received an
unqualified Audit Report in the 2012/13 financial year.
Programme 1: Administration
The strategic
objectives of this Programme are to:
•
Finalise the
construction of the new Office Accommodation;
•
Improve Information Technology and Local Government support;
•
Increase employment;
•
Ensure effective departmental
involvement in international engagements, with regard to mitigation of climate
change and crafting of future Sustainable Development
Goals;
•
In order to better capacitate the
Department, 677 vacancies had been approved and funded from the compensation of
employee’s allocations in
the 2014/15 financial year. This number is expected to increase to 728 in 2015/16;
•
Increase employment targets for women
and people living with disabilities by 50 per cent and 2.6 percent
respectively;
•
Recruit 100 interns per annum in
accordance with the Public Service regulatory framework on internships;
•
Implement 90
per cent of Security Risk Assessment recommendations; and
•
The Department aims to achieve 100 per
cent compliance with statutory tabling and prescripts and continues to get an
unqualified audit outcome.
As part of the Cabinet-approved budget reductions, the Corporate
Affairs and Office Accommodation sub-programmes budgets were cut from R182.5 million in
2013/14 to R177.9 million in 2014/15 and R294.1 million in 2013/14 to R153.9
million in 2014/15. A significant part of the budget reduction in the Office Accommodation is due to the fact that the provisions for financing the
construction and, operating the new office campus is through a Public Private
Partnership Agreement (PPP). The department received an upfront allocation from
national treasury for two years (R220 and R146
million respectively) to reduce debt and
interest payable in financing the building over a 25 year period.
Notwithstanding the above reductions the department will still manage it's
administrative functions within the budget whilst it will
quantify future financial gaps in light of the fact that other services i.e
security services, internet based
solutions and connectivity will still be funded separately from the PPP
agreement.
Committee Observations
Based on the plans that the Department
has presented, the Portfolio Committee is confident that the Department would
be able to spend its
allocated budget in the 2014/15 budget allocation, and achieve its planned
strategic outcomes, which amongst others include:
•
Sustaining the expertise needed in the Department; and
•
Capacity to account and properly audit
the finances allocated to the strategic plans and APPs of the Department and
its entities.
Programme 2: Legal, Authorisations and Compliance
The strategic
objectives of this Programme are to:
•
Implement the National Environmental
Management: Air Quality Amendment Act of 2014 by developing regulations to
determine fines in terms of section 22A of this Act. The process for
establishing the National Advisory Committee and issuing atmospheric emission licences was underway.
•
Increase the number of inspections of
authorisations in facilities located in environmentally-sensitive areas from 86
in 2014/15 to 115 by 2018/19.
•
Increase the number of Environmental
Management Inspectors (EMIs) from 240 in 2014/15 to
1060 by 2018/19.
•
Finalise and implement the Compliance
and Enforcement Strategy for the EMI Inspectorate.
•
Increase the number of criminal
investigations finalised from 24 in 2014/15 to 44 by 2018/19.
Key achievements and challenges in
exercising functions under this programme are:
•
There was improvement in cooperation
between the Department and other law enforcement agencies. To date, 20
Magistrates and Prosecutors received training to equip them with key legal
instruments to be applied when dealing with
environment crimes.
•
Integrated information system aimed at
reducing turn-around time in the processing of licensing applications.
•
Signing of Memorandum of Understandings
(MOUs) between South Africa, Mozambique, Hong Kong and Viet Nam, among others, to control rhino poaching in South Africa.
•
Processing of Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIAs) within prescribed timeframes.
Committee Observations
The Portfolio Committee was concerned about the reduced
budget in the Enforcement sub-programme, which is
responsible for criminal and administrative enforcement action to ensure
compliance with environmental impact assessment and pollution legislation. This
notwithstanding, the programme was able to fully spend its budget in 2013/14
financial year. It has also been able to effectively
enforce compliance with environmental laws and prescripts in the Republic of
South Africa. The 2014/15 plans and coordination with other law enforcement
agencies including South African Police Service (SAPS) and the judiciary, would ensure that environmental crimes are
dealt with.
Programme 3: Oceans and Coasts
The Oceans and Coasts Programme priorities for the 2014/15
financial year include:
•
Conducting a comprehensive analysis of
the legislative framework for Oceans and Coasts
governance;
•
Developing and implementing the Marine
Protection Services and Oceans Governance, Blue Economy and disaster
management;
•
Developing plans for collecting
scientific real-time Antarctic and sub-Antarctic information as well as the long-term data sets relating to weather prediction; and
climate change analysis, which are critical to inform future beneficial use of
the oceans and coastal resources;
•
Implementing the rapid results
methodology on the oceans economy to identify opportunities with regard to job creation and contribute to GDP
growth;
•
Identifying priority sites for facilitating
access for South Africans to the
beaches; and
•
Expediting the Port St. Johns sea water
quality monitoring programme.
Key achievements and challenges
in exercising functions under this programme
The achievements of the Oceans and Coasts Programme for the
2014/15 financial year comprise the following:
•
Drafting of the White Paper on Oceans
Management was approved by Cabinet;
•
Completed five assessments relating to the initiatives to address land-based sources of
marine pollution;
•
Updated 10 Regional Oil Spill
contingency plans and feasibility plan to conduct one oil spill readiness
training session once a year; including this year;
•
Increase the protected proportion of protected exclusive economic zone (EZZ) by 2.0 per cent;
•
Compile the State of the Oceans Report;
and
•
Maintain presence in the Antarctic and
Southern Ocean islands by completing to-date three relief voyages to the SANAE,
Gough and Marion Islands within the approved budget.
Challenges under this programme comprise:
•
Delays in the passing of the National
Environmental Integrated Coastal Management Amendment Bill, 2013 after the
mediation process at end of 4th
parliament
•
Revision of institutional arrangements with regard to oil spills;
•
Resolving instances of resistance to Marine
Protected Areas (MPAs), which pre-date the Constitution, or which were not
addressed since 2000; and
•
The national concern about shark attacks
at certain locations, particularly at the Port St
Johns Coast.
Committee Observations
•
The concept of the Blue Economy is
exciting and the country is indeed looking forward to a framework that
encourages beneficiation of the oceans and coasts through job creation and
diversification of the economy to enhance the
resilience of the South African economy to withstand both local and
international shocks.
•
The Portfolio Committee noted with
concern the recent incidents of shark attacks, resulting in loss of lives of
tourists and community members in the Port St. Johns
Coast. The Portfolio Committee felt that the attacks were not good for the
international image of the country and hence the economy. This may have a
negative effect for the country in terms of the tourism industry. The Department’s intervention in exploring the establishment of tidal
pools as a short-term measure is commendable, but it was further encouraged to
activate other interventions including consideration of other solutions
especially potential use of shark nets and other
devices that may make a positive contribution that would result in a
sustainable solution to this threat.
•
Full-steam implementation of the
Integrated Coastal Management Act (Act No 24 of 2008) would facilitate access
to beaches, which have until now been managed as
private beaches — a legacy
of the Apartheid. Access to these beaches would provide additional economic
opportunities to the surrounding communities who do not currently feel being
part of such coastlines.
•
There is a need to develop the requisite research capacity in the Oceans and Coasts
Programme for us to determine the sustainability levels of the embedded
resources in the ocean and coastal environment, and hence inform resource use
decisions.
•
Use of the SA Agulhas II and the Algoa vessel may assist to deal with the challenges of both
mapping out the scope of the Blue Economy and enhance our understanding of our
oceans and the economic benefits thereof.
Programme 4: Climate Change and Air Quality Management
Strategic objectives are to:
•
Achieve 100 per cent of facilities with
Atmospheric Emission Licence (AEL) reporting to the National Atmospheric
Emissions within legislative timeframes;
•
Ensure approval by Cabinet of the
Mitigation Potential Analysis and conclusion of South Africa’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory;
•
Ensure the publication of the scientific
assessment of the vulnerabilities to climate change impact of the urban, rural
and coastal settlements as a basis for robust adaptation responses;
•
Increase the number of air quality monitoring stations reporting to the South African Air Quality
Information System;
•
Launch the National Atmospheric Emission
Inventory System;
•
Implement the 2014/15 annual plan in the
air quality hotspots areas, especially in the Highveld, Vaal Triangle and Waterberg-Bojanala;
•
Publish the Waterberg-Bojanala annual
air quality management plan; and
•
Host the 2014 Air Quality Governance
Lekgotla.
The challenges experienced under this programme comprise of
the following:
•
Securing legacy of the Durban Platform
by adopting, at COP21 in Paris, in 2015, a protocol,
legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force. Current global
geo-political dynamics are putting a multi-lateral outcome with the necessary
ambition at risk.
•
Development of sectoral, and
company-level desired emissions reduction outcomes;
alignment with the carbon tax; and mitigation planning and reporting by
industry to facilitate transition to a lower carbon economy; and
•
Applications by the industry for
postponement of timeframes for compliance with
minimum emission standards, in terms of section 21 of the National
Environmental Management Air Quality Amendment Act is a huge challenge,
considering that Sasol has instituted court action against the Department.
Committee Observations
•
The Committee noted that South Africa is a signatory to many multilateral agreements,
including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate change (UNFCCC),
and supports the Department in maintaining a respectful presence on
international climate change negotiating forums.
•
The Committee is pleased that South
Africa has fulfilled its reporting obligations under the UNFCCC, and is
confident that the Department would also meet its other relevant obligations,
with respect to climate change and air quality.
•
As a country,
we must be seen making our fair contribution to the global effort to mitigate
climate change by ensuring that we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions below
the business-as-usual by 34 per cent by 2020 and 42 per cent by 2025,
consistent with the pledges that President Jacob Zuma
made at COP15 in Copenhagen in December 2009, and later reaffirmed by the
Minister of Environmental Affairs, Mrs Ednah Molewa at COP16 in Cancun in
December 2010.
•
The monitoring of the Air Quality “Hotspots” in the country was commendable.
South African Weather Service (SAWS)
The mandate of the South African Weather Services was
established in terms of the South African Weather Service Act (Act No 8 of
2001). Its mandate is to provide two distinct services, i.e., the public good
service, which is funded by the Government and
commercial services where the user pays principle applies. This entails
maintaining, extending and improving the quality of meteorological services,
providing risk information which is essential for minimising the impact of disasters, collecting meteorological data over
oceans and fulfilling Government’s international obligations under the World Meteorological
Organisation and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Committee Observations
•
The Committee appreciates
SAWS’ real-time weather
forecasts and firmly believes that SAWS’ work is in the best interest of the country as well as that
of the international and national aviation. Consequently, we cannot afford to
ill-equip this reputable institution, and hence
appeal to the Department and the National Treasury to relook into the R20
million/annum cut in transfers to the organisation in both the current and
coming financial year. We fully support the discussions between the Department
and the National Treasury, in this respect.
• The reduction in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 transfers from the
Department to the SAWS would certainly impact negatively on the organisation’s operations and impede its
ability to fulfil its mandate as required by the SAWS Act (Act No 8 of 2001, as amended). After all, SAWS has been struggling
to fully implement its mandate even with the previous Government grant and
infrastructure allocations. Indeed, the budget cut would impact negatively on
the entity’s ability to
deliver on its primary objectives and the
implementation of some of its key functions.
•
The Portfolio Committee notes with a
great concern the potentially devastating impact on human life of SAWS’ dwindling budget, as the organization would find it
increasingly difficult to provide uninterrupted
monitoring services critical to facilitate severe weather warnings. This could
have disastrous effects given the ever changing weather patterns currently
being experienced, and any delays in notifying the relevant disaster management
structures could lead to unnecessary loss of human
life and property, thereby shifting limited financial resources from
development to disaster management. Of further concern in this respect is the
looming threat to SAWS to cut down its 24/7 hour weather service operations and capacity as it would not have
sufficient finances for the remuneration and/or retention of human capital
required to operate on a 24/7 hour basis. Thus, it will not able to fulfil its
international obligations around monitoring climate
change
•
The second negative impact would be on
the economy and the reputation of the country, as South Africa would no longer
be able to guarantee the safety of its skies or effect the necessary regulatory
requirements imposed by the International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO) to ensure aviation safety and prevent loss of human life.
•
The third negative impact would be the
long-term ripple effect on SAWS’ ability to deliver on both its public good mandate as well
as the full service to aviation as required by the
SAWS Act (Act No 8 of 2001, as amended) due to the lack of availability of the
SAWS Observation Network, such as the Radar Infrastructure, Lightning Detection
Network, Automatic Weather and Rain Stations. This as a result of lack of capital expenditure and thus lack of infrastructure
recapitalisation and reduction
in repairs and maintenance, for example, the maintenance budget is currently
exhausted and therefore non-existent.
•
The fourth impact pertains to the
availability of reliable, quality weather and climate
data as SAWS is the custodian of the National Climate Database. This would
impact negatively on the country’s ability to make science-based policy decisions and
scenario planning, relating to climate change and variability issues facing the country and the continent.
•
The fifth impact is that South Africa
would be unable to meet its international obligations regarding the monitoring
of greenhouse gases through the Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station. As a
result, there would be a limitation on monitoring the
impacts of Climate Change Mitigation and Scenario Strategies for the country.
The country would also be unable to formulate baselines and monitor emissions versus set
targets.
•
Finally, there would be a negative
impact on the commercial mandate of the organisation,
as SAWS’ capability to meet
its Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with clients would no longer be honoured,
causing serious dent in the highly esteemed reputation of this premier
institution of our country.
Programme 5: Biodiversity and
Conservation
The strategic priorities are to:
•
Expand and effective management of
conservation estate, including the business case for Vredefort Dome and
nomination dossier for Nelson Mandela Memorials considering the World heritage
Act is administer by the department in collaboration
with the department of Arts Culture;
•
Mitigation of threats, including the
lobbying of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), curbing rhino and wildlife crime,
implementation of biodiversity and mining guidelines, for example, the
Mapungubwe boundary modification and withdrawal of mining licenses;
•
Legislation and regulatory review,
including the implementation of the threatened or protected species (TOPS) and CITES regulations; and
•
Sustainable use of ecosystems and
species by advancing the wildlife economy.
•
Advancing the biodiversity agenda on
relevant international platforms.
Key achievements and challenges in exercising functions
under this programme
The achievements are:
• Successful implementation of the CITES regulations in two
provinces, which are Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces;
•
Effective verification of rhino horn
stockpiles country-wide;
•
Implement three natural resources-based projects in
Bushbuckridge, Awelani and one in a Transfrontier
Conservation Area;
•
Review the National Strategy for the
Safety and Security of Rhino Populations in South Africa; and
•
Finalise MoUs with Thailand, Cambodia,
Mozambique and Laos.
Notwithstanding, the challenges
encountered are:
•
Rhino Poaching and killing that continue
unabated with the over 461 Rhinos killed so far; at the time the Portfolio
Committee with Department this year;
•
Mining in sensitive environmental areas;
•
Land claims in protected areas; and
•
The department
will harness strategic partnership with key Government departments, such as the
Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), Department of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries (DAFF), Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and
the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC).
iSimangaliso Wetland Park (iSimangaliso)
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority in KwaZulu-Natal
was established in terms of the World Heritage Convention Act (Act No 49 of
1999), with the mandate to ensure that effective and
active measures were taken in the Park for the protection and conservation of
World Heritage Convention values; promote empowerment of historically
disadvantaged communities living adjacent to the Park; promote, manage,
oversee, market and facilitate optimal tourism and
related development in the Park; and encourage, sustain, invest and contribute
to job creation.
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park priorities are to:
•
Ensure that the World Heritage values
are conserved, including detection of poaching incidents
and illegal developments in the park;
•
Optimise empowerment in all activities
of the Park through creation of temporary and new permanent jobs;
•
Develop Tourism skills; and
•
Increase visitor numbers.
South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
SANBI was established in September 2004, in terms of the
National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act No 10 of 2004). The
mandate of the Institute is to monitor and report regularly on the status of
South Africa’s
biodiversity, all listed threatened or protected
species, ecosystems and invasive species; and the impact of any genetically
modified organisms that have been released into the environment. The Institute
is also mandated to act as an advisory and consultive body on matters relating to organs of State and other biodiversity stakeholders;
coordinate and promote the taxonomy of
South Africa’s
biodiversity; manage, control and maintain all national botanical gardens,
herbaria and collections of dead animals that may exist; and advise the Minister of Environmental Affairs on any matter
regulated in terms of the Act, and any international agreements affecting
biodiversity that are binding on South Africa.
SANBI’s
strategic priorities are to:
•
Effective marketing and communication
services delivered to internal and external
stakeholders to increase the number of visitors in the botanical gardens;
•
Manage and unlock National Botanical
Gardens network, with two botanical gardens established in the Eastern Cape
Province and the Limpopo Province;
•
Provide scientific evidence to support
policy and decision-making relating to biodiversity, including impacts of
climate change by conducting national assessments of biodiversity, assess
impacts of genetically-modified organisms, sustainable trade and support for the wild life economy; and
•
Provide biodiversity and climate change
adaptation policy tools and advice in support of South Africa's development.
South African National Parks (SANParks)
SANParks was established in terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (Act No 57 of
2003), with the mandate to conserve, protect, control and manage national parks
and other defined protected areas and biological diversity.
SANParks’ strategic priorities are to:
•
Grow its revenue base from 8 per cent to 11 per cent by promoting effective
management of national parks, for example, by expanding total area added to
national parks, rehabilitate areas with alien and invasive species,
implementing the Biodiversity Monitoring Plan, and implementing the Cultural Heritage Programme;
•
Facilitating socio-economic development
through SMMEs, creation of temporary jobs through Expanded Public Works
Programme and community-based initiatives;
•
Promoting effective management of the
human capital by way of building a learning
organisation underpinned by corporate values; and
•
Continue to conserve and protect our
wildlife.
Key achievements and challenges in exercising functions
under this programme
•
SANParks’ accrual of a liability of about R155.9 million in medical aid to near-retiring employees and in-house
security measures of R66 million, is a cause for concern; and
•
The ongoing challenge that bedevils the
SANParks is the relentless poaching of rhinos in the national parks.
Committee Observations under this
Programme
•
The Department was commended for its
expertise and for systematically placing South Africa as the third most
biodiverse country in the world, after Brazil and Argentina;
•
There is increase in rhino poaching
despite adequate budgetary commitments to the
SANParks; killing of rhinos was standing at 461 when the Portfolio Committee
interacted with the Department;
•
The Portfolio Committee welcomed the
MOUs signed between South Africa (represented by the Department) and key rhino
horn consuming nations to mitigate the difficult
challenge of rhino poaching and killings;
•
Convictions for wildlife crimes have
been very low as the people funding the trade of rhino horns are not prosecuted
both in South Africa and abroad. Better investigative capacity should be developed by South Africa and its key trading
partners to apprehend the masterminds behind this illicit trade;
•
Cooperation between the Department and
the South African Police Service (SAPS) was commended; and
•
There is a need to increase the involvement of the Civil Society Organisations in issues of
conservation of natural species.
Programme 6: Environmental Programmes
The Committee supports the stance taken by the Government
through the Department to contribute towards the formulation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are being addressed
through the United Nations processes as well as the job creation and
entrepreneur development programmes through “Working for” Water, Fire, Waste and Wetlands projects.
Key achievements and challenges
in exercising functions under this programme:
•
The Portfolio Committee highly values
the significant contribution that the Department makes through the Environmental Programmes Programme in terms of job creation that has important
implications for poverty relief.
•
The Portfolio Committee is particularly
impressed with the number of work opportunities (80 658) created and 23 957 school desks manufactured in the 2013/14 financial
year. The Department has set a target of 69 150 new work opportunities and 150 000 new school desks to be
crafted for the 2014/15 financial year.
Environmental Sector Programmes component
Committee Observations
The Portfolio Committee recommends integrated approach to
job creation by the Government, meaning that the implementation of the expanded public works programme in a given
geographical area must be synchronised with critical service delivery timings
of other relevant Government departments and/or organs of State. This
coordination will maximize the visibility of the State’s efforts in job creation and
entrepreneur development.
Programme 7: Chemicals and Waste Management
The Strategic Priorities for this Programme are to:
•
Implement the National Environmental
Management: Waste Amendment Act of 2014;
•
Establishment of Waste Management Bureau to implement waste management plans
and waste charges;
•
Finalise the Health Care Risk Waste
(HCRW) Management regulations:
•
Develop norms and standards for waste
sorting, shredding, grinding and also bailing of general waste;
•
Increase job
creation in waste recycling from 1 000 in 2014/15 to 10 000 by 2018/19;
•
Licence 80 per cent of unlicensed
landfill sites; and
o
Training and capacity-building of 100
municipal officials and councillors.
Key challenges in exercising functions under this Programme are:
•
Absence of large-scale recycling
infrastructure to enable waste separation, waste diversion, recycling and
recovery;
•
Lack of policy and regulatory framework
to promote the waste management hierarchy, resulting in limited economic
potential of the waste management sector, which has a
possible turnover of approximately R50 billion per annum;
•
Outdated waste management infrastructure
with declining levels of capital investment and maintenance.
Committee Observations
•
The Committee believes that there is still a lot that needs to be done by the
Department in leading all South African economic sectors, households, public
and private institutions to “separate waste streams from the source”. The Committee acknowledges the healthy economic benefit
of recycling of waste streams.
•
A dedicated budget is needed to assist
recycling efforts in the municipalities, provinces and in all government
departments in the country;
•
Illegal landfill sites are danger to the
environment and society at large, and hence the
Department’s drive to
licence all unlicensed landfill sites, with the aim of regulating them is
highly appreciated and supported; and
•
The Department should support
municipalities to execute their relevant mandates in order to free the
Department to focus on strategic environmental
issues.
4. Committee Conclusions and Recommendations
In response to the above input by the Department, the
Portfolio Committee recommends as follows:
•
Overall, the Portfolio Committee was
pleased with the effort that the Department put in
formulating its Strategic Plan, the Annual Performance Plans and Indicators,
and relevant Performance Targets for the 2014/15 financial year. The Committee
considered them realistic and achievable despite budgetary constraints. The
Portfolio Committee is also acutely aware of the
capability of the Department to prudently use the allocations made to it to
fully implement its strategic plans, annual performance plans, indicators and
targets that it set for itself, as clearly illustrated by the Department’s ability to consistently spend about 99 per cent of its
budget in successive financial years.
•
The Portfolio Committee notes the
significant budget cuts to the South African Weather Service (SAWS), and is
concerned that this would have negative implications
for both national and international aviation. The Portfolio Committee is in
agreement that all these negative impacts are not in the interest of the
Republic of South Africa. Serious interventions from both the Department and
the National Treasury must be effected to stop budget
cuts of R40 million in 2014/15 and 2015/16 financial years, respectively.
•
The Portfolio Committee notes the
intricacy of the issues that the Oceans Act that is proposed to be promulgated
in the 2018/19 financial year must address, and hence
acknowledges the complex nature of such a law. However, the Committee stresses
that the formulation as well as the promulgation date of the Oceans Act should
be brought forward.
•
The Portfolio Committee would like
clarity on the scope of the oceans or blue economy
and hence requires the Department to present to it the Cabinet-approved
strategy (or approach) for realising the full potential of South Africa’s exclusive economic zone.
•
The duration for processing of
misconduct cases by staff of the Department should be
shortened from the current 90 days, as protraction of disciplinary actions have
budgetary implications for the Department that should exercise prudence in
allocating its ‘tightly
stretched’ budget to critical service delivery
in the environmental sector.
•
The Portfolio Committee considered
SANParks’ accrual of a
liability of about R155.9 million in medical aid to near-retiring employees and
in-house security measures of R66 million unfortunate, and stressed the need
for the Department to be proactive to avert similar
happenings in future and develop plans of avoidance of these happenings.
•
The
Portfolio Committee is concerned about the reduction in the budget allocation
to the Climate
Change and Air Quality Programme by R19 million (in
real Rand terms) in the current 2014/15 financial year, as this reduction is
likely to influence both the scale and depth of South Africa’s responses to climate change at
various levels.
•
The Portfolio Committee recommends the
proactive involvement of civil society in
departmental processes, particularly in its participation in international
climate change negotiating forum and other multilateral processes. There is
indeed a need to open up international agreements/treaties for discussions by the public before introducing those instruments to
Parliament for ratification. The Portfolio Committee believes Parliament should
involve the broader South African community on these through the Public
Participation model.
• We believe that we should continue
to play an effective part as a nation in the international domain in ensuring
that the harmful effects of climate change are effectively mitigated through
dialogue in international forums, including finalisation of the negotiations
under the Durban Platform in the coming United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the
Parties (COP20) meeting in Lima, in December 2014, as well as COP21 in Paris in
2015. We are confident as the Portfolio Committee that key attributes of the Kyoto Protocol would be retained and worked into a
future agreement and that the Convention on Climate Change will indeed find
concrete agreement and enforceable models in COP21 in Paris.
•
Despite all the budgetary resources and
efforts committed to conservation and protection of
the rhinos, the animals continue to be killed and poached, as shown by the
unacceptably high figures given to the Committee by the Department of 461
rhinos that had been killed this year alone, at the time that the Committee interacted with the Department. We are very concerned as the
Portfolio Committee and we think as people of South Africa working together
with people of the world, we need to do more to save the rhinos. The Department
is, therefore, urged to do more in this regard.
•
We acknowledge and appreciate the
Department’s efforts in
creating employment opportunities as shown by the growing numbers in the
2013/14 and previous financial years. We believe that the new goal of creating
69 158 Work
Opportunities in the 2014/15 financial year will go a
long way in fighting the scourge of poverty and unemployment in our country.
The Portfolio
Committee on Environmental Affairs recommends that
the House adopts the Department of Environmental Affairs Budget Vote 30
allocation for 2014/15 financial year, with the
allocation of R5.668 386 billion.
Report to be adopted.