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It emerged today during the Annual Performance Plan presentation of the Department of Environment and Nature Conservation that this department urgently needs more funding in order to adequately deliver on its mandate.

According to the departmental estimate R70 million is needed to fully meet its core targets. The total budget allocation for this department is R131 245 million for the 2015/16 financial year which is equivalent to what its sister department (Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development) has allocated just for flood disaster relief.

For example there is no funding allocated to address climate change issues in the province, it still remains an unfunded mandate. 

Given serious challenges of climate change in the Northern Cape it is unacceptable that no money has been availed to this end.

There is also reluctance from municipalities to commit to environmental projects as there are financial implications in this regard.

Only two municipalities in this province have included concrete and concise environmental projects in their Integrated Development Plans.

The department is under performing with their enforcement and compliance unit. The budget and capacity constrains have brought compliance and enforcement to a standstill. This was evidenced with the slow action that was given to the Blue Crane massacre in Richmond in February this year.

To make matters worse more than 200 rhinos are to be transferred to the province in an effort to address poaching however the department was at pains today to elaborate exactly how they will deal with poaching in this province given their capacity constrains in this function.

This department has a key strategic mandate to develop and implement legislation and measures to ensure that environmental rights are upheld and fulfilled but with this budget allocation it leaves a lot to be desired.

I will therefore raise this matter during the departmental budget vote on 5 May 2015 to request Treasury to increase its allocation to this department.

Issued by DA