Date: 05/12/2002
Source: Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Title: Mabudafhasi: Launch of Coastcare in KZN & opening of craft village
SPEECH BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM, REJOICE MABUDAFHASI, AT THE LAUNCH OF COASTCARE IN KZN AND THE OPENING OF THE NYONI CRAFT AND CULTURAL CENTRE, 5 December 2002
Programme Director,
Executive Mayor Ntuli,
Local councillors,
Government representatives,
Community representatives,
Manene nama nenekazi-:
It gives me great pleasure to be back in KwaZulu-Natal again. I have just returned from Limpopo Province where together with thousands of people from all over the world we witnessed the total dark from the Kruger National Park and Musina during the eclipse when some of us also saw the brighter stars (Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars), which were visible in the darkened sky.
The eclipse also afforded many tourism opportunities in the province, which has paid off as you witnessed in reports this morning. We are here today to launch yet another tourist initiative in our country. A country where recent statistics confirm that we are the world's leading growing tourist destination, and launching this centre here today is indeed indicative of that.
Being here along the beautiful coast of KwaZulu-Natal we celebrate the significant achievement of our coastal communities.
South Africa's coast is a rich and diverse national asset, a treasure for all to enjoy and which provides a source of opportunity for many South Africans.
Our coast is interlinked with tourism and is already attracting thousands of foreign tourists to its beaches, which brings economic growth to the coastal areas. In 2001 each foreign visitor spent approximately R6 000 per trip to KwaZulu-Natal, contributing some R3.7 billion to the tourism industry of the province.
Not only is the massive economic potential of international tourism to our coast important, but our coast is also the holiday haven of our own people and a major contributor to the general economy through its harbours, its minerals and through fishing.
Today, I am privileged to stand here among the members of the Macambini community who own and manage Nyoni Crafts, which is the brand name of their products, and to witness the opening of the newly built Nyoni Craft and Cultural Centre that will serve as an outlet for their products and attract tourists to the local area.
In 2001 this community established the Nyoni Community Cooperative and it involves around 400 cooperative members, and most of them are women.
Their aim is to exploit tourism potential by marketing traditional arts and crafts but also by developing historical and cultural activities focused on the rich Zulu heritage in this area. I see on the programme that we will get first hand experience on their cultural performances today.
I've been informed that they produce a wide range of beaded fashion accessories, wooden carvings and woven grass products, such as beaded handbags, scarves and shawls; woven lampshades, blinds and mats and also Christmas decorations - it sounds like the right place to start our Christmas shopping.
This project really serves as an example of what can be achieved if communities like these get opportunities to change their lives and are able to generate income for themselves.
The beautiful work done in this province emphasises what our President Thabo Mbeki outlined when he addressed the National Assembly in Cape Town, 14 June 1996, when he said that the vision spelled out in reconstruction, development and macro-economic policy challenges all of us as South Africans, within government, the private and non-governmental sectors, to address five critical areas, namely:
* Meeting the basic needs of the people
* Developing our human resources
* Building the economy
* Democratising the state and society, and
* Implementing programme to achieve these objectives.
I believe we are doing just that, Ladies and Gentlemen.
As we launch this exiting project, let me tell you more about my department's programme, Coastcare. Like all other ecosystems, ours is under increasing pressure and therefore two years ago I was part of the launch of the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa, because the need was recognised to conserve our coastal resources and provide assistance to our coastal communities. This White Paper is aimed at maximising and sustaining the social, economic and environmental benefits provided by coastal resources, and importantly, correcting the historically skewed access to coastal resources.
Coastcare is the brand name given to all coastal initiatives that contribute to the implementation of the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development and is a partnership programme between private and public sectors. Its vision is for all the people of South Africa to celebrate the diversity, richness and benefits of our coast; to strive together for sustainable development and to assume shared responsibility for the management of our coast in a way that benefits current and future generations.
Coastcare consists of various initiatives on a national level such as Working for the Coast, which is aimed to create jobs and training for coastal communities and to create and maintain a cleaner and safer coastal environment; Blue Flag which is an international campaign that rewards local authorities for providing safe and clean beaches and also sets criteria for beach management in South Africa; and the Sustainable Coastal Livelihoods Programme, which supports initiatives to help underdeveloped communities to create or supplement their income through new small enterprises.
Here in KwaZulu-Natal the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, working closely with my Department, is leading the province in the establishment of a provincial coastal management programme to implement the various national, as well as local Coastcare initiatives. I should also mention that the British funded Sustainable Coastal Livelihoods Programme is supporting the implementation of Coastcare. As part of this the UK Department for International Development (DFID) has made R30 million available for funding of the Coastal Development Projects to promote alternative sustainable coastal livelihoods, focusing on the upliftment of poor coastal communities. These will start very soon, also in KZN.
In the meantime, the government is already actively involved in implementing the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa. This is a comprehensive programme involving:
* institutional and legal reform;
* awareness education and training;
* information and decision support; and
* national, provincial and local demonstration projects.
Today I just want to touch on some of the KZN projects. I am glad to inform you that there is a well-established Working for the Coast programme in the province with a few hundred team members active along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline. Working teams are approximately 30 people strong and are employed from previously disadvantaged groups. You will recognise them by their clothing with the Coastcare logo. They are doing a fantastic job and you must give them all the support you can. The Isipingo team from Durban has received national recognition as being the best in the country!!
KwaZulu-Natal is also leading the way in terms of Blue Flag status - from the eight Blue Flag beaches in the country five of them are in this province. I am also aware that next year the number of Blue Flag beaches in KZN might increase even further.
Along the north there is the Kosi Bay Hiking Trail project funded by my department and its aim is to refurbish this hiking trail and camps and then transfer the management and ownership of the venture to the five local communities that surround the trail.
Along the south there is a community-based visitor-hosting "bed and breakfast" network to provide affordable beach eco-tourism for low-income domestic tourists. Something that has been needed for a very long time.
Near here there is a project on coastal craftwork and medicinal plant propagation aiming to conserve coastal biodiversity and ecosystems, and improve economic opportunities to coastal communities through the sustainable harvesting of wetland reed species for craftwork and the cultivation and processing of indigenous medicinal plants.
Then right here there is the Coastal Cultural Heritage Project with the aim of promoting improved livelihoods for poor coastal communities. One such project is Nyoni Crafts and we are here today to celebrate their success.
The objective of this project was to relieve pressure on the coastal natural resources by developing sustainable income generating enterprises to supplement household incomes in an underdeveloped coastal area.
Coastcare's motto is "Our coast for life", and it is my Department's goal to ensure that more and more South Africans experience the positive impact and benefits of the Coastcare initiative. To ensure this we challenge the public to leave only footprints in the sand and fewer imprints on the coastal environment this festive season and in the New Year.
Thank you.
Issued by Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
5 December 2002
Source: Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Title: Mabudafhasi: Launch of Coastcare in KZN & opening of craft village
SPEECH BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM, REJOICE MABUDAFHASI, AT THE LAUNCH OF COASTCARE IN KZN AND THE OPENING OF THE NYONI CRAFT AND CULTURAL CENTRE, 5 December 2002
Programme Director,
Executive Mayor Ntuli,
Local councillors,
Government representatives,
Community representatives,
Manene nama nenekazi-:
It gives me great pleasure to be back in KwaZulu-Natal again. I have just returned from Limpopo Province where together with thousands of people from all over the world we witnessed the total dark from the Kruger National Park and Musina during the eclipse when some of us also saw the brighter stars (Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars), which were visible in the darkened sky.
The eclipse also afforded many tourism opportunities in the province, which has paid off as you witnessed in reports this morning. We are here today to launch yet another tourist initiative in our country. A country where recent statistics confirm that we are the world's leading growing tourist destination, and launching this centre here today is indeed indicative of that.
Being here along the beautiful coast of KwaZulu-Natal we celebrate the significant achievement of our coastal communities.
South Africa's coast is a rich and diverse national asset, a treasure for all to enjoy and which provides a source of opportunity for many South Africans.
Our coast is interlinked with tourism and is already attracting thousands of foreign tourists to its beaches, which brings economic growth to the coastal areas. In 2001 each foreign visitor spent approximately R6 000 per trip to KwaZulu-Natal, contributing some R3.7 billion to the tourism industry of the province.
Not only is the massive economic potential of international tourism to our coast important, but our coast is also the holiday haven of our own people and a major contributor to the general economy through its harbours, its minerals and through fishing.
Today, I am privileged to stand here among the members of the Macambini community who own and manage Nyoni Crafts, which is the brand name of their products, and to witness the opening of the newly built Nyoni Craft and Cultural Centre that will serve as an outlet for their products and attract tourists to the local area.
In 2001 this community established the Nyoni Community Cooperative and it involves around 400 cooperative members, and most of them are women.
Their aim is to exploit tourism potential by marketing traditional arts and crafts but also by developing historical and cultural activities focused on the rich Zulu heritage in this area. I see on the programme that we will get first hand experience on their cultural performances today.
I've been informed that they produce a wide range of beaded fashion accessories, wooden carvings and woven grass products, such as beaded handbags, scarves and shawls; woven lampshades, blinds and mats and also Christmas decorations - it sounds like the right place to start our Christmas shopping.
This project really serves as an example of what can be achieved if communities like these get opportunities to change their lives and are able to generate income for themselves.
The beautiful work done in this province emphasises what our President Thabo Mbeki outlined when he addressed the National Assembly in Cape Town, 14 June 1996, when he said that the vision spelled out in reconstruction, development and macro-economic policy challenges all of us as South Africans, within government, the private and non-governmental sectors, to address five critical areas, namely:
* Meeting the basic needs of the people
* Developing our human resources
* Building the economy
* Democratising the state and society, and
* Implementing programme to achieve these objectives.
I believe we are doing just that, Ladies and Gentlemen.
As we launch this exiting project, let me tell you more about my department's programme, Coastcare. Like all other ecosystems, ours is under increasing pressure and therefore two years ago I was part of the launch of the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa, because the need was recognised to conserve our coastal resources and provide assistance to our coastal communities. This White Paper is aimed at maximising and sustaining the social, economic and environmental benefits provided by coastal resources, and importantly, correcting the historically skewed access to coastal resources.
Coastcare is the brand name given to all coastal initiatives that contribute to the implementation of the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development and is a partnership programme between private and public sectors. Its vision is for all the people of South Africa to celebrate the diversity, richness and benefits of our coast; to strive together for sustainable development and to assume shared responsibility for the management of our coast in a way that benefits current and future generations.
Coastcare consists of various initiatives on a national level such as Working for the Coast, which is aimed to create jobs and training for coastal communities and to create and maintain a cleaner and safer coastal environment; Blue Flag which is an international campaign that rewards local authorities for providing safe and clean beaches and also sets criteria for beach management in South Africa; and the Sustainable Coastal Livelihoods Programme, which supports initiatives to help underdeveloped communities to create or supplement their income through new small enterprises.
Here in KwaZulu-Natal the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, working closely with my Department, is leading the province in the establishment of a provincial coastal management programme to implement the various national, as well as local Coastcare initiatives. I should also mention that the British funded Sustainable Coastal Livelihoods Programme is supporting the implementation of Coastcare. As part of this the UK Department for International Development (DFID) has made R30 million available for funding of the Coastal Development Projects to promote alternative sustainable coastal livelihoods, focusing on the upliftment of poor coastal communities. These will start very soon, also in KZN.
In the meantime, the government is already actively involved in implementing the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa. This is a comprehensive programme involving:
* institutional and legal reform;
* awareness education and training;
* information and decision support; and
* national, provincial and local demonstration projects.
Today I just want to touch on some of the KZN projects. I am glad to inform you that there is a well-established Working for the Coast programme in the province with a few hundred team members active along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline. Working teams are approximately 30 people strong and are employed from previously disadvantaged groups. You will recognise them by their clothing with the Coastcare logo. They are doing a fantastic job and you must give them all the support you can. The Isipingo team from Durban has received national recognition as being the best in the country!!
KwaZulu-Natal is also leading the way in terms of Blue Flag status - from the eight Blue Flag beaches in the country five of them are in this province. I am also aware that next year the number of Blue Flag beaches in KZN might increase even further.
Along the north there is the Kosi Bay Hiking Trail project funded by my department and its aim is to refurbish this hiking trail and camps and then transfer the management and ownership of the venture to the five local communities that surround the trail.
Along the south there is a community-based visitor-hosting "bed and breakfast" network to provide affordable beach eco-tourism for low-income domestic tourists. Something that has been needed for a very long time.
Near here there is a project on coastal craftwork and medicinal plant propagation aiming to conserve coastal biodiversity and ecosystems, and improve economic opportunities to coastal communities through the sustainable harvesting of wetland reed species for craftwork and the cultivation and processing of indigenous medicinal plants.
Then right here there is the Coastal Cultural Heritage Project with the aim of promoting improved livelihoods for poor coastal communities. One such project is Nyoni Crafts and we are here today to celebrate their success.
The objective of this project was to relieve pressure on the coastal natural resources by developing sustainable income generating enterprises to supplement household incomes in an underdeveloped coastal area.
Coastcare's motto is "Our coast for life", and it is my Department's goal to ensure that more and more South Africans experience the positive impact and benefits of the Coastcare initiative. To ensure this we challenge the public to leave only footprints in the sand and fewer imprints on the coastal environment this festive season and in the New Year.
Thank you.
Issued by Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
5 December 2002
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