Date: 17/09/2004
Source: Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Title: R Mabudafhasi: Launch of commercial medicinal indigenous plant project
MABUDAFHASI AT THE LAUNCH OF COMMERCIAL MEDICINAL INDIGENOUS PLANT PROJECT, Barberton, 17 September 2004
My Colleague MEC, Ms Nomsa Mtsweni
Representatives of Telkom
Councillors
All Traditional Leaders present
Officials from both National and Provincial departments
Representatives of various communities
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentleman
The global society, including South Africa, faces immense challenges in addressing damages that has been done to the environment as a result of the exploitation of natural resources, to address economic development issues. This has as a result been an on-going conflict between those who take custodianship for the environment and the unemployed population who wants jobs at all cost.
Economic development, however, does not spontaneously imply the creation of jobs, as modernization promotes the use of energy-intensive and capital-intensive technology, which replaces people in the workplace.
This is evidenced by the number of job losses in the formal sector (public and private sector) in the past few years in South Africa, according to the SA Survey in 1999-2000.
The White paper provides a sound basis for planning and implementation of various government, non-government and private sector programmes and projects that promote and support natural resource management. Some of the strategic goals as mentioned in the White Paper on Environmental Policy for South Africa calls for the:
* Promotion of environmental education and empowerment of South Africa's people;
* Increase in the population's awareness of, and concern for, environmental issues; and
* Assistance in developing the knowledge, skills, values and commitment necessary to achieve sustainable development.
Health and Food Security are some of the issues that developing countries are challenged with, poverty being both cause and effect. Government *led poverty alleviation programmes aim to address these challenges through the provision of funds, allowing communities to plan and implement viable projects based on the principles of self-help and community ownership, this is what the project we are gathered to launch today is all about.
My Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism places equal emphasis on environment and culture. The purpose of its poverty relief programme is to manage and administer poverty relief proposal and spin-off projects in the Tourism and Environment sectors with a special focus on infrastructure investment and product development.
Already substantial amount of money was allocated to Poverty Relief projects with an average amount of +/- R1 million invested in each project.
The Barberton Commercial Medicinal Plant Initiative is one such project that benefited from my department's poverty relief programme.
It is also the first Community-based Natural Resource Management project implemented in the Umjindi local Municipality in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga. With its bittersweet initiation, the project has grown to share learning's on issues such as planning, conflict resolution, - natural resource management and empowerment.
Effective monitoring by environmental officials of the Mpumalanga Parks Board has led to the arrest of some traditional healers on counts of illegally harvesting scarce medicinal plants.
The Umjindi Municipality was approached for support by the traditional healers, hence a series of negotiations with the Parks Board, following which a decision was taken to draft a plan which would address their professional needs concerning the acquisition of muti plants.
The traditional healers' fraternity still forms an integral part of local health systems in Barberton, as in the rest of South Africa. Whilst some of their practices are still draped in mystery, others are supported by sound scientific theory and proof.
Our country's experiences with health concerns such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria which is more prevalent in poverty-stricken areas has led to better cooperation between the scientific community and traditional healers.
Let me therefore commend the sangomas who also support the HIV infected and AIDS patients through provision of remedies such as the African Potato and other immune boosters who are also instrumental in the referral of HIV infected individuals to clinics and hospitals.
Through this support and partnership with Umjindi Municipality, the project managed to acquire land for the establishment of two nurseries and cash crops.
A project team, consisting of the Tinjojela Trust, the Mpumalanga Parks Board, the Department of Agriculture and Land Administration, the South African Essential Oils Producers Association, the Siyaphambili Development Trust and the Barberton Constituency Office took responsibility for the planning and implementation, with the Tinjojela trust being the fundamental decision-maker.
It is encouraging that such partnerships are established on local, provincial and national levels as these promote transparency, strengthen planning exercises and accelerate implementation.
Within this particular project my department provided financial support, the Mpumalanga Parks Board provided planning and management support, the Department of Agriculture and Land Admin provided agricultural and technical support, the South African Essential Oil Producers Association provided marketing support and the Siyaphambili Development Trust provided development planning, coordination and monitoring support.
Service Providers such as Skills for Agriculture, the Lowveld Agricultural College and local businesses were also instrumental in contributing to the project's progress. This calls for all of us to congratulate all these parties for the job well done in encouraging our Presidents call for Public Private Partnership.
I am very pleased to once again witness the crossing of paths between myself and particularly my department with Eskom whom we have worked together on several Poverty Relief Projects. And to learn that they have shed some light on the project by investing in equipment and the electrification of the project site. Projects like these do require working in an integrated fashion across sectors, and forming partnerships to tackle regional sustainable development matters.
I am pleased to share with you all the fact that since May 2003 project beneficiaries have been capacitated, crops have been planted, a nursery has been established and 78 people from disadvantaged households have each been given a 200m
Source: Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Title: R Mabudafhasi: Launch of commercial medicinal indigenous plant project
MABUDAFHASI AT THE LAUNCH OF COMMERCIAL MEDICINAL INDIGENOUS PLANT PROJECT, Barberton, 17 September 2004
My Colleague MEC, Ms Nomsa Mtsweni
Representatives of Telkom
Councillors
All Traditional Leaders present
Officials from both National and Provincial departments
Representatives of various communities
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentleman
The global society, including South Africa, faces immense challenges in addressing damages that has been done to the environment as a result of the exploitation of natural resources, to address economic development issues. This has as a result been an on-going conflict between those who take custodianship for the environment and the unemployed population who wants jobs at all cost.
Economic development, however, does not spontaneously imply the creation of jobs, as modernization promotes the use of energy-intensive and capital-intensive technology, which replaces people in the workplace.
This is evidenced by the number of job losses in the formal sector (public and private sector) in the past few years in South Africa, according to the SA Survey in 1999-2000.
The White paper provides a sound basis for planning and implementation of various government, non-government and private sector programmes and projects that promote and support natural resource management. Some of the strategic goals as mentioned in the White Paper on Environmental Policy for South Africa calls for the:
* Promotion of environmental education and empowerment of South Africa's people;
* Increase in the population's awareness of, and concern for, environmental issues; and
* Assistance in developing the knowledge, skills, values and commitment necessary to achieve sustainable development.
Health and Food Security are some of the issues that developing countries are challenged with, poverty being both cause and effect. Government *led poverty alleviation programmes aim to address these challenges through the provision of funds, allowing communities to plan and implement viable projects based on the principles of self-help and community ownership, this is what the project we are gathered to launch today is all about.
My Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism places equal emphasis on environment and culture. The purpose of its poverty relief programme is to manage and administer poverty relief proposal and spin-off projects in the Tourism and Environment sectors with a special focus on infrastructure investment and product development.
Already substantial amount of money was allocated to Poverty Relief projects with an average amount of +/- R1 million invested in each project.
The Barberton Commercial Medicinal Plant Initiative is one such project that benefited from my department's poverty relief programme.
It is also the first Community-based Natural Resource Management project implemented in the Umjindi local Municipality in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga. With its bittersweet initiation, the project has grown to share learning's on issues such as planning, conflict resolution, - natural resource management and empowerment.
Effective monitoring by environmental officials of the Mpumalanga Parks Board has led to the arrest of some traditional healers on counts of illegally harvesting scarce medicinal plants.
The Umjindi Municipality was approached for support by the traditional healers, hence a series of negotiations with the Parks Board, following which a decision was taken to draft a plan which would address their professional needs concerning the acquisition of muti plants.
The traditional healers' fraternity still forms an integral part of local health systems in Barberton, as in the rest of South Africa. Whilst some of their practices are still draped in mystery, others are supported by sound scientific theory and proof.
Our country's experiences with health concerns such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria which is more prevalent in poverty-stricken areas has led to better cooperation between the scientific community and traditional healers.
Let me therefore commend the sangomas who also support the HIV infected and AIDS patients through provision of remedies such as the African Potato and other immune boosters who are also instrumental in the referral of HIV infected individuals to clinics and hospitals.
Through this support and partnership with Umjindi Municipality, the project managed to acquire land for the establishment of two nurseries and cash crops.
A project team, consisting of the Tinjojela Trust, the Mpumalanga Parks Board, the Department of Agriculture and Land Administration, the South African Essential Oils Producers Association, the Siyaphambili Development Trust and the Barberton Constituency Office took responsibility for the planning and implementation, with the Tinjojela trust being the fundamental decision-maker.
It is encouraging that such partnerships are established on local, provincial and national levels as these promote transparency, strengthen planning exercises and accelerate implementation.
Within this particular project my department provided financial support, the Mpumalanga Parks Board provided planning and management support, the Department of Agriculture and Land Admin provided agricultural and technical support, the South African Essential Oil Producers Association provided marketing support and the Siyaphambili Development Trust provided development planning, coordination and monitoring support.
Service Providers such as Skills for Agriculture, the Lowveld Agricultural College and local businesses were also instrumental in contributing to the project's progress. This calls for all of us to congratulate all these parties for the job well done in encouraging our Presidents call for Public Private Partnership.
I am very pleased to once again witness the crossing of paths between myself and particularly my department with Eskom whom we have worked together on several Poverty Relief Projects. And to learn that they have shed some light on the project by investing in equipment and the electrification of the project site. Projects like these do require working in an integrated fashion across sectors, and forming partnerships to tackle regional sustainable development matters.
I am pleased to share with you all the fact that since May 2003 project beneficiaries have been capacitated, crops have been planted, a nursery has been established and 78 people from disadvantaged households have each been given a 200m
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