Date: 06/06/2006
Source:Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: Mosunkutu: Gauteng Agriculture, Conservation And Environment Prov Budget Vote
Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment Budget Vote 2006/07 presented by MEC Khabisi Mosunkutu
Honourable Speaker: Comrade Mdakane
Deputy Speaker
Premier Shilowa
Members of the Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Friends and colleagues
Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Introduction
I feel privileged to again be granted space and time to present to this august body a report on how the budget entrusted to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment will be utilised in pursuance of the objectives and obligations imposed on us by the constitution of the Republic and the GPG priorities.
I feel particularly honoured to have this opportunity at a time when only 28 days ago, on the 8th May 2006, the people of our country came together to celebrate the 10th year of the adoption of our Country's constitution - the supreme law of the land.
It is this constitution that prescribes what each one of us, Government leaders in particular, must and must not do, can and cannot do.
In the realm of ordinary citizens, it may be said that personal ambition and creativity are the key driving forces that propel one to greater heights. In Government, especially for leaders where every working moment impacts on the well-being of the citizenry, our country's constitutional prescriptions become the key drivers. This, the constitution, stands firmly as the pillar for all the dynamic forces of development and the improvement of the lives of our fellow countrymen. As leaders in Government, we are but obliged to harness these forces for purposes of ensuring that the social, political and economic lives of our people are transformed for the better.
Amongst the constitutional prescriptions that dictate what we must do in my Department is Clause 27 (1) (b) in the Bill of Rights. This particular clause enjoins us to do our best to ensure that everyone has access to sufficient food and water. Clear in our minds of what this clause and our own five-year strategic priorities entail, we have developed and are implementing a strategy with which we seek to fight poverty and create jobs whilst also enabling faster economic growth.
Enabling faster economic growth and job creation
Frantz Fanon, an author, writing in 'the wretched of the earth’ observed that 'the national economy of the period of independencies not set on a new footing. It is still concerned with the groundnut harvest, with the cocoa crop and the olive yield. In the same way there is no change in the marketing of basic products, and not a single industry is set up in the country. We go on sending out raw materials; we go on being Europe's small farmers who specialise in unfinished products'.
In the same profound analysis and in what characterises the majority of our current landowners, Frantz Fanon observed that ’There will be no modernisation of agriculture, no planning for development, and no initiative; for initiative throws these people into a panic since it implies risk, and completely upsets the hesitant, prudent, landed bourgeoisie, which gradually slips more And more into the lines lay down by colonialism'. Adequately motivated and well prepared to learn from other revolutions, including those that Frantz Fanon studied, my Department is refusing to be paralysed and to lack initiative. Equally eager to realise the obligations imposed on us by clause 27 (1) (b), we formulated and are now implementing the Gauteng Agricultural Development Strategy (GADS). The implementation of this strategy started in April 2006.
Contrary to the development of the agricultural sector in countries observed by Fanon, our initiative, the GADS, seeks to develop agro-processing industries, agricultural biotechnology and to increase production of niche market agricultural products.
These niche market agricultural products will be farmed along identified corridors within our province and they are earmarked for the local as well as export markets.
The biotechnology strategy, which is also part of the broad GADS, will come into effect towards the latter part of the second half of this financial year whilst the implementation plan and the agro-processing strategy should both be completed by September2006. As hinted earlier, our constitutional obligations are not unclear and uncertain. Through our strategic initiatives, we certainly will not be 'Europe's small farmers who specialise in unfinished products' to borrow from the words of Fanon. We also shall, in the process, increase our capacity to deliver on the mandate to give all our people access to sufficient food, as demanded by clause 27 of our Bill of Rights.
A total of R48 m has been allocated by Treasury for the GADS strategy, with R14 m being for 2006, R16 m and another R18 m for subsequent years to the financial year ending in 2009.
An additional R4.7 m has been set aside for implementing Hydroponics Farming Projects whilst an amount of R3 m has been set-aside for the enhancement of our medicinal plant projects. The Hydroponics and tunnel farming projects and the medicinal plant initiatives will also contribute towards fighting poverty and to job creation. These projects are undertaken in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council in support of the GADS while the Department provides the funding for the projects. The Hydroponics and tunnel farming incubator project will be initiated during August 2006 whilst the medicinal plant incubator project will start in October 2006.
A total of fifty (50) Black-owned farms in Elandsfontein, south of Johannesburg, will also enormously contribute to the realisation of the vision of our agricultural development strategy. Of the 50 farms, 24 already are engaged in productive agricultural activities. We have four farmers in the area whose development has-been held back partly because they lack the security required by financial institutions in order to grant financial help.
Twenty-two of the fifty farms are running the risk of continuing lying under-utilised, if not completely unused for agricultural purposes. However, with the necessary and urgent co-operation from the Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works with regard to speeding up the issuance of title deeds, we should be able to unleash the full potential of these farms. In this regard, it would be advisable that all agricultural projects that may be contemplated for state-owned land, our Department should directly be engaged for such initiative. We, after all, are the mandated Department in the province.
By design, the GADS also aim at bridging the gap between the first and the second socio-economic reality of our agricultural sector. Ten days from today, we shall be celebrating the 30thAnniversary of 1976 students' revolt against Afrikaans. We all know that the form that the 1976 uprising assumed was that of rejecting Afrikaans as a medium of learning in our schools. We however all Know, I believe, that the content of this students' action was indeed, rejection of the colonialism-of-a-special-type system of government.
As a tribute to the youth of our country and as a measure calculated at meeting their social and economic developmental needs, the majority of projects within our GADS have, as important beneficiaries, the youth of our province.
We are also targeting our youth specifically, through an agricultural mentorship/learnership programme, where youth earmarked for land reform projects will be mentored by commercial farmers. This will occur on a rotational basis for a period of a year.
As part of GADS, we shall also implement our integrated food security strategy, starting from August 2006.
Through this strategy, we aim to improve, at least by 30% during the financial year under discussion, co-ordination between all food security role players in the province. Through the strategy, we will introduce 32 community food production units, benefiting 640households. At a cost of R2.5 m. 9 000 pre-selected households will also be assisted to establish backyard food gardens at a cost of R3.5 m.
Together with the Gauteng Provincial Land Reform Office (GPLRO), we are working at ensuring that, at least, 15% ownership of agricultural assets in the province belong to disadvantaged communities and that 30% of emerging farmers benefit from agricultural grants and credit schemes, during the financial year under discussion. We also aim to benefit, through the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP), 100 farmers at a cost of R6.8m. We further are targeting to benefit 130 farmers through the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD), at a cost of R1.7 m, also during the financial year under review.
Working jointly with the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP), we also are developing business plans for agricultural co-operatives and for Small, Medium and Macro Enterprises (SMMEs). This project will also further contribute to the Accelerated and Shared Development Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) and the empowerment of women and the youth in particular.
Naturally, efforts aimed at attaining the directives contained in clause 27 (1) (b) of our constitution are not the only impetus that keeps us focused. Clause 24 of the Bill of Rights provides another stimulus that focuses our collective energy.
This clause grants our people a right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being and compels us to protect this environment for the present generation and for the future generation. It motivates us to seek to build safe, secure and sustainable communities.
Fighting poverty and building safe, secure and sustainable communities
Allow me, Comrade Speaker, to first remind this House that, as from yesterday, we all should be observing the International Environment Week. In our country, the week is observed this year under the theme 'An age of hope in a protected environment'.
Even as we partake in the various activities aimed at further promoting awareness of the critical importance of a healthy environment, let us all ensure that we do nothing that will further destroy our environment. Let us all have the greatness to protect our biodiversity for the future generations.
In pursuance of our strategic objective of building safe, secure and sustainable communities, I am happy to announce that the development of a concrete and effective Gauteng Strategy for Sustainable Development (GSSD) is on course.
Appropriate to the essence of what the Constitution Hill symbolises, a gathering of relevant stakeholders was held, on 18 May 2006, at this historic monument the Constitution Hill, in Braamfontein.
Meeting at this venue, we discussed how our developmental and constructional initiatives should not degrade the environment and lead to, among others, the depletion of water resources, natural food resources and the destruction of other ecosystems that are necessary for life itself.
Delegates attending the meeting unanimously confirmed their loyalty to clause 24 of our constitution. We anticipate finalising the development of this strategy, at a cost of R1.5 m, during August/September 2006. We should note that further development and the implementation of this strategy relies not only on Provincial Government Departments but also Local Municipalities.
This sphere of government will continuously be engaged on this issue through, among others, the existing MEC/MMC forum.
The new Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations were promulgated by Minister van Schalkwyk on 21 April 2006 and will come into effect on the 1st July 2006. In anticipation my Department initiated two projects in 2005 which are due for completion in time for the implementation date. These projects deal with supplementation and implementation of the new regulations and re-engineering of business processes within relevant internal branches.
Friends and colleagues, EIA processes are a developmental tool at the disposal of Government contrary to inane views held by some anarchist elements within the construction industry and by some shady consultants.
True to the real intent of the EIA processes, the new EIA regulations specify time frames for processing of EIA applications. The same regulations also allow us to develop processes specific to Our own province.
This initiative has allowed my Department to be prepared for the stipulated implementation date. Stakeholder workshops are also being conducted to explain the regulations and the new processes.
One such is scheduled for 8 June and another will coincide with my annual open day on EIAs which is scheduled for 29 June.
As part of promoting sustainable economic development, we prepared what we call The Magaliesmoot Guidelines for Sustainable Mining. A strategy for handling brickwork open-air stack kilns has also been completed. Both these strategies will enable our environmental officers and mining houses to implement best practices and to minimise environmental impacts. Similar guidelines for the Metsweding region are being developed and it is anticipated that these will be completed and implemented during the current financial year.
Comrade Speaker, guidelines for sustainable rehabilitation of Tailings Dam, with a particular emphasis on attaining mine closure, is also being developed. This is aimed at reducing dust impacts on communities in the vicinity of Tailings dam.
One of the serious challenges to our quest to build safe, secure, sustainable, healthy and productive communities emanate from the harmful gases that pollute the air that we breath, our soil and water.
In contributing to the strategic objectives that I've just alluded to, we commissioned seven (7) Air Quality Monitoring Stations during the 2005/2006 financial year. These are located in Sedibeng, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and the West Rand, among other areas.
We have budgeted, for the current financial year, R7 million for the stations and R1,4 m for establishing connectivity to centralised data system, to be located within the Department and/or conducting due diligence on private monitoring stations to expand the monitoring network.
In further contributing towards building safe, secure and sustainable communities, we shall also rely on our Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs), the so-called Green Scorpions.
An amount of R7 m for the 2006/07 financial year has been set aside to designate, train and equip 20 EMIs whose task will be to undertake environmental compliance and enforcement activities. The first batch of EMIs will officially be announced on 10 July 2006 and they should immediately start delivering on their mandates. The designation of these EMIs should communicate quite a simple message to devious developers, especially considering the powers vested upon the EMIs, and the message -plundering the environment is simply tantamount to dicing away your assets.
Another environmental challenge that confronts our province relates to waste of animal origin. The amount of waste produced by abattoirs, feedlots and commercial farms exceeds 120 tons per month. This poses environmental hazards that, if not well managed, may detrimentally affect the health of our communities. With the view to combat this threat, we are in the process of producing guideline manual for abattoir waste management. To be completed during the financial year under review, the production of the manual will cost us R300 000.
Our veterinary branch also makes a significant contribution to the province's strategic objective of enabling faster economic growth and job creation. Veterinarians services in Gauteng are faced with the unique challenge of having to do final certification forgive animals and animal products, even those from other provinces, for the export market. My Department is responsible for this final certification. Veterinarians who work in this area in Gauteng are required to have a very high level of knowledge of export matters in order to ensure that the export products fulfil all the importing country's requirements.
Part of our objectives for this financial year is to ensure that all the relevant Veterinarians are trained and supplied with the resources necessary to enable them to carry out this mammoth task.
Working jointly with the Gauteng Shared Services Centre (GSSC), we also are developing automation of the Veterinary Health Certification (VHC) project. This will be part of the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) portal.
It will enable our services to be accessible online, hence allowing the public to make applications for certification online. It will also contain a database of export related information which will be used, where necessary, by the exporting communities. The product also falls in line with Batho Pele principles in that it seeks to provide information to the public.
The implementation of an Environmental Management Program (EMP) for each abattoir will enhance the control over abattoir waste. Alternative safe methods of dealing with waste from animal origin are also being investigated by our project team. We already are exploring composting and perm culture as an alternative for rural abattoirs and feedlots as part of a bigger strategy to aimed at managing abattoir waste.
It is a matter of common course that the quest to realise our constitutional obligations has necessitated the promulgation of number of enabling acts. Enabling acts that further define outworking life in the Department include the Meat Safety Act, the Livestock Improvement Act and the Animal Diseases Act, amongst others.
The implementation of these acts, unsurprisingly, coincides with our Provincial Strategic objective of working to develop healthy, skilled and productive people.
Developing healthy, skilled and productive people
The realisation of this strategic objective entails, in the case of our Department, facilitation of the supply of wholesome and healthy food of animal origin to the public, the promotion of household food security with regards to animal products and the promotion and protection of animal health to combat the detrimental consequences of contagious diseases to persons and animals. This we do through the development and implementation of an Integrated Provincial Management System for Animal Health Services, among others.
Through the integrated provincial management system, we have successfully prevented outbreaks of animal and zoonotic diseases. Our animal health services components also deal with improvement of the efficiency of animal production systems and the promotion of best animal husbandry practice amongst emerging livestock farmers.
In June 2006, collaborating with the Department of Local Government, we established a Joint Operations Centre (JOC) to specifically combat animal disease epidemics.
Also of critical importance in relation to our quest to develop healthy, skilled and productive communities is our application for the ISO 17020 accreditation by the South African National Accreditation Service (SANAS), an independent inspection body. The Gauteng veterinary services directorate is the first in the country to undertake this internationally recognised accreditation process. The accreditations will, when successful, result in international recognition of the high abattoir and meat inspection services standard that the Gauteng Government guarantees for its citizens.
This accreditation is also essential for international trade as it seeks to safeguard international trade in beef, pork, mutton and poultry meats. An amount of R100 000 has been budgeted for this ISO 17020 accreditation process.
In promoting safe and wholesome meat and meat products, the Department initiated, during 2003, an incentive for abattoir operators to subscribe and operate according to certain acceptable standards. During the outgoing financial year, 55% of our abattoirs were voluntarily rated according to these standards. The rate abattoirs are responsible for 88% of meat produced in the province. At a cost of R493 000 we plan to rate at least 66% of all Provincial abattoirs by end of this financial year.
For purposes of developing and effectively implementing a bio-security strategy, we introduced, during April 2006, a bio-security sub-programme within our Veterinary Branch. We expect that the bio-security strategy will be operational in the latter part of this financial year.
The introduction of this strategy will be immensely beneficial especially in relation to maintaining an internationally acceptable zoo-sanitary status. Such a status allows our international trade in animals and animal products to continue uninterrupted. The strategy will also protect our livestock industry from losses that can result from disease outbreaks, which can also lead to loss of livelihood and employment in the agricultural sector.
One major challenge in the abattoir industry that still remains elusive is the de-radicalisation of the sector. We, however, cannot fold our arms and do nothing about this intransigency. We shall continue addressing the challenge through, among other enabling tools, the Agri-BBBEE framework.
Our contribution to the strategic objective of developing healthy, skilled and productive people also focuses on our internal human resources.
With regards to the issue of scarce skills, we have completed our own analysis and have submitted a report to the relevant national Department, as a contribution to the skills revolution that Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka alluded to when unveiling the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA).
The Office of the Premier set a target of 8% complement of staff as a GPG target for learnerships/internships. My Department has already exceeded this target and we are running at 11.8%. We have revised our own internship target and are now aiming at achieving14 % internship enlistment during the financial year under review.
Clearly understanding that the emancipation of women is also fundamental condition that has to be realised before we truly can be a nation in the true sense of the word, our programmes are, consciously, tilted towards addressing gender imbalance. It is this biasness that contributes to our favourable gender profile, including in senior management ranks.
Under the leadership of our Transformation Branch, this predisposition will continue into the 2006/07 financial year and we will continue to assess key departmental projects and set targets to ensure comprehensive and holistic gender main-streaming.
Also understanding the vulnerability of the youth in general, our Transformation Branch will also sharply focus on agriculture development and learnership programmes in order to enhance the participation of youth and women in particular, in the agricultural sector. The programme will focus on hands-on technical training, re-skilling and entrepreneurial development of unemployed agricultural graduates, thus contributing to job creation and poverty alleviation in the province. An amount of R 500 00 has been budgeted for this specific purpose.
Colleagues, we still have challenges in relation to ensuring that the human rights that most of us already enjoy are also sufficiently and materially extended to people with disabilities. The challenges we confront in this regard include environmental and ergonomic challenges. With this in mind, we shall, during the year under review, conduct audits in the mentioned areas to ensure accommodation of people with disabilities in our workplace.
A learnership for people with disabilities will also be enhanced in order to provide employment and skills development opportunities for this section of our community. As a matter of fact, we already have enrolled, within my Department, 10 people with disabilities. Some of them are deployed in our Registry section, managing important documents for the Department.
Talking about the joys and trepidations of his internship in this section, Mr Sipho Vilakazi quipped 'The environment in the Department is wonderful. I dread to think what will happen at the expiry of my internship in eight months time. Will I have to join another institution and start afresh the experience of being recognised as a fellow human being?'
In a separate discussion with Ms Geraldine van der Westhuizen, a supervisor in the same section, she made this simple but profound observation about people with disabilities, 'We were scared earlier due to wrong perceptions. But these guys have turned out to be wonderful people to work with.' Like other Departments and millions of people across the globe, we also confront challenges brought about by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Through our Transformation Branch, we also are doing our best to combat the scourge. We have set aside, for this financial year, an amount of R1 m for various programmes related to combating this blight.
Colleagues, sports and games in general contribute to the consolidation of societies and to building healthy, skilled and productive communities. It is for this reason that we have taken a decision to create a special process that will handle all Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes linked to the 2010 FIFA Games.
This internal FIFA World Cup Committee has already speeded-up the EIA processes related to the FNB Stadium and the FIFA Head Office. The major challenge that we may encounter in relation to this exciting development, is the tardiness by developers to submit all relevant documentation on time.
Also linked, at least by the public in general, to the 2010 Games, is the Gautrain project. Convinced of the social and economic benefits of this project, we are prioritising all EIA related processes that fall within our jurisdiction. The latest EIA approvals were granted in March 2006. In relation to these two projects, I strongly recommend that all role-players should ensure speedy responses to all the legal and policy requirements so that we too can more effectively and efficiently contribute to the success of the projects.
I earlier suggested that sports and games in general also contribute to the consolidation of societies. Naturally, we know from our theory of development that the concept of a 'nation' and nation building is quite a complex matter that cannot be resolved only through sports and games. In a country that still has to share in the same broad culture, economy and sense of patriotism, the tasks certainly become more complex and entail a number of initiatives.
Understanding that the process of deepening democracy, building a nation and realising the constitutional rights of all our peoples a complex process and that it is cumulative, we also fairly contribute to this noble objective.
Deepening democracy, nation building and realising the constitutional rights of our citizens
My Department exercises a mandate over our nature reserves and to some extent over the heritage sites, including over Maropeng -the Cradle of Humankind. We also have a mandate over our five nature reserves. To manage these reserves in a manner that also effectively contributes to nation building, we decided to commercialise the management of the reserves. In this process, we also had to issue a tender for the interim management of the sites. The tender was issued in January 2006.
Under effective dedicated management, these reserves will cater specifically for teaching and research institutions, educational activities, adventure activities and also benefit local communities. We expect that this process will ensure affordable access and more rapid and effective promotion of environmental issues.
Conclusion
This budget vote input merely gives a synopsis of detailed and programmatic outputs that the Department has set for itself for the financial year under discussion. I am confident that the men and women employed in the Department will do their all to ensure successful delivery on all targets that we have set for ourselves and I wish to thank them in advance for the efforts.
I also wish to commend the Head of Department: Dr. Steven Cornelius, who has immensely contributed to the transformation of the Department - a transformation process that is equipping the Department to be better able to effectively and efficiently discharge on its legislative and policy mandates.
Present in the public gallery of this House we have, among others, close and important stakeholders of our Department -Executive Mayors, Ward Councillors, representatives of the agricultural fraternity and people from environmental organisations, including winners of our Bontle ke Botho project. We also have people from Johannesburg City Parks, people from animal welfare organisations and the Johannesburg Zoo. Rand Water is also represented as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations. I wish to acknowledge their presence and commit to further enhance our partnership.
Allow me, in conclusion, to remind us of the profound words attributed to Mr Richard St. Baker. This insightful environmentalist, known in Kenya as father of trees or baba wamiti, who is said to have observed that 'our generation may either be the last to exist or the first to have the vision, the daring and the greatness to play no part in destroying the environment’. Let us do our all to ensure that we do nothing that will contribute to the destruction of our biodiversity - and let us give our best towards delivering on our people's quest of a better life whilst also ensuring that we do nothing that will compromise a better tomorrow for the generation yet to be born.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Gauteng Provincial Government
6 June 2006
Source:Gauteng Provincial Government
Title: Mosunkutu: Gauteng Agriculture, Conservation And Environment Prov Budget Vote
Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment Budget Vote 2006/07 presented by MEC Khabisi Mosunkutu
Honourable Speaker: Comrade Mdakane
Deputy Speaker
Premier Shilowa
Members of the Executive Council
Members of the Provincial Legislature
Friends and colleagues
Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Introduction
I feel privileged to again be granted space and time to present to this august body a report on how the budget entrusted to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment will be utilised in pursuance of the objectives and obligations imposed on us by the constitution of the Republic and the GPG priorities.
I feel particularly honoured to have this opportunity at a time when only 28 days ago, on the 8th May 2006, the people of our country came together to celebrate the 10th year of the adoption of our Country's constitution - the supreme law of the land.
It is this constitution that prescribes what each one of us, Government leaders in particular, must and must not do, can and cannot do.
In the realm of ordinary citizens, it may be said that personal ambition and creativity are the key driving forces that propel one to greater heights. In Government, especially for leaders where every working moment impacts on the well-being of the citizenry, our country's constitutional prescriptions become the key drivers. This, the constitution, stands firmly as the pillar for all the dynamic forces of development and the improvement of the lives of our fellow countrymen. As leaders in Government, we are but obliged to harness these forces for purposes of ensuring that the social, political and economic lives of our people are transformed for the better.
Amongst the constitutional prescriptions that dictate what we must do in my Department is Clause 27 (1) (b) in the Bill of Rights. This particular clause enjoins us to do our best to ensure that everyone has access to sufficient food and water. Clear in our minds of what this clause and our own five-year strategic priorities entail, we have developed and are implementing a strategy with which we seek to fight poverty and create jobs whilst also enabling faster economic growth.
Enabling faster economic growth and job creation
Frantz Fanon, an author, writing in 'the wretched of the earth’ observed that 'the national economy of the period of independencies not set on a new footing. It is still concerned with the groundnut harvest, with the cocoa crop and the olive yield. In the same way there is no change in the marketing of basic products, and not a single industry is set up in the country. We go on sending out raw materials; we go on being Europe's small farmers who specialise in unfinished products'.
In the same profound analysis and in what characterises the majority of our current landowners, Frantz Fanon observed that ’There will be no modernisation of agriculture, no planning for development, and no initiative; for initiative throws these people into a panic since it implies risk, and completely upsets the hesitant, prudent, landed bourgeoisie, which gradually slips more And more into the lines lay down by colonialism'. Adequately motivated and well prepared to learn from other revolutions, including those that Frantz Fanon studied, my Department is refusing to be paralysed and to lack initiative. Equally eager to realise the obligations imposed on us by clause 27 (1) (b), we formulated and are now implementing the Gauteng Agricultural Development Strategy (GADS). The implementation of this strategy started in April 2006.
Contrary to the development of the agricultural sector in countries observed by Fanon, our initiative, the GADS, seeks to develop agro-processing industries, agricultural biotechnology and to increase production of niche market agricultural products.
These niche market agricultural products will be farmed along identified corridors within our province and they are earmarked for the local as well as export markets.
The biotechnology strategy, which is also part of the broad GADS, will come into effect towards the latter part of the second half of this financial year whilst the implementation plan and the agro-processing strategy should both be completed by September2006. As hinted earlier, our constitutional obligations are not unclear and uncertain. Through our strategic initiatives, we certainly will not be 'Europe's small farmers who specialise in unfinished products' to borrow from the words of Fanon. We also shall, in the process, increase our capacity to deliver on the mandate to give all our people access to sufficient food, as demanded by clause 27 of our Bill of Rights.
A total of R48 m has been allocated by Treasury for the GADS strategy, with R14 m being for 2006, R16 m and another R18 m for subsequent years to the financial year ending in 2009.
An additional R4.7 m has been set aside for implementing Hydroponics Farming Projects whilst an amount of R3 m has been set-aside for the enhancement of our medicinal plant projects. The Hydroponics and tunnel farming projects and the medicinal plant initiatives will also contribute towards fighting poverty and to job creation. These projects are undertaken in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council in support of the GADS while the Department provides the funding for the projects. The Hydroponics and tunnel farming incubator project will be initiated during August 2006 whilst the medicinal plant incubator project will start in October 2006.
A total of fifty (50) Black-owned farms in Elandsfontein, south of Johannesburg, will also enormously contribute to the realisation of the vision of our agricultural development strategy. Of the 50 farms, 24 already are engaged in productive agricultural activities. We have four farmers in the area whose development has-been held back partly because they lack the security required by financial institutions in order to grant financial help.
Twenty-two of the fifty farms are running the risk of continuing lying under-utilised, if not completely unused for agricultural purposes. However, with the necessary and urgent co-operation from the Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works with regard to speeding up the issuance of title deeds, we should be able to unleash the full potential of these farms. In this regard, it would be advisable that all agricultural projects that may be contemplated for state-owned land, our Department should directly be engaged for such initiative. We, after all, are the mandated Department in the province.
By design, the GADS also aim at bridging the gap between the first and the second socio-economic reality of our agricultural sector. Ten days from today, we shall be celebrating the 30thAnniversary of 1976 students' revolt against Afrikaans. We all know that the form that the 1976 uprising assumed was that of rejecting Afrikaans as a medium of learning in our schools. We however all Know, I believe, that the content of this students' action was indeed, rejection of the colonialism-of-a-special-type system of government.
As a tribute to the youth of our country and as a measure calculated at meeting their social and economic developmental needs, the majority of projects within our GADS have, as important beneficiaries, the youth of our province.
We are also targeting our youth specifically, through an agricultural mentorship/learnership programme, where youth earmarked for land reform projects will be mentored by commercial farmers. This will occur on a rotational basis for a period of a year.
As part of GADS, we shall also implement our integrated food security strategy, starting from August 2006.
Through this strategy, we aim to improve, at least by 30% during the financial year under discussion, co-ordination between all food security role players in the province. Through the strategy, we will introduce 32 community food production units, benefiting 640households. At a cost of R2.5 m. 9 000 pre-selected households will also be assisted to establish backyard food gardens at a cost of R3.5 m.
Together with the Gauteng Provincial Land Reform Office (GPLRO), we are working at ensuring that, at least, 15% ownership of agricultural assets in the province belong to disadvantaged communities and that 30% of emerging farmers benefit from agricultural grants and credit schemes, during the financial year under discussion. We also aim to benefit, through the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP), 100 farmers at a cost of R6.8m. We further are targeting to benefit 130 farmers through the Land Redistribution for Agricultural Development (LRAD), at a cost of R1.7 m, also during the financial year under review.
Working jointly with the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP), we also are developing business plans for agricultural co-operatives and for Small, Medium and Macro Enterprises (SMMEs). This project will also further contribute to the Accelerated and Shared Development Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) and the empowerment of women and the youth in particular.
Naturally, efforts aimed at attaining the directives contained in clause 27 (1) (b) of our constitution are not the only impetus that keeps us focused. Clause 24 of the Bill of Rights provides another stimulus that focuses our collective energy.
This clause grants our people a right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being and compels us to protect this environment for the present generation and for the future generation. It motivates us to seek to build safe, secure and sustainable communities.
Fighting poverty and building safe, secure and sustainable communities
Allow me, Comrade Speaker, to first remind this House that, as from yesterday, we all should be observing the International Environment Week. In our country, the week is observed this year under the theme 'An age of hope in a protected environment'.
Even as we partake in the various activities aimed at further promoting awareness of the critical importance of a healthy environment, let us all ensure that we do nothing that will further destroy our environment. Let us all have the greatness to protect our biodiversity for the future generations.
In pursuance of our strategic objective of building safe, secure and sustainable communities, I am happy to announce that the development of a concrete and effective Gauteng Strategy for Sustainable Development (GSSD) is on course.
Appropriate to the essence of what the Constitution Hill symbolises, a gathering of relevant stakeholders was held, on 18 May 2006, at this historic monument the Constitution Hill, in Braamfontein.
Meeting at this venue, we discussed how our developmental and constructional initiatives should not degrade the environment and lead to, among others, the depletion of water resources, natural food resources and the destruction of other ecosystems that are necessary for life itself.
Delegates attending the meeting unanimously confirmed their loyalty to clause 24 of our constitution. We anticipate finalising the development of this strategy, at a cost of R1.5 m, during August/September 2006. We should note that further development and the implementation of this strategy relies not only on Provincial Government Departments but also Local Municipalities.
This sphere of government will continuously be engaged on this issue through, among others, the existing MEC/MMC forum.
The new Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations were promulgated by Minister van Schalkwyk on 21 April 2006 and will come into effect on the 1st July 2006. In anticipation my Department initiated two projects in 2005 which are due for completion in time for the implementation date. These projects deal with supplementation and implementation of the new regulations and re-engineering of business processes within relevant internal branches.
Friends and colleagues, EIA processes are a developmental tool at the disposal of Government contrary to inane views held by some anarchist elements within the construction industry and by some shady consultants.
True to the real intent of the EIA processes, the new EIA regulations specify time frames for processing of EIA applications. The same regulations also allow us to develop processes specific to Our own province.
This initiative has allowed my Department to be prepared for the stipulated implementation date. Stakeholder workshops are also being conducted to explain the regulations and the new processes.
One such is scheduled for 8 June and another will coincide with my annual open day on EIAs which is scheduled for 29 June.
As part of promoting sustainable economic development, we prepared what we call The Magaliesmoot Guidelines for Sustainable Mining. A strategy for handling brickwork open-air stack kilns has also been completed. Both these strategies will enable our environmental officers and mining houses to implement best practices and to minimise environmental impacts. Similar guidelines for the Metsweding region are being developed and it is anticipated that these will be completed and implemented during the current financial year.
Comrade Speaker, guidelines for sustainable rehabilitation of Tailings Dam, with a particular emphasis on attaining mine closure, is also being developed. This is aimed at reducing dust impacts on communities in the vicinity of Tailings dam.
One of the serious challenges to our quest to build safe, secure, sustainable, healthy and productive communities emanate from the harmful gases that pollute the air that we breath, our soil and water.
In contributing to the strategic objectives that I've just alluded to, we commissioned seven (7) Air Quality Monitoring Stations during the 2005/2006 financial year. These are located in Sedibeng, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and the West Rand, among other areas.
We have budgeted, for the current financial year, R7 million for the stations and R1,4 m for establishing connectivity to centralised data system, to be located within the Department and/or conducting due diligence on private monitoring stations to expand the monitoring network.
In further contributing towards building safe, secure and sustainable communities, we shall also rely on our Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs), the so-called Green Scorpions.
An amount of R7 m for the 2006/07 financial year has been set aside to designate, train and equip 20 EMIs whose task will be to undertake environmental compliance and enforcement activities. The first batch of EMIs will officially be announced on 10 July 2006 and they should immediately start delivering on their mandates. The designation of these EMIs should communicate quite a simple message to devious developers, especially considering the powers vested upon the EMIs, and the message -plundering the environment is simply tantamount to dicing away your assets.
Another environmental challenge that confronts our province relates to waste of animal origin. The amount of waste produced by abattoirs, feedlots and commercial farms exceeds 120 tons per month. This poses environmental hazards that, if not well managed, may detrimentally affect the health of our communities. With the view to combat this threat, we are in the process of producing guideline manual for abattoir waste management. To be completed during the financial year under review, the production of the manual will cost us R300 000.
Our veterinary branch also makes a significant contribution to the province's strategic objective of enabling faster economic growth and job creation. Veterinarians services in Gauteng are faced with the unique challenge of having to do final certification forgive animals and animal products, even those from other provinces, for the export market. My Department is responsible for this final certification. Veterinarians who work in this area in Gauteng are required to have a very high level of knowledge of export matters in order to ensure that the export products fulfil all the importing country's requirements.
Part of our objectives for this financial year is to ensure that all the relevant Veterinarians are trained and supplied with the resources necessary to enable them to carry out this mammoth task.
Working jointly with the Gauteng Shared Services Centre (GSSC), we also are developing automation of the Veterinary Health Certification (VHC) project. This will be part of the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) portal.
It will enable our services to be accessible online, hence allowing the public to make applications for certification online. It will also contain a database of export related information which will be used, where necessary, by the exporting communities. The product also falls in line with Batho Pele principles in that it seeks to provide information to the public.
The implementation of an Environmental Management Program (EMP) for each abattoir will enhance the control over abattoir waste. Alternative safe methods of dealing with waste from animal origin are also being investigated by our project team. We already are exploring composting and perm culture as an alternative for rural abattoirs and feedlots as part of a bigger strategy to aimed at managing abattoir waste.
It is a matter of common course that the quest to realise our constitutional obligations has necessitated the promulgation of number of enabling acts. Enabling acts that further define outworking life in the Department include the Meat Safety Act, the Livestock Improvement Act and the Animal Diseases Act, amongst others.
The implementation of these acts, unsurprisingly, coincides with our Provincial Strategic objective of working to develop healthy, skilled and productive people.
Developing healthy, skilled and productive people
The realisation of this strategic objective entails, in the case of our Department, facilitation of the supply of wholesome and healthy food of animal origin to the public, the promotion of household food security with regards to animal products and the promotion and protection of animal health to combat the detrimental consequences of contagious diseases to persons and animals. This we do through the development and implementation of an Integrated Provincial Management System for Animal Health Services, among others.
Through the integrated provincial management system, we have successfully prevented outbreaks of animal and zoonotic diseases. Our animal health services components also deal with improvement of the efficiency of animal production systems and the promotion of best animal husbandry practice amongst emerging livestock farmers.
In June 2006, collaborating with the Department of Local Government, we established a Joint Operations Centre (JOC) to specifically combat animal disease epidemics.
Also of critical importance in relation to our quest to develop healthy, skilled and productive communities is our application for the ISO 17020 accreditation by the South African National Accreditation Service (SANAS), an independent inspection body. The Gauteng veterinary services directorate is the first in the country to undertake this internationally recognised accreditation process. The accreditations will, when successful, result in international recognition of the high abattoir and meat inspection services standard that the Gauteng Government guarantees for its citizens.
This accreditation is also essential for international trade as it seeks to safeguard international trade in beef, pork, mutton and poultry meats. An amount of R100 000 has been budgeted for this ISO 17020 accreditation process.
In promoting safe and wholesome meat and meat products, the Department initiated, during 2003, an incentive for abattoir operators to subscribe and operate according to certain acceptable standards. During the outgoing financial year, 55% of our abattoirs were voluntarily rated according to these standards. The rate abattoirs are responsible for 88% of meat produced in the province. At a cost of R493 000 we plan to rate at least 66% of all Provincial abattoirs by end of this financial year.
For purposes of developing and effectively implementing a bio-security strategy, we introduced, during April 2006, a bio-security sub-programme within our Veterinary Branch. We expect that the bio-security strategy will be operational in the latter part of this financial year.
The introduction of this strategy will be immensely beneficial especially in relation to maintaining an internationally acceptable zoo-sanitary status. Such a status allows our international trade in animals and animal products to continue uninterrupted. The strategy will also protect our livestock industry from losses that can result from disease outbreaks, which can also lead to loss of livelihood and employment in the agricultural sector.
One major challenge in the abattoir industry that still remains elusive is the de-radicalisation of the sector. We, however, cannot fold our arms and do nothing about this intransigency. We shall continue addressing the challenge through, among other enabling tools, the Agri-BBBEE framework.
Our contribution to the strategic objective of developing healthy, skilled and productive people also focuses on our internal human resources.
With regards to the issue of scarce skills, we have completed our own analysis and have submitted a report to the relevant national Department, as a contribution to the skills revolution that Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka alluded to when unveiling the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA).
The Office of the Premier set a target of 8% complement of staff as a GPG target for learnerships/internships. My Department has already exceeded this target and we are running at 11.8%. We have revised our own internship target and are now aiming at achieving14 % internship enlistment during the financial year under review.
Clearly understanding that the emancipation of women is also fundamental condition that has to be realised before we truly can be a nation in the true sense of the word, our programmes are, consciously, tilted towards addressing gender imbalance. It is this biasness that contributes to our favourable gender profile, including in senior management ranks.
Under the leadership of our Transformation Branch, this predisposition will continue into the 2006/07 financial year and we will continue to assess key departmental projects and set targets to ensure comprehensive and holistic gender main-streaming.
Also understanding the vulnerability of the youth in general, our Transformation Branch will also sharply focus on agriculture development and learnership programmes in order to enhance the participation of youth and women in particular, in the agricultural sector. The programme will focus on hands-on technical training, re-skilling and entrepreneurial development of unemployed agricultural graduates, thus contributing to job creation and poverty alleviation in the province. An amount of R 500 00 has been budgeted for this specific purpose.
Colleagues, we still have challenges in relation to ensuring that the human rights that most of us already enjoy are also sufficiently and materially extended to people with disabilities. The challenges we confront in this regard include environmental and ergonomic challenges. With this in mind, we shall, during the year under review, conduct audits in the mentioned areas to ensure accommodation of people with disabilities in our workplace.
A learnership for people with disabilities will also be enhanced in order to provide employment and skills development opportunities for this section of our community. As a matter of fact, we already have enrolled, within my Department, 10 people with disabilities. Some of them are deployed in our Registry section, managing important documents for the Department.
Talking about the joys and trepidations of his internship in this section, Mr Sipho Vilakazi quipped 'The environment in the Department is wonderful. I dread to think what will happen at the expiry of my internship in eight months time. Will I have to join another institution and start afresh the experience of being recognised as a fellow human being?'
In a separate discussion with Ms Geraldine van der Westhuizen, a supervisor in the same section, she made this simple but profound observation about people with disabilities, 'We were scared earlier due to wrong perceptions. But these guys have turned out to be wonderful people to work with.' Like other Departments and millions of people across the globe, we also confront challenges brought about by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Through our Transformation Branch, we also are doing our best to combat the scourge. We have set aside, for this financial year, an amount of R1 m for various programmes related to combating this blight.
Colleagues, sports and games in general contribute to the consolidation of societies and to building healthy, skilled and productive communities. It is for this reason that we have taken a decision to create a special process that will handle all Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes linked to the 2010 FIFA Games.
This internal FIFA World Cup Committee has already speeded-up the EIA processes related to the FNB Stadium and the FIFA Head Office. The major challenge that we may encounter in relation to this exciting development, is the tardiness by developers to submit all relevant documentation on time.
Also linked, at least by the public in general, to the 2010 Games, is the Gautrain project. Convinced of the social and economic benefits of this project, we are prioritising all EIA related processes that fall within our jurisdiction. The latest EIA approvals were granted in March 2006. In relation to these two projects, I strongly recommend that all role-players should ensure speedy responses to all the legal and policy requirements so that we too can more effectively and efficiently contribute to the success of the projects.
I earlier suggested that sports and games in general also contribute to the consolidation of societies. Naturally, we know from our theory of development that the concept of a 'nation' and nation building is quite a complex matter that cannot be resolved only through sports and games. In a country that still has to share in the same broad culture, economy and sense of patriotism, the tasks certainly become more complex and entail a number of initiatives.
Understanding that the process of deepening democracy, building a nation and realising the constitutional rights of all our peoples a complex process and that it is cumulative, we also fairly contribute to this noble objective.
Deepening democracy, nation building and realising the constitutional rights of our citizens
My Department exercises a mandate over our nature reserves and to some extent over the heritage sites, including over Maropeng -the Cradle of Humankind. We also have a mandate over our five nature reserves. To manage these reserves in a manner that also effectively contributes to nation building, we decided to commercialise the management of the reserves. In this process, we also had to issue a tender for the interim management of the sites. The tender was issued in January 2006.
Under effective dedicated management, these reserves will cater specifically for teaching and research institutions, educational activities, adventure activities and also benefit local communities. We expect that this process will ensure affordable access and more rapid and effective promotion of environmental issues.
Conclusion
This budget vote input merely gives a synopsis of detailed and programmatic outputs that the Department has set for itself for the financial year under discussion. I am confident that the men and women employed in the Department will do their all to ensure successful delivery on all targets that we have set for ourselves and I wish to thank them in advance for the efforts.
I also wish to commend the Head of Department: Dr. Steven Cornelius, who has immensely contributed to the transformation of the Department - a transformation process that is equipping the Department to be better able to effectively and efficiently discharge on its legislative and policy mandates.
Present in the public gallery of this House we have, among others, close and important stakeholders of our Department -Executive Mayors, Ward Councillors, representatives of the agricultural fraternity and people from environmental organisations, including winners of our Bontle ke Botho project. We also have people from Johannesburg City Parks, people from animal welfare organisations and the Johannesburg Zoo. Rand Water is also represented as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations. I wish to acknowledge their presence and commit to further enhance our partnership.
Allow me, in conclusion, to remind us of the profound words attributed to Mr Richard St. Baker. This insightful environmentalist, known in Kenya as father of trees or baba wamiti, who is said to have observed that 'our generation may either be the last to exist or the first to have the vision, the daring and the greatness to play no part in destroying the environment’. Let us do our all to ensure that we do nothing that will contribute to the destruction of our biodiversity - and let us give our best towards delivering on our people's quest of a better life whilst also ensuring that we do nothing that will compromise a better tomorrow for the generation yet to be born.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Gauteng Provincial Government
6 June 2006
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