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SA: Edna Molewa: Address by Minister of Environmental Affairs, at the 35th Crime Stoppers International Conferecnce, Cape Town, Western Cape (14/10/2014)

SA: Edna Molewa: Address by Minister of Environmental Affairs, at the 35th Crime Stoppers International Conferecnce, Cape Town, Western Cape (14/10/2014)
Photo by Reuters

14th October 2014

By: Sane Dhlamini
Creamer Media Senior Contributing Editor and Researcher

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Program Director,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Members of the media

It is a privilege to be here at the first ever Crime Stoppers International Conference held on African soil.

This gathering is both a timely and a necessary one, based on an essential premise: that for any anti-crime initiative to succeed, requires collaboration and partnerships across society.

The wide range of participants and speakers at this conference, now in its 35th year, is testimony to the successful efforts of the organizers to draw in all sectors, from government, to the private sector, to civil society.
Because we know that crime in all its manifestations, affects us all. It affects livelihoods, economies and lives.

I would like to commend the organizers who have brought us here today. It is recognition that each of us has a contribution to make, an insight to share, and advice to impart.

I, like the rest of you, am here to share experiences, to listen, and to learn. For it is a common goal we all share – to see a South Africa no longer blighted by the shadow of crime, a South Africa that is secure, prosperous and safe, and able to realize its full potential.

For in the wise words of Edmund Burke that we know so well: ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing.’ 

It has been asked of me in the past why in a country such as ours, with so many competing demands on the state, among them housing, education and healthcare, should already resources be allocated to what are so often called ‘green issues.’

That we have been invited here today to address you on the impact of environmental crime is testimony to just how far we have come from the days of these types of questions.

Environmental crime is just that – a crime. It is neither harmless nor victimless. In all its forms, it is a sustained assault on the one resource that is common to us all, and though it may tough us in different ways, it ultimately impacts us all. It is perhaps unique in one particular aspect: it is guaranteed that its effects won’t be felt by us alone, but for generations to come.

Whether it is illegal logging and fishing, species smuggling, the dumping of toxic and hazardous waste, or wildlife poaching – environmental crime is often tied to other forms of criminal activity.

Furthermore, these crimes often have transnational elements: and steadily undermine this country’s efforts to enforce and implement regulations that conserve lives, livelihoods and habitats.

Such crimes result in degradation of the environment, necessitating additional resource allocation for restoration and rehabilitation. Decimation of natural resources destroys the livelihoods of communities, making it harder for them to survive. Millions of rands are lost in tax revenues when these resources are plundered.

The effects of environmental crimes like waste dumping and pollution impact air quality and further burden the public health system, as more people become sick and require care.

Species smuggling and poaching damages the unique and fragile biodiversity that has attracted tourists to our shores for so long.

In this the 20th year of democracy, we reflect on where we have come from, and plot the course to Move South Africa Forward.

And indeed we are moving forward.

We are one of the only countries in the world where environmental rights are constitutionally protected; and where the state is obliged to take steps to prevent pollution and ecological degradation, promote conservation and secure the ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources.

Earlier this month we launched the annual National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report. It offered a promising glimpse into the future management of environmental crimes. Things are getting better. More cases of non-compliance with environmental laws are being reported, and the number of convictions for violators is on the rise. The work of the directorate nicknamed the Green Scorpions is but one of our multi-sectoral efforts towards addressing crimes against the environment.

And yet these gains are being undermined by the rise in environmental crimes not just locally, but globally.

Last year the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report titled “UNEP and INTERPOL Assess Impacts of Environmental Crime on Security and Development”

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