Western Cape Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Budget Speech delivered by Minister Tasneem Essop - 2008/09

Mohandas Gandhi,
The Roots of Violence,
Wealth without work,
Pleasure without conscience,
Knowledge without character,
Commerce without morality,
Science without humanity,
Worship without sacrifice,
Politics without principles.

Mr Speaker
Premier
Cabinet Colleagues
Honourable members
Ladies and Gentlemen

I rise in this House to deliver my final budget speech in the portfolio of environmental affairs and development planning. This is a good time to reflect on where we have come from, what we have done over the past four years and what we will be doing in the months to come.

When the African National Congress (ANC) deployed me as the political head of this department four years ago I was deeply privileged. The mandate was clear, to fight poverty, create jobs and to build a better life for all our people. But I understood that the challenge was immense.

The department had just experienced a serious credibility and reputation crisis with the Malatsi saga; it also remained largely untransformed both in terms of representivity and mindset. The regulatory role of issuing environmental and planning authorisations dominated and was fragmented, lurching between a narrow "green" focus and a crude "pro-development" agenda. The Brown issues like pollution, waste management and air quality was still in a fledgling state, under-resourced and under-valued. Compliance monitoring and Law enforcement burdened with capacity problems.

There was very little strategic discourse on how to promote Sustainable Development and the triple-bottom line approach in the work of the department. Decision-making happened in a policy vacuum with no policy coherence. The department was very inward looking and not very responsive to domestic and global changes. Stakeholder engagements were minimal and mainly involved engaging with local governments. A people-centred approach was missing. Essentially the department did not have a strategic long-term vision. I had inherited a Cinderella department, a step-child of the provincial government and yet with the enormous potential to shine.

Over and above this, there were also challenges within the sectors we are involved with. The environmental sector remained largely dominated by a paradigm of narrow conservationism and represented by a mainly privileged and white minority. The property development sector, also dominated by a minority white privileged group remained antagonistic towards environmental considerations. The two interest groups were extremely polarised and entrenched in what they believed were mutually exclusive agendas. In all of this, the poor were not a consideration and social justice not a factor.

Having understood the subjective conditions facing the department and the sector, the challenge before us was how to transform and effect change. In my first budget speech in this House in 2004 I made the following commitment. Allow me to remind honourable members what I said then.

"In the coming period my department and I will commence on a journey of transformation - in the way we think and plan, by developing a new paradigm; in the way we work, by promoting efficiency, transparency and integrity and in the way we look, by promoting a representative cadre of staff. Putting people first is central to this transformation. We intend becoming cutting edge leaders in the development and implementation of the sustainable development approach, constantly measuring how the work we do contributes to building a home for all."

I also on that occasion used the hedge that Jan Van Riebeeck planted to keep the Khoisan separated from the white community as a metaphor for the divisions we still experience in the Western Cape and I committed ourselves to "rise to the challenge of rooting out the metaphoric hedge that has, even after ten years of freedom and democracy, kept the Western Cape divided - separated from the rest of the country and the continent."

Mr Speaker, Honourable members - we need to exercise honest reflection to see whether we achieved what we committed ourselves to and whether the journey of transformation has yielded results. In exercising this reflection I am reminded of a quote by Theodore Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

I can safely say today that we have been in the arena. But to be self-critical we have to admit that we did not achieve everything we set out to do and much more needs to be done. But I also know that our failures were not due to a lack of "daring greatly".

So what are our achievements over the past four years?

Embedding sustainable development

There have been many initiatives driven by the department in the past four years which lay the foundation for mainstreaming the sustainable development paradigm. I would like to highlight two of these that I believe laid a firm basis for embedding sustainable development in the province.

Provincial Spatial Development Framework (PSDF)

We first set ourselves a long-term vision of "Building a Sustainable Home for All - Now and Forever" in the Western Cape. Policy formulation and coherence would be critical to putting in place the building blocks to achieve this vision. We formulated and finalised the Provincial Spatial Development Framework which would become the overarching policy framework informing the work of the department as well being one of the eight lead strategies of Ikapa Elihlumayo, our Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS). The Western Cape would be the first province to develop such a framework based on the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP).

The fundamental starting point of the PSDF is sustainable development and is strongly underpinned by the triple bottom line approach which accepts that ecological integrity is the critical basis for economic development and social equity. The three are inter-linked and cannot be considered separate to each other. A number of guideline documents were developed flowing from the PSDF such as the Golf Estate and Polo Field guidelines, the Urban Edge Guidelines, the Resort Guidelines etc. These guidelines deepen the policy framework. The PSDF also informs municipal Spatial Development Frameworks (SDFs).

We acknowledge that the PSDF provoked massive debates amongst our stakeholders in the province ranging from strong support to opposition. We know however that we have built up a critical mass of support and understanding around this policy.

Sustainable Development Implementation Plan (SDIP)

To further the aim of building a sustainable home for all, the department also developed the Sustainable Development Implementation Plan in consultation with our social partners. This plan includes amongst others, programmes such as the Green Procurement Policy, the "greening" of public buildings, biodiversity management, waste management etc. Many of the programmes are also incorporated in our Climate Change Action Plan as there are strong linkages between the two.

NRG4SD

The Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development (NRG4SD) was launched in 2002 during the World Summit on Sustainable Development which took place in Johannesburg. The nrg4SD aims to be a voice for, and to represent regional governments at the global level promoting sustainable development and partnerships at the regional level around the world.

I was elected co-Chairperson of the nrg4SD at the first General Assembly held in Indonesia during 2005. This was a great honour and presented the Western Cape with many opportunities. We were also given the opportunity to showcase the work we have been doing with regards to implementing sustainable development and climate change.

The mission of the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development is a commitment to sustainable development worldwide. The aim of this network is to:

* represent regional governments at a global level,
* promote sustainable development at the regional government level throughout the world,
* share information and experiences concerning sustainable development policies with regional governments throughout the world,
* promote understanding, collaboration and association between its members,
* seek international recognition of the contribution to sustainable development made by regional governments, and
* obtain representation at international organizations and national governments.

The General Assembly of the network will be held in October this year in Saint Malo, Brittany France. The focus of the assembly will be on climate change and the Western Cape will be taking responsibility for hosting the theme session on Biodiversity, Agriculture and Climate Change.

Providing leadership on climate change

Mr Speaker, nothing gives me more pleasure than to say to this House that one of our greatest achievements has been the cutting edge leadership we have provided in terms of our response to climate change as a province. In doing so we have achieved a number of firsts which are not only firsts in this country but I believe internationally as well. We were the first province to embark on scientific research into the potential impacts of climate change in the Western Cape and the research findings were published in our report "A Status Quo Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment of the Physical and Socio-economic Effects of Climate Change in the Western Cape". The science was clear and confirmed the national research that this province will be one of the most vulnerable to climate change. Some of the critical vulnerabilities are:

* Economic - agricultural, fishing and tourism sectors
* Loss of Biodiversity
* More frequent extreme events like fires, flooding, and sea level rising
* Water Scarcity through more frequent and longer drought periods
* Human health

But the most important vulnerability we need to consider is the impact on our poor. Low income communities are most vulnerable because of the lack of water, food and energy security; their settlement patterns where they are often found living in fire and flood prone areas, their dependence on natural resources eg. subsistence fisheries and farmers and the lack of access to basic services like clean water and sanitation which causes health problems like dehydration and water-borne diseases.

And the poor are made more vulnerable because of the lack of capacity and resources to adapt or to minimise these risks.

Based on this scientific evidence we have now finalised our Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy. Again, we are the first province to do so. We hosted a highly successful Climate Change and Renewable Energy Summit in June last year, where our strategy was presented to stakeholders and received resounding support. Our Response strategy includes both adaptation and mitigation measures and the following are some of the critical areas we have prioritised for immediate attention:

* an integrated water programme
* land stewardship, livelihoods and the economy
* ongoing research, monitoring and validation
* disaster management
* reduction of our carbon footprint with a key focus on renewable energy.

We have already begun to implement a number of concrete actions and I will spell out some of these later.

Mr Speaker - our Climate Change Strategy is premised on the belief that for us in the Western Cape, and this would apply to all developing regions, climate change is a poverty issue. In a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), who recently won a Nobel peace prize, it is made clear that developing countries and especially the poor will be the most vulnerable to impacts of climate change.

In their book "The Hot Topic" Gabrielle Walker and Sir David King spell out the real risks facing the developing world and its people with Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the small islands experiencing risks of water shortages, hunger, flooding, heat waves and fires, and disease. They make the important point that "It's a nasty irony that the people least responsible for the problem will also be the ones that suffer first and most".

In working from the premise that climate change is a poverty issue, our strategy acknowledges that with climate change we face both risks and opportunities and we need to deal with both. Our Climate Change Strategy will be linked to the Millennium Development Goals as well as the promotion of sustainable development.

Honourable members, in every budget speech I have delivered thus far I have tried to use the opportunity to push the boundaries on the discourse on matters affecting this department, in the hope that it would stimulate public discussion and hopefully be the basis for a paradigm shift.

I would like to take the opportunity to do that once again in relation to the issue of climate change. I have been fortunate enough to attend and participate in a number of international conferences dealing with climate change in my capacity as co-chair of the Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development. It has become a matter of concern for me that the current global discourse has been dominated by the developed nations. The voices of the developing nations have mainly been in response to the agenda set by the North.

It has also become clear to me that if the South does not lead and set the agenda in terms of climate change, we will once again be facing the next global divide between North and South. The North is way ahead in terms of their capacity to adapt and mitigate compared to the poorer South. They have made massive advances in technology development especially in the energy sector. They have the resources to implement engineering solutions to the risks they face. While the Kyoto Protocol has an Adaptation Fund that should be assisting the developing countries these funds have been slow in finding its way to the beneficiaries and this trend is worrying given the risks the poorer nations will face. The clean development mechanism has also been moving at a slow pace with very few projects coming off the ground especially in Africa.

What is a further worrying feature is that climate change in the developed North has become a big business, moving from the science and the technology. This is confirmed by Gabrielle Walker and Sir David King "All in all, the problem of climate change is beginning to shift from a scientific and technological issue to an economic one. Around the world, brokers and businesses have noticed the amount of money changing hands over climate change and are eager to join in. The business world, too, has spotted that climate change comes with opportunities, as well as risks. - The colour of money is now officially green". So how do poorer nations compete with this? If we allow this trend to continue we will, I believe, be facing the further widening of the gap between rich and poor nations at a time when the globe can ill-afford it. The developing world must unite by sharing its capacity, knowledge and technologies with each other. The voices of the South must be heard and there must be an urgent call for action.

3. Laying the basis for spatial transformation and urban restructuring

Mr Speaker in my first budget speech in 2004, I spoke about the apartheid spatial legacy that continued even after ten years into our democracy. I said the following "It is incumbent on us to change the face of this apartheid obscenity" I also made a commitment to take up the challenge and provide leadership by drafting the Provincial Spatial Development Framework which would have as one of its primary objectives, the redress of the legacy of apartheid. As I mentioned earlier, I am pleased to be able to list the finalisation of the PSDF as one of our achievements. While implementation of this Framework is still in its early phases, the medium to long-term aim is to ensure that through its implementation land use management will be able to transform the spatial landscape. The establishment of an urban edge to ensure that we prevent urban sprawl, especially of low-income settlements, and to encourage densification is critical to achieving this objective. We need to bring the poor closer to economic and social opportunities. We also need to affect urban restructuring by bringing economic and social infrastructure into our disadvantaged townships, where no such infrastructure was developed because of apartheid. This would require a shift from old town planning approaches to one which promotes sustainable integrated mixed use and mixed income settlements.

It is exciting that the Department of Local Government and Housing under the leadership of Minister Dyanti has taken up the challenge and not only has developed policies aligned to the principles of the PSDF but also announced a number of projects in his Budget speech that deals with implementation of these policies. The Department of Economic Development has also formed a strong partnership to deepen the socio-economic section of the PSDF by looking at the spatial dimension of the Micro-Economic Development Strategy (MEDS) strategy as well as its programme of developing economic precincts in the 27 social transformation areas in the province.

I am confident that with the co-operation of our provincial departments as well as municipalities we will be able to transform this negative spatial legacy into one that our future generations will be proud of. We will transform our spatial landscape and especially our urban landscape and leave a legacy of truly integrated and sustainable cities and towns.

I will deal with how we plan to deepen this work later when I deal with what our deliverables will be in this financial year.

Laying the basis for the environment economy

Mr Speaker in my Budget speech in 2006 I spoke about unlocking the potential of an environment economy in the Western Cape and identified a number of ways in which we would do this. I am even more certain now, two years later, that we made the right call on this. The future economy is Green! And the statement made by Walker and King that "the colour of money is now officially green" serves to confirm this.

The department has begun laying a basis to promote the environment economy as a new growing sector in the province and has developed both a concept document and a set of business plans that looks at the renewable energy, water management and recycling sectors. We have also moved towards implementation and I will speak more to this later.

Economic impact of decision-making

Honourable members, my department often bears the brunt of criticism for red-tape and long delays when it comes to its regulatory functions related to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Planning approvals. While some of these criticisms might be justifiable I can confidently say that the department has, despite very serious capacity constraints, managed to finalise and issue positive decisions for over 8 707 development applications in the past four years out of a total of 11 191 received. This represents an injection of R50 billion investment into the economy of the Western Cape and the facilitated the creation of more than 20 000 permanent employment opportunities and more than 50 000 temporary employment opportunities.

Clearly, the role that this department plays in growing and sharing the economy is critical. We committed ourselves to addressing the inefficiencies in the decision-making process and initiated the Integrated Law Reform Process. But as Honourable members would know we unfortunately could not finalise this legislation because of national legislative constraints. Even though we had produced draft legislation, this is unfortunately one of the deliverables we could not bring to fruition. We have provided the Presidency with our draft legislation and hope that this process will be driven by national government.

Mr Speaker

I have highlighted some of the critical interventions we have made as a department over the past four years to give effect to the commitment we made in 2004 to place the Western Cape on a path of sustainable development, to change the mindset and to providing cutting edge leadership. We hope that we have risen adequately to the challenges and that we have indeed left a legacy.

Allow me now to turn to what we plan to do in this financial year. The department has many programmes and initiatives that we will be implementing and I will deal with the key deliverables planned for the year ahead.

Deliverables 2008/09

Mr Speaker the total Budget of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning in the 2008/09 financial year is R198 817 million; this represents a zero comma eight percent from the last financial year. Of this, R87 788 million will be transferred to Cape Nature.

1. Spatial Transformation and Urban Restructuring - deepening the work

Amendment to Planning and Development Act

Honourable members as I mentioned earlier, our Integrated Law Reform Process could not be finalised and we believe will not be in the near future. In the light of this we have decided to re-introduce an amended version of the Planning and Development Act as a way of achieving meaningful spatial reform and social land use goals in the short term. The Amended Planning and Development Act aims to achieve the following goals:

* Giving statutory status to the PSDF
* Streamlining application processes
* Redressing the spatial legacies of apartheid in the province
* Approval of municipal SDFs aligned to the PSDF as part of IDP approvals
* Power to issue socio-economic and climate change conditions in authorisations eg. Social housing, renewable energy, energy and water efficiency etc.

We will be taking a draft Bill to Cabinet soon to get in principle approval to table it in the Legislature by October 2008. I am hoping that one of the key incentives for the legislature to deal with this Bill speedily is the fact that once passed, the Bill will replace the dreaded Land Use Planning Ordinance (LUPO)!

Development of Credible SDFs - the Built Environment Support Programme

My department, together with the Department of Local Government and Housing are spearheading a Built Environment Support Programme in six municipalities in order to provide spatial planning support for the development of credible SDF's aligned to the PSDF. The aim is to transform and restructure the urban areas in a way that redresses the apartheid spatial legacy. The six municipalities were identified on the basis of their economic growth potential as well as their high levels of poverty. Saldhana Bay, Drakenstein, Overstrand, Stellenbosch, Knysna and George will be benefiting from this programme. We have budgeted three comma five million rand for this in this financial year.

Climate change and renewable energy

Gabriel Walker and Sir David King in their book "the Hot Topic" asserts the following "Global Warming is a serious problem, probably the most serious that the human race has, collectively, ever faced. But we can still do something about it. This is neither a time for pessimism nor for denial. It is a time for constructive, determined action". Mr Speaker, we are certainly engaged in "constructive and determined action". Our Climate Change and Renewable Energy programme in the department will yield some exciting and concrete deliverables in this year making the province a leader in this regard. We have set ourselves the target of achieving 15 percent renewable energy by 2014, ten percent energy efficiency and a reduction of carbon emissions by 15 percent by 2014.

Roll out of 1 000 solar water geysers

My department has embarked on a roll out of 1 000 solar water geysers in four of our social transformation areas. The objective is to deal with three challenges facing the Western Cape: poverty, energy efficiency and climate change mitigation. We have already installed 100 solar water geysers in Kwanakothula in the Hessequa municipality. 60 Jobs were created in that project and a total of 250 jobs will be created for the entire programme. This is the first solar water geyser roll out in the country and an important contribution to achieving our renewable energy target. We have budgeted four million rand for this programme.

Establishment of a solar heater training academy

My department will be establishing a solar training academy for the training of plumbers and installers which is currently the main capacity constraint in the mass rollout of solar geysers nationwide. Training in installation and fabrication of solar water geysers forms a critical part of the implementation of the solar water geyser programme. This could also lay the basis for the creation of small businesses which could benefit from the planned mass roll out of solar water geysers in the country. This programme will be integrated into the current Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in the province. A total of 250 trained solar installers will be produced through this initial roll-out. An initial budget of R500 000 has been allocated for this.

Retrofitting public buildings and energy audit of government buildings

One of the clear messages arising in the recent reports Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is that the construction of energy efficient buildings has very significant potential to reduce the emissions of Green House Gases.

We are currently exploring the mainstreaming of renewable energy technologies within all public buildings in the province through measures such as solar heating, retrofitting and more energy efficient building designs. Government is setting the example by the installation of energy efficient technologies and construction methods. This will form part of a "green procurement" strategy whereby tenders for government projects may require strict compliance with environmentally friendly technologies.

Government must lead by example. In this context, energy audits have been commissioned in key public buildings with the view of retrofitting these buildings to improve their energy efficiency. We have budgeted R400 000 to conduct this audit.

Climate change education and awareness raising at 132 schools

My department will be rolling out a Climate Change Education and Awareness Programme in 132 schools in the social transformation areas.

The programme has a dual purpose - firstly, to support educators in the presentation of effective teaching and learning strategies which will enable learners to participate in problem-solving leading towards equitable and sustainable energy utilisation, and secondly, to increase the awareness of learners about the cause and effect of climate change.

Climate change, as a topic in the school curriculum, appears in a number of guides through high school, most notably in the General Education and Training (GET) natural sciences, social sciences and technology learning areas, and in the Further Education and Training (FET) physical sciences, life sciences and geography subjects. The materials to be developed will provide teachers with key resources that can be used at a number of different levels in each of these learning areas. A budget of R786 625 has been set aside for the implementation of this programme.

British High Commission co-operation agreement

My department has entered into an agreement with the British High Commission for a Clean Energy Governance Programme for the Western Cape. The deliverables in terms of this agreement are the following:

* A Sustainable Energy Facilitation Act - this will create a supporting regulatory environment to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency interventions in the Western Cape
* Establishment of a Provincial Sustainable Energy Task Team
* An Investment and Finance Framework for Sustainable Energy

Community -owned Wind Farm - St Helena Bay

My department, together with the Saldanha Municipality, Seeland Development Trust, Oxfam United Kingdom (UK) and Genesis Eco-Energy have embarked on a process to develop a 70 megawatt (MW) wind farm in St Helena Bay and we have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) governing our relationship and the development of this project.

This is a flagship project for us and will be used to demonstrate:

* A commercially viable enterprise that develops and champions new models of ownership for wind farms in South Africa - in this case community ownership through the land reform programme.

* National and provincial energy programmes that enhance economic empowerment by ensuring the community own a significant share of the project.

* a project that aims to address the objectives of the Provincial Environmental Economy Programme and help deliver on the sustainable energy strategy objectives, and

* the utilisation of the Clean Development Mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to deliver the benefits to the project and its stakeholders.

It is great that this initiative follows hot on the heels of the recently launched Darling Wind Farm Project and provides us with a good momentum for concrete actions to deliver on our renewable energy target.

Agreement with the German Government through GTZ Terna

In furthering our work on promoting renewable energy in the Western Cape my department applied for funding from the German Government for an extensive grid study for the Western Cape Province, a study for developing a business case for renewable energy (wind, solar and wave), and for support in generating a policy framework and support systems. I am pleased to announce that we have recently been informed that the German Government has approved the GTZ Terna Project. Germany has long-term experience in renewable energies (especially wind energy) and its exemplary renewable energy support system and policy framework can benefit us greatly.

The application process was conducted in close co-operation and consultation with the Ministry for Minerals and Energy, the Central Energy Fund, the National Electricity Regulator of South Africa and the City of Cape Town (RED1).

Climate Change Advisory panel
Mr Speaker
In order for us to meet the challenges of implementing the Climate Change Strategy and Action plan; I have decided to establish a Climate Change Advisory Panel to advise me on matters pertinent to climate change issues affecting society at large. This panel will be made up of key leaders from critical sectors of our community viz, business, civil society, religious, academia, science, etc. I have written to these leaders and I will announce the panel once they have accepted the invitation to participate.

CAP Your Carbon Communication Campaign - promoting energy efficiency

In the State of the Nation Address on 8 February 2008, President Thabo Mbeki referred to the national emergency and the need for energy efficiency and energy saving. We have set a target of saving 500 MW of electricity in this province.

The Western Cape Government, together with the Provincial Energy Risk Management Committee will embark on a comprehensive, accelerated energy efficiency campaign. To this end I have decided to launch the Cap Your Carbon Campaign aimed at promoting energy efficiency through a comprehensive multi-media and multi-faceted approach to aggressively accelerate the saving of 500 MW of electricity through all spheres of government. Cap your carbon as a slogan will highlight the links between energy consumption and carbon emissions and in so doing, raise awareness about climate change. This province currently produces in excess of 40 million tons carbon dioxide (CO2) per annum. We have budgeted R750 000 for this campaign.

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Project with the National Organic Produce Institute (NOPI)

We have recently received approval for the establishment of a CDM Desk in the Climate Change Unit in my department.

The CDM office will assist in facilitating and co-ordinating CDM project applications in the province, especially the programmatic applications favoured by donors and municipalities.

We have registered a CDM project in Pretoria using the NOPI methodology of a Sustainable Integrated Village for Agro-ecology (SIVA) based on a concept of community co-operatives with the aim of ensuring food security which has become a critical concern globally. An inter-departmental steering committee has been established to facilitate this process.

Promoting the environment economy

Over and above the initiatives related to the promotion of a renewable energy sector in the province as spelt out earlier, my department will be rolling out its To Wise to Waste Recycling Economy Project in this financial year. In partnership with the Department of Economic Development we will be assisting in setting up waste recycling co-operatives in two of the social transformation areas. The aim is to empower waste collectors, who find themselves in the second economy, through training them in efficient waste collection and sorting methods, value adding processes, health and safety and entrepreneurial skills.

We have allocated R30 000 for this training programme.

Social transformation priority areas: Deliverables 2008/09

Mr Speaker

We will deliver the following programmes in some of the social transformation priority areas:

* Rollout of solar water geysers - Hessequa, Nyanga, Elsies River and Atlantis - 250 jobs will be created in total and training will be provided. A total budget of four million rand has been set aside for these areas.

* Climate Change Education and Awareness Schools Programme - this will be rolled out to 132 schools in the following priority areas - Bishop Lavis, Cedarberg, Central Karoo, Delft, Drakenstein, Elsies River, Gugulethu, Hanover Park, Kannaland, Khayelitsha, Kleinvlei, Manenberg, Matzikamma, Mitchells Plain, Muizenberg, Nyanga, Oudtshoorn, Phillipi, Theewaterskloof, Vredenburg and Witzenberg. An amount of R786 625 has been allocated to this programme.

* Implementation of Too Wise to Waste Recycling Economy Project - for Drakenstein and Oudtshoorn. This programme was already rolled out in Manenberg, Phillipi, Vredenberg, Nyanga and Delft.

* Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations - Drakenstein and Vredenberg.

CapeNature

Before concluding Mr Speaker I would like to deal with our provincial conservation entity, CapeNature. Let me firstly welcome the newly appointed CEO of CapeNature Ms Lucille Meyer who is with us in the gallery today. I am certain that her appointment will assist us in not only stabilising CapeNature, but her knowledge, expertise and passion will greatly enhance the very good programmes currently being implemented. Thank you for accepting the appointment and I look forward to building a close working relationship with you. We have transferred an amount of R87 788 million in this financial year with two allocations exclusively ring-fenced for specific purposes: R7 110 million for sorely needed Tourism infrastructure upgrades within our parks and R7 500 million set aside for fire management capacity and alien vegetation eradication. This would include the EPWP programme. I would like to thank the Board, Fanie Bekker and Nazeem Jamie who both performed the role of acting CEO during very difficult times as well as all the staff at CapeNature. I know that we have gone through a trying period in the past while, but I am confident that with the commitment of all, we will overcome these difficulties and move towards building an organisation that will be respected and acknowledged for the very good work it does and the leadership role it plays in the conservation arena.

Conclusion

Mr Speaker

In concluding my final budget speech I would like to say that my department and I have indeed been on a journey. And it has been a challenging journey indeed! We have risen to the challenges facing us as best we could. We pushed the boundaries in policy formulation, we took on new responsibilities, we formed great partnerships, we tried to provide cutting edge leadership, we became responsive to global challenges, we achieved and we failed, we punched above our weight and our budget.

But as I said in my first budget speech in 2004 "...this portfolio would have to play a role in transforming the minds, filling the hearts, healing the wounds and feeding the souls of our people in the Western Cape. This requires of us humility, commitment and passion and not just money". I can certainly reassert that point. We have achieved what we could with the third smallest budget in the province through creativity and a "business unusual" approach. We secured external donor funding for many of our programmes and this is a demonstration of the confidence that international donors have in us.

I believe that the work we have done in the past four years has demonstrated that "Green" is not a swear word. And we have done this by making environmental issues relevant to the lives of the poor in this province and by asserting the paradigm of sustainable development.

I believe that we will not remain a Cinderella department for much longer. We will not be able to escape the reality that the future is Green! And I know that we have laid a firm foundation over the past four years for building a sustainable home for all - now and forever.

Thank you

I would like to conclude by thanking the Premier - for your leadership and guidance over the years and to all my colleagues in Cabinet they have been both patient and supportive.

Thank you to the Chair and members of the Standing Committee. You have kept us on our toes and we appreciate that.

To my acting Head of Department Mr Rudi Ellis - thank you very much for stepping in to help the department fill that gap. I understand that we have placed an immense additional burden on your shoulders and I appreciate the fact that you were not found wanting when asked to lead.

To all my senior managers in the department - your commitment and willingness to rise to the challenges is much appreciated. And to all my staff in the department, every single one of you - thank you very much for your hard work and your willingness to join me on this exciting and sometimes difficult journey.

To all our guests here today, many of you have joined us on this amazing journey of transformation and I thank you for your support.

Thank you to the media for your coverage of our work over the past four years.

The staff in my ministry has been a pillar of support and I thank you all.

I will remain immensely thankful to my party, the ANC for affording me the honour of serving in this position. I only hope that I was able to fulfil the mandate I was given and that I have in some small way contributed to improving the lives of our people.

Finally to my family; Gonny, my children Danyal and Farah, my mother and my sister - no amount of thank you could ever do justice to the sacrifice you have made of giving up your time with me to allow me to serve. I hope that I have at least made you proud and that the achievements we have made over the past few years has been worthy of your sacrifice.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Development, Western Cape Provincial Government
29 May 2008