Keynote address by the Gauteng MEC for Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Mr Khabisi Mosunkutu, at the Ma-Tshepo Khumbane (MTK) Awards ceremony, Atteridgeville Community Hall, Tshwane

Programme Director, Doctor Wynton Rabolao
Members of Mayoral Committees and councillors present
Senior management and officials from all spheres of government
Our guest of honour, Ma-Tshepo Khumbane
Teachers and learners present
Invited guests
Ladies and gentlemen

I feel honoured to be part of this public introductory gathering of the Ma-Tshepo Khumbane (MTK) project. It indeed is also a pleasure to have this opportunity to officiate at what also amounts to a formal recognition of pioneers of the MTK project.

We are gathered here to formally acknowledge individuals and groups of people who have elected to dedicate time, space and energy to a programme whose outcome will immeasurably benefit not only the present generation, but also the generation that is not yet born.

Environmental mismanagement has become a global issue. Multinational forums, including the United Nations, are prioritising discussions, and taking resolutions on numerous programmes that are aimed at ensuring that we intensify our use of natural resources.

The objective of these initiatives, not unlike the primary purpose of MTK, is to encourage reduction of the negative effects of decades of environmental mismanagement. Simultaneously, the initiatives are aimed at ensuring that we all continue to eke a living from our common heritage, the natural resources. One such initiative, featured in a report to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), filed on 17 September 2007, invites countries to submit details of programme that will practically contribute to the battle against climate change.

Examined superficially, the primary purpose of the MTK project is to contribute towards fighting poverty through sustainable management of natural resource. A closer examination of the project will show that there is a dynamic relationship between its objectives and the battle against climate changes.

A study, called the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, commissioned by the United Nations and carried out during between 2001 and 2005, confirmed the existence of a complex relationship between plants, animals, other micro organisms and non-living organisms. The study revealed that this relationship provides, to the human race, provisioning services, an example that comes to mind is the ground yielding crops for our sustenance. Another service derived by human beings from this complex ecosystem are regulatory services with wetlands, as an example, regulating the quality of water that we drink and also retarding the ferocity of storm water. Forests and rivers also allow us to derive recreational services.

Through numerous scientific studies we know that unsustainable management of natural resources has resulted in the phenomenon of melting of the arctic glaciers, the retreat of the ice cap, and the global rise in sea levels. In fact a report, released during the second week of November 2005 in the journal Science, shows that the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are increasing and sea levels are also rising more rapidly than they have in the past thousand years.

It is quite important to note that mankind, through unsustainable usage of natural resources, is responsible for the swiftness of this global environmental degradation, including the consequential climate change. It is equally important to note is that it is these actions that are threatening our ability to derive provisional, regulatory and recreational services from the environment. Crop production in our own country and other Southern Africa countries have declined because of drought, because of unsustainable use of natural resources.

It is therefore important to note that the longer we continue to abuse natural resources, the more intractable the challenge of fighting poverty becomes and the more incalculable the human suffering associated with this process and the destruction of invaluable wildlife and natural resources becomes.

The MTK project has, as its primary purpose, mobilisation of civil society to manage these environmental factors more sustainable. I do, therefore, think there is a link between what the MTK stands for and the United Nations' initiative that I spoke about. I would therefore urge organisers of this event to find more information about this initiative. I do think that, together and working in conjunction with our municipalities and other national government departments, we too can make a compelling submission to the United Nations on what MTK can and is doing to alleviate the negative impacts of climate change.

In conclusion, allow me to commend our pioneer participants in the MTK project and to assure them all that their participation in the project makes them all winners. Their contribution is, indeed, invaluable to both the present generation and to the generation yet to be born. I also wish to call on all present to join us in mobilising more of our communities, especially those in the business sector whose operations are a threat to our survival, to join us in the quest to use natural resources more reasonably.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment, Gauteng Provincial Government
19 September 2007