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WWF South Africa welcomes the recognition of the importance of social infrastructure in President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), and will be exploring how the organisation can support or amplify government efforts in this regard.

WWF also welcomes the growing emphasis on the use of renewable energy resources, which constitute a world-class natural resource endowment that exceeds that of fossil fuels. This is an area of significant opportunity for people-centred development and investing directly in social capital and infrastructure. The organisation is concerned, however, that the address did not adequately reflect recognition of, or plans to stimulate the country’s transformation to a more inclusive economic paradigm, under the framing of a ‘green economy’.

The speech indicated a heavy emphasis on the development of extractive industries, and infrastructure for minerals exports. Little mention was made, however, of low-carbon economy investment and the associated infrastructure. Investment in more mining implies an increase in energy intensity of the economy, which does not contribute to the low-carbon future that South Africa requires if it is to remain economically competitive. Since a diverse economy is more resilient than one that relies on a single sector, the development of the green economy is a critical sector for such diversification.
Efforts to build the green economy, such as the intended rollout of one-million solar water heaters (SWH) have been disappointing. The rollout, which should be a success story, has deployed only 220 000 systems since the National SWH Summit two years ago and the target date for the first million units is slipping into the future.

WWF would also like to hear more about supporting enterprise development in community- based natural resource management, decentralised job creation that draws upon and enhances ecosystem goods and services and optimises resource efficiency at the local level. A green economy cannot be built only on cleaner technology; it must be built with the capacity of people and communities. Social infrastructure is as important as physical infrastructure if all South Africans are to enjoy sustainable development.

Other environmental and conservation issues deserving of more attention from government include consideration of the externalities involved in proposed economic activity, maintenance of existing infrastructure, the environmental legacy of the mining industry and the protection of freshwater resources in the interests of water security for all South Africans.

The SONA did not suggest that government’s infrastructure development plans, which are predominantly focused on unlocking mineral potential, would give consideration to the full social and environmental impacts associated with these activities.

While emphasis was placed on new infrastructure development, insufficient mention was made of the greater importance of investing in the maintenance of existing infrastructure, which is a critical aspect of environmental protection. More than half of the country’s local government operated waste-water treatment plants are failing their own discharge standards, polluting rivers and estuaries. Infrastructure investments should prioritise proper maintenance of existing infrastructure, drawing on small- to medium-scale engineering solutions to repair these plants. Such investments could stimulate local job creation and skills development.
While WWF recognises the emphasis the speech placed on managing acid-mine drainage, the R248-million budget mentioned in the SONA falls short of the required funds. Estimates suggest that the operation’s first phase would require about R924-million. Acid mine drainage continues to threaten the livelihoods of thousands of farm workers in irrigated agriculture, as well as fish species.

WWF encourages government to urgently recognise the strategic importance of securing freshwater ecosystems for current and future generations, and to include it as an integral part of all national economic and spatial planning.