9 September 1997
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, the past year has been an extremely eventful one for the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. We have realised significant landmarks in the areas of environmental management, marine fisheries and tourism. I will briefly outline some of the main achievements in these three areas to allow more time for questions.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT:
1. White Paper on Environmental Management.
One of the most significant achievements of my department in this year, has been the completion of the White Paper on Environmental Management. This policy has been developed through the much publicised participatory process known as the Consultative National Environmental Policy Process (CONNEPP). This degree of public participation in the development of an environmental policy is unprecedented; and is reflective of this government's commitment to transparency and public consultation. The White Paper was released to the public for further comment on 28 July 1997 and will be finalised by October 1997.
This White Paper sums up government thinking on environmental management based on an integrated and holistic management system for the environment. The concept "sustainable development" is the centrepiece of our new policy thrust.
The White Paper on Environmental Management is the single most important environmental statement in the history of our country. It provides an overarching national framework to give effect to the many environmental rights in our new Constitution. The policy is applicable to all government institutions and all activities that have an environmental impact.
From a passive and facilitating role, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is being transformed into an activist lead agent for environmental management. Undergirding this policy is the fundamental recognition that sustainable development must be the accepted approach to the management and utilisation of resources in South Africa. It will be the responsibility of my department to ensure that environmental sustainability is entrenched in policy and practice.
Public interest in this policy process continues during the current period of public comment. My department has received many comments on the White Paper. Inevitably some of these are critical. But we are heartened that they are also constructive. The key issues that have been raised by the public have centred on our commitment to sustainable development. There is also a concern that the department will not have the human and resource capacity to implement the policy. The submissions received indicate a keen understanding of the constraints facing government and a firm resolution to strengthening the hand of the department to implement the policy.
We are forwarding these comments to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for evaluation. We will expect recommendations to the Ministry from the committee based on such evaluation. We hope to have finalised the policy and have available on such evaluation. We hope to have finalised the policy and have available translated and plain language versions for public distribution by November this year.
My department has also embarked on an intensive legal and institutional audit and review, which will be critical to the implementation of the policy. We in the Ministry, as well as the stakeholders are indeed delighted that this process is on track, and that we look forward to the positive transformation of environmental management in our country, in the near future.
2. Compulsory Environmental Impact Assessments
On 5 September 1997, I promulgated the long-awaited regulations for Environmental Impact Assessments in terms of the Environment Conservation Act. These regulations have been published in the government gazette, together with the list of activities subject to environmental impact assessments.
The promulgation of these regulations is an important step in ensuring the compliance with our evolving policy framework of sustainable development. This is another first in the history of our country. We will require an assessment of the environmental impacts of a number of economic activities before permission for such an activity is granted. The regulations provide that all the affected parties, including communities, be given a hearing regarding contentious development initiatives. The new regulations have implications for industry, for planners and for developers. Provincial Departments of Environmental Affairs, as the major role-players, have been assigned specific responsibilities in implementing these regulations.
As the three tiers of government, national, provincial and municipal, acquire the capacity for enforcement., these new regulations will come into force incrementally until 1 April 1998. At that point we expect the authorities shall have had enough time to set up the necessary structures. This period of grace will also ensure that all affected parties are given an adequate opportunity to acclimatize to the new regulations. My department has released a guideline document on the implementation of these regulations, to assist those whose activities will be affected by them. We believe that initiatives such as the Environmental Management Policy and the new Environmental Impact Assesments Regulations will add value to all new initiatives by encouraging greater responsibility towards the towards the environment on the part of prospective developers, businesses, small and medium sized enterprises. Marine Fisheries:
a. Marine Fisheries Policy for South Africa
The White Paper on Marine Fisheries Policy for South Africa was released in June of this year. This policy sets out the government's plan to restructure the fishing industry; increase the participation of historically disadvantaged communities in the industry; and improve the international competitiveness of South African Fisheries. Though Sea Fisheries is a relatively small sector of the economy, there are thousands of workers employed in the industry. Policy must not only protect their jobs but must also increase their stake in the industry.
The policy document was translated into plain and accessible languages and was widely distributed to the public, with a focus on coastal fishing communities. My Ministry and the Sea Fisheries Chief Directorate is presently involved in a programme of consultation with the stakeholders in the provinces to discuss their views on the White Paper and how best to address their concerns in the implementation of the policy.
I have held a stakeholder meeting in the Western Cape Province and will be meeting with stakeholders in the Eastern Cape Province on 20 September 1997. I will hold similar meetings in KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Cape Provinces. Officials from Sea Fisheries have also been conducting community briefings on the policy where valuable feedback has been received by the department. Community briefings have been held in Gansbaai and St. Helena Bay. Further briefings will be held in Lambert's Bay on 11 September and in Port Nolloth on 17 September
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee has played an active role in the community briefings and will also make recommendations on the policy and the implementation process. My department is presently drafting a Bill and that will be gazetted for public comment during this parliamentary session. The Bill will be discussed by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee in the course of this week and we hope to table it for approval by parliament during the next semester.
b. Cabinet's Decision to Enforce SA's Exclusive Economic Zone
During August the Cabinet took a decision to mount a joint operation among various government departments to enforce South Africa's EEZ around Prince Edward Islands. This operation, will involve the Departments of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Foreign Affairs and Justice, South African National Defence Force, and is in response to reports of an increase in illegal fishing in South Africa's waters.
The illegal fishing vessels are targeting the Patagonian Toothfish found in the south Atlantic and Antarctica. The species fetches high prices in international markets. We estimate that as much as 5 000 tonnes of the Toothfish, valued at about R90 million, have been illegally removed from our waters and this could seriously endanger the sustainability of the species. In contrast, we have only been allowed legal operators to catch 2 400 tonnes to ensure the sustainable utilisation of this resource. By undertaking this operation, as a matter of top priority, to enforce legislation ad counteract illegal fishing in our waters, the South African government is sending a clear and strong message to illegal operators in our waters, that we will not tolerate such brazen exploitation of our national resources. TOURISM: i. The Transformation of Satour When I assumed office I also inherited a floundering marketing body for South Africa, the South African Tourism Board (SATOUR). In April this year I appointed a new Satour Board, with strong representation from tourism business and enterprise, the nine provinces, and community development. My directive to the new board was to urgently restructure and transform Satour with a view to improving its professionalism, effectiveness and efficiency in marketing our country internationally so as to fulfil the role of tourism as a potential lead economic sector. The Board, under the able chairpersonship of Ms Liz Westby-Nunn, set a target deadline of six months to transform and restructure Satour and to get it firmly on its feet to deliver its new objectives. Well ladies ad gentlemen, as you probably all know from the colourful and sensational media reports, the new Board had more challenges facing them than they had imagined.
The have embarked on a extremely intensive and positive transformation process which they hope to have completed by November this year.
Three major consultative workshops have been planned to draw on the ideas of all the stakeholders in the tourism industry, to feed into the transformation and strategic planning of Satour. The first workshop targeted provincial governments and provincial marketing authorities was held two weekends ago. The second workshop targets the various stakeholder groups within Satour, Parliament, different departments and tourism associations. The third workshop, to be held from 15 to 16 September 1997 in Midrand, will target the tourism industry.
After these consultations, the Board will define their new vision, strategy and structure at a legotla on 16 and 17 October and present their report to me by November this year. In anticipation of major marketing initiatives from next year, when the new Satour will be fully operational, the Board is currently formulating its expenditure framework for the next three years.
In the interim, a team of Board members are managing the daily operations and transformatory processes at Satour. The swift and transparent manner in which the Satour Board is managing to deal with the transformation and restructuring of Satour has received much local and international support and acclaim. Transparency International, as an example, is documenting the transformation of Satour for the effective, efficient and consultative process that have been set into motion.
ii. Alternative Tourism Funding Mechanisms
To drive a vibrant and dynamic international marketing strategy for South Africa, and to power tourism into a lead economic sector in our country requires an effective public-private funding partnership in which the key role-players are the national government, the private sector and provincial tourism authorities.
My department has been mandated by the Provincial MECs for Tourism to establish a working group on tourism funding ad financing to propose possible mechanisms for improving the tourism funding base, and supplementing the tourism budget.
These proposals are de to be tabled in the Cabinet this week. My Ministry, together with all the stakeholders in the tourism industry, believes that bold and innovative steps need to be taken as a matter of urgency, to spearhead tourism development in South Africa. A new and dynamic Satour will be rearing to embark on imaginative marketing strategies for the country by 1998 and it is essential that my Ministry have effective funding mechanisms for these and other development programmes in the new year.
Thank you.
Issued by: Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism