(Second
Reading Debate)
Vote 3: Environmental Affairs
and Tourism – R53 675 000
#The
Deputy SPEAKER: The Speaker’s address concludes the
presentation of Vote 2.
We then proceed to Vote
3. Hon Members would note that we, as
the Speaker’s Office, are custodians of the Rules of this House, and therefore
we are not dictating, but are applying the Rules of the Legislature.
We proceed as agreed to
Vote 3. Environmental Affairs and
Tourism, Mr Kotsoane.
#Mr I
#The
DEPUTY SPEAKER: Before the Member speaks, may I just call
upon, and remind the Members that, as you speak, hon
MEC, you have 30 minutes and only 30 minutes.
#Mr I
Deputy Speaker, Members
of the Legislature, ladies and gentlemen.
May I
start by presenting our Budget by quoting Klaus Nürnberger
(Beyond Marx and Market) – theologian
who has become an economist. This quote will assist hon
Members to understand the context of our presentation and I quote:
We are witnessing explosive growth in all directions. Growth in productive capacity among the rich; population growth among the poor; wasteful opulence and grinding misery; meteoric success stories and mass marginalisation; globalised competition for markets and rapid depletion of fossil fuels; increasing erosion and environmental pollution.
The past year has been a
particularly difficult year for the Department of Environmental Affairs and
Tourism. It has been a difficult year
for a variety of reasons. Firstly, we
have had to deal with the change in the political leadership of the Department
immediately after elections.
Secondly, we had to
confront the intractable issue of Agri-Eco, which was
not only a far-dragged problem, but also a perennial issue threatening to
deplete the resources of the Department.
Thirdly, we have in the
past year paid critical attention to making this Department an oiled and
effective machine, capable of executing its mandate and deliver on its programmes.
In addressing all of the
issues mentioned, we have had to deal with a skeleton staff, which put too much
pressure on the staff and management of the Department to deliver. I will come back to this issue at a later
stage.
For the financial year
2000/2001, the allocation to the Department is R53, 6 million, and an increase
of R10 million compared to the year 1999/2000 financial year.
This allocation should
enable the Department to achieve some of its objectives and strategic plans of:
·
Establishment
of frontier conservation areas;
·
Development
of tourism routes;
·
Tourism
investment in
·
Greening
of townships, schools and clinics;
·
Introduction
of fish to suitable waters in
·
Biological
control of Alien Weed Species;
·
Implementation
of the Conservation Act of 1998; and
·
Building
a professional Department.
I now present the Budget
of the Department on a programme by programme basis:
This Department is composed of the following Directorates:
·
Corporate
Services;
·
Resource
Management;
·
Tourism;
·
Environmental
Affairs; and
·
Central
Management.
An amount of R7, 275
million has been allocated for this function.
This section of the Department renders human resource services,
efficiency, promotion, financial administration, procurement services and
general administration.
The purpose of this Directorate
is to render ecological support by managing ecological services, promote use of
indigenous plants, manage nature reserves and resorts and render game capture
and translocation services. This will
cost R23, 499 million of our Budget.
An amount of R15, 824
million has been allocated for this function, which is divided as follows:
·
R8,5
million is earmarked as transfer payments;
·
R7,5
million to Free State Tourism Marketing Board;
and
·
R1
million to the District Councils - Local Authorities.
A criterion for transfers
to the latter is being finalised by the Department.
One of our tasks is to
look into the empowerment of the Free State Business Council and we hope that
within this allocation we will able to deal this matter.
The purpose of this
Directorate is to promote environmental awareness, promote integrated
environmental management, develop effective waste management and ensure
integrated pollution prevention and control.
An amount of R4, 93
million has been allocated to this function.
Thus has been largely due to the fact that some of the functions have
been re-allocated to the newly created Resource Management Directorate.
The Free State Tourism
Marketing Board is a vehicle of the Department, charged with the responsibility
to market the tourism industry of the Province.
It is essential for us to indicate to this House that the Board has just
won an acclaimed Golden Arrow Award.
During
1998, the Province attracted 5% of the 1,4 million
overseas tourists who graced the shores of our beloved country. This translates to 71 000 tourists who spent
time in the
Calculations based on the
summer survey of 1999 by SATOUR indicate that our percentage will be almost
constant, if not above that of 1998.
Currently overseas
tourists spend 4,75 nights in the
In the previous years we
have been focusing on a generic marketing strategy as a Province. We have, however, decided that as from the
next financial year, our focus will be on targeting domestic tourist.
To illustrate the
approach of the Department in its business of development, may I be allowed to
quote Nurnberger once more:
As I see it, economics should have the following agenda:
(a) ways must be found to protect the natural habitat on which not only human life, but all life on earth depends;
(b)
ways
to secure the material prerequisites of the life, health and a modest level of
prosperity for all human beings,
(c)
ways
to ascertain that the wealth generated by human creativity, and the sacrifices
necessary for its production, are distributed fairly
(d)
ways
to care for those who are unable to make a contribution, even under conditions
of equal opportunity, and
(e)
Ways
to balance the satisfaction of the various kinds of human need.
To this end the
Department, in collaboration with the Private sector, is busy with preparations
to develop an Eco-Park at Soetdoring, about 35 km
from
The Department is part of
a major project, i.e.
The project would cover
an area of about 500sq km, and would also serve to protect the bio-diversity of
the Drakensberg and
This venture would
comprise of a total area of 85ha. It
would serve both the purposes of conserving the bio-diversity of this region,
while creating vast opportunities for Eco-tourism activity that would create
necessary jobs for that economically depressed area.
We take cognisance of the fact that the
Our Department is at the
leadership of a project that has world scientific significance. This project is certain to become the talk of
the world once all the formalities for its accreditation has
been concluded. And that is the Vredefort Dome.
The Dome is reputed to
have vastly changed the form of life on earth.
It is the biggest and oldest crater on the planet earth and has been
caused by a meteorite. Its impact was such that rock formations, which are
normally found about 30km inside the bowels of the earth, lie protruding on the
surface of the earth.
We believe this project,
which we are leading in partnership with Gauteng and
the North West Province, is destined to become a leading tourist attraction for
visitors across all three Provinces and would help with much needed job
creation in that region.
It is the responsibility
of this Department to balance the conservation of the environment with its
exploitation for economic development.
Especially one has to view it from the fact that many current
environmental problems were inherited from the apartheid government, which did
not have in its agenda the principles of a healthy environment.
Our new Constitution recognises environment as one of the basic human rights and
declares as follows:
Everyone
has the right-
·
to
an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being, and
·
to
have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations,
through reasonable legislative and other measures that-
·
prevents
pollution and ecological degradation;
·
promote
conservation, and
·
Secures
ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while
promoting justifiable economic and social development.
Despite the myriad of
problems to untangle that web, we have processed more than 200 Environmental
Impact Assessment applications and issued permits for certain projects to be
undertaken by the private sector in our Province.
These are projects, which
range from construction of malls, housing and township establishments.
We are setting our sights
on the development and effective facilitation of a waste management strategy
that is critical in ensuring our residential and work places are clean and
healthy.
We have understood the
demands of our times. We have clearly internalised the fact of scant resources for the Government
to meet its obligations. To that effect
we have had a strong and hard look at how we do things.
The Department has
undergone a strategic session aimed at restructuring to ensure effective
service delivery. We believe that the
new structure will enable the Department to deliver on its core functions,
which are to ensure a clean and healthy environment and sustainable tourism
development in our Province.
We stand at the beginning
of an exciting and new century. We have just been witnesses to the momentous
events of the past century. A century whose last ten years grew from a spark into an inferno of
hope against despair; of challenges against a decadent order; victory against
minority white domination; of national unity against racial divisions.
We can stand here now
today, and declare without a hint of shame, that we are South Africans united
and proud of our being, objectives and achievements
Indeed, we are beginning
this century with boundless hope, and a belief in victory to overcome the
scourge of poverty in which the majority of our fellow compatriots are
languishing.
Because of all these, we
stand clearly focussed on the task of the moment, to
grow the economy, set the basis for sustainable development and create jobs for
all.
It is clear from our programmes, that
our approach is not to act alone and disregard our clients, social and
strategic partners. Our desire to bring
about qualitative change is grounded in the principle of broad participation of
business, civil society and labour.
We stand firm in our believe that such a participation could only be the
recipe for success in our endeavor.
The Department of
Environmental Affairs and Tourism is bound by the constitutional mandate given
to it by the citizens of this country to ensure that our environment is clean
and healthy, and that we conserve our natural resources for the present and
future generations.
We have through the same
revered Constitution the mandate to facilitate the development of tourism into
a phenomenon that will be the face of our country, and the breadbasket of our
citizenry.
Difficult it might have
been, but Ladies and Gentleman, we are certain that despite the odds, we shall
reach our objective, for we are on course.
The Department is also
playing a major facilitatory role in the Spatial
Development. We want to emphasise this point, because we believe that the
The overall goal of this
project is the conservation of the globally significant bio-diversity of the Maluti. An amount of
R51 million is proposed for this project by the World Bank to be used on the
South African side. The spin-offs of
this project will have positive economic impact in the
The involved Governments
of the two countries, that is
I would also like to
highlight that this Department has played and continues to play a role in the
promotion of the Anglo-Boer South African War Centenary Commemoration.
May I report that in the
first project of its kind in this country, this Department, in partnership with
Total South Africa, has trained petrol attendants in tourism awareness and promotion. We have
also trained successfully 15 tour guides and ten professional hunters drawn
from previously disadvantaged communities.
In the next financial
year, we intend to increase the number of tour guides and professional hunters.
We believe that for any
fundamental impact to be made in creating jobs through tourism,
Africans should be encouraged to play a meaningful role as tour guides,
professional hunters and product owners, hence our effort would be biased
towards them.
The Resource Management
Directorate is a new product of our restructuring effort. It has among its responsibility the task of
managing nature conservation and extending that role to the promotion of the
establishment of private nature reserves and game farms.
Private nature reserves
and game farms also contribute considerably to the eco-tourism industry of the
Province. They offer various forms of
accommodation, as well as a variety of activities to the visitors.
The private sector
investment in such infrastructure has shown tremendous growth during the last
year. It is estimated that the capital
investment in terms of land, improvements, fencing and game stocking amounts to
approximately R343 million in our Province.
These private nature
reserves and game farms provide at least 462 employment opportunities, of which
32% were created during last year.
Presently there are 176
private nature reserves and 93 game farms in the
They accommodate tourists
in chalets, wooden huts, tent camps, rondavels, and
farmhouses and there are 16 guesthouses on these properties. In total 1470 beds are available for tourists
to these reserves and farms. They
provide catering in some instances, while others only provide self-catering
facilities.
Private nature reserves
and game farms accommodate approximately 31 800 head of game, consisting of 31
species and sub-species. Also 63 animals
of three larger carnivore species can be seen on this land.
We use game reduction as
a proven management tool based on sound advice from the scientific component of
the Department. On the basis of this
advice, 3 451 head of game from 22 different species will be removed from
nature reserves during the year 2000.
Of these, 1064 head of
game from 16 species will be captured alive and 708 from 13 species will be
made available as hunting packages. About
160 of 16 species will be made available for trophy hunting and 1 519 of 14
species will be culled.
*An
Hon MEMBER: Are they also shooting slingshots?
*Mr I
#May I just say that I did
indicate earlier on that we have trained about ten professional hunters. It is my intention that the Department should
then begin to empower those people so that they can be able to use our
facilities to get their clients to shoot there as well, as part of the culling
exercise, because we believe that it is a futile exercise to train people and
then just leave them on the street without giving them necessary materials to
be able to practice what they learnt.
In the last financial
year we realised R2 million from game reduction in
our reserves. We hope to realise in excess of that in this financial year.
Our buffalo population,
which is reputed to disease free of the African buffalo, is at ± 80 animals and is certain to increase
with the introduction of a new management plan to improve its genetic
quality. The successful implementation
of this plan would lead to an increase in population by about 26,8%.
It should then be
possible to harvest annually 26 animals from this population by the year 2001,
which will provide an income of about R2, 08 million per annum.
The Department manages a fish hatchery farm in Gariep Dam. This project produced 99 860 fish fingerlings in the last financial year. Of these 45 160 were sold, while 52 600 were earmarked for aquaculture development purposes.
Environmental
Affairs:
We live in a world in
which we have to be aware of our environment and learn and appreciate what it
has to offer for our own sustenance and prosperity.
The department has
successfully developed the Environmental Education Manual to be used in
schools. This model will be incorporated
into curriculum 2005. It is the aim of
this Department to intensify environmental awareness and broaden its message to
areas and communities it could not reach in the past.
Conservancies
and Greening the Environment:
We have trained about 100
urban rangers through a programme sponsored by Total
South Africa and Sun International. We
aim to intensify this kind of training to bring about a sense of ownership,
belonging and environmental awareness in our communities.
May I take this
opportunity to thank the above-mentioned companies for their contributions and
invite other companies into a partnership with us for more programmes
aimed at empowering our communities.
In addition, we aim to
distribute no less than 10 000 trees in the next financial year with a
particular emphasis on impoverished communities i.e. townships, clinics,
school. We also aim to kickstart the building of a community parks for every
township in the
This project would run
for a period of three years. It is a
project that would involve local authorities and the communities across the
province.
Our awareness is coupled
with poverty alleviation strategies. We
have unfolded a fishing project targeting about 2000 inhabitants of Bethulie. This
project will be handed over to the community in the next financial year.
Of course, if we had more
resources we could do more. Out of the
allocated amount for the next financial year we have strategically prioritized
our projects.
We have concentrated our
projects in the following regions:
Eastern Free State, Northern Free State, and
I earlier promised to
come back to the issue of restructuring of the Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism. We have
restructured the department in such a way that certain functions were taken
from Environmental Affairs Directorate and Tourism Directorate to create the
following new directorates: Corporate
Services and resource management. We
have already alluded to these directorates when we dealt with programmes.
We believe this would
ensure that officials will be focussed in their areas
of work, and productivity levels will be raised and service delivery will be
achieved.
The
The question that we have
been asking ourselves in the department is whether it is the role of the
department to run resorts and restaurants?
In answering this, we have decided that our core function is promotion
of a clean and healthy environment, tourism development and coordination in the
province.
It has therefore,
become apparent that running of restaurants and resorts is not part of this
Department’s function.
To this end, we have
decided to appoint a consultancy company to investigate a possible model for
outsourcing/commercialization/privatization of these functions in the next
financial year.
Such a move we believe
would generate income for Government, while at the same time it will help us to
redirect resources to where they are needed most.
It is the commitment of
this Department that any option that will be decided upon will in no way
compromise the inherent interests of the workers.
In conclusion, I which to
thank the hon Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee
on Environmental Affairs, cde Oelrich,
hon Members of the Committee for their support to the
Department. We always saw them in our
functions and gatherings and I want to say to them thank you very much for your
support to the Department. I also want
to thank hon Members of the Free State Marketing
Tourism Board for their commitment in ensuring that
I want to thank my staff
for their outstanding work that they are doing in the Department and they
sometimes have to work until
In the beginning of our
presentation we quoted from Nürberger. I trust that hon
Members of the Legislature after this presentation would realise
the importance and relevance of this quote to the existence and
responsibilities of this Department.
I wish to conclude this
presentation in the words of our President Thabo
Mbeki:
I am certain we are all inspired to act with greater vigour and will indeed act with greater vigour, to achieve the fundamental transformation of our country, because at no point during its entire history has our country been in a better position to confront the challenges we face than it is today.
[Applause]
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