I deliver this Budget speech a day after we celebrated Freedom Day, 11 years after the elections of our first democratic government in South Africa and 1 year into our Second Decade of Democracy.

50 years ago, on 26 June 1955, freedom-loving people in this country congregated in Kliptown to adopt the Freedom Charter and declared "We the People of South Africa, declare for all our country and the world to know that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white".

As South Africans we have come a long way since that day in Kliptown, we have much to be proud of "but we have much to do. While the preamble in our Constitution reaffirms the declaration made 50 years ago “We the people of South Africa believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity" and while our Bill of Rights enshrined in the constitution reflects many of the clauses in the Freedom Charter and while we have won our political freedom in this country – we know as South Africans that we have much to do.

Our President in his State of the Nation Address this year identifies this by stating "As a consequence of the victories we have registered during our first ten years of freedom, we have laid a firm foundation for the new advances we must and will make during the next decade. This foundation must help us to move even further forward towards the consolidation of national reconciliation, national cohesion and unity”

Our Premier in his State of the Province address takes up this challenge "In our efforts to realize the Freedom Charter we must have an appreciation of the history of this Province in which we probably have the most complex demographic make-up, the most pernicious implementation of apartheid and the most resilient persistence of privilege and the residue of race. This necessarily means that our efforts will be severely tested, thwarted and at times turned back, that our programmes have to be sensitive and that all of us have to be vigilant in the face of the temptation to exploit the vulnerability of our democracy as we ensure that ‘South Africa belongs to all who live in it’ and that the Western Cape becomes a ‘Home for All’.

The Cape Times Editorial yesterday takes the challenge further "…it would be of enormous help to the country's painfully slow healing process were ordinary people to reach out to one another. This may sound utopian and naïve, but true reconciliation and consequent rebuilding of the country can only take place if such reaching out does take place. The long journey upon which this country has only just embarked – 11 years ago to be precise will be made up of many, many tiny steps. Each of these steps will be taken by ordinary South Africans committing themselves to a new country in which discrimination and injustice has no part.”

Speaker we will only be able to address these challenges in a meaningful way if we remain committed to the principles of Sustainable Development, namely economic development, ecological integrity and social equity, also known as the triple bottom line. The World Summit on Sustainable Development defined Sustainable Development as "Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The Premier in his State of the Province address clearly defined the developmental role of the Provincial Government and stated "we have chosen a path of shared growth, neither the trickle-down of narrow neo-liberalism nor the populist path where we spend what we have not grown." He further affirms that "Sustainable development is already fundamental to our vision and practices as a government.”

Speaker

In my Budget speech last year I had made the commitment that my department "will become 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"

The Theme for my speech this year is “Embedding Sustainable Development in the Western Cape” and I will use the opportunity to report on progress in this regard and highlight some further challenges in the year to come.

It is befitting that I deliver this speech after attending the UNCSD 13 meeting held in New York last week. The nations of the World congregated to review the commitments made in Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan Of Implementation in the specific areas of Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements. This session was of particular significance in the run-up to the Millennium Development Goals review session to be held in September this year.

The highlight of course was attending the ‘Champion of the Earth’ Awards ceremony. Our President Thabo Mbeki, on behalf of all South Africans, was a recipient of this award; highlighting once again the critical role that South Africa is playing in leading and implementing the commitments made with regards to sustainable development.

Speaker

My department has embarked on an exciting journey which will assist in embedding sustainable development and lead this Province to a sustainable future. The new vision that my department has set itself is “To provide a sustainable Home for All – now and forever”. As we strive to create a Home for All and deliver on the objectives of Ikapa Elihlumayo, we have set ourselves new policy priorities and strategic goals that will guide the work of the department for the next five years.

Providing cutting edge leadership and innovative approaches to sustainable environmental management and integrated development planning

Speaker

It is with pride that I can announce that the leadership role that we play with regards to sustainable development has been acknowledged at an international level. At the First General Assembly of the Network for Regional Governments on Sustainable Development (NRG4SD) held in Sumatra in March this year, I, on behalf of the Western Cape Government, was honored by being elected as the Co-chair of this Network. We will be hosting the next steering committee meeting of the Network at our Sustainable Development Conference in June. This will provide us with a wonderful opportunity to showcase the Western Cape, its people and its achievements with regards to promoting sustainable development initiatives.

My department will be playing the leading role in hosting the Western Cape Sustainable Development Conference on behalf of the Provincial Government from 19 – 22 June 2005. The outcome of this Conference will be a Sustainable Development Implementation Plan for the Western Cape signed by the four social partners in the Provincial Development Council, that is, Civil Society, Labour, Business and Government. This Implementation Plan will supplement our existing Western Cape Growth and Development Framework Agreement. This will assist in enhancing the three principles of sustainable development within the Framework Agreement and Ikapa Elihlumayo. The broader public will also have an opportunity to participate in the “Festival of Life” exhibition and workshopping sessions at the Conference. Targeted sectors like Women, Youth and People living with Disabilities will have an opportunity to highlight areas for action to be included within the Implementation Plan. Interactive sessions and demonstrations of sustainable development initiatives will also be showcased. I want to take this opportunity to invite all honourable members to participate in the Conference. Formal invitations will of course follow.

The other critical intervention to achieve the goal of cutting edge leadership in this financial year is the Integrated Law Reform Project.

As announced in my Budget last year, the Integrated Law Reform process seeks to integrate environmental, planning and heritage application and approval processes into one Provincial law. The objective is to streamline the current duplication and fragmentation of these processes. This will cut red tape and reduce the costs of doing business in the Western Cape. It also seeks to enhance the public participation processes and build the capacity of especially marginalized communities to participate in these processes in a meaningful way. It is also my intention to create a multi-disciplinary Advisory Board consisting of planning, environmental, heritage and other appropriate experts, and who will be responsible for making recommendations to the Executive Authority on these applications. This will enhance transparency in the decision-making processes. A first draft of this Bill will be available for public participation by the end of next week. A second draft will be available at the end of August and a third draft at the end of Jan 2006. We have set ourselves the deadline of March 2006 for the finalization and presentation to cabinet of this new legislation. It is my hope that the legislative process in the House will be a smooth one after that. There is a great urgency for this New Legislation and I am aware that honourable members in this House have been waiting patiently for this process to be finalized. We have budgeted R900 000 for this Project in this financial year.

Enhancing the quality of life of all our people through facilitating vibrant, integrated and sustainable human settlements

The finalization of the Provincial Spatial Development Framework in June this year will be the key deliverable to achieving this goal and to unlocking the economic, social and environmental potential of this Province. President Mbeki, in the State of the Nation address stated “Cabinet is working to align the National Spatial Development Perspective with the Provincial Growth and Development Strategies and the Municipal Integrated Development Plans.” The Provincial Spatial Development Framework has been aligned with the NSDP and our Provincial Growth and Development Strategy of which the Micro-Economic and Development Strategy and the Strategic Infrastructure Plan are critical inputs. The PSDF will in turn inform both municipal SDFs and IDPs. The PSDF has been informed by a number of other policies and initiatives such as; a bio-regional planning approach, the Growth Potential of Towns study, the State of Environment Report, the Coastal Management Policy and Integrated Coastal Management Programme for the Western Cape and the Golf and Polo Estates Rapid Review and Guidelines.

The final draft of the PSDF is currently going through a public participation process with roadshows in every District. My Department and I are planning to also consult with Mayors and Councillors in a targeted way during May. The first round of public roadshows culminated in the PSDF consultative Summit held in November last year. The final draft has been advertised for public input in terms of LUPO. The draft PSDF proposes a number of far-reaching policies and implementation plans that will have an impact on almost every aspect of social, environmental and economic activities in the Province. There is no doubt that these will provoke robust debates. But we need to understand clearly that the Western Cape is at a crossroads. As the introduction to the final draft questions “Should it continue to follow historic development paths, which while tried and tested particularly with their ability to create short term profits, may be driving the Province further down the road of social injustice, environmental unsustainability and economic inequality with catastrophic repercussions even before the end of the decade, or should it make the necessary changes as soon as possible.”

Speaker I believe we have no choice. In the interests of both our current and our future generations we have to move towards an alternative and sustainable development path for the Western Cape. The PSDF therefore makes some exciting, innovative and challenging proposals with regards to the Natural Environment, Built Environment and Socio-Economic environment. I will not deal with these proposals now but would like to encourage you to get a copy of the draft or access it on the CapeGateway Website. We also look forward to presenting these to the standing committee as soon as possible and to receiving your comments. We have budgeted R500 000 in this financial year for the finalization of the PSDF. We have also budgeted an amount of R2.5 million to assist with the building of capacity at a municipal level and to assist them with developing their SDFs and other planning initiatives.

Facilitating equitable access to and the sustainable utilization of our natural resources.

I visited an amazing reserve yesterday in celebration of freedom day. Some possibly little known facts about this place – it has 350 plant species, 17 endangered, 2 endemic, 29 types of reptiles, 21 types of mammals, 240 forms of birdlife – well where would this little treasure be you might ask? It is right on our doorstep – the City-owned Rondevlei reserve – a true place of wonder, right in the middle of Grassy Park. 12000 school children have an opportunity to overnight in a bush camp on an island in the reserve every year as part of the ZEEP programme run by the Zeekoevlei Environmental Forum. For members who have not yet been there, it is definitely worth a visit. You might even see the hippos!

The Western Cape is internationally recognized as one of the world's "hottest biodiversity hotspots", rich in endemic amphibian, reptile, fish and flora. The ecosystems of the Province also provide an irreplaceable source of goods and services for the residents and economy; catchment areas safeguard water supply, wetlands help regulate water yield and quality, plants guard against soil erosion and maintain productivity and natural landscapes attract international and domestic tourism. It is estimated that the harvesting of marine resources is valued at over R1.3 billion per annum, harvesting of fynbos products is valued at about R78 million per annum and the total economic value of the Cape Floristic Kingdom is estimated to be at least R1 billion per annum.

Given that we are this HOTSPOT and given the economic value of our natural resources in the Province, it is critical that this department facilitate equitable access to and the sustainable utilization of our natural resources. We will unlock opportunities and potential for growth in the environmental sector in order to create access to our natural resources, specifically for marginalized communities. We will develop and implement programmes that promote the sustainable utilization of natural resources. Some initiatives currently underway in this regard is the Community-based Buchu farming project run by CapeNature, the facilitation of community-owned management of facilities in nature reserves, for example the Whale Trail in De Hoop, the Duinepos Accommodation in the West Coast National Park and with further plans to extend this into other CapeNature Parks as well.

My department also intends to consult with the Department of Agriculture and in particular the Agricultural Research Centre about monitoring the outcomes of the four pilot Hemp Initiatives in the Western Cape. The possibility of exploring new and exciting economic opportunities arising from these pilots will be investigated. This will be done in consultation with the Department of Health in order to deal with the legal issues as well.

The mainstreaming of the Biodiversity sector into the provincial economy will be an important focus for my department in this financial year.

Speaker

We have embarked on a new approach to our Western Cape Clean-up Operation (WECCO) programme as of this year. As you know, in the past my department would partner municipalities on submission of business plans in a number of different projects throughout the province. Many of these were ad-hoc and unsustainable and often having very little long term impact. We are now using our WECCO funds in a targeted way in order to ensure sustainability and to have a long term impact on the environment. Each year we will choose a theme which we hope will provide a catalyst to other spheres of governments and agencies to act on a sustained basis in delivering these programmes. The job creation will also be sustainable in that jobs will be created for a minimum of a year and training will be provided in line with the Expanded Public Works Programme.

This year we have chosen the River, Canals and Wetlands programme. Our State of the Environment Report indicates that 90% of our rivers in the Western Cape are in an unhealthy state. Many of these rivers and canals run through our poor areas and are really degraded. These can be turned into wonderful public open spaces for the enjoyment of the community, while at the same time building awareness within communities through the participation of our schools, about the importance of keeping our rivers clean.

In partnership with DWAF, municipalities and CapeNature we will clean and upgrade four sites in the Western Cape. Three sites have been chosen in the Metro, namely the Khayalitsha Wetlands, the Blomvlei River behind Vygieskraal and the Lotus River in Guguletu and Manenberg. The budget for this is R4.25 million. One site has been chosen in Knysna, namely the Khayalethu South, with a budget of R500 000.

Premier, my April target was to launch this programme and as you know we were ready to deliver on this target when mother nature had other plans for us. The Black South Easter struck and we had to postpone the event. But I must reassure you that we were ready to deliver this on time!

Another innovative Job Creation and Skills Development programme is the Youth Service Programme run by CapeNature. Last year 72 youth enlisted for this programme. This programme was supported with Umsombomvu funding and in partnership with the National Youth Service Programme driven by Minister Essop Pahad. A budget of R6million was spent on the programme last year and given the huge success of the programme CapeNature hopes to expand the programme this year and have applied for extra funding.

The DWAF Working for Water programme is also implemented by CapeNature in the Western Cape.

Last year we launched the second Provincial round of the National Cleanest Town competition. 123 Municipalities have participated in this competition this time indicating a huge growth in interest. The judges have visited every town, with a clear mandate to also look behind the “bult”. They have made their judgment and I will be announcing the winners at an event in May. I want to thank all our participating municipalities for their enthusiasm and co-operation. I also want to thank the judges for their continued commitment and dedication to this competition. The competition provides a very important incentive to municipalities to continue their efforts to promote an integrated waste and pollution management plan. We must reward success!

This pilot project within the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning involves raising awareness and changing behaviour with regards to minimization and recycling of our waste paper and other recyclable office waste, effecting more efficient electricity and water utilization as well as the phased in implementation of green procurement systems with the Department. Interventions will be measured and monitored to quantify improvements and will be used to promote and roll out similar programmes with other departments. My department is also engaging the Department of Public Works with regards to promoting a sustainable development approach to the construction of public buildings.

As part of our roll-out plan to other sectors the Department has launched this Cleaner Production project to the Hospitality sector in this financial year. The aim of this project is to reduce the volumes of waste going to landfill sites and to change the attitudes of people in the hospitality sector about recycling and waste minimization through a participative partnership approach. The Department is also assessing the water and energy consumption in nine institutions in this sector. The nine participants have committed R210 000 to improve their environmental performance within a year. The assessments have shown good potential for savings particularly in heating, grey water use and waste separation at source. The baseline data will be used to establish benchmarks for the sector. The development of a green rating system based on these benchmarks is being discussed with the industry and a media launch to convey progress is planned in May 2005.

Last year I announced a new ministerial initiative called the Nkululeko Project which seeks to draw on the vast social, human and material capital that exists in the Province in support of environmental initiatives. I am pleased to announce that we have appointed a Project Co-ordinator, Mr Abdoesalaam Isaacs in January this year. We have taken our first target group of women in the media on a 1 day hike/excursion to the West Coast National Park as part of the “Sole to Soul” initiative. We have mobilized support for a community-based greening initiative in Lavender Hill called “Hope” and will shortly be looking at support for a similar project with the neighbouring Vrygrond. Engagements with business will commence shortly with a view to mobilizing funding for bursaries to allow previously disadvantaged students to enter into the environmental management field of study. Together with the Department of Education, we have offered our support to the SEEP project which aims to take a group of previously disadvantaged students to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Through these and other initiatives we will actively promote the vision of a Home for All in the Western Cape.

The department has embarked on a process of developing and Integrated Energy Strategy and Programme for the Western Cape. The need for such a strategy and action plan is critical if the Province is to effectively meet the developmental challenges that lie ahead. Energy security plays a vital role in ensuring that the province can meet its economic and social development objectives and that it remains and attractive destination for investment. A sound energy policy is also essential for addressing environmental concerns, including the issue of climate change. The strategy will be developed in partnership with other key stakeholders in the Province, working within the parameters set by national government and taking into account the initiatives at a local government level.

Speaker
Minister Van Schalkwyk and I, together with our departments, CapeNature and SANParks have initiated discussions about the possible rationalization and consolidation of our respective Protected Areas. We will embark on a detailed investigation as to how best to do this, taking into account the Cape Floristic Kingdom Memorandum of Understanding and seeking the assistance of CAPE. Given that the political will exists at both a national and a provincial level to see this succeed and given that high levels of co-operation exists with regards to promoting and expanding our existing protected areas, I believe that we can look forward to very exciting announcements in the near future. The Garden Route Initiative, the Agulhas Biodiversity Initiative and the Cedarberg Corridor Initiative should all benefit from such an agreement in the future. Fragmentation of protected areas will not be of any benefit to the long term sustainability of our conservation initiatives in this Province.

After my visit to Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei yesterday I was struck by the potential to unlock an amazing opportunity in the city. I believe we are in a very unique position in that we have within the boundaries of this city a number of wonderful and richly diverse ecological sites – right here on our doorstep. A few are protected areas and a number are not; we have amongst others Table Mountain National Park, Driftsands managed by CapeNature, Edith Stephen Reserve, the Khayalitsha Wetlands, Rondevlei Nature Reserve, Princess and Zeekoevlei, Wolfgat on Baden Powell Drive, the False Bay Coastal Corridor and the proposed Two Rivers Urban Park (Liesbeeck and Black River). Surely the different spheres of government and agencies should get together to look at how we could co-operate and unlock the potential of this amazing heritage in the city. Possibly this has been done. It is my intention to find out and initiate a discussion with the relevant players about this. And maybe something truly magnificent might come of this.

My department will transfer an amount of R71,26 million to CapeNature in this financial year. Included in this, is an amount of R7,5 million ring-fenced for capital expenditure and promoting the Youth Service Programme. The Board of CapeNature will shortly see some new members, once the standing committee has made its recommendations. I am still concerned that we are not attracting enough nominations from particularly our African communities and am especially concerned about the lack of nominations of black women. We will seek to redress this. I would like to thank the Board for its co-operation and patience during a very challenging period of change. The vacancy of the Chair of the Board will be filled shortly.

I would like to take this opportunity to inform honourable members that the contract of the CEO, Mr David Daitz, ends at the end of this year. I would like to sincerely thank him for his dedication and commitment to CapeNature and for steering this ship through the initial rocky periods of the setting up phase. You leave us with a stable and established organization and we are thankful for your efforts. I want to thank you for your ongoing willingness to assist in the process of the transformation of the Board. I am certain that even though you will be leaving CapeNature, your knowledge and expertise will continue to benefit the cause of conservation.

One of the core functions of this department is the adjudication of applications in terms of the Environment Conservation Act (73 of 1989) and the Land Use Planning Ordinance (15 of 1985). While many criticisms have been leveled against the department, significant in-roads in improving service delivery have been made in the last year. We have increased the capacity of the Chief Directorate: Environment and Land Management and appointed 90% of its staff complement as well as procuring the services of contract workers to assist with the review of applications. In the 2004/2005 financial year 1344 applications were received in terms of environmental legislation while 1579 applications were received in terms of planning legislation. The department has in terms of its mandate processed and completed 1058 of the environmental applications and 1082 of the planning applications. Whilst it may be argued that there is still a need for improvement it should be noted that the department administers an application process in terms of the aforementioned legislation and is thus highly dependent on inputs from other parties to complete its assessment of applications.

Of course further service delivery improvements will be achieved once the integrated law reform process has been finalized.

We are also in the process of increasing the capacity of our compliance and enforcement component. Our case officers will also be trained to form part of the national environmental inspectors launched by the National Minister recently. This will enhance the ability of the department to take quick action against any forms of non-compliance with environmental and planning legislation. Our bark will turn into a bite!

In a recent one on one with our Premier, my Head of Department and I were challenged about the department's capacity and ability to implement the Provincial Spatial Development Framework once finalized. I am pleased to inform you that we have risen to the challenge and are currently working on the curriculum for a training course for officials and political office bearers at both provincial and municipal levels of government, in order to prepare for the implementation of the PSDF. We have also held our first staff imbizo and will be continue with further imbizos to ensure that the understanding of the PSDF is not just “froth” at the top but that the coffee truly percolates to the bottom as you so requested Premier.

As you can see, the work of this department largely depends on partnerships and co-operation. I believe that we have built very good partnerships with both national and local spheres of government. We form partnerships in terms of projects and we co-operate in terms of policy development. My department assists with capacity-building of municipal officials and has budgeted for this. This is critical for the implementation of our land-use and environmental management processes.

We have also sought to form strong partnerships with our relevant stakeholders. We have involved key representatives of stakeholders in a number of our departmental policy processes and programmes.

Speaker

We have embarked on a journey in this Department. We have shifted gear in the last year and we have made a paradigm shift towards a sustainable development path. We are on track in this regard. The key milestones of delivery will be the two critical programmes we have considered to be the anchors for sustainable development in the Province. The finalization of the Provincial Spatial Development Framework in June is the first of these. The second will be the finalization of the Integrated Law Reform project. These two dove-tail to provide the fundamental basis for placing this province on a sustainable development path. Linked to this of course has been our Rapid Review of Golf and Polo Estates in the Province. This review was completed in November 2004. The process of developing guidelines followed and after a public participation process, these draft guidelines were submitted on 31 March 2005. The department will now review and refine these and then advertise for comment for 30 days after which a final submission will be made for official approval for the purposes of becoming government policy.

These together with the Sustainable Development Implementation Plan as an outcome at the Sustainable Development Conference in June this year, will see this Province being firmly placed on a sustainable development path and by June next year we should be well on our way to implementing and acting on all of these. So I believe we are on track.

Let me repeat what I said last year Speaker - With a Budget of R158, 7 million rand, and of course R71, 26 being transferred to CapeNature, leaving us essentially with a budget of about R87 million, my department and will continue to fulfill our obligations and responsibilities. But as I stated last year, what we will certainly offer is leadership, energy, commitment, dedication and passion and this does not require a budget!

While I believe that in the past year we have gone a long way in gaining a growing consensus for the path we are taking, I believe there are still some critical areas of challenge. Last year I highlighted the fact that there was an unfortunate polarization of communities with regards to the sustainable development approach. The understanding that all 3 principles of sustainable development namely, economic development, social equity and ecological integrity, must be balanced, and not any one at the cost of the other, remains an important challenge.

There are still those that will resist change and try and hang on to privilege at all costs. We find that there are those who will continue to object to proposed developments purely based on the NIMBY syndrome, especially when these developments promote the integration of our towns and cities.

We also find some developers who will want to develop at all costs, even though these developments will have a detrimental impact on people and the environment. All of this of course all done in the name of job creation. The exploitation of the desperation of the poor is not acceptable. We will have to look at the quality and sustainability of the jobs and the training opportunities provided. The days when poor black people in this country were considered to be “hewers of wood” is long past. The challenge now is to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment within the context of a thriving and growing first economy and the successful transformation of the second economy.

We will actively work at redressing the spatial inequalities that remain as part of the Apartheid legacy.

We can only overcome these challenges in the Western Cape if we embrace fully the vision of a Home for All. We need to get rid of our fears and our insecurities and develop a sense of pride in the Western Cape. We are bound by a common future.

Let us join hands like the freedom-loving South Africans did in Kliptown in 1955 and commit ourselves as activists for Sustainable Development, to the challenges that our President set out for the Second Decade of Liberation:

The further entrenchment of democracy in our country
Transforming our country into a genuinely non-racial society
Transforming our country into a genuinely non-sexist society
Eradicating poverty and underdevelopment
Opening the vistas towards the spiritual and material fulfillment of each and every South African
Securing the safety and security of all our people
Building a strong and efficient democratic state that truly serves the interests of the people
Contributing to the victory of the African Renaissance and the achievement of the goal of a better life for the peoples of Africa and the rest of the world.

I believe that we can rise to these challenges in the Western Cape.

I would like to thank my Head of Department Mr Tolmay and the entire team in the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development for their commitment and willingness to embark on this new and exciting journey with me.

To the Board and Staff of CapeNature your commitment and energy has not gone unnoticed and I have every intention of building closer ties with you in the coming year.

Thank you to the Chair of the standing committee and its members for your ongoing support of this department.

To the many stakeholders present here today, thank you coming and we look forward to continuing our partnership in the coming year.

A special thanks to my ministerial team and my family. You have to bear with me the most.

Let us all leave this session here today and declare to the world that we are "Activists for Sustainable Development"