Building a Home for All

In the prologue to his book published in 1990, entitled "The mind of South Africa", Allister Sparks describes the following:

"On a still spring day in Cape Town's Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden the air is heavy with the scent of blossom. Here against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain is some of the rarest flora in all the world: a botanist's paradise of proteas and cycads and fine, heather-like plants of infinite delicacy called fynbos that are found nowhere else? Here too, among the fynbos, is a line of short, scraggly trees whose ancient limbs are twisted together into an untidy tangle.Brabejum Stellatifolium, the Wild Almond. The trees are the remains of a hedge, planted here in 1660 by Jan Van Riebeeck, to keep out the KhoiKhoi cattle herders who inhabited this southernmost tip of the African continent. With the mountain barrier behind, the hedge cut off Van Riebeeck's little white community from the great African continent stretching away to the north, creating their own little enclave of Europe - six thousand miles from home."

Speaker - in many ways that hedge still exists today, both physically and metaphorically. Almost 300 years later, the architects of apartheid continued Van Riebeeck 's act of separation by legislating the "hedge" into existence through the Group Areas Act. And this planning mindset prevails in the Western Cape.

I chose this piece from Allister Sparks book because it highlights how natural resources and physical barriers have been used, and in fact is still used, to exploit, to alienate, to separate, to control, to dispossess and to maintain privilege.

I will dedicate my budget speech to demonstrating how this portfolio, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning will rise to the challenge of building a Home for All in the Western Cape, of rooting out the metaphoric hedge that has, even after 10 years of freedom and democracy, kept the Western Cape divided - separated from the rest of the country and continent.

We have to begin at home first, with my department. In the coming period my department and I will commence on a journey of transformation - in the way we think and plan, by developing a new paradigm; in the way we work, by promoting efficiency, transparency and integrity and in the way we look, by promoting a representative cadre of staff. Putting People first is central to this transformation. We intend becoming 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.

Linked to this will also be a process of transforming the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board. I am pleased to inform the house that we have already commenced with this and will be appointing two black women to the Board shortly. But this transformation is not only about promoting representivity, it will also have to talk to the ethos of the Board and its work. A matter that they are already grappling with. Together we will need to explore ways of balancing the need for income generation through commercialisation with the very real need of promoting accessibility especially for the poor. Our conservation areas, our facilities, our programmes will be used to promote the vision of a Home for All.

Speaker in the week leading up to World Environment Day I had the privilege of attending a number of events hosted by the environmental sector. Exciting, wonderful initiatives that would make us all proud! The launch of a community centre and food garden, designed along ecologically friendly principles, in Samora Machel, the Environmental Rights Seminar at Spier, the Cape Action for People and the Environment (C.A.P.E.) conference at Kirstenbosch and the launch of new facilities in Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens. Reflecting on these events, Speaker, I thought that it would truly be wonderful if the "hedge" did not exist. The hedge that separates the people of Samora Machel from the people at the Spier and Kirstenbosch events. If we could all celebrate our amazing achievements together, as the people of the Western Cape.

The perception, real or otherwise, that the environmental sector is still controlled by a privileged few, that environmental issues are used by this privileged few to maintain privilege under a green banner, needs to be addressed. The Not In My Back Yard syndrome does not help. When the further development of Imizamo Yetho in Hout Bay is stopped, when access to water to a permanent community in Arniston is delayed for years, because an EIA processes was not perfect, when the opportunity for alleviating the poverty of communities surrounding Pringle Bay is prevented by objections to a Mari culture initiative, then we certainly have entrenched the hedge. We are not giving true meaning to the environmental right enshrined in our constitution and the principle of environmental justice.

We cannot afford this polarisation in the Western Cape. We have to transform this sector into one that is more inclusive, that gives voice to marginalized communities. The day that I receive EIA objections from poor marginalized communities on the basis that they were either not included in a public participation process or that their environment will be adversely effected will be the day that we can say - yes we are beginning to bring down the "hedge".

We need to promote the vision of a Home for All in the interests of the environmental sector.

Speaker - Allow me to once again make reference to Allister Sparks's prologue:"Stand there beside the strip of hedge in the Kirstenbosch Garden and look north - in the middle distance are the twin cooling towers of Athlone Power station - ..to the left and west of that line lie the white suburbs of Claremont, Kenilworth, Rondebosch, Newlands, Mowbray, Wynberg and Pinelands. On the sandy flats to the right and east of it lie the "coloured" townships where the mixed-race people live - Athlone, Hazendal, Bonteheuvel, Heideveld, Bellville, Elsies River, Lavender Hill and Mitchells Plain - and beyond them, in a descending order of social status, the black townships and squatter camps of Langa, Nyanga, Gugulethu, Crossroads and Khayelitsha. There before you lies apartheid in all its obscenity, to be gazed upon from one of the most beautiful vistas on God's earth".

Speaker - while the make-up of some of these suburbs have changed, much has stayed the same even after 10 years of freedom. It is incumbent on us to change the face of this apartheid obscenity!

Our Premier, in his state of the Province address posed the following challenge: " the 'Home for All' must be built in our minds, in our relationships, and in the physical spaces so that while we eliminate from our psyche the apartheid mindset, we also remove it from our spatial planning". Mr Premier, my department and I have every intention of doing this, of taking up this challenge and providing leadership through the drafting of the Provincial Spatial Development Framework, which has, as one of its primary objectives, the redress of the legacy of apartheid.

Speaker

I have identified the ways in which my department and I are poised to promoting the Home for All in this portfolio. But it is clear that we will not achieve this without partnerships. To rise up to the challenges that our Premier spelt out in creating a Home for All in this province will require an act of immense humanity on the part of all our people. It will require reaching deep into our souls in a quest to heal the wounds, to mend the divide and to finally break down the metaphorical hedge.

To make but a small beginning in this process I am pleased to announce a ministerial environmental project called "Nkululeko!" (Freedom). The project will seek to draw on the vast social, human and material capital that exists in the Province in support of a range of environmental initiatives. The first of these will be the "Sole to Soul" initiative where I will host targeted groups of people; students, youth, women, business, people with special needs, pensioners, media, academics, environmental groups amongst others, on two day hikes in our wonderful nature conservation facilities on a quarterly basis.

The objective of this initiative will be to build bridges across divides, to share ideas, to create awareness, to learn, to muster financial resources, to remove the alienation that so many in our communities still feel in relation to the environment and to promote a deep love and passion for our natural and cultural heritage - in essence to build a Home for All, demonstrating that people matter and to hopefully have fun while we are doing it.

Speaker I now would like to speak about how my department contributes to Ikapa Elihlumayo.

The work of government over the past 10 years in promoting environmental management in the context of an agenda for sustainable development is presented within a framework of poverty eradication, natural resource management and the promotion of environmental rights. The WSSD identified poverty eradication as the single greatest challenge facing the world today.

It is in this context that the Framework for the Development of the Western Cape Province identifies the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning as one of the departments responsible for creating the enabling environment for the achievement of the goals set out in Ikapa Elihlumayo. To this end the department has prioritised two critical areas of focus, namely:

1. Integrating and streamlining the Regulatory Framework through the Integrated Law reform project
2. The development of a Provincial Spatial Development Framework

The aim of the law reform process is to integrate three critically interrelated but currently non-integrated processes and procedures related to environmental, planning and heritage impacts and approvals. Historically outdated apartheid legislation will be repealed, the roles of the different spheres of government will be clearly defined and effective public participation processes will be consolidated.

The objective is to cut the current red tape, simplify the processes, reduce the current lengthy time frames, making it more predictable and enhancing the integrity of the process. It will bring about cost savings to the Province, municipalities and developers and will assist in expediting development in the Province, encouraging investment, job creation and social upliftment, in line with the call made by our President in his State of the Nation address. We are planning to complete this process within 18 months and have budgeted an amount of R1,2 m for this.

In order however, to fast track immediate changes we have tabled in this House amendments to the Western Cape Planning and Development Act. While we acknowledge that this is not an ideal situation we want to re-assure members that we consider this to be purely an urgent transitional arrangement until we can come to you with the product of the law reform process, a product that will reflect our new paradigm of planning. I am painfully aware that the Province has really not acted speedily enough to transform its planning legislation and that my party has critically raised this problem for years. The Northern Cape managed to change their planning laws more than 5 years ago! I commit myself to driving the law reform process with real urgency!

One of the eight key developmental priorities identified in Ikapa Elihlumayo is the Spatial Development Framework which my department has the responsibility of leading and driving. Deriving from the National Spatial Development Perspective (NSDP) and drawing on municipal SDF's amongst others, the Provincial Spatial Development Framework will spatially reflect the vision of how the Province should develop in the broadest sense, according to Ikapa Elihlumayo and priorities identified at the Provincial Growth and Development Summit. It will set out an integrated social, economic and environmental framework for the future of the Province and will guide and be a key component of both the strategic infrastructure plan and micro-economic strategy. It will also spatially integrate other sector strategies such as the Water Plan, Transport Plan, CAPE, amongst others.

On completion, the PSDF will be an overarching strategic document that will provide policy guidelines for future spatial patterns of provincial activity. It will reflect the existing space economy and where it should develop in future. It will reflect the Province's history and geography, show declining areas and areas that are growing or have the potential to grow and areas with need. This will assist in spatially guiding private and public investment to areas with potential for sustainable development bringing about greater regional spatial development predictability. We will maximise the impact of government's multi-faceted interventions into specific areas in need of attention.

The PSDF will also serve as a monitoring tool to assess the sustainability of municipal IDP's and SDF's and development proposals.

Speaker - We have to approach the finalisation of this Spatial Development Framework with a sense of urgency. As a Province we cannot afford to continue on the unsustainable path of unfettered market-driven developments. The very value that our natural environment and historical and cultural heritage brings will be destroyed through a piece-meal approach. Continuing on this path will not allow us to redress the growth of unsustainable cities and towns, or the underdevelopment of poor rural areas. It will not allow us to redress the legacy of apartheid planning which saw the majority of our people displaced to the peripheries of our cities and towns, trapped in dormitory townships and "hop huise" developments. This is contrary to Section 24 (a) of the Constitution that guarantees people the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and well being.

To ensure that justice is served, that we fulfil our moral and constitutional obligation to guarantee that our future generations are not also trapped in the cycle of poverty caused by apartheid planning and environmental degradation - we must intervene! We will do so through the PSDF, we will do so by encouraging mixed-income and mixed-use developments through the densification of our city. But we must also do so by intervening to redress the current degraded and depressing state of our townships, turning them into sustainable environments. This requires investment.

We need to however ensure that opportunities are created for low and middle-income groupings to also have access to inner city development. Luxury loft apartments at prices ranging in the millions are not going to allow for this. It will become a playground only for the rich and the opportunity to create a truly unique, multi-cultural, diverse, integrated city and vibrant city could be lost. The uniqueness of our diverse people together with its ecological, cultural and architectural beauty is what makes our city vibrant, different, appealing and unforgettable. None of these elements can stand alone. We should promote and protect this. We will have to look at special mechanisms to do so. Mixed-income development incentives or Social Commitment Levies are options that have been used elsewhere. We could certainly draw from these experiences.

Our valuable limited land resources, like agricultural land and ecologically rich green open spaces should be conserved for the enjoyment of our future generations. A Native American Proverb states "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children". We should be careful that our valuable land is not gobbled up by mushrooming golf estate developments, polo fields, regional shopping centres, security villages and private resorts, all benefiting a privileged few who can afford it and all done in the name of development and job creation for the poor. To quote Mr Sinha, the Minister of External Affairs in India, in his address at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002: "Because we focus on sustainable development, we underplay the fact that the real problem is unsustainable consumption and the pressures it generates on the earth's finite resources. The poor are not the biggest consumers of the world's resource; the rich are."

New golf estates have escalated during the last few years and many new golf estates are in planning stages, especially in the Southern Cape. This is a concern that should be properly addressed. While it can be argued that golf estates are of value for tourism and job creation, this still needs to be assessed. The negative impacts on our natural resources, especially our limited water resources, may well outweigh the benefits. The sustainability of golf estates is yet to be established. One of the first things I did on taking over this portfolio was prepare for the commissioning of an investigation into this. The investigation will do a cost-benefit examination of the consequences of establishing golf estates. It will also compile a set of parameters against which applications can be evaluated and will also suggest comprehensive mitigating measures. The outcome of such an investigation will be a Provincial Policy Guideline for Golf Estates.

Speaker we are committed to achieving the Growth and Development Summit's deadline of May 2005 for the finalisation of this Provincial Spatial Development Framework. I am therefore pleased to announce our intention of hosting a Consultative Summit towards the end of the year, facilitated through the PDC, to discuss and debate a draft Framework. The Standing Committee would also need to play a role.

I am also pleased to announce that Dr Laurine Platzky has been seconded to drive the process of finalising the Spatial Development Framework with my department. Her multi-disciplinary knowledge and experience will certainly enrich the process and we heartily welcome her on board.

We have budgeted an amount of R1.5 m for the development of the Provincial Spatial Development Framework. A further amount of R3.5m will be transferred to municipalities to assist with the development of municipal SDF's.

My department also contributes to short-term job creation and poverty alleviation through the Western Cape Clean Up Operation (WECCO) programme. In terms of a memorandum of agreement signed with 28 municipalities we will allocate R5.25 million for various community-based projects dealing with waste recycling, clean up, greening the environment and generally improving the quality of life in our poorer communities. More than 1500 temporary jobs will be created.

It is my intention in the next financial year to co-ordinate and expand this programme into a far more effective provincial-led intervention in a contract with the people, in order to fundamentally addresses the quality of life in our poorer areas with a view to make a real impact on the health and well-being of our people.

The department plays an important role in building social and human capital with an emphasis on the youth. The Environmental Education and Awareness Programme will target more than 1000 school learners by the end of the financial year. A budget of R170 000 has been set-aside for this and clearly this is not enough.

Speaker, on June 16, in celebration of youth day, I had the honour of attending the launch of The Youth Service Programme of the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board in partnership with the Umsobomvu Youth Fund. This programme, in line with the National Youth Service Programme, addresses youth unemployment by linking economic opportunities with the implementation of community service and promoting the spirit of nation building amongst our youth. This WCNCB initiative is the first of its kind in the country and is certainly pioneering in that it links youth development and training, community service and conservation. 70 young people are currently participating in this programme. We are very proud of this and I know it will certainly be used as a model in the rest of the country and even the continent. Congratulations to the Board for such a wonderful initiative!

Speaker

Another exciting initiative within the department's sub-directorate: Pollution and Waste Management is the Cleaner Production and waste minimisation programme. The paradigm shift from "end-of-pipe" solutions in managing waste and pollution towards a pollution prevention and waste minimisation approach has been tested at three pilot sites in the Western Cape. Waste Minimisation Clubs were established at the Breede River Winelands Winery, 7 SMME companies in Sacks Circle and at the Eben Donges Hospital, with a budget of R170 000. Through the cleaner production programme these pilot sites achieved amazing financial and environmental savings. The following financial savings were realised: R1,6m at the winery, R3.3m at Sacks Circle and R250 000 at the Hospital.

The programme will also be rolled out in this year to the Hospitality and Tourism sector, targeting SMME's. A budget of R140 000 has been earmarked for this.

Clearly this initiative can assist businesses in saving costs, especially SMME's and will contribute to Ikapa Elihlumayo. In partnership with our Department of Economic Affairs and Tourism and the Department of Trade and Industry, we hope to market the cleaner production approach to all sectors of the economy.

It is clear that one of the greatest attractions of the Western Cape is its natural beauty, its biodiversity. We are privileged to have unique attractions like the Cape Floral Kingdom that is one of the six floristic kingdoms in the world. The largest part of this Kingdom is found within the Western Cape. It is globally unrivalled for its diversity of plant life, with some 8,600 species and half of which cannot be found anywhere else on earth. One indication that eco-tourism is becoming increasingly popular is the year on year increase in visitors to our Western Cape Nature Conservation areas, for both accommodation and Trails. This is also reflected in increases in Tourism income for the Board.

Given that tourism has been identified as one of the key growth sectors in the Western Cape it is clear that the eco-tourism sector needs to be promoted and our natural heritage protected. To realise the full potential of the eco-tourism sector requires increased investment. Minister Brown, since you are responsible for both Finance and Tourism could we have a conversation about this?

Speaker I have merely highlighted a few ways in which my department contributes to Ikapa Elihlumayo. There are of course a number of other programmes and initiatives that have an impact on the sustainable development of our Province. Our Biodiversity and Coastal Management programmes for which we have a budgeted amount of R15,5m, ensures that our unique natural environment is conserved for future generations and that the coast of the Western Cape is developed and utilised in a sustainable manner. The promotion and initiation of Community Based Natural Resource Management programmes and sustainable coastal livelihoods programmes present exciting opportunities for promoting growth and development in the Province especially among poorer communities. Millions of rural South Africans depend on biological resources for their day-to-day survival. Access to this natural capital provides a crucial contribution to livelihoods and an important buffer against poverty and an opportunity for self-employment.

Speaker - we receive nearly 900 EIA and nearly 1000 planning related applications a year, which our Directorate: Integrated Environmental Management manages with a budget of R17.2 m. The efficiency with which we deal with these applications is critical to growth and development in the Province and has a direct impact on Ikapa Elihlumayo. The current lengthy delays in processing these applications are a cause for concern to all of us. The restructuring of my department by separating the regulatory and planning functions will help in enhancing efficiency. The law reform process will go a long way in alleviating the problem but we also need to address the serious capacity constraints that exist at municipal level. We will also have to address the lack of understanding of the requirements for applications amongst the private sector. The quality of EIA processes and reports is also critical. The proposed amendments to NEMA that will require accreditation for Environmental Consultants will go a long way in assisting with this. My department and I will be hosting workshops to empower all the relevant stakeholders in order to achieve a more efficient and effective management of applications.

Speaker we have committed ourselves to putting down the following deposits in the first 100 days:

• Creating 890 temporary jobs through the WECCO programme in partnership with the Breede Valley, Overstrand, Mossel Bay, Saldanha Bay and Witzenberg municipalities, the first five of the 28 municipalities who will benefit from this programme. Projects involve cleaning and greening the environment.
• Appointment of the project and legal team for the Integrated Law Reform process
• A State of the Environment Overview Report, which links to the development of a Provincial Spatial Development Framework, will be finalised

Speaker, the total budget of my department is R135 035 million. R60 million of this amount is transferred to the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board, which essentially leaves us with an amount of R70 million to fulfil all our obligations and responsibilities as a department. This might not seem much but I can assure honourable members that we will use it to achieve maximum impact. I have attempted to demonstrate how this portfolio will have to play a role in transforming the minds, filling the hearts, healing the wounds and feeding the souls of our people in the Western Cape. This requires of us humility, commitment and passion and not just money.

The Environmental Affairs and Development Planning portfolio is the golden thread that weaves through and impacts on every department in this Province.

The work we do will not only effect the current generation but generations to come. The immense burden of responsibility to safeguard this future is a challenge we will accept with passion and dedication. I have highlighted how we have begun to face up to the immediate challenges of Building a Home for All in the Western Cape, of contributing to Ikapa Elihlumayo and of putting down our 100 days deposit.

I would like to end off by firstly thanking my predecessor, Honourable member Gelderbloem who had the unenviable responsibility of stepping into the shoes of Mr Malatsi together with carrying the added responsibilities of the Agriculture portfolio. Thank you.

I would like to thank my Head of Department Mr Tolmay and the entire staff for their support thus far and look forward to facing our challenges together as a team. I want to thank the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board and staff for their dedication and commitment to the conservation cause. I also would like to thank SanParks for so quickly welcoming me into their fold.

I would like to thank all honourable members and invited stakeholders. I look forward to your support in the many challenges facing us and hope to build a strong partnership over the next few years.

Thanks to my family, friends and comrades and of course my ministerial team, who have now become family too!

Let us all join hands in breaking down the metaphoric hedges and truly turn the Western Cape into a Home for All!