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Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

It is indeed an honour and a privilege for me to be accorded this time to say a few words about environmental issues in my country, South Africa.

South Africa is a very beautiful country. It is both unique and diverse. The peaceful political transformation of 1994 made South Africa very special and unique. This also helped change the face of South Africa throughout the whole world.

South Africa is a country with a heritage of varied natural resources. It is well known for its sunny skies, splendid and tranquil scenery, abundant fauna and flora and a magnificent coastline teaming with various marine species.

South Africa is a diverse country. Our trade and industry show characteristics of a developed country while many people live in complete poverty and misery. The majority of the people in South Africa were denied access to the available resources as a result they lack even the basic human needs/rights for example, housing, clean drinking water and sanitation.

These imbalances are so great that they cannot be corrected over night. It is evident, therefore, that South Africa is facing enormous challenges. Not only does the South African Government of National Unity (GNU) have to address these innumerable problems but also have to create a system which ensures sustainable development within the framework of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). South Africa needs development, but only development that considers environmental aspects.

Ladies and gentlemen, in the past most developers in South Africa did not consider the impact of their projects on the environment. They saw themselves as living in a country with cheap and abundant resources. They made sure that they exploited those resources as quickly and as expensively as possible because there were not legislative mechanics to regulate their activities.

In 1992, our South African Department of Environmental Affairs produced guideline documents called the Integrated Environmental Management Procedure (IEM) with the aim of introducing environmental consideration into the planning of new economic projects. The guideline document set out basic principles like for example, an attempt to ensure that the "social costs" of development proposals are outweighed by the "social benefits". Explained in simple terms this means that (IEM) Integrated Environment Management should include economic cost-benefit analysis (CBA).

It has therefore, become routine in South Africa to undertake Environmental Impact Assessments (ElAs) whenever new economic projects are proposed which can have significant impact on the environment. This is in line with the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) which requires compulsory EIA for large scale projects. According to the Interim Constitution the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has the responsibility of setting national norms and standards for regulating Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAs) at national level and the responsibility of implementing these regulations effectively rest with then nine provincial departments. For this reason, the department is still busy discussing the whole process with the nine provincial departments.

Our department has also developed and is still developing Environmental Potential Atlases (ENPAT) to aid policy-makers, planners and developers to make informed decisions regarding development schemes or projects. The atlas for the Durban Functional Region, which serves as a pilot project, has already been completed is available from the department. The atlases for Gauteng area and Enpat National are also available The atlas for the Cape metropole will be available soon.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this shows that the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in South Africa is keen on development that takes environment Issues into cognisance.

The Discussion Document Towards a New Environmental Policy for South Africa which has been drafted by the Consultative National Environment Policy Process (CONNEP) is to be released on 3 April 1996 in Cape Town. This discussion document will ensure that all stakeholders and every civil society are given the opportunity to participate in the formulation of a new environmental policy for South Africa. After its release, the Discussion Document will be discussed in workshops in the provinces. These Provincial Consultation Processes will start early April 1996 until the end of June 1996.

After this, all inputs will be collated and regional workshops will be held where the inputs will be discussed and narrowed down. The Provinces also envisage a series of public hearings that could possibly be held under the auspices of the Provincial Legislature, where individuals could also register their submissions. Finally a provincial conference will be planned to prepare and consolidate views from the province and seek nominations for their representation to the CONNEP II conference. CONNEP II is planned for 9 and 10 October 1996.

Ladies and gentlemen in our midst here this evening we have two main groups of companies. The first group consist of companies that are already dealing with South Africa and the second group consist of companies that are interested in dealing with South Africa.

I want to encourage the companies that are already dealing with South Africa to continue doing so because your support is very invaluable to all South Africans. And to those companies that have not yet started dealing with South Africa but are interested in doing so, the question is; Why are you waiting?

South Africa is now a new South Africa. The 1994 democratic elections have opened all South African doors to all investors. Your invaluable support will help lift South Africa from the state of "developing country" to that of "developed country". Through the peaceful transformation of 1994 South Africans showed the whole world that they are now one and are now prepared to lead the country to economic prosperity. My department will, however, monitor that this does not happen at the expense of the environment.

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is committed to stop environmental degradation in favour of environmental conservation. To this end, the department will welcome any international and local projects aimed at sustaining the environment for the good of all South Africans.

South Africa is a consumer society, generating waste and pollution. Recycling is regarded as the best option to managing both industrial and domestic waste. Again, South Africa will welcome any project in the line of recycling. This will not only contribute to a cleaner South Africa but will generate employment for some of the unemployed South Africans thereby improving their standard of living. This is in line with the Reconstruction and Development Programme(RDP) which states that the government "must ensure that all South African citizens, present and future, have a right to a decent quality of life through sustainable use of resources".

Ladies and gentlemen, I Invite you all to consider investing in South Africa very seriously. I thank you, one and all.

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