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2 May 2006

Part A: Agriculture

Mr Speaker
Honourable Premier and colleagues in the Executive
Deputy Speaker
Honourable Members of the Provincial Legislature
Members of the Media
Distinguished guests, fellow citizens
Ladies and gentlemen

I am extremely honoured to stand before you today to table my third departmental budget. This exercise is to me once again a historic event in the evolution of agriculture in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. I can proudly state that today we are proud citizens of the great province of KwaZulu-Natal, which is part of a great South African nation a nation that is experiencing a period of unprecedented growth and stability.

Indeed we are servants of a nation of “Hope,” inspired as we are by a leadership that has put the well-being of our people first. This “Age of Hope” mentioned by our president has bestowed upon us, as custodians of the resources of our people, a great noble and stupendous task. Such a task is calculated to ensure that all South Africans, irrespective of race, gender or creed are equal beneficiaries of our growth, development and prosperity as envisaged in the Freedom Charter, more than half a century ago.

We are serious about empowering those who were previously disadvantaged, because we know that our age is an age of power incredible power, media power, technological power, and money power to lift up and throw down like a great tornado. To obtain the kind of power I’m talking about, an emerging farmer will need more than courage and brute strength. The emerging farmer will need knowledge, strength and stamina - and above all, how to retain passion, compassion, and commitment in the face of unending complication and seemingly inseparable barriers.

To some, South Africa looks set to sustain growth at its fastest pace in more than 20 years. This is cause for great jubilation. However, let us not forget that growth on its own does not necessarily trickle down to those at the bottom and marginal end of the societal spectrum.

Nowhere else than in our country is this current and projected economic growth needed. It is common knowledge that we live in a country characterised by a dual economy. The majority of our people are located within the second economy that continues to be characterised by unacceptable levels of poverty, unemployment, disease, low savings, low productivity from low investment and lack of adequate basic services. This economy is also limited by a skewed bias towards unsustainable subsistence levels that are not matched by a commercial focus, especially in agriculture. This limits the prospects of our farmers to become full and equal participants in the agricultural economy.

This unpalatable truth about our society, more than ten years into our democracy requires that we further intensify our delivery of services to people trapped in this vicious cycle of poverty and underdevelopment.

This challenge further requires that we play our role in fulfilling our constitutional mandate of ensuring that our people enjoy their social and economic rights by addressing the historical legacies of injustice and give our future generations a chance to enjoy broad based and equally distributed economic growth. The challenge here is to address the implications of the dual economy upon the lives of ordinary South Africans.

It is in this spirit that our government has unveiled the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA). In his State of the Nation Address, the President identified agriculture as one of those sectors earmarked for accelerated economic growth. As a province and as a department therefore, ours is an obligation to play a role in realising the objectives of this programme.

Mr Speaker

Let me assure you then, that my department is ready to play a meaningful role in the realisation of AsgiSA’s goal of making sure that we halve poverty and unemployment by 2014. I will expand on specific ways of doing this later on.

In his State of the Province Address, the Honourable Premier, Manzankosi, reminded us of our duty to honour our heroes. He spoke of the centenary of our gallant hero Bambatha kaManciza’s spirit of resistance.

It is important that when we commemorate this event we reflect on exactly what propelled Bambatha to war and resulted in his making the ultimate sacrifice. Part of the colonialist strategy of introducing the Poll Tax Ukhandampondo was to drive Africans off their land by making them providers of cheap labour to the white economy. This aspect of the rebellion is important to me as a person and as a Minister responsible for agriculture.

In the last two State of the Province Addresses, the Honourable Premier has outlined the challenges faced by the Province and given direction on what needs to be done to impact on socio-economic development priorities discussed and agreed upon by the Cabinet at Didima in August 2005. It is not surprising that the Agrarian Revolution was amongst the key development projects that were adopted.

The province is widely recognised as enjoying a “comparative advantage” in agriculture. We aim to realise that advantage by utilising all of the province’s 590 Bio-resource regions to produce export quality vegetables, fruit and meat products which we will export to the West, Middle East and Asia. Agrarian revolution is meant to introduce new mechanisms for making this a reality.

Agrarian Revolution is also aimed at changing the reliance on the importation of basic food stuffs and to bring down food prices through a comprehensive support programme for emerging farmers which will address; (1) dramatic reduction in farming input costs, (2) provision of mechanisation, and (3 ) access to research on better production processes.

The Department’s methodology for agricultural development is outlined in our five year 2005-2010 strategic plan. In a nutshell, we want to use this strategy to move subsistence farmers upwards towards the first economy.

During his State of the Province Address, the Premier emphatically announced that
“in this year government will be rolling out a comprehensive set of programmes and interventions designed to accelerate growth and to create wealth in numbers that we have to date not dreamt possible.”

Mr Speaker,

Let me reiterate our commitment to this course. The Honourable Premier, Members of the Executive, Members of Parliament, the Portfolio Committees, communities and all the citizens of the Province have seen the work of the Department in the field and on the environment. We have listened to the call of our Honourable Premier and have swiftly “gone back to the country side” and started the Agrarian Revolution. Honourable Premier, we have heeded your call to deal with the scourge of food-insecurity that is facing us. Now that we have arrived “in the country side”, we are not just “meandering through the country side”. As soldiers and freedom fighters we have begun the “rolling mass-action on the country side” as never seen before. We are awakening and rekindling the giant of the country side with the Siyavuna programme. Mr. Speaker, Impi kaBambatha kaManciza isemasimini kulonyaka.

Challenges and Priorities

Before I outline our action of the Siyavuna Programme as articulated through our Agrarian Revolution Strategy, I must first outline challenges and areas that we have prioritised as being key to the success of this revolution.

Firstly, we aim to provide stronger support to farmers in the areas of:
* Co-operatives development
* Research
* Training and capacity building for both internal and external stakeholders
* Provision of infrastructure
* Financing mechanisms

Secondly, we are strengthening governance and institutional mechanisms, which includes
* Developing key policies and revamping relevant legislation
* Monitoring and evaluation
* Strengthening Information, Communication and Technology (ICT)

Thirdly, we are playing a significant role in the facilitation of markets;
Fourthly, strengthening our collaboration with other government departments;
And lastly, ensuring continued robust engagement with our stakeholders.

Mr Speaker,
As we continue the journey of restitution and land reform, we must also intensify the support we give to our people as historic custodians of this land. It is my department’s continued desire to ensure that we provide adequate support to our farmers and other land users.

At the July 2005 Cabinet Lekgotla the Provincial Land Claims Commissioner tabled a report where some 78, 294 hectares were handed over to some 4,742 households to benefit just over 28,452 people (in the form of on-farm infrastructure delivery, housing, and job creation opportunities) in this Province from September 2005. This initiative continues to enjoy full integration and support of the Department. A total of R21m is being spent within this MTEF period. 11 million people are experiencing direct benefits, where up to 38 thousand hectares are involved.

Key among these has been the Mzabane Makhoba project, where the community is receiving more than R7m for a variety of infrastructure activities, which are:
* poultry housing
* establishment of a 50ha orchard of apricots and peaches
* building of 2 reservoirs
* disilting of dams
* installation of a pivot irrigation system

Central to this development is water availability. In fact I believe that the water resources of the Mzabane Makhoba Community have been resolved with these interventions.

We feel the same pressure with regards to the dire plight and expectations of the people from Umzimkhulu who have joined this Province. We welcome the community of Umzimkhulu and promise the same level of service delivery towards supporting them.

Mr. Speaker

A total of R404m has been spent by National Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs to acquire about 134 thousand hectares of land and return it to its rightful owners. This land cannot be allowed to lie fallow and deteriorate as has happened elsewhere. Following in the spirit of what we are already doing for the Mzabane Makhoba Community, and all the other communities briefly mentioned above, we have to provide for the support of all these communities in our budgets for this year and beyond.

Furthermore, Hlanganani Bhekuzulu has ventured into craft production through the use of the wetland resources – reeds. It is anticipated that they will explore the national market through the assistance of other development and business institutions.

Mr Speaker

Our support to the farmers and interventions in various farming support services including infrastructure can be categorised into five key areas, namely:
* Provision of Animal Handling facilities
* Irrigation interventions
* Fencing activities
* Shed storage
* Water provisioning.

At this point let me indicate that the provision of domestic water is not a mandate of the department. However, efforts like the drilling of boreholes, the disilting of dams, the provision of reservoirs and the provision of irrigation systems, is necessary to ensure a sustainable agricultural activity, but has also benefited human beings in many areas.

Mr. Speaker,
The Honourable Premier also identified the Agrarian Revolution Strategy as an important pillar of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS) to fight poverty and unemployment in KwaZulu-Natal. I am further delighted that the Hon. Premier is committed in ensuring that this Agrarian Revolution is implemented and realise its objectives. Manzankosi we are behind you!! Agriculture and sustainable use of our environmental resources play an important role in poverty alleviation whilst creating employment for our people who have been denied the right to a dignified life for decades. We will not falter in our fight to restore the dignity of the majority of our people who are still suffering from neglect and lack of opportunity to live a better life.

We have committed a significant amount of our resources to contribute to the alleviation of poverty. Maps from the Department of Health have provided valuable insight into ‘where’ the Department should be focusing its mass food security projects. As a result of this intergovernmental co-operation and a sharing of technical expertise, the department has been able to direct it’s planning and is in a better position to scientifically respond to the food security demand. These focus areas will establish an important baseline from which the province can contribute to rooting out hunger and filling the stomachs of the most vulnerable, i.e. children and the elderly. The Honourable Premier’s emphasis on co-operative governance echoes the 16th century poet, John Dunne who said: “No man is an island unto himself”. (I am sure that he was not gender sensitive in that day and age) This is very true in the farming world. The Honourable Premier and the Executive Council has given a clear leadership mandate of the poverty reduction programme and initiative to the Department in collaboration with other Departments as this is a cross-cutting priority of the PGDS. To this end we continue to partner strategically with the Department of Transport in giving effect to this vision. For example the joint programme of action through the “African Renaissance Road Upgrading Programme” (ARRUP), which provides access routes to production sites and markets.

Mr. Speaker
The food security programme in partnership with the Department of Health will focus on provision of fresh produce from back yard gardens, including diversified products such as mushroom and dry land rice. We hope such interventions will reduce diseases and thus result in lower numbers of people requiring medical attention.

In addition, together with various municipalities, we utilise the Spatial Framework, which is a useful tool in directing both the Siyavuna Flagship projects, as well as providing Municipalities with a clear guideline for the Development for their Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) and District Agricultural Plans.

Mr Speaker,
We have been reminded by the President in his State of the Nation Address, that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Soweto uprising where he further stated the need for intensifying youth development by all spheres of government. The President went on further to state the need for close monitoring of the impact of our programs on youth skills training and business empowerment.

It is in that light that the Department continues to strengthen programmes for youth and women in its Programme of Action. Two of the department’s flagship or high level priority programmes are run by the Youth and Women Directorate. These are Mushroom & Dryland Rice and Nguni Project.

The Nguni Livestock Project which was successfully launched in February 2006 and seeks to bring back the lost dignity and pride of the Zulu people. This programme is run by the Youth and Women Directorate. In total over R27million is allocated to this activity including the mushroom and dryland rice projects which are high impact projects exclusively for the benefit of youth and women development in Agriculture. There are other initiatives such as the Nguni Goat and the Indigenous Zulu Fowl projects that empower youth and women in addition to various large scale crop, environmental and animal husbandry interventions. Mr. Speaker, we could be holding the candle for youth and women development in the Province and we are grateful to this House for continued support as these interventions are important in engaging our youth who are fast entering into undesirable activities.

The Female Farmer of the Year Competition will be run again this year as our effort to recognise and develop women in Agriculture. Mr Speaker, we have seen phenomenal growth of this initiative over the last two years and note the improved quality of the entrants from all the development levels of the sector. This can only be encouraged.

In this regard Mr Speaker, I am proud to say that last year’s entry indicates a competitive positioning of the Provincial sector in the national competition as our women won three categories nationally. We are honoured that Honourable Minister Thoko Didiza has indicated that this year’s event will be hosted by this Department. We applaud her for the confidence she has placed in us as a province to host such a prestigious National event.

Mr Speaker,
It is true that greater effort is required for a meaningful impact and greater access to opportunities for farmer development if we are to come closer to the Human Development Index and the Millennium Development Goals. Again, we are encouraged by the President’s direction and the Honourable Premier’s support of the Agrarian Revolution, including the Co-operative Movement.

The Co-operative Movement in the Province has not received adequate attention and deserves our developmental prioritisation and support, as it happens in other developing economies such as India, China, Egypt, Namibia, Indonesia and Brazil. As we know, co-operatives are the oldest form of advancing the social trading and economic growth of local areas dating back to 1844.

In addition to co-operatives, we would like to fast track the implementation of AgriBEE which we recognise to date has not had the desired impact because of the market conditions, access to land and financial support to Black Farmers and the Agribusiness sector. Mr Speaker, I am delighted that this financial year such interventions will be possible because of increased budget allocations.

Mr. Speaker
We now need to turn the tide and breathe life into the Co-operative Movement in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal. A additional budget of R110million has been allocated to the Department for 2006/2007 to support the Co-operative Movement. This is over and above the R280 million set aside for the Agrarian Revolution. The Department has created a unit called Agrarian Development Support Programme to advance the support to co-operatives and will in future extend support to other developmental initiatives such as the Midmar and Makhathini Developments. The Department is starting with existing co-operatives that will have to comply with certain structural adjustments in order to ensure that they are sustainable and impact on economic growth. These adjustments relate to ownership, training, shared use of resources, value chain logistics and market access.

Mr. Speaker
The Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs has overhauled the processes that lock productive inputs against the small dispersed initiatives that require greater costs to pull together in order to impact the economic and social development goals. It is increasingly becoming unproductive to support direct grants and transfers as a policy to fast track service delivery as we have done in the past two financial years. This created an unplanned allocation of resources and thereby impacting less positively on the economy.

In our planning for 2006/2007, we have taken into account these lessons from direct grants and built this into a framework that supports the farmer or a beneficiary to a degree that it will be unlikely to fail an initiative, project or programme that will be funded from this year’s budget allocation. This policy shift and the new framework are called ‘Build, Operate, Train and Transfer (BOTT)’. In this framework the Department undertakes to build the entire infrastructure, operate it, train the communities or beneficiaries and after three years transfer that asset as a viable/sustainable operating entity to the beneficiaries.

This will give far reaching revolutionary impetus to our programmes. The Department has reached these great frontiers because of the restructuring to free up resources internally and externally so that we can begin to do things we have not done before.

The Department continues to derive better resource allocation from the restructuring process which assists in the better allocation of resources for Siyavuna Programme implementation. Over 60% of the Departments budget is allocated to service delivery which is attributable to the restructuring process and this is commendable. This restructuring has also seen the appointment of women to senior management positions and officers of colour in the department.

Mr Speaker
The Agrarian Revolution strategy has far reaching implications for the Province and we have set in motion a review of all related policies, legislative and regulatory arrangements that might inhibit and or promote the strategy. This process is in its embryonic stages and might result in the Agrarian Development Bill being tabled later this year, in this House, to deal with all the intergovernmental and sectoral streamlining of institutional arrangements between the State, citizens and all stakeholders, should the reforms of current policies be insufficient.

Mr Speaker,
Human development is the foundation of our success as a nation and as a Province. We therefore view training in a very serious light. We need to build the capacity of our farmers, as much as we need to have a well capacitated and empowered workforce. The success of Agrarian Revolution hinges on a well trained and capacitated workforce, as well as skilled employees.

It is for this reason that the Department will be establishing a Training Directorate which will drive capacity building within the department as well as within the Agricultural sector as a whole. We have also restructured our Agricultural Colleges. We are merging the two colleges so that one college will emerge, namely KwaZulu-Natal Agricultural College, with an operational centre in each of our two regions (North and South). The Department will continue to partner with Zakhe Agricultural Training Institute in these initiatives.

As a result of these initiatives, the Department continues to create opportunities for the sector in the whole agricultural value chain. This human development initiative is in line with the priorities outlined in the PGDS and we are pleased with progress thus far. Already, 86 projects are planned for 2006/2007 and the beneficiaries will undergo the mentorship programme. To this end, an amount of R10m has been set aside for training and mentorship.

Mr. Speaker
As part of our skills development, the Department has awarded 537 part-time and 45 full time bursaries to address the problem of scarce skills within the Department. In addition, the Department has a bursary scheme for students outside the Department to broaden the skills base of the agricultural sector.

The Department has also undertaken to restructure its flagging extension staff, along commodity lines and to engage in a massive programme of reskilling. This is to ensure that we have a skilled workforce to meet the challenges of the Siyavuna Programme

Mr Speaker,
The department has heeded the call to contribute to national human capacity building. In this regard, we have initiated a robust programme to assist unemployed graduates and learners requiring experiential training to be able to finalise their qualifications. During the last cycle the Department assisted 215 learners, and is currently assisting 95 interns and 55 experiential learners and aims to expand this number to 218 learners in 2006/2007.

The Department has also made a concerted effort to assist its employees that are illiterate to learn to read and write and currently has 540 learners who are being taught by 67 voluntary tutors. This Adult Based Education and Training (ABET) programme is set to continue until the whole Departmental workforce is able to read and write.

Before I conclude my presentation on Agriculture, Mr Speaker, let me reiterate and reemphasise the significant role that is being played by international relations in our growth and development as presented by the Premier in his State of the Province Address. The Premier stated that careful selection of international partners is paying dividends to our province.

As you may be aware, we have recently visited India and inter alia visited the Province of Punjab. The similarities between Punjab and KwaZulu-Natal are striking. As is the case with our province, Punjab has a mostly rural based population of whom the largest part is involved in the agricultural sector. By utilising its land potential efficiently and using appropriate and relatively simple technology and equipment on an average of 1 hectare per farmer Punjab is able to produce food not only for itself, but supplies as much as 80% of India’s food requirements. Punjab is therefore quite unique in the sense that although its people do not own large tracts of land, they still manage to feed themselves and prosper economically.

On the contrary, whilst our farmers in our Province sometimes own up to 600 hectares, they still have not managed to attain the levels of efficiency that have been attained by the Punjab people. We in KwaZulu-Natal are currently vastly under-utilising our agricultural resources with large tracts of land lying fallow. Our department plans to change this situation. We plan to leave no land untouched.

Mr Speaker,
We will use the lessons learned from Punjab. As it is, and as the Premier announced in his State of the Province Address, we have already placed an order of some small appropriate equipment to address the problems associated with emergent farming. Furthermore, a group of hand picked experts from Punjab will be arriving in KwaZulu-Natal to work with our counterparts around key challenges facing our emerging farmers particularly around water provision, low cost irrigation techniques suitable for massive production but using appropriate technologies.

The Bi-national Co-operative Agreement between South Africa and Flanders has seen funding being directed to food security. We are thankful to Manzankosi to take such a decision that will enhance the implementation of the Siyavuna Programme. This exciting programme will be rolled out from the selected pilot areas to the rest of KwaZulu-Natal during the latter third of the five year period.

Aquaculture, which has a huge potential in the frost free areas of North-East KwaZulu-Natal and some of the river catchments areas such as the Tugela River basin are presently being investigated with Denmark and Sweden.

Belarus, located in Eastern Europe, is yet another foreign country which has indicated a desire to engage our Province with regard to markets for agricultural products, as well as mechanisation.

Two major projects that are directly impacting on food security are the Mushroom and Rice Projects which are carried out in partnership with the Fujian Province of China. Since the start of the Mushroom and Dryland Rice Project in July 2005, no less than 30 mushroom sites in the Province have been established and already 70 000 substrates of mushrooms have been distributed from which no less 52.5 tons of edible mushrooms have been harvested. This has so far benefited over 2000 people. Up till now, a lot of research has also been done and with the knowledge gained, an estimated one million substrates will be distributed during the 06/07 financial year. It is estimated that around 750 tons of mushrooms will be harvested, benefiting up to 30 000 people.

Mr Speaker, and Honourable members of the House,

To repeat the Premier’s words, we have the agricultural potential, we have the scientific know-how and we have a Government vision of an Agrarian Revolution. What we need is increased investment in this sector and furthermore we need committed and efficient users of the land.

Allow me to table the allocated Programme 2 budget: Agricultural Development Services, and request the house to approve it as such:

2006/2007 BUDGET (R 000)
Programme 1
Administration
119,799
Programme 2
Agricultural Development Services
774 019
Total
893,818

In conclusion Mr Speaker,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my Head of Department, Dr. Jabulani Mjwara, for his tireless enthusiasm, leadership and commitment. I would also like to thank all my office staff, Senior Management and all employees for the contribution that they make on a daily basis to improve the lives of our citizens. The support from my family is highly appreciated.

I will also be failing in my duty if I did not thank all the stakeholders in agriculture.

Part b: environment and conservation

Programme 3: environmental management

Mr. Speaker

Environmental Management has seen a fair share of media controversy and the largest focal point has been on the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). It is a fact that many developers have identified EIAs as cumbersome and must be therefore reformed without sacrificing environmental standards. Whilst development is welcome and creating huge employment, we should not loose sight of broad environmental issues.

Our Province is also beginning to feel the impact of our National Government’s economic growth policies. A tangible manifestation is an increase in development and realisation of the government’s priorities with regards to reducing poverty and an increase in employment.

We as a department are already responding to this accelerated rate of development. There are a number of initiatives within the department that will contribute towards fast tracking development. However, this does not imply compromising any of the legal requirements or mandates of this department or any other organ of state.

By fast tracking development, demands the department to identify and then overcome any stumbling blocks and in some instances this should be done through co-operative governance. As part of this government, we have also identified various measures within the department that we will have to address to contribute towards this development. By this we will ensure the provision of essential infrastructure, for example, water, sanitation and housing, especially for the poor.

The interventions by this Department to meet the challenge of accelerated development includes strengthening our interaction with other provincial departments, like Economic Development, Housing, Traditional and Local Government and Transport, and with municipalities and organisations like Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal. Within the Department, we are re-engineering the environmental management component which will address the issues of capacity and the necessary skills. Part of this exercise will include expanding the number of people that will be delegated to sign Records of Decision (RODs). This intervention will help towards reducing the turn-around time in the finalisation of RODs. Presently, I am also seriously considering the creation of a broad-based Provincial Environmental Forum which will advice both me and the Head of Department on environmental matters.

Mr. Speaker

The Department, while carrying out its core business, is also fully committed to a strategic intervention, namely the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) which is designed to make a significant contribution to reducing unemployment and providing livelihoods for the poor, women, youth and people with disabilities.

As a Department we are fulfilling the three main objectives of the EPWP through our various projects, namely, we are enhancing the ability of people to earn an income, we are providing the unemployed with work experience and are providing training. During the first three quarters of 2005/2006, we were able to create 6,354 job opportunities, 2,446 of these opportunities were for women, 2,080 were for youth and 34 were for people with disabilities. Also the number of person days of work created during the first three quarters was 384,411. We, as a Department, hope to continue with this successful in the coming year. Some of our activities that will contribute to this include the various agriculture related projects, the Alien Invasive Species Programme, the Sustainable Coastal Livelihoods Programme and the Working for Wetlands Programme.

Mr. Speaker

The promulgation of the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act in 2004 and implemented on 11 September 2005 brought varied challenges to the Province more especially the need for sustainable development and at the same time ensuring that economic empowerment is not compromised. This we managed to achieve albeit, under trying circumstances, fundamentally balancing the critical need for social development including as well as ensuring an environment that is free from pollution.

The department has established 6 ambient air monitoring stations at Mandeni, Empangeni, Port Shepstone, Estcourt, Newcastle and Pietermaritzburg.

I had the privilege of launching the first station at Mandeni in July of last year. The need for clean air is not by choice but an obligation.

We are also conducting capacity building training for officials in the Department and Province on air quality management. Our participation in the South Durban Basin Inter-governmental Co-ordinating meeting where we have contributed R1.5 towards the Multi-Point Plan, Health Study is starting to bear fruit.

The commemoration of Ozone Day in Merebank Community (South Durban), was a function attended by the National Deputy Minister, Environmental Affairs and Tourism. Officials of the Department presented papers on Climate Change and Air Quality Management. A presentation outlining Departmental initiatives on air quality management at various national and local Forums was also given.

As part of ongoing collaboration with our partners, we have been central in facilitating the appointment of Air Pollution Control Officers at the Municipalities in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.

Projects envisaged for the ensuing fiscal year are:
* Devise a Climate Change Mitigation Plan for the KwaZulu-Natal Province.
* Development of Air Quality Management Plan for this Province.
* Establish a database of Greenhouse Gas Emissions for the Province.
* Training for Municipalities on Air Quality Management- Second Phase.
* Establish Air Quality Fora for Community Participation
In conclusion, although we cannot completely eliminate pollution, we can reduce and mitigate its consequences by realigning our strategies. For this we need more resources.

Mr. Speaker

Allow me to table the allocated Programme 3 Budget: Environmental Management and request the house to approve it as such:

2006/2007 BUDGET (R 000)
Programme 3
Environmental Services
116,588
Total
116,588

Programme 4: conservation

Mr. Speaker

Research on the value of ecosystem services in protected areas (uKhahlamba Municipality) is in progress. This is a national initiative arising from development of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). The project for the interventions, these being: identification of users, values of services provided to them, and management interventions for maintenance are co-funded by the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the World Bank to the tune of R 1.5 million.

Black Rhino expansion programme/ Rhino project in Emakhosini Ophathe Heritage Park (Umkhanyakude and Zululand Municipalities) The Black Rhino Range Expansion Project, is a partnership between Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and international conservation organisation WWF, has been hailed as one of the most significant current black rhino conservation initiatives in Africa. It follows on the successful history of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in bringing the Southern white rhino back from the brink of extinction. The Black Rhino Range Expansion Project is made possible through funding from World Wild Life Fund (WWF-Netherlands), through WWF-South Africa, and is supported by the Mazda Wildlife Fund.

The first founder population of 15 black rhino from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife with an estimated value of R7.5m were released in 2004 on to Munyawana Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal and is doing well. Munyawana is made up of four neighbouring properties which removed internal fences.

The second founder population of 21 black rhino with an estimated value of R10,5m was released in 2005 on to the 24 000 hectare Zululand Rhino Reserve, which is made up of 20 neighbouring properties whose owners removed their internal fences in order to create a significant, barrier-free haven for endangered species, including black rhino.

The third Site of the Project is expected to be the Emakhosini Ophathe Heritage Park, a combined venture between Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and Amafa KwaZulu-Natal which aims to celebrate the cultural and natural history of the Zulu nation and promote sustainable job creation and economic growth in the Ulundi region. Through the Project, 46 kilometres of fencing around the Park have been erected. These are currently being electrified to make the greater Park ready to receive 11 black rhino estimated at a value of R5.5m later this year.

If sufficient conservation, monitoring and security arrangements are in place in time, the founder population will be released towards the end of 2006, making the Park home to a significant black rhino population.

UKhahlamba Drakensberg Park Initiative (Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Project (uThukela, uMgungundlovu and Sisonke Districts) is a 5 year World Bank funded project (2003 – 2007) in collaboration with Lesotho, and the Free State and Eastern Cape provinces with a $US 7.8 million grant and R16.9 million co-financing from South Africa.

A process has been initiated to derive an exit strategy for this phase of the project at the international level that will include the appointment of an international co-ordinator who will be funded by both countries.
The possibility exits that the bioregion be declared as such through the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act and this avenue will be explored as an outcome of the bioregional planning process.

The latter will also be introduced to the local municipalities who fall within the bioregion in order to have the outcomes integrated into their planning mechanisms.

Mr. Speaker

Biodiversity Conservation (all KZN municipalities) is a requirement of the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) is the production of a National Biodiversity Framework and Bioregional Biodiversity Conservation Plans. To this end, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has been developing a comprehensive database and Geographic Information System on the biodiversity assets of the whole of KZN, with an evaluation of their status and prioritised conservation needs. This information will be used to produce a Systematic Biodiversity Conservation Plan for KwaZulu-Natal. The project has been co-funded by the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the KwaZulu-Natal Town and Regional Planning Commission and has cost over R 1 million to date. Completion of data acquisition, production and implementation of the Plan is likely to double this cost.

The major intervention of this project will be the incorporation of the Provincial Biodiversity Conservation Plan into the Local Government Integrated Development Plans, a statutory requirement, and inclusion of biodiversity conservation considerations into Land Use Management Systems (LUMS). The Plan will also provide a focus for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s core business, the conservation of the biodiversity of KwaZulu-Natal, and will assist in the process of rational development for the benefit of all the citizens of the province.

There are 4 Projects currently running at Zululand and uMkhanyakude Municipality Districts. Total budget allocated from the National EPWP is R66,7m for over 3 years. These programmes are starting at the beginning of 2006/2007 fiscal year for the amount of R10.4m. The projects are directed at the Transfrontier Conservation Areas, the initiatives which are run in collaboration with Mozambique and Swaziland. 218 jobs will be created as well as capacity building for the incumbents.

The Sustainable Land Based Livelihood Programme has 3 projects that will run for 3 years at Ugu and Uthukela municipalities within a budget allocation of R77,7m. This initiative will create 582 jobs and capacity building will be achieved in the process. The Ukhahlamba/Drakensberg Park Conservation & Ecotourism Project will realise the completion of this current project. The project has made significant contribution to the development of the TFCA (EPWP Framework & Transfrontier Conservation Area Development) and has further contributed to capacity & economic development of local people by achieving its strategic objectives thus far.

Mr. Speaker

The Working for Tourism programme has as its flagship the Nselweni Development. The Nselweni Bush Camp project is a joint initiative between EKZNW (through the government's Expanded Public Works Programme) and the local communities surrounding the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. The project forms part of the initial phase of a consolidated development initiative for the park and surrounding community conservation areas. This initial step will see the creation of a community company that will enter into a joint venture with EKZNW for the operation of the camp. The project will create 79 temporary jobs or 19 242 job days and inject R 4 million into the area. Of this R 1 203 235 will be spent on wages paid to local community members. R 3 m has also been allocated by the Amakhosi through the community levy fund, bringing up the total development value to R 7 m. Negotiations with the department of labour have commenced to provide skills training to the initiative through the department's skills development programme. The project has commenced with the planning phase and is already in the advanced stages. The construction phase will be complete by the end of the 2006 / 2007 fiscal year.

The second flagship project is Cathedral Peak Campsite Development
The project is a joint tourism venture between EKZNW and communities surrounding Cathedral Peak Nature Reserve. The project aims to capacitate the local community who will assist EKZNW in both the development and management of the campsite facilities. The project was launched in February 2005, and is valued at R6, 5 million and has made steady progress to date.

The project has employed a total of 123 people to participate in various activities and as such has generated 33 463 job days. It will also contribute by providing training and skills development to 85 local community people. A budget of R2.1m has been allocated to community wages and an amount of R800 000 has been paid in wages to date. The construction phase of the project has also got under way and the construction tender has been awarded to a local BEE contractor.

Mr. Speaker

The last flagship project under the Working for Tourism Programme is the Royal Natal National Park Development. The former hotel at Royal Natal National Park is a historical landmark that was frequented by guests from all over the world. The establishment became an international destination following the visit by the British Royal Family in 1947. The facility unfortunately fell into disrepair and was finally closed down in 1999.

Due to mounting criticism the Honourable Premier of KZN identified this as a priority project for the Province and has given his full support for the re-development of the hotel as a community empowerment initiative. EKZNW acting on instruction from the Premier has therefore completed a feasibility study for the redevelopment of the hotel which is estimated at R77 m, a large percentage of this will be raised as grant funding, which will then serve as the communities’ equity share.

It is envisaged that a 200-bed 3 star / 4 star hotel development will be pursued which will involve the local community as a shareholder in the venture. The management of the facilities will be conducted by a hotel operator who in turn will be required to provide employment to local people. This development will therefore take on a unique relationship of developing a partnership between EKZNW (Government), the private sector and communities.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife runs a learnership programme. The total training budget funded through external projects amounts to R3m which translate to 59 982 training days. Through the initiatives of Department of Labour and DEAT, it is anticipated that approximately 100 learners will be selected.

EKZNW has set aside a further total budget of R1.5m for 5, 204 strategic skills development interventions e.g. bursaries, ABET, Training courses workshops/ conferences.

In addition to the above a further R630 000 has been budgeted for 18.1 learnerships (internal staff), 18.2 learnerships (unemployed and unqualified outside people), interns (unemployed graduates), experiential learners (currently studying) and skills programmes for external people ( unemployed)

Mr. Speaker

Allow me to table the allocated Programme 4: Conservation and request the house to approve it as such:

2006/2007 BUDGET (R 000)
Programme 4
Conservation
288,500
Total
288,500

Mr. Speaker

In closing, I am convinced that we have what it takes to attain our vision, goals and objectives as outlined. What is now required is an intensive rolling mass action on the country side which must touch every square inch of the land in the Province. It is not the time to hold back, amagwal’ awabuyel’ eceleni. We cannot fail our people in this Age of Hope.

Amasango ezulu avulekile, phezu komkhono!

Issued by: Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
2 May 2006