Environmental Affairs & Tourism, & Water & Forestry Departments’ Strategic Plans and Budgets 2008/9

Meeting report

Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT): Strategic Plan and Budget 2008/9
Ms Nosipho Jezile, Acting Director General, DEAT, briefed the Committee on the Strategic Plans and Budget for 2008/09. She outlined the vision and mission of the Department, and indicated the broad view of the programmes, goals and strategic objectives for 2008/9. Cluster focus areas consisted of industrial policy action and an intense campaign for better air quality and against poaching.

Specific goals and strategic objectives for 2008-11 included delivery on the DEAT mandate, growing a learning organisation and becoming an employer of choice, operational efficiency, financial responsibility and enhancement of reputation and collective ownership of sectors.

In the field of tourism the pillars of the strategy included product and Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise development, as well as quality assessments, incentive investment with the Department of Trade and Industry and growth of land and air transport.

She indicated that the individual entities forming part of the DEAT would be discussing their strategies individually. Specific aims of the Department overall were that it should be the employer of choice, that it should continue producing clean audit reports and enhance its reputation. Conservation would play an important role and it  was further the intention to reduce energy usage by 20%, including paper usage, and to use recycled material wherever possible to work with the new technology. Greater focus would be placed, in light of the forthcoming legislation, on managing negative impact on the coastlines. From an internal point of view the Department aimed to become greater involved with employee wellness, improve its equality and representivity counts.

Ms Jezile noted that the total budget allocation was  R3,06 billion, with a projected increase to R 3,76 billion by 2010/11. She set out the budget allocations by economic classification, noting the scope for budget growth and subsequent spending on delivery. Total budget allocation for public entities was R1, 23 billion with an increase to R1,48 billion in 2009/10.

DEAT Public Entity Presentations:
South African Weather Service (SAWS)
Ms Hanlie Grobler, CFO, SAWS noted that there would be greater emphasis placed on the end user, and that SAWS also aimed to improve its corporate governance in the forthcoming year. SAWS would also be continuing to play a role in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, as it was already a member and secretariat of the Metrological Association of Southern Africa (MASA). There would be emphasis on strategic compliance. A major focus of the SAWA was to provide correct forecasting and offer early warning systems, in order to better provide for disaster management. Radar systems were to be improved. It also would be working with other organisations on air quality management and waste management.

There was a focus on education and training, and SAWS, along with its sister organisations, did encourage the study of science and technology. It continued to ensure that it could respond to the needs of the country through total quality management services. Its efforts would play a major role in contributing to the policy on climate change.

On the financial side, she reported that the total revenue received was 99% of the budget, while the total expenditure had been 97% of the budget. The operating surplus, before land and interest revaluations, had been less than 1% of total budget. Almost all (99%) of the targets set for the year had been achieved. For the following year, the total revenue was expected to match the expenses, so that a nil surplus was anticipated for the next three years.

Particular focus areas in the following year would include the implementation of the Flash Flood project in collaboration with Disaster Management, a modernisation plan, the upgrade of the lightning detector network, upgrade of automatic weather stations and rain stations, upgrade of upper air soundings and the implementation of items on the 2010 business plan. She tabled the amounts committed in each year for the modernisation plan and the radar network.

SA Tourism (SATOUR)
Mr Moeketsi Mosola, CEO, SATOUR noted that in the past year there had been 9 million visitors to South Africa. It had achieved above world-average growth in tourism, showing 8.3% as opposed to the global average of 6.1%. SATOUR aimed to achieve annual spend targets, and be the Most Preferred Tourism Brand by 2014. In the short term, it aimed to achieve, each year, a 3% increase in total awareness in all markets, and to be the Best Tourism Organisation by 2010.

The achievements for the past year included a clean audit report, staff retention of 85%, and an increased ranking as preferred employer. It had spent the full training budget. Key strategies were outlined as improving stakeholder communications, growing business, growing the staff, improving the brand to create positive awareness, developing and integrating measurements for operational excellence, and increasing the value extraction from all tourists.

Mr Mosola said that business tourism was one focus area, which would increase as more international conferences, meetings and incentives were offered for South Africa. Trade would be encouraged to sell South Africa as a “business unusual” destination, and the Meetings Africa event would be grown. SATOUR would provide a business tourism toolkit to the trade, and the partnerships would be expanded with joint industry initiatives. Top meeting planners would be identified, more association buyers would be secured, and the database and on line marketing platforms and stakeholders, would be used for promotion.

In the Global Leisure field, it was intended to increase the tourist trade familiarity with South Africa, increase the number of new international buyers, and provide tools to the trade to sell and promote South Africa. Trade Extranet was an online tool designed to disseminate information, consumer and marketing collateral to the trade. Indaba 2009 was a promotional tool designed to attract new international visitors.

The Events platform would identify and secure large-scale events for South Africa. SATOUR would support bidding for major events, and key international events would be supported to leverage media awareness and promote South Africa. The 2010 World Soccer cup events would be used as a springboard to promote all other 2010 events.

Specific targets were set out in respect of arrivals from the rest of Africa as were projects in other core markets in the SADC and domestically (see attached presentation)

The cooperation between SATOUR and Department of Foreign Affairs was outlined, and it was noted that SATOUR also partnered with media and the trade for indabas, with key airline partners to improve connectivity, and engaged in negotiations to increase capacity into South Africa.

Challenges include the growing awareness against decreasing budgets, the increased spend by major competitors, the need to have accurate counting of domestic and SADC land travel, and the need for ongoing engagement with funders and industry. External challenges included the stability of the electricity supply, the fact that tourism was not given due weight in budget allocations, the volatility of aviation fuel prices, the exchange rate fluctuations, the impact of the US economic slowdown, the global credit and mortgage crisis, global warming and climate change. SATOUR would appreciate assistance with getting timeous release of accurate tourism statistics by Stats SA, air capacity, safety and security interventions, and increased budgets. There was a need to lobby government to use graded establishments, to challenge the industry to continue to invest in skills, to call on universities to review their curricula in line with the new sector skills plan and to ensure compliance.

South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
Dr Christopher Willis, Acting CEO, SANBI, reported that SANBI championed the exploration, conservation, sustainable use, appreciation and enjoyment of South Africa’s exceptionally rich biodiversity for all people. By 2011 it aimed to have effective frameworks, networks and leadership for disseminating biodiversity knowledge, be the leader in coordination of responses to the bio impacts of climate change, and lead the development of cooperative and integrated programmes, best practice models and conservation. be a leader in the development of co-operative, integrated biodiversity programmes, best practice models and conservation estate management.

SANBI currently identified its research priorities with DEAT and set a broad research framework with a number of entities. public entities. It would harness research capacity nationally, give a focus to efforts of other organizations and fostered networks. The programmes in which it was involved were set out (see attached presentation). These included climate change and bio-adaptation, the strengthening of bio-adaptation research, biodiversity planning and mainstreaming, municipal capacity building, rehabilitation of threatened ecosystems, policy development support, and knowledge and information management. The work in the area of conservation gardens and tourism and biodiversity education was set out. It was also involved in educational issues, including greening of the schools and the nation. There was now a new approach to environmental education

Challenges included the need to increase the numbers of black participants in biodiversity, through the whole spectrum fro visitors to consultants in institutions, the funding, making gardens more accessible to the majority of people, the need to reshape the organogram and refocus the strategy, and appoint staff. More funding was required to meet the commitments, and special support was required for climate change, the Marine Biodiversity Programme, gardens in Eastern Cape and Limpopo, neighbourhood greening and municipal biodiversity planning.

Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA)
Ms Thembi Kunene, CEO of TGCSA, gave a brief background on the grading system emphasising that the grading system was voluntary, thus encouraging people to improve their service standards and expand their own businesses. She added that TGCSA‘s aim was to improve quality of tourism throughout South Africa’s Tourism industry as well improve service levels. It was hoped to broaden awareness through public information sessions on grading, how it was done, and rights of tourists and operators.

Ms Kunene said that the Council had the function of giving input on decisions in respect of tourism grading, and controlled assessors, who were obliged to act in accordance with a Code of Conduct. The Council was instructed by MinMEC in April 2008 to conduct a comprehensive review of grading criteria and categories, institutional, infrastructure, funding and legal arrangements. Areas covered would include the accessibility of tourism establishments, and the Universal Access Grading System had been instituted. Regulations were necessary in respect of smoking and other matters. Green grading would lead to environmental friendliness for South Africa.

The Council had relationships with provinces, although municipal bylaws differed in the various provinces, hampering the promotion and development of tourism accommodation in a consistent manner. Client feedback was of importance and there were campaigns to get comments by SMS Cabinet had recently taken a decision that all government departments were only to use graded establishments, to ensure adherence to quality standards. To date this was not being done.