ATC160426: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs on the Strategic Plan 2016/17—2019/20, (APPS) 2016/17 & the Budget Vote 27 (DEA) & Entities: (Saws), (SANBI), (IWPA) (SANparks), Dated 26 April 2016

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN 2016/17—2019/20, ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLANS (APPS) 2016/17 AND THE BUDGET VOTE 27 OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS (DEA) AND THE ENTITIES: THE SOUTH AFRICAN WEATHER SERVICES (SAWS), SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY INSTITUTE (SANBI), ISIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK AUTHORITY (IWPA) AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL PARKS (SANPARKS), DATED 26 APRIL 2016

 

1.         Background

 

The Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs (hereinafter referred to as the Portfolio Committee) having considered the directive of the National Assembly to consider and report on the Strategic Plan, Annual Performance Plans and Budget allocations of the Department of Environmental Affairs (hereinafter the Department) and all entities reporting to it, tabled by the Minister of Environmental Affairs, and in terms of the Public Finance Management Act (Act No 32 of 2003), reports as follows:

 

2.         Introduction

 

On 12 and 14 April 2016, the Portfolio Committee invited the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) as well as the entities reporting to it, namely, the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), South African Weather Service (SAWS), iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority (IWPA) and the South African National Parks (SANParks) to present the overview of their medium term strategic plans, annual performance plans and their budget allocations for the 2016/17 financial year as well as medium term expenditure framework allocations for 2017/18 and 2018/19, respectively.

 

2.1        Overview of the Department of Environmental Affairs and its Entities

 

The mandate of the Department of Environmental Affairs is to ensure the protection of the environment and conservation of natural resources, balanced with sustainable development and the equitable distribution of the benefits derived from natural resources for current and future generations. This is to be achieved while giving effect to the right of the nation to an environment that is not harmful to their health and wellbeing as stated in Section 24(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which stipulates specifically that “all South Africans have the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing, and to have the environment protected for the benefit of the present and future generations” through relevant legislation”.

 

It is in this context that the Department embraces the value of being proactive in fostering innovative thinking and solutions to environmental management, premised on an anthropocentric approach that recognises the centrality of people in all the facets of environmental management.[1]

 

Moreover, placing people at the centre of environmental management is critical for sustainable management and also for ensuring the integrity of measures that are put in place to secure the protection and sustainability of the nation’s environmental assets. It is important to note that the Department is a high performance-driven organisation and serves with integrity, as the custodian and ambassador for South Africa’s environment that should be bequeathed to future generations in a manner that encourages its sustainability indefinitely.

 

As the national partner to provinces in a concurrent function, the Department leads the environmental sector by setting the policy and legislative framework and the norms and standards required for environmental protection and environmentally sustainable development in the country. This role is evident through the large numbers of policy and legislative instruments initiated, processed and administered by the Department.

 

2.1.1     Legislative mandate

 

The core business of the Department is underpinned by the Constitution and the following pieces of legislation:

 

• National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), 1998 (Act No 107 of 1998) (which is a regulatory framework for the management and protection of environmental resources and coordination in relation thereto): This Act was enacted to provide for the following subsidiary, issue-specific legislation on biodiversity and heritage resources; oceans and coasts; climate change and air quality management; and waste and chemicals management.
•  National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004 (Act No 39 of 2004): This Act of Parliament regulates air quality.
•  National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act 10 of 2004): This Act regulates and sets out the mechanisms for managing and conserving South Africa’s biodiversity, its components and institutions (e.g., SANBI).
•  National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (Act No 59 of 2008) - regulates waste management; provides for national norms and standards for regulating the management of waste by all spheres of government; and provides for the licensing and control of waste management activities.
•  National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, 2008 (Act No 24 of 2008): This establishes a system of integrated coastal and estuarine environmental management in the Republic; ensures that development and the use of natural resources within the coastal zone is socially and economically justifiable and ecologically sustainable; determines the responsibilities of organs of State in relation to coastal areas; controls dumping at sea and pollution in the coastal zone.

The Department fulfils its mandate through formulating, coordinating and monitoring the implementation of national environmental policies, programmes and legislation with the additional support from its entities, such as iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the South African National Biodiversity Institute, South African National Parks, and the South African Weather Service. It is noteworthy that the main activities of the Department are divided into seven programmes, comprising of the following:

 

Programme 1: Administration provides leadership, strategic centralised administration and executive support, corporate services and facilitates effective cooperative governance, international relations and environmental education and awareness.

 

Programme 2: Legal, Authorizations and Compliance Enforcement (LACE) promotes the development of an enabling legal regime, licensing and authorisation system that ensures enforcement and compliance.

 

Programme 3: Oceans and Coasts promotes, manages and provides strategic leadership on oceans and coastal conservation, including relevant research and specialist services, as they pertain to the costal and oceans environment.

 

Programme 4: Climate Change and Air Quality Management formulates policies, administers legislation and implements systems to improve regulation, monitoring and compliance over climate change and air quality. This Programme improves air and atmospheric quality, leads and supports, informs, monitors and reports efficient and effective international, national and significant provincial and local responses to climate change through the South African Weather Service.

 

Programme 5: Biodiversity and Conservation ensures the regulation and management of all biodiversity, natural heritage and conservation matters in a manner that facilitates sustainable economic growth and development.

 

Programme 6: Environmental Programmes is the largest departmental programme (in terms of budget allocation) and deals with the implementation of expanded public works and green economy projects in the environmental sector.

 

Programme 7: Chemicals and Waste Management manages and ensures that chemicals and waste management policies and legislation are implemented and enforced in compliance with chemicals and waste management authorisations, directives and agreements.

 

3.         linkages between the Departmental Priorities and the National Development Plan Vision 2030

 

The National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030 is that by 2030, South Africa’s transition to an environmentally sustainable, climate-change resilient, low-carbon economy and just society will be well underway. To achieve this, the NDP envisages a phased trajectory over the three successive Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) periods: 2014-2019, 2019-2024 and 2024-2029. The first planning, piloting and investing phase (2014-2019) where we are now focuses on the creation of a framework for implementing the transition to an environmentally sustainable, low-carbon economy. This phase would include unblocking regulatory constraints, data collection and establishment of baseline information, and indicators testing some of the concepts and ideas to determine if these could be scaled up.

 

The NDP acknowledges that the transition to an environmentally sustainable future, which is carbon constrained would require the decoupling of economic growth from natural resource degradation and depletion. There is therefore a need to build human capital and technological base for implementation of programmes that will grow the economy without increasing South Africa’s emissions profile.[2]

 

The strategic priorities of the NDP that have direct influence on the work of the Department are as follows:

 

• Ecosystems are sustained and natural resource are used efficiently;
• An effective climate change mitigation and adaptation response;
• An environmentally sustainable, low-carbon economy, resulting from a well-managed just transition;
• Enhanced governance systems and capacity; and
• Sustainable human communities.

 

Consequently, the Department’s key outcomes in respect to the NDP’s strategic priorities are:

 

• Environmental Economic Contribution Optimised: This entails facilitating sustainable socio-economic growth and development by catalysing, optimising and scaling up the contribution of the environmental sector to economic prosperity;
• Ecological Integrity Safeguarded and Enhanced: To realise this key outcome requires the Department to provide leadership in promoting and ensuring environmental sustainability through the management, utilisation, conservation, protection and valuing of the Republic’s natural resources;
• Socially Transformed and Transitioned Communities: The Department envisages driving socio-economic transformation and transition by optimising the fair and equitable sharing of benefits and enabling social development; and
• Global Agenda Influenced and Global and Local Obligations Met: The Department would play a significant role in ensuring that international cooperation that it engages in is supportive of South Africa’s environmental and/or sustainable development priorities. This is indeed a noble objective, considering that the impacts of environmental disturbances do not recognise political boundaries or environmental improvements in a country do not only benefit the country where the improvements are made, particularly in climate change mitigation as well as air and water pollution abatement.

 

3.1        Medium Term Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans (APPs) of the Department and its Public Entities for 2016/17

 

The Portfolio Committee received briefings on 12 and 14 April 2016, from the Department and its entities on their strategic plans, annual performance plans and budget allocations for the 2016/17 financial year. This was to ascertain whether the allocated budget to the Department and its entities was aligned to achieve the strategic outcomes conceived in the respective strategic plans and annual performance plans (APPs) documents and also to determine whether the budget is aligned with the government’s strategic priorities for the current 2016/17 financial year, as informed by the NDP.

 

This report, therefore, details the findings and recommendations of the Portfolio Committee after its engagement with the Department and its entities on the matters outlined above. In addition to the 2016/17 Budget (including the Estimates of National Expenditure for the MTEF period), tabled in Parliament by the Minister of Finance, the Portfolio Committee was also briefed by the Department on the following documents, which were also tabled in Parliament:

 

• The Strategic Plan of the Department for 2016/17—2019/20;
• The Annual Performance Plan of the Department for 2016/17; and

• The Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans for 2016/17 of the Department’s entities: namely

 

• South African Weather Service ;
• iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority;
• South African National Biodiversity Institute; and
• South African National Parks (SANParks).

 

3.2        Department of Environmental Affairs

 

The Department provides leadership in environmental management, conservation and protection to ensure the sustainability of South Africa’s environment for the benefit of South Africans and the global community in perpetuity.

 

3.3        Departmental Strategic Goals

 

The Department’s strategic goals over the medium term are to:

 

• Ensure environmental economic contribution is optimised – facilitate sustainable socio-economic growth and development by catalysing, optimising and scaling up contribution of the environmental sector to economic prosperity;
• Ensure Environmental/Ecological Integrity is safeguarded and enhanced by providing leadership in promoting and ensuring environmental sustainability through management, utilisation, conservation, protection and valuing of our natural resources, including management of threats to environmental integrity (climate change, waste and chemicals, atmospheric pollution and alien invasive species);
• Socially transform and transition communities - Facilitate sustainable socio-economic growth and development by catalysing, optimising and scaling up the contribution of the environmental sector to economic prosperity, thereby contributing to an environmentally sustainable, low-carbon economy as a result of a well-managed just transition;
• Ensure Global Agenda is influenced and obligations are met by enhancing regional and international cooperation supportive of South Africa’s environmental/sustainable development priorities and influence the global environmental agenda; and
• Build a capable and efficient Department to improve departmental service delivery capacity and capabilities through creation of a harmonious and conducive working environment and provision of delivery platforms, such as information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and services, development and implementation of an effective Human Resource Strategy to attract, develop  and retain a skilled, transformed and diverse workforce that performs in line with the Department’s culture and values, aligning and transforming business processes and systems to support strategy execution and sound corporate governance, thereby optimising efficiencies and strategic agility.

 

3.4        Budget allocation of the Department and its Public Entities

 

The 2016/17 Budget allocations for the above seven departmental programmes are contained in the following Table 1 that compares the current budget with the previous one both in nominal and real rand terms. It is important to note that the nominal value of the South African Rand assumes a constant value of the currency, i.e., the value of R10 in the last financial year is the same as R10 in the current financial year, which is incorrect. Conversely, the real value refers to the present value of rand, featuring inflation. Accordingly, R10 in the past financial year is not equal to the value of R10 plus inflation in the current (2016/17) financial year.

 

Table 1: Departmental Budget allocation trend (2015/16—2016/17)

 

Programme	Budget				Nominal Rand change	Real Rand change	Nominal % change	Real % change
R million	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18	2018/19	2015/16-2016/17		2015/16-2016/17
Administration	870.2	808.2	866.5	926.7	-62.0	-112.0	-7.12	-12.88
Legal, Authorisations and Compliance Enforcement	133.9	164.6	182.3	191.6	30.7	20.5	22.93	15.32
Oceans and Coasts	399.5	475.0	489.1	491.9	75.5	46.1	18.90	11.54
Climate Change and Air Quality	240.1	289.6	295.0	300.8	49.5	31.6	20.62	13.15
Biodiversity and Conservation	730.6	718.2	696.6	737.6	-12.4	-56.9	-1.70	-7.78
Environmental Programmes	3 489.6	3 865.1	4 016.9	3 987.6	375.5	136.2	10.76	3.90
Chemicals and Waste Management	79.3	109.3	114.3	120.7	30.0	23.2	37.83	29.30
TOTAL	5 943.2	6 430.0	6 660.7	6 756.9	486.8	88.7	8.19	1.49

 

Source: National Treasury (2016) Estimates of National Expenditure. National Treasury, Pretoria.

 

Table 1 indicates that the overall 2016/17 Budget allocation to the Department shows a significant increase of R486.8 million in nominal terms, whereas the allocation shows a R88.7 million increase in real terms. Figure 1 below illustrates the budget allocation pattern between the current financial year (2016/17) and the previous financial year (2015/16). This current financial year’s budget allocation is more than the past year’s (2015/16) allocation, which showed a real reduction of R4.8 million, in comparison to the 2014/15 Budget. In fact, the 2014/15 Budget allocation to the Department closely matches the current allocation. However, it would be unrealistic to expect this financial year’s budget increase of R88.7 million in real rand terms to sufficiently tackle all the challenges that confront the nation’s environmental assets that DEA has been mandated to safeguard for the benefit of both current and future generations of South Africans as well as the global community. Moreover, there are concerns that the overall condition of South Africa’s environment continues to deteriorate, mainly due to overreliance on natural resources; poorly regulated mining, resulting in serious environmental damage; poor environmental quality and access to environmental services, such as waste collection; and increasing illegal poaching, wildlife trade and damage by invasive species, inter alia.[3],[4]

 

The most affected departmental programmes are the Administration and the Biodiversity and Conservation. For example, the Administration Programme saw a significant nominal reduction of R62 million, which translates to a real reduction of R112 million, whereas the Biodiversity and Conservation Programme realised R12.4 million and R56.9 million in nominal and real terms, respectively. It is therefore confusing to state that “the projected increased expenditure in the Administration Programme and the Biodiversity and Conservation Programme over the medium term is for the Department to host the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in September and October 2016, where South Africa would submit its rhino horn trade proposal. Consequently, it has been stated that R75 million had been reprioritised for 2015/16 and R48 million for 2016/17 for the event. Ironically, both programmes where increased spending is expected to be, witnessed significant reductions in their budget, as shown in the following Table 2, which depicts the Budget allocation trend between 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years.

 

Table 2: Trend in budget allocation to the departmental entities (2015/16—2016/17)

 

Entity	Budget		Nominal Increase/ Decrease in 2016/17	Real Increase/ Decrease in 2016/17	Nominal % change in 2016/17	Real %t change in 2016/17
R million	2015/16	2016/17
iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority	31.6	33.0	1.4	-0.6	4.43	-2.04
South African National Parks	278.7	278.9	0.2	-17.1	0.07	-6.12
South African National Biodiversity Institute	232.1	238.0	5.9	-8.8	2.54	-3.81
South African Weather Service	160.4	205.0	44.6	31.9	27.81	19.89

 

Source: National Treasury (2016) Estimates of National Expenditure. National Treasury, Pretoria.

 

3.5        Strategic Priorities per programme for 2016/17

The Department has demonstrated that it is fully capacitated as it spent 99.7 per cent of its allocated budget for the 2015/16 financial year, although the auditing of the Department’s 2015/16 financial statements is still underway. The Department also received an unqualified Audit Report in the 2014/15 financial year, and there is a high likelihood for attaining the same unqualified audit opinion in the past 2015/16 financial year.

 

 

Programme 1: Administration

 

The purpose of the Administration Programme is to provide leadership, strategic centralized administration and executive support, corporate services and facilitate effective cooperative governance, international relations and environmental education and awareness.

The strategic objectives of this programme for the 2016/17 – 2017/18 financial year include:

• Equitable and sound corporate governance;
• Value focused funding and resourcing (leveraged public and private sector investments);
• Adequate, appropriately skilled, transformed and diverse workforce;
• Efficient and effective Information Communication Technology (ICT) service;
• Improved profile, support and enhanced capacity for the environmental sector;
• Effective Partnership, Cooperative Governance and Local Government support;
• Enhanced international cooperation supportive of South Africa’s environmental/sustainable development priorities;
• Ecosystems conserved, managed and sustainably used;
• Enhanced sector monitoring and evaluation;
• Improved access, fair and equitable sharing of benefits;
• Coherent and aligned multi-sector regulatory system and decision support across government; and
• Negative impacts on health and well-being minimised;

 

The Department plans to achieve the above-mentioned strategic objectives by inter alia:

 

• Obtaining an unqualified audit opinion without any matter;
• Achieving 98 per cent budget allocation expenditure by the end of the 2016/17 financial year;
• Funding one project in the Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA);
• Mobilising US$20 million in 2016/17 and US$40 million in 2017/18 from international donors to support South Africa’s and African environmental programmes;
• Reducing the vacancy rate to 9.5 per cent from the current baseline of 10.4 per cent;
• Implementing three Human Resource Development Plan interventions, including the recruitment of 100 interns, issuing of 70 bursaries and 85 per cent implementation of the Department’s Workplace Skills Plan;

• Increasing employment targets for women in senior management and people living with disabilities to 50 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively;
• Implementing 100 per cent security risk assessments recommendations;
• Training 200 municipal officials/councillors in waste management;
• Producing and distributing four stakeholder publications;
• Implementing three environmental awareness campaigns;
• Recruiting 100 unemployed youth and implementing learnership programmes;
• Implementing 100 per cent of the Local Government Support Strategy;
• Conducting 16 Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) sessions;
• Conducting eight strategy advocacy workshops;
• Finalising a web-based platform of the climate change monitoring and evaluation system;
• Developing and approving 10 South Africa’s International Environmental and Sustainable Development negotiating positions for Climate Change (two) Biodiversity (six) Chemicals and Waste (one) and High level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (one);
• Publishing the South African Environmentally Sustainable Development Indicators Policy makers Outlook; and
• Preparing and submitting within required timeframes two mandatory international reports to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), namely, Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) and Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); and the National Environmental Management Act, Section 26 report to Parliament.

 

Programme 2: Legal, Authorisations and Compliance Enforcement (LACE)

 

The purpose of this Programme is to promote the development of an enabling legal regime, licensing and/or authorization system that promotes enforcement and compliance with relevant environmental legislation.

 

The strategic objectives for this Programme are to:

 

• Improve compliance with environmental legislation by effective compliance and enforcement;
• Coherent and aligned multi-sector regulatory system and decision support across government;
• Threats to environmental quality and integrity managed; and
• Strengthened knowledge, science and policy interface.

 

Through this Programme, the Department aims to:

 

• Increase the percentage of administrative enforcement actions resulting in compliance from 70 to 80 per cent;
• Issue 220 administrative enforcement notices for non-compliance with environmental legislation;
• Increase the number of criminal cases finalised, with dockets handed over to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) from 28 in 2015/16 to 32 in 2016/17;
• Increase the number of inspections of authorisations in facilities located in environmentally-sensitive areas from 140 in 2015/16 to 145 in 2016/17;
• Conduct 22 joint compliance operations;
• Implement Rhino Management Integrated Strategy and incorporate annual targets on implementation of the existing Rhino Strategy;
• Review the environmental sustainability policy action plan;
• Increase the number of officials trained in environmental compliance and enforcement from 280 in 2015/16 to 3 000 in 2016/17.

 

Programme 3: Oceans and Coasts

 

The purpose of the Oceans and Coasts Programme is to promote, manage and provide strategic leadership on Oceans and Coastal conservation.

The strategic objectives of this programme for the 2016/17 financial year include:

• Managing threats to environmental quality and integrity;
• Strengthening knowledge, science and policy interface; and
• Ecosystems conserved, managed and sustainably used.

 

In managing threats to environmental quality and integrity, the Department aims to:

 

• Implement the National Coastal Management Programme interventions. This will be done by developing the Draft National Guideline on Coastal Rehabilitation during the 2016/17 financial year. The Department also aims to develop Draft Assessment Report and the Coastal Management Setback Lines in the 2016/17 financial year;
• Develop and implement oceans and coastal management strategies and plans, in respect of  water quality guidelines for three end-user categories, namely, aquaculture, industrial use and the natural environment;
• Finalise and approval by Cabinet the National Framework on Spatial Planning;
• Undertake marine top predator population estimates and ecological studies from 12 mainland seabird breeding species to 18 plus four Antarctic seabird species by the 2019/20 financial year;
• Conduct oceans and coastal research, survey and monitoring projects, leading to the implementation of the Plankton Annual Monitoring Plan along the West Coast of South Africa and finalise the MPA effectiveness research/study; and
• Finalise the implementation of the International Indian Ocean Expedition cruises.

 

In strengthening knowledge, science and policy interface, the Department plans to:

 

• Achieve 20 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including theses and research policy reports during the 2016/17 financial year;
• Undertake three relief voyages to the Marion Island, Gough Island and the South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE);
• Commence ocean and coastal research and survey, and monitor projects undertaken.
• Develop a number of Estuary Management Plans. This will be achieved by increasing the number of Estuarine Management Plans from two in the 2015/16 financial year to 35 by the 2019/20 financial year; and
• Finalise 21 Draft Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) Regulations for gazetting in order to increase the proportion of South Africa’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under MPAs to five per cent (53 594 150 km2) by the 2017/18 and 2018/19 financial years, respectively.

 

In ecosystems conserved, managed and sustainably used, the Department plans to:

 

• Finalise the State of the Ocean and Coasts Report. This will be achieved by compiling the annual report card on key ocean and coastal indicators during the 2016/17 financial year;
• Compile and publish annual report card on key oceans and coasts indicators;
• Develop three Estuary Management Plans; and
• Implement the National Oceans and Coasts Water Quality Monitoring Programme in three priority areas in the 2016/17 financial year.

 

 

 

Programme 4: Climate Change and Air Quality Management

 

The purpose of this programme is to improve air and atmospheric quality, lead and support, inform, monitor and report efficient and effective international, national and significant provincial and local responses to climate change. The South African Weather Service’s mandate contributes to this programme.

 

The strategic objectives of this programme for the 2016/17 financial year include:

• Develop a coherent and aligned multi-sector regulatory system and decision support across government;
• Manage threats to environmental quality and integrity managed; and
• Minimise negative impacts on health and well-being.

 

Through this Programme the Department aims to:

 

• Develop and implement Climate Change Regulatory Framework tools by publishing a Draft National Climate Change Response Bill for public comment;
• Implement the Annual Plan for National Framework for Climate Services in respect of four climate sensitive sectors;
• Roll out the ‘’Let us Respond Toolkit” Climate Change Adaptation Programme in 40 municipalities and implement Resilient Cities Programme;
• Finalise Phase 2 National Carbon Sinks Atlas and update mitigation potential analysis;
• Finalise four desired emission reduction outcomes (DEROs) and Carbon Budgets (2021-2025 and 2026-2030) interventions;
• Increase the number of government-owned air quality monitoring stations reporting to South African Air Quality Information System (SAAQIS) from 100 in 2015/16 to 115 in 2016/17;
• Increase the number of air quality monitoring stations meeting a minimum of 80 per cent data recovery from 40 in 2015/16 to 50 in 2018/19;
• Increase by 65 per cent facilities with Atmospheric Emission Licences reporting to the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory System (NAEIS) in 2016/17 to 100 per cent in 2019/20;
• Implement annual air quality management plans for Highveld, Vaal Triangle Air-Shed and Waterberg-Bojanala;
• Publish the Annual Climate Change Monitoring and Evaluation reports;
• Implement five Climate Change Adaptation sector plans for Agriculture, Water, Health, Rural Settlements and Biodiversity;
• Prepare four quarterly Green Fund implementation reports;
• Conduct Climate Change Risk analysis in two provinces;
• Draft national  Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Trajectory; and
• Evaluate 2000-2012 GHE inventory reports.

 

Programme 5: Biodiversity and Conservation

 

The purpose of this programme is to ensure the regulation and management of all biodiversity, heritage and conservation matters in a manner that facilitates sustainable economic growth and development. The South African National Parks, South African National Biodiversity Institute and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority also contribute to this programme.

 

The strategic objectives of this programme include:

• Conserve and manage sustainable use of ecosystems;
• Establish a coherent and aligned multi-sector regulatory system and decision support across government;
• Improve access, fair and equitable sharing of benefits; and
• Improve socio-economic benefits.

 

Through this Programme, the Department intends to:

 

• Conclude five benefit-sharing agreements in the current financial year, increasing to a total of 25 by 2019/20;
• Implement decisions of annual plan for People and Parks, including hosting of a conference;
• Develop and implement four revised Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS) regulations;
• Finalize Biodiversity Management Plans for Cape Mountain Zebra for publication and public comment;
• Approve the National Biodiversity Offsets Policy;
• Increase the land under conservation by 12.2 per cent (14 900 446 ha/12 1991 200ha);
• Assess 88 per cent of the state managed protected areas with METT score above 67 per cent;
• Establish one stewardship site;
• Establish a community-based intervention to promote access to natural resources in Bushbuckridge;
• Establish 10 sustainable natural resource-based enterprises annually in support of wildlife economy vision 2024, which will result in a total of  50 by 2019/20;
• Compile Research and Science Policy Interface Report for Elephant Research Strategy in 2016/17 and conduct elephant research in five focus areas; and
• Compile one policy-based recommendations on intensive breeding of wildlife.

 

Programme 6: Environmental Programmes

 

The purpose of this Programme is to ensure the implementation of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) that has important implications for the environment and to conceptualize and implement green economy projects in the environmental sector.

 

The strategic objectives of this programme for the 2016/17 financial year are to:

 

• Improve socio-economic benefits; and
• To ensure that ecosystems are conserved, managed and sustainably used.

 

Through this Programme, the Department intends to:

 

• Create 38 367 full time equivalent (FTEs) jobs in 2016/17, and 191 673 in 2019/20;
• Increase the number of work opportunities by 76 323 for women, youth and people with disabilities;
• Increase the number of youth benefiting from the Youth Environmental Service (YES) BY 900;
• Support 2 429 SMMEs;
• Establish 34 overnight visitor and staff accommodation units;
• Finalize and coordinate four flagship programmes;
• Create 12 buy-back and recycling facilities in 2016/17, increasing to a total of 27 in 2019/20;
• Rehabilitate 132 wetlands per annum and increasing to 150 wetlands;
• Clear 26 354 hectares of invasive alien plants;
• Early detection of initial 242 668 hectares and 723 741 hectares of invasive plants treated;
• Deploy 1 441 environmental monitors in conservation areas; and
• Suppress 90 per cent of the wildfire incidents.

 

Programme 7: Chemicals and Waste Management

 

The purpose of the Chemicals and Waste Management Programme is to manage and ensure that chemicals and waste management policies and legislation are implemented and enforced in compliance with the chemicals and waste management authorisations, directives and agreements.

 

The strategic objectives of this Programme for the 2016/17 financial year are to:

• Manage threats to environmental quality and integrity;
• Minimise negative impacts on health and wellbeing; and
• Establish a coherent and aligned multi-sector regulatory system and decision support across government.

 

Through this Programme, the Department plans to:

• Finalise Waste Import/Export Regulations;
• Publish for public comment the Draft Hydrofluorocarbons Management Regulations;
• Develop the Chemicals Management Strategy;
• Review three industry waste management plans for e-waste, lighting paper and packaging;
• Increase the percentage of waste diverted from landfill by 60 per cent in the 2016/17 financial year in respect to tyres. The Department plans to increase the percentage to 90 per cent and 80 per cent of paper and packaging by the 2019/20 financial year;
• Authorise the identified 259 unlicensed waste disposal facilities by the 2019/20 financial year;
• Develop and implement a number of chemicals and waste management instruments by updating the National Implementation Plan for the Stockholm Convention during the 2016/17 financial year;
• Finalise the study on the impact of Minamata Convention during the 2016/17 financial year;
•  Create 2000 jobs within the waste management sector in the 2016/17 financial year, increasing to a total of 10 500 by the 2019/20 financial year; and
• Establish 30 waste management enterprises (SMMEs and cooperatives) in 2016/17, and rising to a total of 250 in 2019/20.

 

3.6        Entities reporting to the Department of Environmental Affairs

 

3.6.1     South African Weather Service (SAWS)

 

The South African Weather Service  is a section 3a entity established in terms of the South African Weather Service Act (Act No 8 of 2001) as amended, Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) (Act No 1 of 1999) and associated National Treasury regulations. Accordingly, SAWS mandate is to provide two distinct services, i.e., the public good service, which is funded by government and commercial services where the user-pays principle applies. This entails:

 

• Maintaining, extending and improving the quality of meteorological services and ambient air quality-related information services for the benefit of all South Africans;
• Providing public good services and commercial services to all South Africans;
• Ensuring ongoing collection of meteorological and ambient air quality data over South Africa and surrounding southern oceans for use by current and future generations,
• Be the long-term custodian of reliable national climatological and ambient air quality record;
• Fulfilling the international obligations of the South African Government under the Convention of the World Meteorological Organization, as the Aviation Meteorological Authority;
• Providing services that are sensitive to the demographics realities of the country;
• Fulfilling such other weather-related or ambient air quality information international obligations as the Minister of Environmental Affairs may direct; and
• Be the custodian of the SAAQIS.

 

3.6.1.1 Alignment with the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030

 

The mandate of the SAWS is aligned with the following Chapters of the NDP:

 

• Economy and employment;
• Economic infrastructure;
• Transition to a low-carbon economy;
• Improving education, innovation and training;
• Inclusive rural economy; and
• Improving health.

 

The strategic goals and objectives for the 2016/17 financial year include:

 

• Provision of products and services;
• Capability and capacity development;

• Engaged stakeholders;
• Research, knowledge and intelligence creation; and
• Growth and sustainability.

 

For the 2016/17 financial year, the South African Weather Service priorities under the provision of products and services are to:

 

• Ensure 100 per cent completion of community weather smart needs analysis report across all targeted communities for the development of products and services to improve weather resilience;
• Provide one product or service for a community segment and maintain delivery of four existing products;
• Provide three sector specific information to the market for agriculture, energy and water sectors;

• Ensure 100 per cent completion of a 5-year marketing plan for climate and agricultural sector;
• Establish one joint venture and a strategic alliance;
• Maintain 80 per cent of radar data availability and 90 per cent SAAQIS availability;
• Maintain 92 per cent employee retention rate for core and critical skills;
• Increase employment equity rate as per the organisation’s Employment Equity (EE) Plan (74 per cent Africans, 3 per cent people with disabilities, 40 per cent women in core skills and 42 per cent in management);
• Implement stakeholder engagement plan for national education plan;
• Implement and achieve 80 per cent of  annual targets of the Regional Training Centre;
• Award 62 bursaries and absorb 45 per cent of bursars in the organisation;
• Implement three national framework for climate services for agriculture, energy, water and health sectors;
• Conclude one partnership that translates into applications or products for decision-making in modelling and forecasting system;
• Publish 14 peer-reviewed scientific articles in accredited international journals where SAWS scientists are leading authors;
• Grow aviation revenue to R108 million in 2016/17; and
• Ensure that there is adequate funding for infrastructure life-cycle management, Aviation Master System Implementation Plan and Human Capital Requirements.

 

The SAWS Strategic Risks for 2016/17 financial include, amongst others:

 

• Slow commercialisation of its products and services and inability to market effectively;
• Increased competitors in the African market and limited customer base;
• Inability to secure adequate funding from Government and other sources;
• Inadequate maintenance of ICT services;
• Limited attraction of critical skills and retention;
• SAWS not positioned as key role player in Climate Change; and
• Limited revenue streams.

 

3.6.2     iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority (IWPA)

 

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority in KwaZulu-Natal was established in 2002 in terms of the World Heritage Convention Act (Act No 49 of 1999), with the mandate to ensure that effective and active measures are implemented in the Park for the protection and conservation of World Heritage Convention values; promote empowerment of historically disadvantaged communities living adjacent to the Park; promote, manage, oversee, market and facilitate optimal tourism and related development in the Park; and encourage, sustain, invest and contribute to job creation.

 

3.6.2.1  Alignment with the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030

 

The mandate of the IWPA is aligned with the following Chapters of the NDP:

 

• Economy and Employment by reducing unemployment, increased Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and broad ownership of assets;
• Environmental sustainability and resilience through land and oceans protection, energy efficiency, zero emission building standards, investment in rural livehoods;
• Social protection by providing support through labour market initiatives such as EPWP programmes skills training and development;
• Improving education, innovation and training;
• Inclusive rural economy through tourism initiatives; and
• Improving health care, prevent and reduce the burden of disease through deterring and treating of HIV/AIDS cases.

 

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority’s strategic goals for 2016/17 are:

 

• Park operations to ensure the regulation and the management of the World Heritage values in a manner that facilitates sustainable economic growth and development;
• Transformation to improve access to job and income generation opportunities for previously disadvantaged individuals and communities;
• Commercialisation to position the Park as a premier tourism destination; and
• Effective governance and administration to improve the framework for policy-making in iSimangaliso, promote innovative research that supports management objectives and develop, implement and maintain cost efficient and effective system that supports the execution of business processes.

 

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park priorities for 2016/17 are to:

 

• Ensure that six park meetings are attended with a day-to-day conservation manager;
• Complete six new audits;
• Deploy 30 environmental monitors in the Park;
• Ensure that the World Heritage values are conserved by detecting poaching incidents and illegal developments;
• Complete annual infrastructure maintenance programme;
• Improve access to work and income generating opportunities to 1 782 jobs in 2016/17;
• Provide 20 bursaries to deserving students;
• Increase visitor numbers by 500 000;
• Implement three annual park events;
• Obtain an unqualified audit opinion;
• Maintain 90 per cent skills retention;
• Increase revenue sharing with the land claimants from R861 000 in 2015/16 to R890 000 in 2016/17;
• Increase the number of BEEE SMMEs; and
• Implement plans to mitigate the impact of identified threats to rare and endangered species.

 

Notwithstanding, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority’s Strategic Risks include:

 

• Managing the impacts of a rapidly changing and increasing legal environment on service delivery and benefit sharing;
• Incomplete land uses outside the Park impact on World Heritage values;
• Inadequate funding secured for benefit-creating programmes; and
• Limited skills in the area.

 

3.6.3     South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)

 

SANBI was established in September 2004, in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act No 10 of 2004). The mandate of the Institute is to monitor and report regularly on the status of South Africa’s biodiversity, all listed threatened or protected species, ecosystems and invasive species; and the impact of any genetically modified organism that has been released into the environment. The Institute is also mandated to act as an advisory and consultative body on matters relating to organs of State and other biodiversity stakeholders; coordinate and promote the taxonomy of South Africa’s biodiversity; manage, control and maintain all national botanical gardens, herbaria and collections of dead animals that may exist; and advise the Minister of Environmental Affairs on any matter regulated in terms of the Act, and any international agreements affecting biodiversity that are binding on South Africa.

 

SANBI’s strategic goals are to:

 

• Render an effective and efficient corporate services;
• Manage and unlock benefits of the network of National Botanical Gardens as windows into South Africa’s biodiversity;
• Build the foundation of biodiversity science;
• Assess, monitor and report on the state of biodiversity and increase knowledge for decision-making, including adaptation to climate change;
• Provide biodiversity policy advice and access to biodiversity information, and support for climate change adaptation; and
• Provide human capital development, education and awareness in response to SANBI’s mandate.

 

SANBI’s priorities for the 2016/17 financial year are to:

• Position SANBI as the employer of choice in the biodiversity sector by recruiting black biodiversity professionals through structured internships and postgraduate studentships;
• Spend two per cent of allocated payroll on staff development;
• Increase employment equity rate as per the organisation’s EE Plan (57 per cent males in permanent positions, 3 per cent people living with disabilities and 43 per cent women in permanent positions);
• Increase revenue on rental and admission sales by two per cent;
• Ensure 90 per cent availability of SANBI’s ICT network and business services;
• Implement effective, efficient and transparent supply chain financial management systems to maintain unqualified financial statements;
• Implement marketing initiatives and activities to promote, profile and maintain brand visibility and to also keep stakeholders informed through appropriate platforms for  internal and external stakeholders;
• Add 20 new indigenous plant species to the living collections of the combined network of National Botanical Gardens or Millennium Seed Bank Partnerships;
• Establish two new National Botanical Gardens in the Limpopo Province;
• Implement 45 maintenance/development projects and complete two SANBI capital infrastructure projects;
• Increase visitor numbers annually by two per cent;
• Compile information on 4 200 South African plants and 1 000 animal species;
• Finalise adding of 12 000 records to plant database and 35 animal records to animal database;
• Coordinate training and capacity-building programme with municipal, provincial and other relevant decision-makers to share lessons learnt;
• Increase access to biodiversity data, information and knowledge; and
• Employ 92 black biodiversity professionals and ensure that 1 000 learners participate in the Biodiversity Career Programme.

It is noteworthy that SANBI’s Strategic Risks encompassed the following:

 

• Insufficient MTEF funding from the National Government;
• Inadequate and critical failure of ICT infrastructure and services;
• Skills shortage in critical areas; and
• Negative impact of horticultural collections in the gardens due to water shortages.

 

3.6.4     South African National Parks (SANParks)

 

SANParks was established in terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (Act No 57 of 2003), with the mandate to conserve, protect, control and manage national parks and other defined protected areas and biological diversity.

 

SANParks contributes to the following NDP priorities:

 

• Economy and employment, where SANParks plays a key role in employment creation through implementation of EPWP programmes;
• Economic infrastructure, where SANParks plans to spend more that R672 million on various infrastructure projects;
• Inclusive rural economy, in which case, SANParks contributes to rural development through corporate social investment initiatives and community development programmes in communities adjacent to national parks;
• South Africa in the region and the world, where SANParks promotes regional cooperation and promotes exchange of conservation expertise with countries such as Mozambique, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia;
• Improving education, training and innovation by implementing a comprehensive environmental programme, which sees over 200 000 learners participating in the programme;
• Building safer communities, where as a major player in conservation management, SANParks has a responsibility to protect natural resources within its jurisdiction by implementing anti-rhino, -elephant, -abalone and anti-cycads poaching initiatives; and
• Building a capable and developmental state by contributing to transformation objectives of the country through implementation of the BEEE Charter. This includes skills development, enterprise development and preferential procurement programmes.

 

SANParks’ strategic priorities for 2016/17 are to:

 

• Improve representative conservation estate to augment the conservation estate through effective and efficient management of national park systems;
• Effectively manage ecosystem, species and cultural heritage assets to effectively manage sustainable ecosystem and cultural heritage resources;
• Enhance tourism returns and diversification of park visitors;
• Diversify and enhance tourism opportunities and experiences to attract and retain old and new markets by enhancing the park visitor experience;
• Optimise contribution to the green and blue economy to optimise the country’s contribution to community socio-economic development, job creation and efficient equity partnering;
• Enhance awareness and skills to improve environmental awareness amongst communities through targeted SANParks environmental educational programmes;
• Enhance knowledge for decision-making to continuously generate knowledge and information for better decision-making;
• Enhance stakeholder engagement to improve environmental stewardship and organisational reputation through a proactive and strategic stakeholder engagement;
• Accountable corporate governance to foster systematic and robust approach that will enable optimisation of corporate governance to achieve corporate goals;
• Conducive working environment to improve workplace cohesion and harmony and healthy working environment; and
• Realise financial sustainability to generate the organisation’s revenue streams through the effective and efficient management of financial resources.

 

The SANParks priorities for the 2016/17 financial year are to:

• Ensure that a total terrestrial area of 1 387 hectares are added to existing national parks;
• Maintain the State of Biodiversity rating of three or above by completing biodiversity baseline report;
• Develop a State of Area Integrity Assessment rating and complete the energy and water consumption audits;
• Review two park management plans in the 2016/17 financial year;
• Reduce by two per cent rhino and elephant fatalities due to poaching per annum in the Kruger National Park;
• Implement 100 per cent Rhino Management Strategy planned activities;
• Publish 20 peer review research papers;
• Ensure the growth of gross tourism revenue from seven per cent to 11 per cent by promoting effective management of national parks, for example, by expanding total area added to national parks, rehabilitate areas with alien and invasive species, implementing the Biodiversity Monitoring Plan, and implementing the Cultural Heritage Programme;
• Develop and implement the Fundraising Policy Strategy and implement 13 revenue-generating products;
• Increase the total number of visitors to national parks from 5 660 000 to 5 95 000 per annum;
• Implement six species protection interventions, including rhinos and elephants;
• Increase access to national parks from 18 000 to 18 100;
• Implement two environmental educational programmes;
• Increase the total number of full-time equivalent jobs from 6 459 to 7 942;
• Implement two green and one blue economy projects;
• Increase the total number of participants in environmental education programmes to 218 000 per annum and provide free access to 54 000 entrants;
• Facilitate socio-economic development through SMMEs, creation of temporary jobs through Expanded Public Work Programme projects and community-based initiatives;
• Maintain an unqualified audit opinion from the Auditor-General by promoting effective management of the human capital by way of building a learning organisation underpinned by corporate values;
• Increase the employment targets for women and people with disabilities by two per cent from 0.9 per cent;
• Maintain the vacancy rate of five per cent; and
• Grow SANParks’ revenue base by 11 per cent by promoting the effective management of national parks, for example, by expanding the total area added to national parks, rehabilitating areas with alien and invasive species, implementing the Biodiversity Monitoring Plan and implementing the Cultural Heritage Programme.

However, it is important to note that SANParks has the following Strategic Risks in the financial year under consideration:

• Revenue reduction due to budget cuts;
• Wildlife crime that may result in depletion of ecosystems/species;
• Inability to acquire new equipment or retain the existing ones for rangers; and
• Insufficient budget for infrastructure maintenance.

4.         Committee Observations

 

Having considered the inputs by the Department and its entities, the Committee has made the following observations:

 

• The Committee appreciated the information presented by the Department and its entities on their budget allocations and annual performance plans, particularly the linkages of their strategic goals with the National Development Plan Vision 2030;
• The Committee also appreciated the fact that the Department did not downscale in its work and operated with the current staff establishment despite the cost cutting measures introduced by the National Treasury;
• The Committee noted that the Department could not present its fourth quarterly performance report for 2015/16 prior to the presentation of its Strategic Plan for 2016/17, as it should due to scheduling constraints on the part of the Committee;
• The Committee noted with a concern contextual factors that caused the Department not to meet its target of employing more women in senior positions;
• The Committee was also concerned that less information was presented under the Oceans and Coasts Programme, in relation to Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), new developments and proliferation by certain Asian nations in the Antarctica, raising the possibility of mining in the area by 2040 as well as the absence of a comprehensive global oceans governance protocol;
• The Committee was concerned that it had to rely on the media to get updates on developments in the Antarctica;
• The Committee noted the R92 million budget allocation towards Operation Phakisa programme, however, little was presented by the Department on how the money would be spent; and
• The Committee was pleased that the Wildlife Economy Strategy was approved at the Cabinet level and hoped that the Department would provide its implementation plan in the near future.

 

South African National Parks (SANParks)

 

• The Committee noted the improvement on access to the national parks. However, there is a need to increase figures and link the surrounding communities with parks’ activities; and
• The Committee was concerned that SANParks has not fully implemented the employment equity policy as it should, as the organisation’s staff complement is still dominated by males.
• The Committee was concerned by the unacceptably high rate of wildlife crimes, in terms of rhino, elephant, cycad and abalone poaching in our protected areas.

 

South African Weather Service (SAWS)

• The Committee was concerned about the implications of the budget cuts for meeting the organisation’s new targets on air quality during the 2016/17 financial year;
• The Committee was concerned about SAWS footprint across the country;
• The Committee was concerned about SAWS’ role in preparing the Government to deal decisively with the challenges of drought that befell the country; and
• The Committee was of the view that SAWS’ employment equity target of employing 43 per cent of women in senior management positions was suboptimal.

 

iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority (IWPA)

 

• The Committee commended the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority for their good work, and their revenue sharing of eight per cent with the land claimants;
• The Committee was concerned about the small staff complement at iSimangaliso to carry out such a huge mandate of managing the Park according to the World Heritage values;
• The Committee felt concerned that only 30 environmental monitors were deployed on a vast Park like iSimangaliso;
• The Committee was also uneasy that the entity had employed only one intern to run the GEP Fund as this might result in the withdrawing of the much needed donor-support; and
• The Committee was equally concerned about the implications of budget cuts, especially in terms of eradication of alien invasive plants.

 

South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)

 

• The Committee was concerned about SANBI’s slow transformation in terms of employment, which does not reflect South Africa’s demographics;
• The Committee was uneasy about SANBI’s botanical gardens footprint, which still is fundamentally similar to that of the apartheid era, and hence wanted to know how many gardens were established in the post-apartheid era; and
• The Committee congratulated SANBI for its involvement in Operation Phakisa and also for having applied as the implementing agent for the Global Adaptation Fund.

 

5.   Committee conclusions and Recommendations

 

Having considered the strategic plans, annual performance plans and budget allocations of the Department and its entities, the Committee was generally pleased that the nation’s environmental assets are in good hands despite the mounting pressure on the environmental sector. The Committee was particularly impressed with the manner in which the strategic goals of the Department and its respective entities have been linked with the National Development Plan Vision 2030. The Committee further appreciated the fact that the Department did not downscale in its work and aims to operate with the current staff establishment to attain the set targets despite the cost cutting measures introduced by the National Treasury under the auspices of Cabinet. Notwithstanding, the committee made the following recommendations:

 

• In future, the Department should find a mechanism for presenting its strategic plans and annual performance plans as well as its budget after reporting on its fourth quarter performance in order to see which targets were carried over to the new financial year under consideration even if this has to be done on the same day.
• The Department and the entities need to pay a particular attention to the attainment of employment equity targets to ensure that all South Africans have the opportunity to participate in serving their country. It would even be better to overachieve on these targets, notably on the proportion of women and people living with disabilities across.
• The Departmental entities should indicate how they aim to overcome the strategic risks that they had identified would impact their organisations to ensure that those risks are effectively contained in order not to negatively affect the work of the respective entities.
• There is a need to increase the number of staff under the Climate Change and Air Quality Programme, in order to enforce the air quality management legislation and regulations;
• The Department and SANParks should brief the Committee on the Rhino Poaching Strategy following its approval by Cabinet;
• The Department should brief the Committee on the progress relating to the preparations for the Conference on International Trade and Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) conference that would be held in September 2016, in South Africa;
• SANParks should expedite concluding contractual agreements with communities adjacent to national parks to encourage their participation in maintaining the integrity of protected areas in their proximity;
• The Committee requests for detailed briefings on Operation Phakisa and Global Fund implementation from the Department and SANBI once the necessary processes have been completed, in order to enhance the organisation’s accountability to Parliament; and
• There is a need for the Department to implement innovative ways that bring the concept of a zero waste home closer to people in order to encourage ordinary householders to recognise that heedlessly wasteful ways are not gateways to prosperity and convenience, but rather barriers to a good quality life and a healthy environment. There is a need to unlock the power of society to reduce waste by using innovative policy tools that seek to internalise the costs of waste generation/management, for example, pay-per-bag/kg system or pay-as-you-throw.

 

The Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs recommends to the House to adopt the Department of Environmental Affairs Budget Vote 27 allocation for the 2016/17 financial year, with the allocation of R6.430 101 billion.

 

 

Report to be considered.

 

 

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[1] Department of Environmental Affairs (2016) Department of Environmental Affairs Strategic Plan 2015/16 — 2019/20. Department of Environmental Affairs, Pretoria.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (2006) South Africa Environment Outlook (SAEO): A report on the state of the environment. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), Pretoria.

[4] Department of Environmental Affairs (2012) 2012 South Africa Environment Outlook (SAEO). Department of Environmental Affairs, Pretoria.