GCIS MEDIA BRIEFING
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT CLUSTER
18 February 2003

Documents handed out
Presentation by Minister of Education (Appendix 1)
Presentation by Minister of Labour (Appendix 2)
Presentation by Minister of Public Works (Appendix 3)
Presentation by Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (Appendix 4)

Briefing by Minister of Education
Prof Kader Asmal, Minister of Education referred to his briefing document which contained all the relevant issues. His presentation focused on the cost of education, as highlighted in the President’s State of the Nation Address. He did however make the following additional remarks:

One of the primary focuses of the Department of Education’s national plan for higher education is to develop the technical college sector, because this sector has largely been ignored in the past. These colleges were set up in the 1960’s for the Indian, Coloured and African communities, and last year saw a reduction in their number from 150 such institutions to 50.

The Department of Education is also committed to securing concentrated investment to develop the programmes offered at these colleges, with a greater emphasis being placed on practical knowledge. This is important, because previously the most popular course at these technical colleges was in fact theological studies. The Department of Education will meet with the regional heads as well to discuss this matter, and the aim here is to lift the age group here from not only the eighteen year olds, but to the thirty year olds as well. There are currently approximately 120 000 students at technical colleges, and it is hoped that this number will at least be doubled.

There is a concerted effort to rejuvenate the technical college sector, while placing a strong emphasis on the link between the hand and brain at these institutions. Furthermore, this is the year of Further Education and Training (FET), and here too emphasis will be placed on the technical colleges.

The current throughput rate of 15% is not satisfactory, and has to be addressed to boost the current rate.

There is a typographical error in paragraph 7 of the briefing document, as the year "2002" should properly read "2004".

One year ago the President mentioned the establishment of an ICT university in his 2002 State of the Nation Address. This will be an advanced institute and it is now at a very advanced stage, as government now has to decide exactly what this institute will be offering. It has been decided that the model currently employed in Australia will be adopted here, and the South African ICT will serve to develop research and teaching in the field. Well known people in the ICT industry from all over the world will be invited to do research and to teach at the ICT university, and it is hoped that this will create an interest in the advanced ICT industry. This will not be a "super university", but will serve the development and application of research. It is also a very important tool in getting people to become involved in theoretical research, but this does call for a great investment from the State.

Briefing by Minister of Labour
The briefing (see document) was conducted by Mr Membathisi Mdladlana, Minister of Labour. He dealt with government’s commitment to protect the most vulnerable workers in South Africa, including the introduction of minimum wages for farm workers and domestic workers, as well as the Department of Labour’s plans to include seasonal and domestic workers in the unemployment insurance fund. The presentation also dealt with the plans to address the shortage of scarce skills and efforts to boost the employment rate.

Briefing by Minister of Public Works
The presentation (see document) was conducted by Ms Stella Sigcau, Minister of Public Works, and dealt with the Department of Public Works’ contribution to Human Resource Development and the Employment Strategy. The key intervention is the expanded Public Works Programme, which focuses on national, provincial and local government infrastructure investment and service delivery, as well as State-owned enterprises infrastructure, community and poverty alleviation programmes. The presentation also outlined the outcomes of these initiatives, the key performance indicators and the alignment of existing infrastructure programmes.

Appendix 1: Minister of Education

Press briefing on Human Resource Development Strategy
Department of Education

18 February 2003

1. The Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa provides an implementation plan that will ensure that the people of this country are equipped to participate optimally in society, to be able to lead better lives and to fully participate in creating work or benefiting from it.

2. Central to the HRD Strategy are government interventions that seek to address the problem of scarce skills. Notwithstanding the difficulties of elevating certain skills over others, remarkable progress has been made with regard to allocation of bursaries and loans for through the National
Students Financial Aid Scheme. During the financial year 2001/2002 R635 million was administered by the scheme in partnership with the 21 Universities and 15 Technikons to 93 532 beneficiaries.

3. The highest proportion of the awards was allocated to Commerce degrees and diplomas (22%), 13% to Administration, 11% to Engineering and 10% to Science, in line with the scarce skills' targets of the Strategy. The Department of Labour has also disbursed 1 500 bursaries and loans through NSFAS for undergraduates and the National Research Foundation (NRF) for
postgraduate studies. This joint effort will ensure that resources that government is allocating to skills development reach as many people as possible, especially those that would have been denied access to higher education because of lack of funds. This year we would like to invite
private companies to align their corporate social investment strategies to the HRD Strategy to maximize the impact of all the funds that are contributed towards bursaries and scholarships.

4. In recognition of the urgency of developing a sound skills' base in our country, my Ministry has declared the 2003 the Year of Further Education and Training (FET). The intention is to strengthen the supply-side of skills by building institutional capacity of the FET sector, both in terms of quality of provision and responsiveness to the needs of our country. This sector is critical in the skill revolution that we began when the HRD Strategy was launched and we need to collectively harness the role played by public FET institutions in the provision of learnerships. The learnership campaign that was recently launched by the Minister of Labour aims to have 50 000 learnerships by March 2004 - a major undertaking that requires even stronger collaboration between the two Ministries, including SETAs, education and training providers and employers. The campaign is mainly targeting our young people that are unable to participate in the economy
because of lack of skills. The success of the campaign will be reliant on the participation of public institutions as the project is taken to scale as well as willingness of employers to take learners on board. The ongoing restructuring of the FET landscape will create an enabling framework for
taking the learnership campaign to scale.

5. The Higher Education sector has also been undergoing a major restructuring exercise, which is now at an advanced stage and the legal processes involved in facilitating mergers will commence soon. Parallel to that process is a plan to devise a new funding mechanism intended to improve
the quality of research output in higher education institutions in line with the principle of improving research capacity articulated in the Research and Development Strategy for South Africa. The post-merger higher education sector will be a vibrant one that plays a key role in innovation, research and development that the country requires.

6. At the secondary school level there was significant improvement in participation rates and learners performance in Science subjects that will enhance the quality of the intake of matriculants to Science and Engineering studies at higher education levels. In 2002, we recorded a significant improvement in the proportion of learners that performed well in Mathematics
and Science. In 2001, 46.7% candidates passed Mathematics, which increased, to 56.1% in 2002. The proportion of candidates who passed Physical Science in 2001 was 68.6%, which increased to 76.4% in 2002. It is clear that the effort of our department to improve the quality of teaching and learning of Mathematics and Science is beginning to bear fruit. The performance of
learners in the 102 schools that are part of the Maths and Science projects improved significantly. A separate report on the progress that has been in these schools will be released by my department in the near future. Aggregate performance of matriculants also increased to 68.9%, a 7.2% percentage point improvement.

7. The matriculant of 2002 will have the advantage of obtaining information and advice regarding offerings at all participating institutions at the National Higher Education Information and Application Service that the Ministry will be establishing. The service will assist potential students find information on study grants available, courses available and the institutions offering them under one roof. This will allow students to make informed decisions when they choose careers.

8. The progression of learners through the education and training system is another key factor in building a skills base. In line with the Strategy's intention to open doors of learning for all our people the Ministries of Education and Labour commissioned a Study Team to review the implementation of the National Qualifications Framework and to recommend strategies that will ensure that implementation is accelerated and that the principles of the NQF are upheld. The Study Team made its recommendations last year. Subsequently the public was invited to comment and there was an overwhelming in-principle support for the NQF and what it stood for. Based on the two processes the Ministries of Labour and Education will soon be releasing a plan of taking the NQF into the next phase.

Enquiries: Molatwane Likhethe, Ministerial Spokesperson

Appendix 2: Minister of Labour

PARLIAMENTARY BRIEFING BY THE MINISTER OF LABOUR

18th February 2003

Fellow ministers, members of the media and honoured guests

In the State of the Nation address the President re-iterated this government's commitment to the protection of the most vulnerable of workers in the economy - highlighting the introduction of minimum wages for farm workers and domestic workers and also our Department's intentions to include seasonal and domestic workers in the unemployment insurance safety net.

The President said:

I would like to emphasise there is no turning back from the introduction of these sectoral determinations and as from March 1, 2003, every farmer in our country - with no exceptions - is legally obliged to pay a minimum wage to their employees. It is disturbing that certain farmer organisations who had the opportunity to submit their reservations about the sectoral determination are now crying foul. I am prepared to meet with organisations like AgriSA and I will meet them before the end of the month, as I believe in social dialogue and not confrontation.

I would prefer a situation where I do not need to promulgate sectoral determinations, because the existence of strong trade unions and employer organisations means that employment conditions are negotiated at bargaining councils. I would urge employers and trade unions to ensure that this take place within the next two years.

With regards to the inclusion of domestic and seasonal agricultural workers with the Unemployment Insurance Fund, we urge all employers to ensure that their workers are properly registered. As from April 1, 2003 domestic and seasonal workers will be included in the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Every household that employers a domestic worker, including a gardener must register if the person works for more than 24 hours in a month. Employers can register as from March 20 by either the website - on www. Labour.gov.za - or by filling in and submitting forms at their nearest labour center.

Scientists, professionals, managers, farmers, plumbers, hairdressers, police, auto mechanics, marine biologists, teachers (and many more besides) - are people who have learnt their skills from those who went before - and are able to do three things. Firstly they can use these skills to earn an income which underpins the quality of their own lives and those they hold dear, secondly, through applying their skills they can enhance the quality of lives of others, and thirdly, while they work they not only earn but LEARN. This learning then adds to the sum of human knowledge and can improve the lives of those that follow.

The iniquity of apartheid was it both suppressed the traditional knowledges of the cultures it massacred but did not understand and yet also denied access to its own. So much time and knowledge and skill has been wasted in the process of eradicating this "crime against humanity". But the human spirit is indeed indomitable and, since the birth of democracy in South Africa, that spirit has risen again. And, in the words of very own Human Resource Development Strategy, "our nation is (again, at last) at work for a better life for all".

Pre-schooling and schooling provide children with the tools to learn how to learn in our society. Reading, writing, mathematics and science are all 'tools' that are needed for citizenship and entry into more specialised fields later in life. It is with pride and pleasure that we can now note that whereas children were not even required to attend school before 1994, today we have nearly 100% participation rates, more than 200 000 children in pre-school programmes and more than 68.9% successfully completing matric. More and more youngsters are successfully passing mathematics and science - to be precise 9.4% up on 2001 for maths and 7.8% for science. This means that we are more prepared now that we have been to face the challenges of the future.

The picture for those who leave schooling is also improving: - Of those who enter the higher education system 7% more enter the Science, Engineering and Technology fields today than in 1990, and there are 17% more young people advancing on to the college system than a couple years ago. - Of those who enter the formal sector, more and more are finding that opportunities are opening up to learn at work. Last year our SETAs, the Sector Education and Training Authorities, reported that a total of 2.3 million workers were participating in structured learning - a number which is a significant improvement on previous years. This represents nearly 10% (9.57%) of those in employment - surely a remarkable achievement.

- Of those who are learning at work 333 534 are engaged in Adult Basic Education and Training - in other words catching up on what they missed out as children. And over and above this number a further 97 616 are enrolled in the public sector Adult Education Centres. So our people are grabbing at the opportunities that are opening up as a result of our government's new policies on skills development and adult learning. - Looked at from the perspective of employers - we have found that 67% of employers employing more than 150 workers are actively availing themselves of the incentives offered by the SETAs to increase their training effort, as are 38% of those employing between 50 and 150. - And more than half of all government departments (71 out of 140) are now preparing workplace skills plans which look at their skills needs for service delivery in a holistic and integrated way, rather than simply targeting isolated courses and conferences.

These all confirm that indeed the thirst of our people to learn from those who have gone before and to build for themselves and their families a better life has not been quenched. Let us not be so confounded by the challenges that have yet to be tacked that we do not take time out to celebrate that which we have already achieved - in eight short years.

But let me now turn to some of the challenges. Indeed we know that too many of our young people leave school and are unable to either enter higher education or find work. These young people are no less hungry to find the means to improve their lot than others of their generation, and as a society and as a democracy we must not fail them. In addition to the obvious solution of providing more places at universities, technikons and colleges for them, government is challenging business and labour to join with it in the campaign to massively increase the number of learning opportunities provided at work through the new learnership scheme. Learnerships are learning opportunities, based mainly in workplaces but with time out to learn the theory, where learners learn from those with experience, to attain occupational skills in areas where these skills are needed. Already over 400 new learning programmes have been registered and some 23 416 workers are benefiting from them, but sadly only about 5000 of these are young unemployed people. Government, as the largest employer in the land, plans to enrol thousands of young people into learnerships both to assist it to deliver public services as well as to create a pool of skills to replenish those that leave. But just as government is making a commitment in this regard, it is challenging the private sector to do the same. My Director General has mooted the number of 50 000 by this time next year - I know it sounds ambitious but think of the need and the lives that are being wasted, and it will become evident that we cannot dally. Look at it this way - there are over 200 000 firms paying tax in this country, if each one took only one young person on then we would exceed our target fourfold! And each of those firms would quality for grants and tax incentives to reward them for their efforts! But of course the real reason firms should do this is to build the next generation of skills that they will need to realise their business objectives - it's a win-win-win for firms and young people and the country. Even workers win - because if their children are unemployed, who must feed and support them?

But whilst finding solutions to youth unemployment must constitute the single biggest challenge our country faces, it is not the only challenge. Firms are struggling to survive and succeed in an increasingly competitive world. If they fail the prospects for young and older workers alike will be bleaker. We welcome the fact that there has been such a significant improvement in the performance of our manufacturing sector but must acknowledge that if we are to build on the opportunities that our exchange rate has afforded us we need to consolidate our gains through productivity. Technology (tools) have a role to play, particularly those based on Information and Communication Technologies, but these do not replace people. People are needed to operate, maintain and more innovatively exploit the tools that we already have, and work on new tools and knowledges that will enhance our productivity and employment levels. Sadly we have a dearth of people at the cutting edge of innovation able to construct such tools and translate them into jobs. We need to build a new cadre of specialists who can do these things. And I am happy to report that my colleague, the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, last year published his Research and Development Strategy which plots a clear roadmap on how we can tackle this challenge. But it is not only the front-runners who are scarce in South Africa. There is an entire layer of skills, which are either missing or critically scarce, from the perspective of employers in both the public and private sectors. In the public sector these include medical specialists, engineers, financial and legal professionals as well as general and financial managers. Teachers, particularly those who can teach maths and science are also scarce. In the private sector the list is even longer. There are various kinds of managers that are hard to find such as project, financial, production, logistics and facility managers. There are also a wide variety of professionals, including chartered accountants, computer specialists in a range of areas as well as engineers across fields such as electrical, mechanical and chemical. The list gets even longer when one looks at the problem sector by sector.

Government has begun to address these areas of scarce skill in various ways. Its own training institute trained over 18 088 managers last year alone and in addition to the millions of rands government has allocated to tertiary student loans disbursed by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and from the National Research Foundation, the National Skills Fund last year allocated funds in support of 1453 new undergraduate and 577 new post graduate bursaries for study in these targeted areas. The SETAs have also played their part with eight SETAs initiating targeted sectoral skills bursaries. Of course the passing of the Immigration Act will also assist us facilitate the entry of those with skills to enter our labour market and assist us to build our economy and support new jobs.

In the year that lies ahead government plans itself to develop a list of critically scarce skills and to use the list to begin to target its resources to plug these gaps and to exploit new production opportunities associated with new skill areas. It will also continue to encourage SETAs and other private sector actors to contribute to this national effort.

In addition to work in the area of skills development, government will be encouraging investment by the private sector and challenging them to exploit the wealth of rewarding opportunities that are waiting to be grasped.

At the other end of the spectrum, for those in poverty and without work there continue to be many challenges. Much has already been done. From my own department, R214.7 million was allocated from the National Skills Fund to social development projects. These funds supported the training of over 93 894 people. In the main these funds and this training has been linked to income generating projects. Let me give you two small examples: In the Lichtenburg and Itsoseng areas 342 people were trained as part of a project to electrify RDP houses. The project was carried out in partnership with the Department of Provincial and Local Government and ESKOM. People were given skills in rural line construction, electrical supply operating as well as down stream skills such as electrical appliance repair, domestic refrigeration and entrepreneurial skills. In the Kimberley area in the Northern Cape, 30 people have been trained in a business start-up initiative. Members collect waste paper and garden refuse and use this to make manure and compost to sell. Today the trainees are project co-ordinators and managers of a viable venture.

And, from another funding window R1.1 billion was allocated to strategic projects being managed by the SETAs. Many of these projects are now well underway. Time does not permit a full report, but let me give you a few exciting examples. - The Primary Agriculture SETA has already trained 50 small cotton growers of whom 43 have successfully completed their programmes. These trainees have increased the amount of land planted with cotton from 100 to 542 hectares and 64% of the crop has increased at least one grade in quality. Of those who planted last year there has been a 19% increase in the yield per hectare. There has been a 14% increase in permanent jobs and a 200% increase in temporary or seasonal jobs. 100 more trainees are due to start in July this year supported by Cotton South Africa. - Secondary Agriculture has also made progress. In this sector 800 learners have already been trained since April 2002 - in areas such as poultry and business skills. 49 learners are enrolled in a 3-year programme at the Sugar Industrial Training Centre in Durban. They have completed their first year of theoretical training and are currently undergoing practical training at workplaces. New learners have just started courses in sheep shearing as a part of a wool export initiative. - In another area, the Financial Services SETA, FASSET, has already delivered maths and accounting clinics to 3200 and 2900 learners respectively. The project also specifically catered for 27 disabled learners. Their street finance sub-project has already reached 440 maths and 370 accountancy teachers and at Fort Hare 142 first year students were assisted in 2002 with business English, Business Mathematics, Introduction to Accounting, Economics and Business Management. Their average mark was 61%, with 5 students earning over 80%.

A key challenge remains to support more existing and new small businesses. However it is encouraging to note that whilst only about 7% of small firms were able to access grants through the normal claim procedure, at least 10 SETAs had special SMME programmes which have reached 18 275 beneficiaries - either owner managers or workers in these firms. We are learning how to reach this group of people better all the time. To support this trend I plan to include in the technical amendments to the Skills Development Act that I plan to bring to Parliament this year, a requirement for simplified claim procedures for small firms.

As you will note from the examples given, we are firmly focused on ensuring that skills development is intimately closely linked to economic and employment growth. After all skills that can't be applied are inevitably lost - an investment failure that we can ill afford.

In conclusion let me briefly mention that government is intent on ensuring that the forthcoming Growth and Development Summit incorporates and builds on many of the initiatives that I have mentioned and helps to secure the commitment of social partners to taking them to scale. In addition our President has indicated that there is to be a ratcheting up of the public works programmes to provide opportunities for poor people to both earn an income as well as to build the infrastructure of our country for social services and economic development. This will no doubt be an important item on our agenda at the Summit.

Colleagues, comrades and friends, I hope I have left you with a sense that a great deal is already happening to liberate the creative learning impulse of our people and to enable the learning that takes place to translate into employment for income and innovation. What we need in the year ahead is for these initiatives to be expanded and for new initiatives to emerge which can add to the sum of opportunities available to us to leapfrog out of the past into the future.

Issued by GCIS on behalf of the Department of Labour

Appendix 3: Minister of Public Works

Colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen

Public Works' Contribution to Human Resource Development and the Employment Strategy

In his State of the Nation Address on Friday, the President referred several times to the expanded Public Works Programme.

The overall objective of this Government-wide programme is to facilitate and create employment opportunities for the poor, vulnerable and alienated groups through integrated and co-ordinated labour-intensive approaches to government infrastructure delivery and services provision.

Despite real economic achievements that the President referred to, government still recognises the need for higher levels of investment and economic growth to simultaneously address the racial, gender, and geo-spatial inequalities inherited from apartheid. We are responding by targeted job creation for the unemployed. The Social and Economic Clusters of Cabinet were mandated to formulate the expanded Public Works Programme as a key intervention, based on the recognition that infrastructure development is one of the primary drivers of growth, employment and development.

As a stepping stone, the 1995 Framework Agreement between business, labour and government on conditions of Employment and Skills Development provided a foundation for an expanded Public Works Programme. This Agreement took recognition of the fact that infrastructure development is a key driver to economic growth and social development with outcomes that lead to job creation, poverty eradication and income generation through an approach of labour-intensive methods of construction, development and maintenance. This has further been supported by government's procurement reform as a way that broadens access to economic opportunities that prevail in government business.

The focus of the expanded Public Works Programme will be to re-align current governmental infrastructure and maintenance investments targeting initiatives such as:

* National, Provincial and local government infrastructure investment and service delivery
* State-owned Enterprises infrastructure, community and poverty alleviation programmes

By focusing on the use of labour-intensive technologies as well as community involvement, the overall work opportunities will be increased.

Outcomes
At its best, the expanded Public Works Programme shall, in a coordinated and consolidated fashion:
* Align current infrastructure programmes of government and state-owned enterprises to maximise work opportunities for the unemployed
* Ensure that all participants receive on the job training related to the construction industry and service delivery in general
* Provide specific opportunities for women, youth and the disabled by targeting these vulnerable groups
* Create useful public assets which will provide social improvements as well as facilitate participation by micro enterprises, especially emerging contractors.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI's)
will include:
*Percentage of project budget set aside for work opportunities for the unemployed
* Number of unemployed provided with work opportunities
Total person days of work provided for the unemployed
* Average duration of employment created
* Percentage of unemployed women, youth and disabled provided with work opportunities
* Type and duration of skills training provided.

Alignment of Existing Infrastructure Programmes
All public sector departments and State-owned enterprises are expected to formally respond to the expanded Public Works Programme to indicate which of the overall targets they will contribute to.

The objective of providing work opportunities to the unemployed should not only be applied to infrastructure construction, but as importantly, it should be extended to also apply to the maintenance of existing and newly created infrastructure as well as service providing projects.

The alignment and co-ordination of programmes within the ISRDP and the URP is of the utmost importance. Projects such as Zivuseni in Gauteng (directly productive, social cohesion and services) and Gundu Lashe rural road project in Limpopo and Working for Water are concrete examples of labour-intensive programmes that should be at the core of the expanded Public Works Programme. Programmes like Land Rehabilitation could also be suitable for labour-intensive methods.

Position
With our experience in piloting procurement reform in the construction industry, as well as the policy development and practical implementation on Community Based Public Works Programme and within the construction industry, Public Works is ideally positioned to not only share experiences with other departments but also to roll-out and record results on the expanded Public Works Programme.

The success of such projects, and the programme in its entirety will depend on sound programme and project management, where many lessons can be learnt from the existing Community Based Public Works Programme and the Emerging Contractor Development Programme. The latter in particular, is one of the components driving the promotion of the growth, development and transformation of the construction industry.

To demonstrate the potential of the proposed extended Public Works Programme, I want to draw your attention to some achievements of the existing programmes in my Department in terms of job creation and training:

* A total of 80 000 temporary jobs have been created
* A total of 33 970 women have been employed
*A total of 32 977 youth have been employed
* A total of 2 011 disabled people have been employed
* The Community Based Public Works Programme (CBPWP) has created 2 182 community assets

In 2002 alone:

* 29 400 Cyclical jobs have been created through construction projects
* 6 853 women have been employed to date
* 6 711 youth have been employed to date
* A total of 340 people with disabilities have been employed to date
* A total of 260 sustainable jobs have been created
* A total of 560 CBPWP projects have been implemented in the 2002/2003 financial year to date, employing 13 982 local workers
* Currently over R100 million of construction projects are undertaken by women-owned enterprises
* With each big construction project, workers could receive up to a 45 day intensive training in specific areas such as carpentry, electrical supply or plumbing
* About 150 project managers from the 27 district municipalities with whom we work have been trained on the Management Monitoring Information System as part of capacity building. Others have attended accredited institutional building training with emphasis on ownership, operation, management and maintenance of fixed assets.
* As part of human resource development in the construction industry, about 100 contractors were assessed and accredited through the Recognition of Prior Learning project, while 90 contractors where trained in contracting and business management skills.

Given all of this, it is clear that the expanded Public Works Programme has the potential to offer much more impressive employment and human resource development figures.

Issued by GCIS on behalf of the Department of Public Works

Appendix 4: Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT STRATEGY CLUSTER

PRESENTATION BY THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM:
MOHAMMED VALLI MOOSA

INDEX
1. Tourism

2. Legislation

A. Protected Areas Bill

B. Biodiversity Bill

C. Coastal Management Bill

D. Air Quality Bill

3. Biodiversity and Conservation –

4. Environmental Quality and Protection

The department is in the process of repealing the Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act of 1965 that is currently used to monitor air quality management in South Africa.

The process to repeal the new act is at its final stages and the Air Quality Management Bill will be tabled before cabinet this year. The Bill seeks to give effect to the Integrated Pollution and Waste Management policy to ensure that all South Africans have access to clean air.

Parallel to the new bill being promulgated, the department is engaged in a number of initiatives that seek to ensure better air quality:
* Vehicle Emission strategy - designed to ensure that emissions from motor vehicles do no lead to unacceptably poor air quality.
* Ambient Air Standards - the standards are set to give guidelines in terms of acceptable emissions in the atmosphere as well as the monitoring and enforcement of transgressors.

D. COASTAL MANAGEMENT BILL
The Coastal Management Bill sets out a new approach to managing the nation's coastal resources to promote social equity and make best economic use of coastal resources, while protecting the natural environment. It aims to provide a legal and administrative framework that will promote cooperative, coordinated and integrated coastal development; preserve, protect and enhance the status of the coastal environment as the heritage of all; ensure coastal resources are managed in the interests of the whole community; and ensure there is equitable access to the opportunities and benefits derived from the coast.

The Bill is currently in a final draft form and is expected to be presented to Cabinet in the course of the year, whereupon a public participation process will be initiated to ensure that all South Africans have an opportunity to comment on the Bill before it is again presented to Cabinet for approval.

3. BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION

A. WORLD PARKS CONGRESS
South Africa will have the honour to host the fifth World Parks Congress in Durban on September 8-17. An event held every 10 years under the auspices of the International Union of the Conservation of Nature, the congress is the first one to be held in Africa.

The purpose of this congress - which will be attended by about 2 500 delegates- is to chart the way forward for conservation in the 21st century. Participants will include experts from protected areas, organisations such as South African National Parks (SANParks), Parks officials and other conservation specialists.

The theme of this congress is "Benefits Beyond Boundaries", highlighting the fact that conservation should not just benefit animals, the grass and vegetation within the parks, but should also ensure the sustainable development of communities.

The congress is expected to greatly benefit the tourism industry, creating economic opportunities for people in the host city.

B. TFCAs
i) Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP)

As part of the development of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP) whose treaty was signed in December last year, a joint management committee has been established consisting of mainly park officials in the three countries, and they will work out a plan for the entire transfrontier park which will spell out zonations that define areas for tourism. They will also look at measures to facilitate transit by people from one park into another for tourism as well as look after the welfare of the wildlife.

ii) Ai/Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park (TFP)
The department will continue with the establishment of a national and international system of managing biodiversity and conservation. Ai/Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park (TFP) between Namibia and South Africa will be established this year, with the signing of the Treaty and implementation of the Joint Management and Integrated Tourism Plans. (For more information on Biodiversity and Conservation please refer to Annexure B)

4. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND PROTECTION

PROSECUTION OF DEFAULTING COMPANIES
It has come to the attention of the department that there are companies that do not comply with their operating permits. It is, therefore, the department's intention to follow up with all of these companies to ensure they comply, failing which we will not hesitate to take very firm actions against them.

DURBAN SOUTH
In 2001 the department launched the Multi Point Plan as a response to the Durban Basin air quality problem. The objective of this initiative is to engage all stakeholders in the basin to address the air quality problem in their area. To date much progress has been done:

* A Project Manager has been appointed;
* The Department has contributed R4.4 Million and the Norwegian government has contributed R 5.5 million towards the establishment of a new Air Quality Management System in Durban South Basin; and * The process to source more funding for the project is ongoing.

CLEANEST TOWN CAMPAIGN
In 2001 the department launched the Cleanest Town Competition, which was well received across South Africa. The campaign for 2003/2004 is ongoing. Provinces and municipalities have begun in earnest to ensure that they participate in the campaign. The department believes that the campaign has got some positive impact in the communities, evident from attitudes of different municipalities towards waste management - especially in the previously black areas - where waste collection and management has significantly improved.

The main objective of this campaign is to change the attitude of people towards waste management and environmental management in general, and to highlight the socio-economic benefits of a clean environment.

The department will announce the names of the winning towns in the metro, local and district municipality levels on 5 June - World Environment Day.

PLASTIC BAG REGULATIONS
In 2002 my department, organized labour and business signed a Memorandum of Agreement on the management of plastic bags. In order to successfully implement the agreement it was agreed that a Section 21 company be established to oversee the implementation process. Such a company will soon be established. The work of the section 21 company will offer employment opportunities.

5. MARINE AND COASTAL MANAGEMENT

A. ENVIRONMENTAL COURTS
Together with the Department of Justice, Prosecuting Authority, Asset Forfeiture Unit, and the Department of Public Works, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has established a pilot environmental court at the Hermanus Magistrate's Court.

The factors that have led to the need for environmental courts were, amongst others, the dramatic increase in the illegal exploitation of South Africa's marine living resources, particularly abalone along the south western coastline.

The first court was established early this month, with all the necessary infrastructure and human resources, including the magistrate and the prosecutors in place. The first matter was heard on Wednesday, 5 February.

The establishment of the court is a major breakthrough in the battle against the illegal exploitation of abalone. It will function on the level of a regional court with a wider jurisdiction as to area and a higher penalty jurisdiction. The court will further ensure that henceforth suitably qualified prosecutors and regional magistrates with the necessary expertise will deal with abalone cases. It will also ensure a much quicker disposal of cases and hopefully lead to more convictions and stringent sentences. The imposition of sentences of direct imprisonment will also be a more effective deterrent and the forfeiture of vehicles, vessels and equipment will receive greater attention.

It is my Ministry's intention to formally launch the court together with the Ministry of Justice in a few weeks.

Government's fight against abalone poachers is fast gaining speed, with the total number of abalone confiscated per year having doubled in just a year - 400 000 in 2001 and 800 000 in 2002.

B. NEW FISHERIES
The development and diversification of existing fisheries and the establishment of new fisheries is a government priority in terms of several of its key objectives:
* Job creation
* Human Resource Development
* Social Sector Service Delivery: expanding the commercially exploitable resource base, broadening access and prioritizing the poor and disadvantaged.
* Rural Development Programmes - focusing particularly on previously neglected areas such as the Eastern Cape
* Transformation

Three new fisheries will be established this year i.e. octopus, Eastern Cape abalone as well as East Coast Rock Lobster.

A new fishery is defined as a regulated fishery that exploits a resource or part of a resource that has not previously been managed by the state as a commercial fishery. It includes previously unexploited resource, an under-exploited resource which has hitherto been a by-catch of another fishery, or a fully exploited or even over-exploited resource which has hitherto not been subject to any management controls.

6. POVERTY RELIEF PROGRAMME

DEAT has been involved in the selection and implementation of projects funded by the national Poverty Relief Programme since the 1999/2000 financial year. Projects funded by my department have gone a long way in enhancing government's anti-poverty programme by providing job opportunities to hundreds of poor South Africans.

In April 2003 we move into the 5th year of operation and the following deliverables have been achieved so far:

* Temporary Job Days created = 1 624 799
* Permanent Jobs created = 1885
* Training Days carried out = 166 848
* SMME's created = 369
* SMME's used = 851
* Total Number of Projects implemented = 425
* Total Value of Funding Approved to Date = R 934 655 547
* Total Value allocated to Tourism Infrastructure = R 365 156 860
* Total Value allocated to Tourism Product Development = R 63 765 080
* Total Value allocated to Waste Management = R 84 244 907
* Total Value spent on Community Based Natural Resource Management = R 15 704 946
* Total Value allocated to Coastal Development = R 83 031 674
* Total Value allocated to Biodiversity projects = R 263 632 000
* Total Value allocated to Working for water type projects = R 59 120 080

All of the projects have an element of training that is given to the participants/beneficiaries. This training has been particularly successful in equipping the participants to improve their skills and becoming more marketable in the employment arena. A special curriculum has been developed within the Department to deliver this training to adults with greatly varying educational levels. This course has been applied in the national Coast Care programme.

The training programme has six main components: safety and security/ law enforcement; environmental and waste management; promotion of tourism; minor maintenance; life orientation and promotion of SMMEs.

11th SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

South Africa has been appointed by the United Nations to chair the 11th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), to be held in New York from 28 April to 9 May and which will play a crucial role in giving sound political direction to the practical implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) outcomes.

The session will be the Commission's first global meeting devoted to sustainable development since the summit, and will lay grounds for future work on sustainable development at all levels and shape the Commission's work programme over the coming years.

A series of inter-active ministerial roundtables will be held, focusing on priority actions and commitments to implement goals and targets reached at the summit.

Issued by GCIS on behalf of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism