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"It is essential to get regularly updated climate information to people who make local decisions." - Joanne Yawitch, Deputy Director General of the Department of Environmental Affairs
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"Many of the issues raised at the Indaba have direct relevance to the South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas, which will act as a baseline source of information from the local to the national scale." - Dr Rebecca Maserumule, SARVA Project Manager
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"We need to move away from being a throw-away society to one which is much more responsible and cognisant of the need to minimise waste and dispose as a last resort." - Buyelwa Sonjica, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs
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Waste management is one of the key municipal service delivery mandates.
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By addressing poverty and the provision of water and electricity, municipalities would be more resilient to future changes in climate.
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- Claire Davis, Candidate Researcher Climate Change, CSIR
As part of SARVA's ongoing consultation with its stakeholders, SARVA representatives participated in the two-day Local Government Indaba on Environment hosted by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) in partnership with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).
The convening of the Indaba was informed by the important role that municipalities play in the environmental sector and was aimed at creating dialogue between national and local government around the environment. The event was well attended by representatives from local and district municipalities.
In keeping with its theme of "Ensuring environmental sustainability through local government action", the Indaba sought to identify priorities as well as key challenges faced by municipalities in complying with environmental sustainability requirements of existing legislation, policies, strategies and programmes and jointly identify priority areas of action.
Other key objectives of the Indaba included the sharing of best practice experiences on various environmental sector priorities and enhancing the environmental focus in integrated development planning among the three spheres of government.
The six thematic areas addressed during the Indaba were waste services and management, air quality management, climate change, coastal management and conservation, and the sustainable use of biodiversity.
One of the major challenges to the implementation of environmental programmes was identified as a lack of capacity, both human and financial, to regulate and manage resource provision and use in order to fulfil the basic rights of South African citizens as outlined by the Constitution.
Another issue raised that is of particular importance to SARVA is that sources information at the local level is patchy and inaccessible. In her presentation, Joanne Yawitch, DEA Deputy Director General: Environmental Quality and Protection stated that it is essential to get regularly updated climate information to people who make local decisions.
The initial focus of each of the breakaway groups was placed on mitigation and adaptation strategies, but discussions during the sessions revealed that in order to deal with global environmental challenges such as climate change, issues of service delivery and basic human rights need to be urgently addressed. The hope was expressed that, by tackling poverty and the provision of water and electricity, municipalities would be more resilient to future changes in climate.
Priorities listed by municipalities include:
- The placement of below ground water capture facilities
- Expansion of fynbos area at risk to fire
- Implementation is key; research by academia is not accessible for on the ground use by municipalities
- The process of land claims in the Eastern Cape is hampering the ability of municipalities to deal with environmental issues
- Spatial planning tools need be to accessible in order to benefit local towns
Several challenges with waste management at a municipal level were identified. Waste management is one of the key municipal service delivery mandates and municipalities were encouraged to recognise the need to raise the profile of waste management and bring it to par with other services like water and electricity.
Speaking at the Indaba, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said that DEA will develop a framework for a Basic Refuse Removal Policy aimed at assisting communities that cannot afford waste removal services. DEA intended to take the policy to Cabinet for approval before the end of the year.
Sonjica further stated that DEA was in the process of developing a master plan, known as the National Waste Management Strategy, which would act as a guideline to implement the newly established National Environmental Management Waste Act. The recently promulgated Waste Act requires all municipalities to develop and implement Integrated Waste Management Plans.
The Indaba resulted in the adoption of a resolution aimed at addressing gaps in the management of environmental programmes in municipalities.
SARVA Project Manager Dr Rebecca Maserumule described the Indaba as a very useful platform for dialogue. "The issues identified at the Indaba have direct relevance to the South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas, which will act as a baseline source of information from the local to the national scale," she said.
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