Minister Molewa’s Budget Vote Speech for the DEA and DWA in the NCOP: Access to water, enforcement, water security and environmental integrity

A budget vote speech delivered by Minister Molewa on June 23, 2011, to the National Council of Provinces, outlining progress and strategic plans for the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) in South Africa. The speech focuses on increasing water access, enhancing water security through infrastructure and desalination, combating environmental crime such as rhino poaching, and addressing the impacts of climate change.

• Access to clean drinking water for households in South Africa increased from 62% when the government took office in 1994 to an average of 93% by 2011, with a goal of reaching 100%.
• To ensure water security for economic growth and domestic use, the government is pursuing several strategies: exploring groundwater reserves, seawater desalination in coastal areas, recycle and reuse approaches, inter-basin transfers, and water conservation.
• Several major water infrastructure projects are underway or planned, including the R2b Mokolo and Crocodile River (West) water augmentation project in Mpumalanga for the Medupi power station and Lephalale local municipality, the R2.2bn Spring Grove Dam on the Mooi River in Kwa-Zulu Natal, and a water conveyance system from the Vaal Dam to Secunda in Limpopo for SASOL and Eskom power stations.
• The government is working to conclude an agreement with Lesotho for the second phase of the Lesotho Highlands water project to increase water supply to Gauteng and surrounding areas by 2020.
• South Africa faces significant environmental degradation, with over 50% of wetland ecosystems destroyed and over 80% of river systems threatened. The country is also ranked among the top 20 greenhouse gas emitters globally.
• Climate change is manifesting in South Africa through increased natural disasters such as floods, fires, and tornadoes, leading to food insecurity and declining agricultural production. Specific impacts include more damaging fires and weather pattern changes for rooibos farmers in the Western Cape, flooding in the Limpopo and Orange river basins, and a southwards shift in fish stocks like the west coast rock lobster.
• The government is implementing a holistic approach to combat the 'dramatic increase' in rhino poaching by mobilizing resources from the South African Police Services, the defence force, and revenue services, and establishing a Biodiversity Enforcement unit.
• Environmental programs are used as tools for job creation; for the 2011/12 financial year, the Working for Water program is expected to provide nearly 5 million person-days of employment, up from 3 million in the previous year. The Working for Wetlands program has rehabilitated 427 wetlands and created approximately 10,000 short-term jobs.

APA

Melissa (2011). Minister Molewa’s Budget Vote Speech for the DEA and DWA in the NCOP: Access to water, enforcement, water security and environmental integrity. Centre for Environmental Rights. https://cer.org.za/news/minister-molewas-budget-vote-speech-for-the-dea-and-dwa-in-the-ncop-access-to-water-enforcement-water-security-and-environmental-integrity

Chicago

Melissa. Minister Molewa’s Budget Vote Speech for the DEA and DWA in the NCOP: Access to water, enforcement, water security and environmental integrity. Centre for Environmental Rights, 2011. https://cer.org.za/news/minister-molewas-budget-vote-speech-for-the-dea-and-dwa-in-the-ncop-access-to-water-enforcement-water-security-and-environmental-integrity.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Melissa |title=Minister Molewa’s Budget Vote Speech for the DEA and DWA in the NCOP: Access to water, enforcement, water security and environmental integrity |publisher=Centre for Environmental Rights |date=24 June 2011 |url=https://cer.org.za/news/minister-molewas-budget-vote-speech-for-the-dea-and-dwa-in-the-ncop-access-to-water-enforcement-water-security-and-environmental-integrity |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{melissa2011minister, author = {Melissa}, title = {{Minister Molewa’s Budget Vote Speech for the DEA and DWA in the NCOP: Access to water, enforcement, water security and environmental integrity}}, publisher = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, year = {2011}, month = jun, url = {https://cer.org.za/news/minister-molewas-budget-vote-speech-for-the-dea-and-dwa-in-the-ncop-access-to-water-enforcement-water-security-and-environmental-integrity}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }