Pondoland is a very contentious issue at the moment. How do you feel about the proposed mining in the area and what is your overall view on how to handle the issue?
First of all, what we need with regard to Pondoland is to get all relevant role-players to agree on a vision of what we would like to achieve in that part of our country. If, for instance, we agree that the vision is that the emphasis and the development plan for that part of the country will be ecotourism, then our decision will also reflect that vision.
If the decision is no, we would like other patterns of economic growth such as mining and other traditional forms of economic growth, then our decisions will reflect that. I think what is lacking at the moment is a framework for our decisions. I will be meeting with the premier of the Eastern Cape and the Eastern Cape cabinet, and then I will also visit that specific area.
I am opposed to the mining of the dunes in Pondoland. But I have been at pains, as was my predecessor, to point out that it is not the decision of the minister of environmental affairs to approve the mining.
Historically in this country, mining is the one area where the minister of environmental affairs is not the final judge on the environmental impact assessment. Is it right or wrong that we continue with that practice? That is something that needs debate.
The appeal on the toll road has not yet reached my table. The department is in the process of finalising a presentation I will receive which will include all the appeals. I do not believe it is proper for me now to make any statements on the matter until I get all the info and visit the area. But I would like to give the absolute undertaking that I will apply my mind. I will do it properly and I would like to do it in within the framework of what we want to achieve in Pondoland.
I personally believe that the vision for Pondoland must be an eco-friendly vision, because of the uniqueness of that part of our country and because of the biodiversity that we need to protect in that part of the country.
Are you in favour of your predecessor’s vision to establish the Pondoland National Park?
Pondoland National Park is just one part of the same framework that I referred to that includes the toll road, the proposed park and mining. What I would also be doing during my visit to Pondoland is to meet with the local government and the traditional structures in that area.
It has been brought to my attention that up to now there was never a meeting between the minister and the traditional authorities. I think one can only understand the concerns and the aspirations if you meet with the traditional authorities.
The issue of nuclear power and pebble bed modular reactors is also an issue you will have to deal with during your term. Do you think that nuclear power can solve South Africa’s power problem?
In principle I have never been against nuclear power. I believe it can be a source of energy. But if so —and that is a very important if — it must be regulated very well and international safety standards must be adhered to.
I am also a very strong believer in developing additional sources of energy and I investigated other possible sources such as wind energy and gas during my term as premier of the Western Cape. The government in the Western Cape started the process of exploring these sources and now some of them are nearing processes where we can take the next steps.
Energy is a huge problem all over the world because the world is power-hungry, as Time magazine put it. What is always strange to me is that people who criticise us for investigating other sources of energy such as nuclear do not realise the immense damage that our reliance on fossil fuels is causing this country.
If you go to citizens who live in Mpumalanga and the Highveld, they know what the reality of pollution is in that area because of the use of fossil fuels. But some of us in other parts of the country like the Western Cape do not feel the impact because we rely on Mpumalanga and the Highveld for our power. And because we down here in Cape Town do not directly pay the environmental price, we actually close our eyes to the problem to some degree.
Critics of your appointment say that once again a white man is steering the environmental portfolio, a post that in the past has been seen as elitist. How do you plan to overcome this perception?
First of all, I think the time is long past when an Afrikaner in this country can be seen as elitist. I grew up with a very humble background so I have never been part of any elite in this country.
You are not a member of the ruling party, but yet you will have to go up against ANC heavyweights such as the Minister of Minerals and Energy, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, in protecting the environment. Do you have enough political clout to make a difference in cabinet meetings when important decisions are taken?
I have been in this portfolio for a month. The way this government takes decisions is inspiring. There is an impressive culture at cabinet level with proper discussion and the strength of arguments winning the day.
And that is how I see my role – to make sure that whatever arguments my department or myself as minister put forward are thoughtful, have merit and that we have the ability of convincing people about the rationale of what we would like to achieve.
There should be no doubt: in being the minister of environment, you will always come up against resistance not only in the political arena but also from business and from NGOs. There is a lot of vested interest out there. So by definition the minister of environment must know that he or she will sometimes come up against resistance. It is how you deal with it that counts. My approach will be to do my utmost to convince people and to get people on board.
How do you plan to make the environment more accessible to ordinary people?
The domestic strategy for tourism will play a big role here. Our domestic tourism strategy must focus on those communities that have never regarded going on holiday and visiting national parks or botanical gardens as part of their living experience.
We will have specific programmes that will target specific groups in the historically disadvantaged communities. They never had the opportunities to visit national parks, because it was always elitist and expensive. The targeting of these groups will be a very important key to start unlocking these national treasures of our national parks and heritage parks to the previously advantaged communities. Part of that strategy is the environment and cultivating an appreciation for the environment.
But people must regard protecting the environment not as a luxury but as something with the potential to create jobs for those communities where we need jobs.
The expanded Public Works programme, where our government will invest millions and millions of rands, is something people only see as the building of bridges and roads and so on. But we will make sure that the programme also has the dimension of creating jobs in the environmental sector. Then people will realise that protecting the environment also has job-creating potential.
Some of this may only create short-term jobs, but for some of the communities these jobs are important. For instance, I flew over the Addo Elephant Park, and I was shown the new lodge there. The lodge was part of this programme to create jobs for many people of that local community.
But in the end, the longer term jobs will have to come from our public-private partnerships.
Environment and tourism are both big portfolios in their own way. How will you juggle the two portfolios to ensure that each one receives the needed attention and that especially the environment does not get left behind in the tourism drive for the Soccer World Cup in 2010?
Both the environment and tourism are extremely important portfolios, but tourism can only be successful if we are successful in South Africa with meeting our objectives in regard to the environment.
The reasons why foreigners want to come to South Africa is our environment, our national parks, the transfrontier parks and our green life. We have to realise that. But what is heartening to me is that I am sensing a mood in South Africa with regard to the protection of the environment. The change has been brought about by people becoming more involved with environmental issues. They are taking note of the global debate and trends such as climate change. People see it on television, read it in the newspaper and hear it on the radio.
In the past, environmental protection was regarded as an elite thing and only included people who could afford to visit game lodges. That was the image of environmental protection.
But this has changed over the past few years under my predecessor. We started to bring people and the environment closer together. We need to get the notion across that it is not only people or the environment, but that people can actually benefit from properly managing the environment.
People are starting to realise what the environmental problems are. My predecessor succeeded in concretising environmental affairs into bite-size chunks. He made it understandable. People could identify with legislation such as the plastic bag ban, the 4×4 ban on our beaches. It was not about abstract environmental issues anymore.
I think suddenly people started to realise environmental protection is not a theoretical debate out there. It has to do with these simple issues that affect their everyday lives. And that will continue to be our challenge: to concretise and make environmental protection understandable to people.
We want to make sure that we really succeed in making the environment a mainstream issue in this country. Internationally, National Environment Week is only one single day; in South Africa we expanded it to a whole week.
But what I would like to see is that National Environment Week becomes something that is co-owned by many more South Africans. We have to get schools involved and get different sectors of society to become stakeholders. It should not be seen as something that only the national government does.
One of the issues that made environmental issues more concrete is the 4×4 ban. The issue has upset many four-wheel-drive enthusiasts. Do you foresee any changes in the legislation during your term?
I do not foresee any changes. I am a huge supporter of the 4×4 ban. I have always been and I will continue to be. I believe that the present legislation is flexible enough to deal with areas where people are still allowed to drive onto the beach. For instance, people have complained that they cannot go and farm seaweed, but the law makes provisions for that.
Are there any issues you feel strongly about and will be promoting during your term as minister?
One issue I am concerned about is the tremendous damage poaching, and specifically abalone poaching, has done to our coastal areas. I feel very strongly about our ability to enforce our rules and regulations. It is no good we make rules and regulations if we cannot enforce them.
Later this year I will make an announcement with regard to quite an impressive improved ability to enforce rules and regulations on our coastal areas, especially abalone poaching.
I will work very hard on our ability as a department to enforce laws and rules and regulations. Just one example: we have in terms of legislation a special unit called the Green Scorpions designed to take on environmental offenders. The Green Scorpions have resources and we will ensure their training is up to standard, and that they are well equipped.
Those trespassers who think they can simply continue to flout our rules and regulations will have a rude awakening and we will use those powers and we will enforce rules and regulations.
It will not, of course, happen immediately – or at least some of it may – because it takes time to put rules and regulations and the enforcement institutions in place so that they can operate properly, but we will do it.
I am also concerned about the subsistence fishing communities along our coast. These communities feel particularly aggrieved that they have been excluded from the quota allowance. Now the reality is, if you have limited natural resources, there will always be people who feel aggrieved and be frustrated because they cannot get quotas.
But I believe we need scope to reconsider the allocation of quotas with regard to our subsistence fishing communities along the coast. They need to be involved in the decision-making process about quotas and what will be allowed.
Another issue I feel passionate about is the Clean Air Bill which our department will bring to parliament. There are many people who can testify to the damage bad air has caused them. Just as an example: children who live close to some of the industries and factories are permanently damaged for life because of the quality of air they are forced to breathe. I feel strongly that we should have stronger standards in this regard.
The expansion and consolidation of the national parks will be very high on my agenda, as well as the transfrontier parks. That is a huge challenge for us over the next few years.
One of the first environmental issues you dealt with during your term is the proclamation of marine parks. Do you have a keen love for the ocean?
One thing I am extremely excited about is that we are moving out much more aggressively into protecting our marine life and our coastal resources. We announced the four marine protected areas in early June. The marine parks is an area where I personally feel we can make major strides in the next year or two.
We want to make sure that people understand when you talk about protection it is not only national parks on land such as the Kruger Park and the Kglalagadi Transfrontier Park. It is also our national parks at sea and that is what marine protected areas will be about.