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Media Statement
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
FRIDAY, 23 MARCH 2007:
The Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo Nqcuka, today threw the gauntlet at the waste management industry and challenged them to open up what has for along time being seen as monopoly.
Addressing more than four hundred delegates at the closing plenary of the National Waste Management Conference, convened by the DEAT and Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) held at Emperor’s Palace, in Johannesburg, Mlambo Nqcuka said “Currently our waste management sector is dominated by a few large enterprises with national and even international operations. These companies tend to be largely white owned. In general the sector is untransformed, although recently there has been certain transformation effort in response to government procurement policies”
“It is clear that, means must be devised to open up this sector to small and black businesses and I would like to take this opportunity to challenge the established waste management sector to move with all speed to devise a transformation and empowerment strategy that would bring the sector into line with other sectors that have developed BBEE Charters” said the Deputy President
South Africa’s waste expenditure in municipalities is estimated at more than a billion rand with metropolitan areas like the City of Johannesburg spending in excess of R150 million per annum on waste management alone, amongst other competing environmental management functions
“Whilst South Africans continue to live in conditions of abject poverty, waste management initiative like recycling, and local waste collection schemes, could see, poor communities through cooperatives and SMMEs generating incoming and building on much needed skills pool for the sector “ said Ms Pamela Yako, Director General for Environment and Tourism.
The conference today agreed on a road –map of consultations between national and local government to finalise the long overdue national waste management bill, which will herald a new system of address South Africa’s increasing waste challenge. Public consultation process which open ed in January will close on 17 April, where the final legal text will be presented to the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and his provincial counterparts finally to cabinet before it goes through the two houses of parliament later this year
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