A POLITICIAN WITH A PASSION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
The Department of Environmental Affairs was blessed with a Minister who was both a politician and passionate about the environment for eight years, said the Deputy Director General of Environmental Programmes, Dr Guy Preston.
The Environmental Programmes Branch is the operational arm of the Department of Environmental Affairs. It seeks to implement various priority environmental interventions, and to do so in a manner that optimises work opportunities. This role was embraced by Minister Edna Molewa with great passion, and her customary energy, interrogation, guidance and commitment.
Dr Molewa was particularly passionate about the opportunity that the labourintensive nature of our programmes provided for the marginalised – for opportunities for the youth and people with disabilities, and other vulnerable sectors of society. She was a relentless champion of the redressing of poverty, inequality and unemployment in our country, and pursued the opportunities to do so through our Environmental Programmes.
The Minister was passionate about the control of alien invasive species, the use of alien invasive biomass, and the upliftment of women and youth.
She considered the state of affairs of unemployed youth, and in particular those who had obtained tertiary qualifications, as untenable. It was one of her ideals to create a conducive environment for young South Africans to be absorbed into active economic participation. It is for this reason that the work opportunity targets of Environmental Programmes are biased towards women and youth. Through the Youth Empowerment Programme, youth are given an opportunity to acquire tools to sustain themselves, their families and their emerging enterprises for the long term.
The various “Working for ...” programmes that are linked to the Expanded Public Works Programme are rightfully well known for their ability to give the resources and dignity of work to previously unemployed people, and with a strong focus on the most marginalised (by race, gender, age and disability), particularly in rural areas.
Her love for conservation coupled with her concerns around well-being of the human resource in the conservation arena, was supported by her concern about the state of the country’s conservation estate. This included conservation infrastructure such as staff housing, fencing, to the management of access and park roads. She mandated the Environmental Programmes to address the challenge and through the People and Parks subprogramme, infrastructure was developed which also benefitted communities living in and adjacent the protected areas.
She was an anti-poaching stalwart and a leader of the Environmental Monitors programme which was part of her declaration of war against poaching in general. Significant in-roads have been made against the scourge of poaching through the willingness of young men and women to project our unique heritage with their lives. The predominantly female anti-poaching team – the Black Mambas – received the United Nations Champions of the Earth award in 2015. This award honours visionary people and organisations all over the world that exemplify leadership and advocate action on sustainable development, climate change and a life of dignity for all.
Her horror at the impact that invasive mice are having on birds on Marion Island led to a customary directive to eradicate the mice ‘by whatever means possible’, and an equally customary frustration at the time it will take to do so.
Her passion for the opportunities to provide eco-coffins to the poor, and particularly through women’s groups, to reduce the cost of bereavement, and uplift the dignity of people at such difficult times, was typical of this exceptional leader. How sadly befitting that she will be buried in an eco-casket herself.
Her resolve to find solutions to problems is well known. In our administration and implementation of the biosecurity through the Alien and Invasive Species Regulations, she constantly guided us to look for pragmatic interventions that would achieve the desired outcomes. But she could be tough and decisive when the need arose.
Under the anticipated conditions of climate change, temperatures over parts of the interior of South Africa are projected to rise significantly over the next few decades.
In remembrance of the late Dr Molewa, let us all make sure we love and care for our environment, and be agents of change. When we work for our environment, it will continue to provide us with water, food and clean air we need for a healthy South Africa. A South Africa Mama Molewa would have wished us all to experience.