MANAGING WASTE A PRIORITY FOR HEALTH AND WEALTH
Minister of Environmental Affairs, Dr Edna Molewa, who died on 22 September 2018, was not afraid to get into a pair of overalls and join the people in cleaning communities of litter.
The Minister was a firm believer in waste being a major contributor to the South African economy through job creation as, particularly, the recycling economy took hold. The removal of harmful chemicals and waste from society would improve the health and well-being of the people – a Constitutional obligation for the Department.
Mark Gordon, Deputy Director General for Chemicals and Waste in the Department described Minister Molewa as stalwart for the rights of the poor who played a role in the chemicals and waste sectors nationally and internationally.
Through the war on waste programmes, the several waste Khoros, highlighting chemicals and waste management issues at conference and summits, and presiding over the opening of recycling plants small and large, she set an example for many working for a cleaner and greener South Africa, he said.
“Minister Molewa was well recognised internationally for her leadership in the Chemicals and Waste Management sector, in particular on the multilateral environmental agreements including the Montreal Protocol on Ozone Protection and the Minamata Convention for the phase out of Mercury, which she instrumental in getting adopted,” said Mr Gordon.
In October 2016 in Kigali, Rwanda, after almost a decade of a deadlock and stalemate in negotiations, during the 28th meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the amendment to the Montreal Protocol was adopted after her successfully lobbying and influencing some countries to agree to what is now known as the Kigali Amendment.
Through her interventions at the global level, the impacts of plastic pollution and marine litter has gained international attention.
She had earned her respect for being an intellectual and a force to be reckoned with in sub-regional, regional and global UN fora on chemicals and waste Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), having been nominated to chair, lead or facilitate several sessions be it plenary, as a panelist or in a roundtable manner, within the UN Environment Assembly of Ministers and the other Conventions.
Minister Molewa was an international thought leader on the concept of the Circular Economy and established the Africa Alliance on the Circular Economy in 2017 together with the environmental ministers from Nigeria and Rwanda and also ensured that it was adopted within programmes in the BRICS countries at the recent BRICS Summit held in South Africa where she played a very prominent role in mainstreaming the environmental agenda.
By prioritising the implementation of the Circular Economy, the South African government is contributing significantly to unlocking much of the value to be found in waste products. By focusing on the development of the waste economy, many more jobs can be created in the formal and informal sectors.
Minister Molewa said at an EU-SA Circular Economy dialogue in 2017 that if the potential to generate wealth from waste was fully utilised in South Africa, the country could see a situation where particularly the poor and marginalised would be able to benefit through the creation of jobs for particularly the youth, establishment of businesses and co-operatives, and ultimately improvement of their lives.
The Waste Sector Survey showed that the formal South African waste sector employ nearly 30 000 people in 2012 of which 20 092 are employed in the public sector – mostly in local and metropolitan municipalities – and 9 741 worked in the private sector. The public sector could absorb an additional 5 000 employees if current vacant positions in municipalities were filled.
As part of initiatives to address the plight of waste pickers, a number have benefited from the “tools of the trade programme” that has seen them partake in programmes linked to the transport of waste.
The Recycling Enterprise Support Programme (RESP) has made a material impact in the lives of black-owned and managed enterprises. These enterprises are reaping the benefits of promise of economic emancipation by accessing developmental funding for projects in the form of start-up grants.
The Extended Producers Responsibility has ensured that more waste materials are diverted from landfill sites. Materials such as tyres, electronic waste, waste oils, batteries, paper and packaging continue to create jobs and grow economy.
Most recently, the Thuma Mina Green Deeds Programme and Campaign has contributed to the mobilisation of all South Africans to become environmentally conscious. “Minister Molewa urged people to take responsibility for keeping their communities clean,” said Mr Gordon.
Through the adoption of the Secondary Asbestos Remediation Plan in Parliament, Minister Molewa drove the roll-out of remediation projects in the most affected communities living in close proximity to historical asbestos mine dumps. In August this year, Minister Molewa presided on the opening of a new school with asbestos-free classrooms and the construction of new asbestos-free roads in Mafefe in Limpopo.
The Department is in the process of developing a National Asbestos Management Strategy to facilitate an integrated approach to sustainable management of asbestos in the country.