Daily Voice 2022-07-26

Through its waste management fleet handover campaign, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) has literally taken the fight against litter to the road. The Department has used R42.4 million of its own budget to provide 22 vehicles to 19 municipalities that are battling unsightly litter across the country. The vehicles include skip loader trucks, front end loaders, compactor trucks and other trucks required to transport waste within the municipal area. “Our municipalities are struggling to provide regular and consistent waste collection services. Once dumpsites develop, these are not regularly cleared and a number of our landfills do not meet regulatory compliance standards,” says Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment Minister, Ms Barbara Creecy. The National Waste Management Strategy was revised in 2020 and focuses on: improving household waste…

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy delivered a keynote address during the 17th Southern African Marine Science Symposium in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal on 21 June 2022. Speaking on the progress that South Africa has made when it comes to our Oceans Economy, Minister Creecy said that the oceans economy masterplan is in its final stages. “It gives me great pleasure to confirm today that our oceans economy masterplan is in its final stages, this masterplan focuses on developing several sectors of the oceans economy namely: Marine Transport; Marine Manufacturing including Boat/Ship building and Ship/Rig repairs; Aquaculture; Fisheries; Offshore Oil and Gas; Small Harbours Development; Coastal and Marine Tourism,” said Minister Creecy. Minister Creecy went on to add that the oceans economy supports about 400 000 jobs in…

Trees, more especially forests play a significant role in climate change as both of these are inexplicably linked together. Research by the Nature Climate Change found that the world’s forests provide a “carbon sink” that absorbs 7.6 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. These trees are able to absorb carbon dioxide when standing or regrowing and thus help reduce greenhouse gases. However, when the trees are cut down or deforestation happens, all of this carbon is released back into the atmosphere. This is why historic plantation transfers back to the community that the Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment led on 30 June 2022 in the Eastern Cape are so important. Working with communities ensures that deforestation does not happen as they are taught to harvest…

Every year, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) funds hundreds of academically deserving and previously disadvantaged young South Africans through the Department’s bursary and internship programmes. Since then, the bursary and internship initiative offers bursary funding of up to R40 000.00 per annum for each recipient to pursue full-time studies in various environmental sector related fields. Upon completion of their studies, the DFFE further offers the bursary recipients practical training for up to two years. The initiative is one of the ways the DFFE endeavours to bridge the gap between academic study and competent performance in the workplace. The Department has awarded a total number of 380 bursaries since 2010. Let’s hear what the journey has been like from some of our bursars. Mr Nthite completed his…

Climate change is a threat to human well-being and the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global action will miss the brief, rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future. Now more than ever, we need to gear up and take a firm stand against climate change because it might be a global phenomenon but the impacts and effects are experienced locally where people’s lives and livelihoods are directly affected. Communities around the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have in the recent months experienced first-hand the destructive impact of our changing climate with localised flooding and severe storms, bringing home to all of us the fact that climate change related disasters are now part of our lives. Now is not the time to turn a blind eye to…

AS IF things were not financially tough enough already, last Thursday, 21 July 2022, the SA Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee hiked interest rates by 75 basis points from 8.25% to 9%. This means that everyone who has debt, will now be paying quite a bit more in instalments. South Africa is currently experiencing the highest rate of consumer inflation in 13 years. Transport costs are up nearly 40% from last year this time, and food prices are going through the roof – so this interest rate hike could not have come at a worse time. The easiest way to demonstrate the rise in debt repayments, is by using the example of home loan or bond instalments. At 8.25% (previous interest rate) –your monthly repayment on a home loan of…