Deputy Minister Narend Singh: Launch of SALGA-ACF Project

Speech by Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and The Environment, Narend Singh, SALGA-ACF Project Launch - Advancing Local Climate Resilience

Cllr Kenalemang Phukuntsi SALGA Chairperson; Mayor of Tswelopele Local Municipality; PCC Commissioner
Mr Saliem Fakir, Executive Director, African Climate Foundation (ACF)
Mrs Dorah Modise: Executive Director of the Presidential Climate Commission
Ms Joanne Yawitch: Commissioner National Planning Commission
Cllr Nasiphi Moya: PCC Commissioner

It is a great pleasure to participate in this engagement convened by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) at the occasion of launching the Adaptation Climate Foundation (ACF) funded Climate Action Planning Support Project.

At the outset, allow me to acknowledge the significance of partnerships such as this one. They are not simply symbolic - they are essential instruments that enable us to translate policy into practice, and commitments into measurable outcomes at the local level.

The theme of today's engagement - "From Policy to Practice" - is both timely and necessary. South Africa has made significant progress in developing robust climate policy frameworks. However, the true test of our success lies not in the policies we adopt, but in the impact we deliver on the ground - particularly within municipalities, where citizens experience the realities of climate change most directly.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is actively advancing the implementation of the Climate Change Act, Act 22 of 2024. 2/10

We have embarked on the process of developing the National Climate Change Adaptation Scenarios to provide South Africa with the scientific basis upon which we frame our adaptation responses. These scenarios will be consulted upon to ensure that we collect inputs across our stakeholders, ensuring that they reflect the realities faced by communities across urban, rural, and coastal environments.

We have co-developed these scenarios with key stakeholders, including civil society, business, government, and communities, recognising that adaptation must be inclusive and informed by lived experience.

We have also developed technical guidelines to support different spheres of society to undertake their adaptation needs and response assessments, as well as corresponding climate change response plans required by the Act. These guidelines are intended to ensure consistency, improve planning quality, and support municipalities in meeting their legislative obligations.

As such, this support contributes directly to our target of bringing municipalities into compliance with the Act by ensuring that they develop the required needs and response assessments within the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP).

The Department will also embark on the development of national adaptation objectives and associated indicators to guide adaptation planning and measure implementation progress. These objectives will galvanise all sections of society into action and unlock the implementation of adaptation interventions across sectors.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Department, as the environmental lead, together with sector partners, has endorsed a Local Government Support Strategy for the MTDP period of 2024/25 to 2028/29.

This Strategy is key in ensuring that local government is supported and empowered to effectively manage its affairs, exercise its powers, and fulfil its constitutional obligations in terms of Sections 154, 155(6), and 155(7) of the Constitution.

The Strategy is anchored on four key objectives:

• Improving municipal institutional capacity to perform environmental management functions;
• Improving funding of environmental functions in municipalities;
• Strengthening law enforcement at municipal level; and
• Ensuring that municipalities respond effectively to climate change.

Through this Strategy, the Department has set clear and measurable targets. We aim to support 44 district municipalities in developing climate change response implementation plans that reflect the realities of their local municipalities and are formally adopted by Councils.

In addition, a total of 25 municipalities will be supported in developing climate change proposals to access funding, recognising that implementation is often constrained by limited financial resources.

Furthermore, we are working towards ensuring that at least 50% of municipalities effectively utilise early warning systems, as these are critical in reducing the impact of climate-related disasters and protecting lives and livelihoods.

In addressing rising unemployment, particularly among young people, the Department has also undertaken a Municipal Capacity Analysis Study. This study highlighted the significant capacity constraints faced by municipalities in implementing environmental management functions as required by legislation.

In response, the Department launched the Environmental Graduate Programme under the Expanded Public Works Programme.

This programme targets environmental graduates with no prior work experience, placing them within municipalities to provide much-needed support while enabling them to gain practical workplace experience.

To date, the programme has employed over 3,000 graduates across municipalities in South Africa. These graduates are not only gaining valuable experience but are also contributing directly to improving environmental management, compliance, and service delivery at local level.

The programme is funded at over R200 million within the current MTEF period, reflecting government's commitment to both youth empowerment and strengthening municipal capacity.

This initiative demonstrates how environmental programmes can simultaneously address socio-economic challenges while improving governance and service delivery outcomes.

Ladies and Gentlemen;

The promulgation of the Climate Change Act has reinforced the urgency of action across all spheres of government. South Africa is experiencing extreme weather events more frequently, affecting multiple sectors and placing increasing pressure on municipalities.

In 2022, the KwaZulu Natal Province was hit by the devasting floods that occurred between April and May. The floods resulted in 443 death and the loss of livelihoods, damage to critical infrastructure such as roads, schools, and health centers, disruption of services and displacement of people. The impact of the April 2022 floods was felt across all functional sectors of the economy, including the natural environment. The damage to sewage treatment infrastructure led to the closure of most Durban beaches due to concerning levels of E.coli (bacteria) being present in water. The impacts of these flooding in the community and the economy at large was a reminder of the need for integrated planning that mainstream climate change across provinces and municipalities.

It was, in fact, an urgent call for municipalities to strengthen the enforcement of by-laws to ensure that communities do not settle in low-lying areas that are prone to flooding. The flooding further reinforced the need for expanded early warning systems and the restoration of ecological infrastructure as a means to lessen the impacts of these extreme events.

The subsequent flooding this year in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape is calling for urgent adaptation response across the spheres of government.

These events require us to reflect not only on the impacts of climate change, but also on the underlying drivers of vulnerability.

In many instances, the severity of these disasters is exacerbated by settlement patterns. Rapid urbanisation continues to drive migration into urban areas in search of economic opportunities. However, where formal housing and infrastructure are unable to keep pace, informal settlements often emerge in areas that are not suitable for habitation.

These include floodplains, wetlands, unstable soils, and coastal dunes. When extreme weather events occur, these vulnerabilities are exposed, often resulting in loss of life and livelihoods. 5/10

This raises an important question for all of us, particularly for local government and its partners:

What more can be done to prevent communities from settling in high-risk areas?

Are we doing enough to enforce by-laws, guide development, and educate communities on environmental risks?

Responsibility in this regard is shared. Government must provide planning and regulation, municipalities must enforce and guide development, and communities must take responsibility for where and how they settle.

Furthermore, the Western Cape has experienced wildfires in recent years. These occurred in the Keurbooms-Soetkraal area of the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park, threatening nearby communities and agricultural areas.

Municipalities worked collaboratively with SANParks and other stakeholders to implement interventions focused on protecting life, property, and infrastructure. Approximately 22,000 hectares were affected. These collaborative efforts demonstrate the importance of coordinated response mechanisms.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Recent flooding in Mpumalanga has caused significant damage to the Kruger National Park and surrounding communities. Critical infrastructure, including water abstraction points and treatment facilities, was severely impacted.

The technical team has assessed the damages, which are estimated at over R600 million. This highlights the scale of the challenge and the importance of investing resources effectively towards the full implementation of the Climate Change Act.

In this regard, I invite SALGA to continue working with the Department and other stakeholders to ensure that we achieve meaningful and measurable impact.

The Climate Act calls for integrated climate change planning across the spheres of society. The municipalities are obligated to undertake the need assessment and response plan as part of climate change response.

The Department will continue to support municipalities through capacity building, technical support, and facilitation of access to climate finance.

We are working with institutions such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the South African Biodiversity Institute to mobilise resources and strengthen implementation.

The Presidential Climate Commission continues to provide valuable advisory support on the just transition and climate change.

Ladies and Gentlemen

The Department has committed to support twenty (20) district municipalities in this financial year to undertake a detailed needs assessments with the view of developing corresponding response plans to ensure the full implementation of the Climate Change Act.

Town and spatial planning remains one of the most effective tools to reduce climate risk and prevent avoidable disasters. It is through proper planning that municipalities, as the primary authorities responsible for land-use management, can guide development away from high-risk areas such as floodplains, wetlands, and unstable land, and ensure that infrastructure is designed to withstand future climate impacts. Effective spatial planning allows for the integration of climate risk considerations into land-use decisions, human settlement development, and infrastructure investment. In this regard, SALGA plays an important supporting role by strengthening municipal capacity, promoting best practices, and ensuring alignment with national frameworks. In doing so, it shifts our approach from reacting to disasters to proactively preventing them.

Environmental Impact Assessments play a critical role in ensuring that development decisions take climate risks into account. The Department has improved the efficiency of EIA processes while maintaining environmental safeguards, supported by Climate Change EIA Guidelines. 7/10

In cases of climate-induced disasters, the Department issues directives under the National Environmental Management Act to enable rapid response and recovery efforts aimed at protecting lives, property, and the environment.

For example, during recent flooding, the Department issued directives covering the Maruleng Local Municipality within the Mopani District Municipality in Limpopo Province, in response to the impacts on the Olifantstenk Railway.

This approach allows for expedited intervention, facilitating timely response, as well as the reconstruction and rehabilitation of affected areas following climate-induced disasters.

In terms of specific adaptation responses, our approach must be differentiated across urban, rural, and coastal contexts.

In urban areas, water services require improved planning, stronger management, and consistent long-term monitoring. Demand must be actively managed through a combination of measures, including responsible usage, reduction of system losses through leak detection and pressure management, and sustained awareness campaigns that promote efficiency. These interventions are essential to ensuring that our cities remain resilient under increasing climate pressure.

In rural areas, adaptation must be anchored in strengthened ecological management. This includes the restoration of wetlands and river systems, which play a critical role in reducing runoff, supporting livelihoods such as grazing, and improving access to clean water. Supporting farming communities to adapt to changing conditions is equally important in sustaining both local economies and food security.

Coastal settlements, particularly cities, must take a proactive approach to managing their shorelines. This requires stricter regulation of coastal development, including the enforcement of buffer zones and appropriate setback lines. Natural systems such as wetlands, estuaries, and dunes must be protected, as they serve as critical buffers against sea-level rise and storm surges. At the same time, future planning must incorporate projected sea-level rise into infrastructure design and disaster risk management strategies.

As I close, municipalities are required to integrate climate considerations into existing systems such as Integrated Development Plans, sector plans, disaster management frameworks, and municipal budgets, while ensuring alignment across departments and with national and provincial priorities.

Through strengthened coordination, planning, and shared accountability, I am confident that we will continue to make meaningful progress in building resilient communities.

We appreciate this platform provided by South African Local Government Association and look forward to strengthening our partnership as we collectively advance implementation at local level. The work ahead requires urgency, coordination, and accountability across all spheres of government.

Thank you.

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