Parliament, Saturday, 11 March 2023 – Hundreds of residents of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality gathered at the East Bank Community Hall in Alexandra, yesterday, to make their inputs on the draft Climate Change Bill, during public hearings conducted by the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and Environment.

The Bill is being subjected to a comprehensive nationwide public consultation process and this weekend Gauteng is the fourth province to be visited by the committee following public hearings in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.

The Bill is generally receiving support from community members and climate change activist organisations, however, there was a feeling that the Bill needs to be strengthened and there must be a provision for climate change education at schools.

Residents also raised concerns about illegal dumping, pollution of rivers as well as the proliferation of non-recyclable packaging material which they hoped the legislation should be able to address.

A suggestion was also made for the establishment of a special police unit to be responsible for the environment and deal with offences such as illegal dumping, river pollution and deforestation.

The committee also heard that generating energy from coal and nuclear uses too much water and South Africa is a water-scarce country, and need to look at alternative energy sources that will save our water.

Those who opposed the Bill argued that South Africa was a third world country that needed all the natural resources to industrialise, and must stop signing to commitments such as the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement. They claim that South Africa’s gas emissions were insignificant and that the “earth will rectify itself”.

Committee Chairperson Mr Pogiso Modise thanked all the individuals and organisations that participated in the public hearings for enriching the legislative process.

“We are consulting the people of South Africa in compliance with what the Constitution requires of us, all your views are important to us, no input is irrelevant – thank you to all the organisations and individuals that participated in the public hearings you have enriched the legislative process,” said the Chairperson.

The Bill seeks to enable the development of an effective climate change response and a long-term, just transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy and society for South Africa in the context of sustainable development.

Today the committee will hold public hearing in the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.

ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND ENVIRONMENT, MR POGISO MODISE.

For media enquiries or interviews with the committee Chairperson, please contact:

Name: Sakhile Mokoena

Cell: 081 705 2130

 Email:smokoena@parliament.gov.za