Cape Town - The ANC has pledged to fight the DA in the province until an environmental commissioner is appointed in line with the provincial constitution.
Leader of the provincial opposition Cameron Dugmore said they would fight for the creation of the post like they did for the establishment of a children’s commissioner.
Dugmore’s promise followed a presentation to the legislature by the provincial Department of Environmental Affairs which argued, among other things, that the position would be too costly.
The department’s environmental governance chief director Ayub Mohamed told the committee that the constitutionally provided-for position of Western Cape environmental commissioner was “undesirable.”
Mohamed said it would be costly and suggested that the provincial constitution be amended to repeal the provision as national and provincial legislation already provided adequately for the protection of the environment.
He said: “The filling of the post of environmental commissioner is not desirable, because it would involve an overlap and duplication of roles and functions provided for in national and provincial legislation.
“It will not address any governance gaps; and from a fiscal policy perspective it will consume scarce state resources.”
He said when the office was mooted, the organisational design proposed that there would be a commissioner, a deputy director-general, two assistant directors and one administration clerk.
Mohamed said the financial funding required for the effective functioning of the office of the commissioner for the environment would come to R13 million for the first year, including start-up costs.
He further estimated that the office would cost R10.3 million for the second year and R10.9 million for the third year, if an estimated increase of 4.5% for the second and third years was included.
Yesterday, leader of the provincial opposition Cameron Dugmore said: “We need this position to be created as we face challenges of climate change, water pollution, a unique fynbos environment and the need for peoplecentred development.
“It is a provision of the provincial constitution that there must be a commissioner.”
Dugmore said that the DA had refused to implement the provincial constitution in this regard since 2009.
“They are in contempt of the Western Cape constitution.
“As the ANC, we are calling for the report of the public hearings to be tabled in the legislature.
“Like with the Children’s Bill, we will fight the DA until the commissioner for environment is appointed.”
Back in 2021, when the matter came up before the standing committee, Premier Alan Winde opposed the establishment of the office and received the backing of Environmental Affairs MEC Anton Bredell.
Even then, the province proposed the repeal of the long-standing provision of the province’s constitution that created the post for the reasons of cost.
On that occasion, committee member Peter Marais (Freedom Front Plus) said to Winde: “The main thing you are griping about is cost. Yet the DA supports federalism. Did you think federalism was cheap?”