VZCZCXRO8417
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSA #1798/01 1371316
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171316Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9869
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
INFO RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 4354
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 8834
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 6765

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 001798 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/PCI, OES/ENV, AND AF/S 
DEPT PASS EPA/OIA, 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SENV SOCI ETRD SF
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICAN ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY MONTHLY 
BRIEFINGS, APRIL 2007 
 
PRETORIA 00001798  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U).  Summary:  This is the South African Environment, Science 
and Technology newsletter, April 2007, Volume 2, Number 1, prepared 
by the U.S. Embassy Pretoria, South Africa. 
 
Topics of the newsletter: 
 
-- SA Farmers Reluctant to Plant GMO Sugar Cane 
 
-- South African Giant Retailers Go Green 
 
-- Ministry Sells Marine Patrol Vessel at Well-Below Market Value 
 
-- Environmental Minister Refutes Inertia Claims Regarding 
Climate Change 
 
-- Revised EIA Regulations Benefit Development Projects 
 
End Summary. 
 
SA FARMERS RELUCTANT TO PLANT GMO SUGAR CANE 
 
¶2. (U) South Africa is one of the top ten in sugar exporting 
countries in the world, producing about 2.5 million tons of sugar 
per year, half of which is exported.  South African Cane Growers 
Association spokesperson Adrian Wynn said recently that local sugar 
cane farmers remain sensitive about genetically modified (GM) sugar, 
and are reluctant to plant it.  According to Wynn, the South African 
Sugar Research Institute, which has been conducting GM research 
since 1993, has already developed insect repellent and 
herbicide-resistant cane, and an increased sucrose-yielding strain. 
Wynn said that the local industry will continue to refrain from 
planting GM sugar cane for commercial use, despite the benefits, 
until world opinion changes. 
 
SOUTH AFRICAN GIANT RETAILERS GO GREEN 
 
¶3. (U) Two South African supermarket retailers announced new climate 
change/carbon foot print reduction programs.  Pick n' Pay Stores 
plan to become the first local retailer to disclose their carbon 
dioxide emissions, while Woolworths plans to reduce its "relative 
carbon footprints" by 30 percent in the next five years.  Pick n' 
Pay announced that it would also stock only fish that had been 
managed in a sustainable way, such as hake, snoek and tuna. 
Woolworths CEO Simon Sussman said they would cut electricity 
consumption and transportation emissions by 30 and 20 percent, 
respectively. 
 
MINISTRY SELLS MARINE PATROL VESSEL AT WELL-BELOW MARKET VALUE 
 
¶4. (U) The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism's (DEAT) 
Marine Coastal Management (MCM) Division sold their 50-meter marine 
patrol vessel "Eagle Star" in November 2006 at well below market 
value, raising concerns regarding corruption and/ or incompetence. 
MCM sold the Eagle Star for $42,000 through an auction process in 
which only two bidders participated.  When the vessel was sold, its 
fuel tanks held diesel valued at $31,900.  The new owner, Rudolf Van 
Der Werf, immediately resold that fuel.  Van Der Werf stated that he 
intended to lease the vessel to the government of Mozambique. 
Recent refits to the "Eagle Star" cost the taxpayers $486,000.  DEAT 
spokesperson Blessing Manale said the sale had stunned senior 
government officials and opposition party members. 
 
¶5. (U) DEAT has announced the appointment of an external auditor to 
investigate how the auction was conducted, including how it was 
advertised, the choice of the auctioneers and how the final sale 
price had been determined.  Manale said MCM Deputy Director General 
Monde Mayekiso had been given a mandate from DEAT to sell the vessel 
because it was considered obsolete and too expensive to keep. 
Manale noted that Mayekiso did not set a minimum price for the 
vessel prior to the auction because he feared driving away potential 
bidders.  The MCM Finance Chief has allegedly conceded the sale 
price was too low, blaming the two auction houses that conducted the 
sale.  Replying to parliamentary questions, DEAT Minister Marthinus 
Van Schalkwyk acknowledged that DEAT had spent considerable sums to 
convert the vessel from a fishing trawler to a marine patrol 
training ship, and noted that the vessel had been used by MCM for 
over four years.  The Democratic Alliance, an opposition political 
party, noted that the 2003 value of the vessel was $1.1 million, and 
that DEAT had subsequently revamped the vessel and fitted with 
vessel-monitoring systems, radar, IT and satellite facilities. 
ENVRIONMENTAL MINISTER REFUTES INERTIA CLAIMS REGARDING CLIMATE 
CHANGE 
¶6. (U) The Democratic Alliance (DA), South African opposition 
political party, accused Minister of Environmental Affairs and 
Tourism (DEAT) Marthinus Van Schalkwyk of inertia in dealing with 
climate change.  DA environmental spokesman Rafeek Shah claimed that 
 
PRETORIA 00001798  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
although Van Schalkwyk spends a great deal of time speaking at 
international forums about the need for serious and immediate action 
against climate change, he had "dropped the ball" in South Africa. 
Shah stated that DEAT had not produced anything concrete that 
mitigated or minimized climate change impact, in spite of the 
Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change's (IPCC) recent warnings 
regarding potentially severe climate change impacts on South Africa. 
 Minister Van Schalkwyk's office responded to the DA allegations 
stating that DEAT had produced a "climate roadmap".  This "road map" 
sets forth a series of inter-ministerial climate change intervention 
programs, such as the long-term mitigation scenario process.  A 
panel of DEAT researchers is also analyzing the IPCC assessment 
report.  The Minister's spokesman commented that the Department of 
Agriculture is also developing a climate change response plan, in 
coordination with DEAT.  The Minister's office further noted that 
the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) is working towards full 
implementation of South Africa's national energy efficiency accord. 
 
REVISED EIA REGULATIONS BENEFIT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS 
¶7. (U) In 2006 DEAT sought public comments on the 1997 Environmental 
Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations.  Based upon these comments, 
DEAT has proposed a set of revised EIA regulations addressing 
technical and legal errors, eliminating minor procedures, and 
providing definitions and time frames for appeals.  South African 
CEO Nils Flaaten noted that the proposed amendments will provide a 
positive impetus to the South African investment climate.  The Cape 
Town Regional Chamber of Commerce also welcomed the proposed 
amendments, noting that they would simplify the EIA process.  The 
Minster of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus Schalkwyk 
said that economic development, investment and conservation need not 
be opposing end goals.  There must be a balance between economic 
development and conservation.  The amendment process is expected to 
be completed by the end of July. 
Bost