Mr W. Aucamp: 100 Days In Office Statement

27 February 2026

Members of the media,
Fellow South Africans,

Good day.

History has proven that South Africans are resilient and courageous. We are also a nation that is working hard to get this country to where it needs to be. We heard recently that South Africa has formally been removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in October last year, and we received a ratings upgrade for the first time in 25 years. This is just some of the examples showing that we are a nation that is capable of pulling ourselves up from under this socio-economic quagmire.

So, when the Honourable President called on me to lead the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment a little over a hundred days ago, I heeded the call without hesitation. I knew that the job would not be easy, but I also knew that South Africa needs decisive, credible and ethical leadership and people that are willing to serve, to take our country forward.

Owing to our country’s socio-economic dynamics, this Department often sits on the periphery of general, every day socio-economic discourse. Environmental protection is not about creating unnecessary barriers to make it harder for businesses to operate, nor is it about making it difficult for regular people to access and enjoy our natural resources. Rather, this department is key to unlocking some of the country’s biggest economic opportunities through its expansive portfolio of programmes and regulatory functions.

Our role is to protect, conserve, and sustainably manage South Africa’s natural resources while enabling inclusive economic growth job creation and environmental resilience.

To help us get to where we need to be, I have updated the Department’s key priorities to align with the national strategic priorities. These priorities all focus on creating inclusive economic growth and job opportunities, whilst enhancing environmental sustainability and improving accountability, fiscal discipline and improved management within the Department and its entities. The seven key priorities are:

1. Science-based Decision Making. This strategy intends to ensure that all decisions made by the Department will be based on proven, objective data and science, thereby increasing the Department’s research and data collection capacity. Decisions based on emotion can’t be defended, whilst decisions based on science and data can and is easy to justify.
2. Climate Change – Mitigation and Adaptation. This priority focuses on the implementation of the Climate Change Act, with a strong focus on mitigation of climate change and adaptation to the effects thereof, while also enhancing the cleaning and greening programme. In this regard, I welcome the appointment of the new Presidential Climate Commission by President Ramaphosa in December last year.
3. Transforming our Iconic Natural Spaces is another key strategic focus where we are working to reform our iconic natural sites into first-class destinations that set new standards for conservation, education and sustainable tourism. These iconic sites includes all the National Parks within SANParks as well as Isimangaliso and all the Botanical Gardens under SANBI.
4. Inclusive, Fair and Enforcement-driven Wildlife Economy to ensure a just, compliant, and economically viable wildlife and iconic wildlife industry that is safeguarded by a strong and efficient enforcement and anti-poaching system. Our wildlife economy is based on the various uses of our wildlife and iconic wildlife species with an emphasis on sustainability thereof.
5. Another priority area is Coasts for People and Nature. The aim of this priority is to empower coastal communities to sustainably access and work the ocean economy with a strong focus on promoting marine conservation. Our communities living along our coastal areas must be allowed to make a living from this natural treasure on their doorstep whilst simultaneously assisting us in protecting our marine eco systems.
6. Accelerated Environmental Regulation and Efficiency. We must accelerate the improvement of efficient and streamlined governance and compliance processes that empower and support economic growth, while ensuring environmental protection.
7. Finally, it is important that we implement Fiscal Accountability and Stability. This priority aims to ensure that the highest standards of fiscal accountability, prudence and long-term stability are upheld through a comprehensive spending review. Thus, improving public trust and securing public-private partnerships and donor funding.

Within this framework, there have already been various developments, some of which I would like to share with you today.

In my first 100 Days, I have engaged with various local and international stakeholders across the various sectors we service:

Fishing and Coast:

• Along the coast, I have met and engaged with small-scale fishers in Arniston alongside the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure to better resolve the overlapping issues at our small harbours.
• I had stakeholder engagements with various stakeholders at the Mossel Bay Municipality where we looked at Shark net and Marine Protected Area issues, conservancy matters, enforcement and other related matters.
• We also conducted beach clean-ups at the Suiderkruis Beach around the Groot Brak Conservancy, as well as at Dana Bay beach.
• I met with several mayors of our coastal towns to discuss issues of the fishing community.
• Our coastal economy is very reliant on our commercial operations. It was therefore an honor for me to open the R 172 million Pioneer Fisheries’ fishmeal factory in St Helena Bay where I also had the opportunity to deliver the keynote address that concentrated on sustainable industrial growth in a priority coastal area, job creation and greater long-term prospects of the pelagic sector.
• I also met with the management team of Sea Harvest where we discussed aspects of the commercial fishing sector as well as the cooperation between the commercial and the small scale sector.
• Under the priority of “Coasts for People and Nature,”I attended the unveiling of the CoastCare signage programme that marked a significant step toward improving coastal awareness, accessibility, and inclusive public engagement. Enhanced features such as braille, QR-enabled audio content, and accessible regulatory information will promote responsible coastal use and stewardship.

Waste management:

• I had the privilege of conducting a site visit of the Atlantis Waste Tyre Depot in Cape Town where our engagements underscored the importance of an integrated waste tyre value chain that delivers environmental outcomes while simultaneously driving industrial activity, SMME participation, and sustainable economic growth within the circular economy. This visit also speaks to our efforts to prioritize the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs as a strategic mechanism to strengthen environmentally sound waste management while unlocking economic value and creating jobs.
• To this end, I also had the opportunity to engage with some Producer Responsibility Organisations at the POLYCO 2026 Strategic Overview meeting in encouraging strong partnerships for the advancement of South Africa’s transition to a circular economy.

Climate change and Tree planting

• During my first week in office, on the side lines of the G20 Summit, I joined President Ramaphosa, EU President Ursula von der Leyen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in addressing several climate change innitiatives.
• In February I participated in the Mother’s Forest Tree Planting event in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, an initiative that complements the Department’s own Ten Million Trees Programme. With its strong emphasis on youth participation, the Mother’s Forest initiative aligns closely with our conviction that the green economy and youth innovation are central pillars of South Africa’s sustainable future.
• I accompanied President Ramaphosa on a state visit to Mozambique, where I had bi-lateral discussions with my Mozambique counterpart, Minister Riberto Albino on several environmental and conservation matters. I look forward to working with him to further strengthen our relationship in order to the benefit of our shared interests.
• As part of our climate action efforts, I attended the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), which took place from 8 to 12 December in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme "Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet”.

During the session, I addressed all the African Ministers of Environment on the effects that climate change has got on our continent, and what we as African nations could do to mitigate it.

I also delivered the National Statement on climate change and environmental aspects on behalf of South Africa at the UN convention.

Whilst at the UNEA, I also participated in a number of high-level bi-lateral discussions with my European counterparts on various environmental issues, including the plastics treaty negotiations.

FISCAL ACCOUNTABILITY, STABILITY & EFFICIENCY

To strengthen service delivery and operational efficiency, we need to ensure that we have the right capacity with well qualified, experienced and representative individuals steering this sector. To achieve this we have made significant progress on employment equity having achieved

• 50% representation of women at Senior Management Service level and
• 17% youth representation across our workforce - contributing to the broader vision of an inclusive and equitable society.
• While our Department’s 2% representation of persons with disabilities might be a good start towards inclusivity, I believe we can do better to improve access to skills and employment opportunities for persons living with disabilities.

One of my first acts in office was to give back the delegations to all the various DDG’s in my Department. The fact that their delegations were previously revoked, led to underspending in a number of key delivery areas. I am glad to announce that since I gave them their delegations back, we could see an immediate improvement on required spending in these key areas, which will lead to a huge improvement in the services that this Department must provide to the people of South Africa.

The Department has continued to accelerate the implementation of environmental programmes in line with key national priorities. These efforts include generating over 20,000 work opportunities as part of the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) while we also have employed 526 unemployed graduates through the Municipal Environmental Graduates Programme. These efforts support the country’s apex priorities of inclusive growth, sustainable job creation, and economic growth, whilst we are also safeguarding environmental integrity.

In another effort to ensure organizational stability and efficiency, I was pleased to note the unqualified audit outcome for the 2024/25 financial year, which is indicative of our strong governance protocols. That being the case, this is not an opportunity to relax.

I have instituted monthly reviews of the Audit Action Plan in order to pro-actively strengthen our internal controls, and sustained compliance efforts which underscore a firm commitment to fiscal discipline and accountability.

In my first hundred days, my Department has also processed a total number of 80 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) applications, 54 of which were from the energy generation and transmission infrastructure sector, which effectively responds to the energy crisis in the country. This enabled a total of 4861 megawatts of electricity generation capacity. Furthermore, we have managed to make necessary amendments to the EIA Regulations to better align mining and environmental legislation, these will be published in due course.

As the appeals authority, these are important developments in supporting the growth and stability of the mining and energy sectors. I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to emphasize it: successful environmental sustainability is not intended to obstruct development, but rather, is intended to support economic growth and development that protects and conserves our environment.

As the highest appeal authority, I have concluded the adjudication of 65 appeals comprising 37 appeals lodged in terms of the National Environmental Management Act and 28 appeals submitted under the Marine Living Resources Act.

With reference to our fishing industry a further amount of more than 70 appeals have already been adjudicated by me, and the outcome on these appeals will be announced by me on 5 March.

The finalisation of these matters demonstrates sustained progress in the consideration of statutory appeals and underscores my Department’s commitment to upholding the principles of administrative justice, regulatory compliance, and sound environmental governance within the prescribed legislative frameworks

I have also approved the appointment of additional qualified legal professional personnel in the appeals department to ensure that we eradicate the backlog of appeals and that we, in the future, will be able to lessen the time that it takes to finalise appeal matters.

DATA AND SCIENCE AS CONSISTENT TOOLS OF TRADE

In every area of our work, we must prioritise science-based decision-making to ensure that our regulations and policies are not biased or based on emotions, but rather that it is based on proven, objective data and science that will assist us in addressing our national priorities and needs.

As part of our Antarctic relief and research voyage, the SA Agulhas II vessel successfully completed its 60-day mission, reinforcing South Africa’s position as the only African nation with an active Antarctic research base and strengthens the country’s contribution to global climate and polar research.

This is in addition to locally-based coastal research efforts such as the humpback whale survey along the West Coast to assess the whale populations near St Helena Bay, and balancing biodiversity conservation with tourism development and job creation.

Fisheries is one of the areas that is contentious with a multitude of challenges that affect livelihoods of people and communities that have a long bloodline of fishers. The sector employs several thousands of people and has the potential to unlock the economic opportunities of many coastal communities. However, there is still a lack of synergy. The understanding of policies and legislation between ourselves and the fishing industry needs to be better aligned. Small-scale fisheries, in particular, feel unsupported, despite the investments we are making to try improve the sector.

This will change!

I’ve had several meetings with the leaders of various fishing cooperatives, listening to their problems and working with them to solve their issues. I have also called on my Department to strengthen research and data-backed decision-making, public-private partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building within the fishing sector.

RESTORATION OF LAW AND ORDER IN ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS

Earlier this month, we announced the 2025 rhino poaching statistics where we had witnessed a 16% decline in rhino poaching compared to 2024. In the January to December period, 352 rhinos were poached in South Africa, with 266 being killed on state properties and 86 on privately owned parks, reserves or farms. This was a decrease of 68 in comparison to 420 rhinos poached in 2024. This decline was achieved through dedication, and tactical and swift coordination, South Africa’s anti-poaching and anti-trafficking efforts. In this regard I want to thank the efforts of all our rangers as well as the private sector and private rhino farmers.

In support of the strategic priority to accelerate environmental regulation and efficiency, we published various policy and legislative instruments. These include the:

1. Climate Change Act on Pollution Prevention Plans and Mitigation Plans;
2. the Draft National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) 2026;
3. The Draft Regulations to Prohibit the Production, Distribution, Import, Export, Sale, Use of, and to Phase-out, Chemicals that are Listed by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants;
4. As well as the Consultation notice on the Intention to Set and Allocate the 2026 and 2027 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Export Quotas for Elephant, Black Rhinoceros and Leopard Hunting Trophies.

Laws and regulations only have meaning if they are implemented and upheld, which is why we have to continue to hold hands with the various stakeholders who support us in this space.

DEALING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE IN REAL TIME

South Africa is feeling the effects of climate change in real time, having recently experienced severe floods in the Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces. These floods, like the earlier floods that affected our coastal provinces, led to a number of fatalities and people lost their homes and livelihoods, while communities lost critical public infrastructure.

I am going to make some time in the near future, to visit some of these affected communities so I can see for myself the effects of climate change, while offering hope and support to the affected communities. What I know for sure, is that we simply do not have the luxury to pretend that climate change is still a far flung concept.

The Department has accelerated various instruments to ensure that we do everything we can to improve our country’s chances to withstand the elements. We recently hosted wide-ranging consultations with sector departments, provinces, and industry on draft Carbon Budget and Mitigation Plan regulations, laying the groundwork for how major emitters will be held accountable. These consultation are a pre-cursor to the Department seeking approval from Cabinet in the coming months to publish the Sectoral Emission Targets (SETs) for public comment, which is a key step in translating the Climate Change Act into concrete sector commitments.

Furthermore, the securing of funding for the next round of Biennial Transparency Reports from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as well as funding for air quality improvements through the Clean Air Coalition of over US$5 million, was a critical step in our climate action efforts. These resources will support South Africa's efforts in building institutional capacity in the management of air emissions reporting systems and tracking our efforts to reduce air pollution. Work on a Climate Change Response Fund is also advancing, with a feasibility study entering the procurement pipeline for the 2026/27 financial year.

The department trained district municipalities on mainstreaming climate planning in the planning instruments. The Department further advanced the development of adaptation scenarios to help communities prepare for a changing climate, as well as technical guidelines on the response plans under the implementation of the Climate Change Act, Act 22 of 2024. As part of the implementation of the Climate Change Act, the Department drafted the Carbon budget regulations as well as the regulations for the Presidential Climate Commission which are currently under consultations.

Conclusion

The past three months have been exciting, and the progress that we are making has made me and my department even more ambitious and motivated to fulfil our duty and to grab all the opportunities that lay ahead.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am under no illusion that there will be times when we strongly disagree, however, divergence does not mean we do not want the same thing: the best for our country.

Therefore, as we look to the future of forestry, fisheries and the environment, we do so with both realism and resolve. The challenges before us – climate change, biodiversity loss, resource pressures and economic inequality – are complex and deeply interconnected. Yet they also present an opportunity: to reshape our development pathway in a way that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient.

If we remain guided by sustainability, inclusion and integrity, we can build a future where environmental protection and economic growth are not in competition, but in partnership – a future where our natural resources continue to sustain both our people and our prosperity.

Thank you

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Minister W. Aucamp statement

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