Mr Narend Singh: Address on the occasion of the launch of the DCLM Solar Installation

12 June 2026, Durban

Programme Director;
His Worship, Executive Mayor of eThekwini Metro, Mr Cyril Xaba 
Honourable Councillors; 
Mr Mark Gordon, Chief Executive of the South African Industrial Container Reconditioners Organisation (SAICRA) 
Mr Thierry Witkowitz, Chief Executive of Veolia;
Representatives from national, provincial and local government;
Leaders from industry, academia, civil society and community organisations; 
Distinguished guests; 
Ladies and gentlemen.

Sanibonani. Good Morning.

It is a privilege to join you today as we launch national Environment Month 2026 and celebrate a series of pioneering initiatives that demonstrate what climate action looks like in practice.

World Environment Day, observed annually on 5 June, is the main international day for environmental awareness and action created by the United Nations. It promotes a shared understanding and responsibility towards the environment and its sustainable management.

As highlighted by this year's global focus on Climate Action, climate change is not a future phenomenon that must be addressed tomorrow. It is happening now and requires immediate, coordinated and sustained climate action.

With this in mind and as part of our celebrations, we will today pay particular attention to the theme: "Climate Action: Promoting Sustainable Water, Waste and Energy Management." The reason is quite simple. The way in which we manage water, waste and energy determines our ability to adapt to climate changes, as well as our future economic competitiveness and the wellbeing of society.

Ladies and gentlemen, 
The theme of Climate Action is not merely a slogan. It is a call to urgent, sustained, and collective commitment. South Africa faces the very real consequences of climate change: intensifying droughts, devastating floods, increasing pollution, biodiversity loss, and the degradation of the natural systems upon which our communities and our economy depend.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment remains firmly committed to the national climate agenda: reducing emissions, building resilience, protecting ecosystems, and ensuring that the green economy creates real opportunities for South African communities.

This theme recognises that climate resilience is built through the sustainable management of natural resources and harnessing opportunities presented by climate action. It challenges us to rethink how we produce, consume, recover resources and make a choice about what technologies that bring about best environmental outcomes, to embrace circular economy principles, and to invest in innovative infrastructure that provide measures to be resilient and adapt to hardships caused by climate change to human kind.

The climate Action present opportunities to turn challenges into opportunities. South Africa signed Climate Change into law in 2024 and has been fully in effect as of March 2025. The law serves as the country’s legal blueprint for transitioning to low-carbon, climate- resilient economy. The legislation legally binds the government to national greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and mandates actionable climate risk planning across all sectors.

We are increasingly seeing evidence that waste management challenges extend far beyond landfill sites. Research undertaken in KwaZulu-Natal has demonstrated how plastic pollution and associated contaminants move through river catchments and eventually enter estuaries and marine ecosystems. This reinforces an important lesson: waste management is not simply about disposal. It is about protecting ecosystems, safeguarding public health, preserving livelihoods and strengthening the resilience of communities. Pollution that enters a river today may become an environmental crisis at the coast tomorrow. 

The Department has promulgated the National Environmental Waste Act which provides a framework for management of waste in the country. The Act provides for a National Waste Management Strategy that promotes reuse, recovery and recycling of waste including treatment of leachate from landfill site. The technology introduced will ensure that wastewater can be utilised again. This provides opportunity for the communities in the province to use water which would have not been reused if the relevant technology was not there. This contributes to climate change adaptation which is about coping with effect of climate change. The recycled leachate from landfill will ensure that clean water is saved for human consumption. 
The Waste Act also presents opportunities to harvest greenhouse gas and turn them into biogas or electricity that may be used in households. This is very significant in our country as we are faced with constrained security of electricity and energy. It means that global warmers (greenhouse) can be used to address our energy needs.

Today's programme is therefore more than the launch of Environment Month activities. It is a demonstration of what can be achieved when government, municipalities, industry, academia and civil society work together to deliver practical climate solutions that benefit both people and the planet.

This is the kind of bold, innovative infrastructure investment that our national water strategy demands. I commend DCLM, Veolia, eThekwini Municipality, and SAICRA for bringing this vision to reality.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 
South Africa generates approximately 107 millions of tonnes of waste annually. Our landfill sites are under extreme pressure. Hazardous waste—from industrial packaging, chemicals, and electronic materials—poses serious risks to soil, water security, public health and ecosystem when not properly managed. Section 24 of the Constitution guarantees citizen right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or wellbeing; and to have environment protected, for the benefit of present and future gnerations,through reasonable legislative and other measures that- prevent pollution and ecological degradation; promote conservation; and secure ecological sustainable development and use of natural resources.

The Waste Act provides for measures are provided that require a stakeholder to obtain a Waste management  licence to establish landfill sites, recycling facilities and treatment facilities to ensure that public and environment is protected from hazardous waste while economic development  projects or initiatives take place. While the waste sector presents opportunities to everyone, the informal waste economy, while vital, remains fragile and under-resourced.

The government's Extended Producer Responsibility regulations represent a fundamental shift—placing the responsibility on producers and importers for the end-of-life management of their products and packaging to fund extended producer responsibility schemes. This present opportunities in the country to establish waste infrastructure to promote, recycling, reuse, recovery of waste to reduce or eliminate more of the waste that goes to landfill. But regulation alone is not enough. We need implementation, infrastructure, investment, and collaboration.

Product responsibility organisation and producers play a critical role in advancing South Africa’s circular economy by:

• Driving South Africa’s circular economy forward

• Advancing EPR and full-cycle waste management

• Promoting sustainability, waste valorisation and socio-economic beneficiation

• Strengthening collaboration through technical, financial, governance and regulatory support

• Enabling members and stakeholders to achieve ESG, SDG and sustainability targets

Today's launch of enhanced recycling and waste recovery initiatives in eThekwini is precisely the kind of implementation that translates policy into impact. It diverts waste from landfills, increases recycling capacity, supports informal recyclers and SMMEs, creates green jobs, and advances the circular economy South Africa requires.

Today’s launch of the DCLM Solar Installation—the continent's first landfill-based solar plant—is a powerful demonstration of how innovation can transform environmental challenges into sustainable opportunities. By harnessing clean solar energy on land traditionally associated with waste disposal, this project reimagines existing infrastructure as a catalyst for climate action and green development. It reduces carbon emissions, contributes to a more diversified and resilient energy mix, and makes productive use of municipal land and brown field that would otherwise remain underutilised.

This landmark initiative reflects the kind of integrated thinking that South Africa needs as we advance a just energy transition—one that balances environmental protection, economic development and social inclusion. It shows that renewable energy can be deployed in innovative ways that strengthen municipal resilience, reduce operating costs and contribute meaningfully to our national climate commitments.

Government remains committed to enabling this transition through supportive regulatory frameworks, environmental governance, and strong intergovernmental cooperation. What we witness today is more than the launch of facilities. It is a demonstration of what is possible when government, industry, municipalities, and communities come together with a shared purpose.

The partnership between SAICRA, Veolia, eThekwini Municipality, DCLM, and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment reflects exactly the kind of collaborative architecture needed to address our environmental challenges. I extend sincere appreciation to all partners for their leadership, investment and commitment to sustainability and innovation.

As we celebrate these launches, we must also recognise that climate change requires collaboration between government, industry, communities, academia and NGOs on areas of awareness and capacity building; research on designing process and technologies, policies that are responsive and that bring the best environmental outcomes for everyone without leaving communities behind.

We must accelerate implementation, deepen partnerships, and ensure accountability to the communities we serve. Let us build on the momentum of today and ensure that climate action becomes sustained climate impact.

It is my honour and privilege to formally declare these initiatives launched. May they stand as enduring proof that climate action is not abstract—it is practical, transformative, and essential to our future.

Together, through Climate Action: Promoting Sustainable Water, Waste & Energy Management, we are building a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa. 
I thank you. 

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