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Bhisho has dismissed the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality’s assertion that environmental impact assessments were causing undue delays to projects, saying it was working alongside the metro to advance development sustainably.
The response on Monday by the Eastern Cape department of economic development, environmental affairs and tourism followed an accusation a fortnight ago by the municipality.
The municipality was at the time defending its position after the news that the national human settlements department was withholding conditional grants worth R440m from the metro because it failed to spend its previous tranche of grant payments.
Eastern Cape environmental affairs department spokesperson Ncedo Lisani said the claim by the municipality was misplaced.
“The environmental impact assessment (EIA) process is key for ensuring that development proceeds in an environmentally responsible, socially inclusive and legally compliant manner.
“It safeguards natural resources, protects communities and ensures long-term sustainability of infrastructure projects, especially in light of the climate change impacts that are likely to be with us for the foreseeable future.
“No, the EIA process has not been unfairly delaying Bay development.
“Any alleged delays due to [the department] relate to standard compliance checks and verification processes necessary to ensure that projects adhere to the National Environmental Management Act ... with its associated environmental impact assessment regulations, as amended.
“This includes that all environmental authorisations and conditions therein, especially pre-construction ones, are also adhered to.
“These include confirming site boundaries, verifying infrastructure implementation and ensuring that conditions of approval are met.”
He said that within this firm and necessary regulatory scrutiny, several infrastructure projects were under way.
“Projects such as Khayamnandi phase five, Motherwell NU30/NU31, and Bethelsdorp continue to progress, and no formal construction stoppages have been issued there.”
National human settlements department director-general Alec Moemi conveyed the news that his department was withholding the conditional grant funding via a February 5 letter to Bay acting city manager Lonwabo Ngoqo.
Moemi said the two payments that would be withheld related to the urban settlement development grant and the informal settlements upgrading partnership grant.
He said the Division of Revenue Act allowed for a payment transfer to be withheld for a period not exceeding 30 days “if there is significant underspending on the previous transfer”.
“The national department [of human settlements] hereby notifies the [Nelson Mandela Bay] municipality that the next transfer will be withheld on both [grants] ... amounting to R305.4m and R134.5m, respectively.”
Bay human settlements political head Thembinkosi Mafana said in response that there were several contributing factors which were not envisaged initially, such as delays on EIA authorisations.
Asked if the environment department was therefore wrong to demand implementation of the EIA process and that he wanted the process to be set aside, he said yes.
“Yes, because what they suddenly enforced was not enforced for the past three years on almost all current running projects.
“It will assist if they can delay enforcing it. That will unlock projects.”
He said the city would try to work with the national human settlements department to address the situation conveyed in Moemi’s letter.
“We will be engaging them to assist on EIA-related issues so that authorisation is provided by the department for projects to be implemented.”
Mafana could not be reached by the time of publication to give an update on the withheld conditional grant funding and comment on the environment department’s position.
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