of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
With regard to the Diep River Estuary Management Plan adopted by the City of Cape Town Council last year:
Whether the plan has been submitted to his office; if so, (a) what steps have been and will be taken to ensure its approval in accordance with part 9 of the National Estuarine Management Protocol and (b) what are the associated timelines?
- The Diep River Estuary Management Plan (EMP) has been submitted to the Department.
(a) The Department has supported the City of Cape Town in the development of the EMP and has commented on the published draft. The Department has acknowledged receipt of the EMP which was submitted by the City of Cape Town on 17th January 2023 and is evaluating the submission in terms of the technical requirements of the National Estuarine Management Protocol (2021) (NEMP) and more specifically, as set out in section 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the NEMP.
(b) In terms of the NEMP, section 9(1) ”(a) Where an EMP has been developed by a Provincial Lead Agency for the ICM Act, a provincial conservation agency, a provincial environmental department, municipality by agreement with the province, the EMP must be submitted to the MEC responsible for environmental affairs in the relevant Province for approval;” . Should the Diep River EMP meet all the requirements as set out in sections 5-8, the MEC will approve the EMP and hand over the approved document to the City of Cape Town for the integration into their Spatial Plans and Integrated Development Plan. The expected timeframe for approval by Minister Bredell is within this financial year.
