Molewa fell ill while accompanying Ramaphosa to China earlier this month. She died at a Pretoria Hospital, aged 61.

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The ruling African National Congress endorsed President Cyril Ramaphosa remarks that Edna Molewa’s death was a devastating loss. She was Water and Environmental Affairs Minister for eight years.

Opposition parties paid tribute to Molewa’s work protecting the environment and particularly in fighting the poaching of rhino and elephant.

The World Wildlife Fund paid tribute to her significant contribution to safeguarding the environment and noted that on her watch there had been a decline in rhino deaths these past three years.

Five years ago the WWF gave Molewa its highest honour, the Gift To The Earth Award.

Figures released in Friday showed 508 rhinos had been poached nationally between the beginning of the year and end of August, compared with 691 deaths  last year.

Elephants, however, are falling prey to poachers in greater numbers. 58 of the giant beast have been killed for their tusks in the Kruger National Park – South Africa largest game reserve – this year.

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She’s speaking at the climate summit in Montreal that she’s attending before heading for New York to join President Jacob Zuma’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly.

South Africa’s  joined the Partnership for Action on the Green Economy, says Environment Minister Edna Molewa.

She’s calling for a more muscular  role by non-state actors – like civil society and the private sector – to meet and beat commitments to reducing greenhouse gases.

Participants in the Montreal meeting are eagerly awaiting the contribtution of the US representative after hints from Washington that President Donald Trump might not make good on his threat to renege on the Paris agreement.

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It’s been given the go-ahead by Environment Minister Edna Molewa only three years after she declared a protected environment.

The World Wildlife Fund says its taking legal action to save the Mabola Protected Environment.

The WWF and other stakeholders spent several years with the provincial authorities ensuring the 8 772 hectare area, which lies 55 kms northeast of Wakkerstroom in Mpumalanga, would be kept pristine.

The international organisation with six million supporters in its 100-country network has recorded its deep concern at Environment Minister Edna Molewa signing off on an application by Indian company Atha Africa Pty Ltd to mine coal on the Mabola protected area.

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Environment Minister Edna Molewa said the move by Chad and Gabon threatens South Africa’s lucrative market in the trophy hunting of  elephant and the sale of hides, hair and meat.

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The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species is debating a proposal that elephants in all African states to placed on CITES appendix 1 which would ban all trade in wild elephants.

Elephants in central, east and west Africa are already afforded this protection.

Southern elephants, however appear on CITES appendix which allows controlled hunting and sale of body parts excluding ivory.

(take in Edna clip here)

She says South Africa has an elephant population of 18 800, most of which live in Kruger National Park where their number have increase by 4,2% this past generation.

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Molewa’s currently hosting the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora currently underway in Sandto

Environment Minister Edna Molewa says in  a statement  rural communities must be compensated for the damage from wildlife.

Her government’s Biodiversity Economy Strategy ensures that rural communities’ development takes place especially in communities that have benefitted from its land reform process and opportunities relating to legal international trade will form part of this programme.

She says rural communities  people are the first line of defence for the animals in South Africa’s conservation  areas and they have a critical role to play not just in protecting our wildlife assets, but in growing the wildlife economy to make it more inclusive.

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control wildfire near the oil city of Fort McMurray in Alberta.

President Jacob Zuma’s got involved in the matter assigning the Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa to intervene in resolving the matter.

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The 301 firefighters were mostly unemployed young men trained by an organization called Working With Fire as one of the projects of the South African government’s expanded public works program

The Ottawa government called them up along with a group of American firemen.

Their supervisor Johan Heine,who’s a veteran firefighter of 30 years, says the South Africans will  face internal disciplinary action over the sudden strike.

The Canadian authorities have asked him to get his team out of the country as soon as possible.

He says people in emergency services are paramount and are not supposed to strike.

The firefighters won hearts when they arrived singing.

Then they downed tools over a pay dispute.

Heine says the team has indicated that they will not leave until they receive confirmation that their pay demands will be met.

Heine he refutes claims that Working With Fire was skimming from the $170 a day the Canadians were paying, and only paying firefighters $50 a day.

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