Minister of Labour Budget speech & response by IFP

Minister of Labour , Ms Mildred Oliphant, gave her Budget Vote Speech on the 07 May 2015.

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Honourable Chairperson
Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Honourable Members
Leaders of our social partners
Directors General
Esteemed guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
 
Honourable Chairperson, allow me to add my voice behind many voices that are calling for an end to the attacks on foreign nationals. Watching these outright criminal acts against our fellow human beings, I was reminded of what the founding President of our democratic South Africa, the late Nelson Mandela, who once said, and I quote.

“To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others”. Close quote. We must also take note that the South African Labour Laws are grounded on the fundamental African philosophy of Ubuntu in that, they protect workers regardless of their Geographic origins, documented or undocumented, I must hasten to add.    
 
Honourable Members, Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen; It is always a pleasure and an honour to address this august house on the occasion of our Budget Vote for the year ahead and beyond.
 
There is no doubt that this platform gives us an opportunity to account to the nation by; Recalling the commitments we made in the previous Budget vote, Giving an account of what we have done to execute these commitments, Highlighting challenges that we encountered in the process and, indicating steps that are being taken to address them,
Bragging about our milestone achievements to date and, pointing out what remains to be done.
 
It is of utmost significance that in June this year, we will be commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter, the Road-Map set by the Congress of the People in 1955.
 
The Freedom Charter provided a clear and concise set of policies, aims, objectives and principles of the Congress Alliance. It served as a vision of a post-apartheid South Africa, which was to be used as a weapon in the struggle for democracy.
 
It is therefore not by accident, Honourable Chairperson and fellow South Africans, that the Freedom Charter has to this day, remained the cornerstone of the ruling Party’s policies and it is, in all accounts, the foundation of the South African Constitution.
There are many instances where the Freedom Charter is captured word for word in many passages of our Constitution, the ruling party’s Election Manifestos and in our Labour Laws. It is also true that our labour laws are an expression of the Congress of the people’s declaration that ‘There shall be Work and Security’.
 
We have learnt a great deal from our complex past, adding continuously to our experience in the things that we do. “No political democracy can survive and flourish if the mass of our people remain in poverty, without land, without tangible prospects for a better life.  (RDP, 1998).
 
These are some of the reference points that inform what we do, and our Labour Laws are designed in the manner that seeks to do precisely these things. Honourable Chairperson, I would like the house to note that our budget is presented to this house a week after we have celebrated Worker's Day.
The Worker's Day celebration is a perfect reminder to all of us, that indeed we are free and that the rights we enjoy today cannot be taken for granted as they came at a price.  Recently we lost a number of tried and tested icons of our movement, some of whom were from the workers’ struggle tradition. We also witnessed the re-burial of the icons of the workers struggle, Moses Kotane and JB Marks recently.  We pay homage to all our fallen heroes and heroines, we say to them, you will remain an inspiration to our work and may your souls rest in eternal peace.
 
Honourable Members, We decided on leveraging labour relations to contribute towards promoting social and economic well-being of our society as our theme for this budget vote. The choice of the theme was inspired, in the main, by the spirit and the letter of our Constitution and the Freedom Charter. 
 
I am indeed proud of the fact that as a country we chose the rights based approach to realising the economic and social rights of our people particularly the poor and the marginalised.  The affirmation that our labour market dispensation is premised on focusing on the promotion of minimum conditions to restore workers dignity as a people is correct and non-negotiable.
It is also correct that our labour laws set minimum conditions and our social partners are encouraged to do better. The principle that you cannot vary the minimum conditions downwards is important. We will celebrate a day when all the employers were to stand up and say our workers enjoy working conditions that are way above the set minimum standards. 
 
This year, as we celebrate the 21st Anniversary of Democracy in this country, it is almost impossible to ignore the contribution that the new labour market dispensation has made in terms of transforming the workplace. 
 
It has been a long but interesting journey of working with our social partners, Business, Labour and Community Constituency who have, together with us, co-created the architecture of our labour regulatory framework. We should all be proud that our labour laws are counted among the best in the world.
 
Honourable Chairperson; At the risk of sounding too simplistic, there is some truth that when workers earn a living wage, it means they have reasonable disposable income to spend on goods and services produced by the economy; if the demand on goods and services rises, the entire supply change inevitably start experiencing increase in their output volumes, resulting in direct and indirect positive social and economic spin-offs. Given that our economy is by and large consumer-led, the scenario painted above cannot be ignored.
 
Our labour market policy landscape does have in its mix, a comprehensive unemployment insurance facility which is considered an international best practice. The Unemployment Insurance Fund is one of the key elements of social security safety net. It is a fact and not fiction that the Compensation Fund is arguably one of the biggest Medical Aid, and Pension Fund for workers who get injured or contract diseases at work.
 
Similarly the Training Lay-off scheme which is funded by the UIF, continue to assists companies in distress to keep workers in their payroll whilst skilling and reskilling. Despite a couple niggling process-flow related challenges, the scheme remains an important active labour market intervention.
 
These interventions, Honourable Members, provide income in instances where it would ordinarily not have been possible. They are critical as catalysts to promoting social and economic well-being of our society. 
 
We can therefore boldly claim that our labour market policies are not a hindrance to economic growth, but a catalyst where and when it matters most. These active labour market interventions are key ingredients of our Social security safety nets.
 
Honourable Chairperson; Honourable Members, Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen;  
Let me now take a moment to recall the commitments we made in the previous Budget vote and the highlights going forward. Please note that a more detailed account of these can be gleaned from our Annual Report. I will spend more time on the recently amended Labour Legislations as there were the most exciting and challenging achievements in the period under review.
 
Through the UIF-Funded active labour market interventions, the Labour Activation Programme is becoming a game-changer of note in the facilitation of skills enhancement. We targeted to train 2000 UIF beneficiaries to prepare them for re-entry into the labour market, but instead, 3117 workers were supported and 600 of these trainees were re-absorbed in real jobs.
 
5104 were supported through training offered by accredited Sector Education and Training Authorities and, 450 aspiring entrepreneurs’ benefitted through tailored training programmes.
 
The fund ring-fenced 10 billion Rand for socially responsible investments where the target will be to support labour intensive projects. Whilst the numbers may not be where we would want them, we are however very pleased with progress so far.
We are also pleased to report that the 29 million Rand that was allocated to Productivity South Africa for turn-around solutions continue to yield excellent results.
 
3891 jobs were saved through these interventions in the 2014/15 financial year. We also acknowledge and thank the Department of Trade and Industry for its continued support for the Workplace Challenge Programme, its impact is invaluable.
 
Honourable Members, The Compensation Fund has continued to be one of the key priority areas for the Department. We fully understand the challenges in the Fund and we are dealing with them. In August 2014, the fund introduced a new electronic claims management system, Umehluko which cuts out the manual system which has been the main source of problems in the fund for many years. Umehluko has, within a short space of time, brought about demonstrable improvements in the processes of assessing and paying claims, albeit with some teething problems.
The new system, unlike the old manual system, cuts out human interference making it near impossible to be manipulated for sinister reasons. As service providers become more familiar with the system, teething problems will be minimal. We are going to build on progress made so far, targeting key operational areas such as Revenue Management; and Building payroll Audit to improve efficiency in the collection of revenue covering the appropriate risk of employment.
 
We will also take steps to enhance the online registration capabilities and the introduction of a comprehensive Hospital case Management System. We have given ourselves tight timeframes to eradicate the back-log which has remained one of the biggest sources of frustrations among the service providers and workers alike. Our resolve to improve the Audit outcomes of the Fund, is also very much one of our top priorities.
We will keep the relevant Parliamentary Committees abreast of progress in this regard. Please bear with us as these things tend to take time.
 
You will recall Honourable Members that the Deputy President has been given the assignment to drive the engagement with the social partners to seek solutions to the new phenomena of prolonged strikes, strikes-related violence and investigating the Modalities of introducing a national minimum wage.
 
To this end, the Deputy President convened the Labour Relations Indaba on 4 November 2014, where a declaration and a roadmap to address these challenges were adopted. Work has already commenced in this regard.
 
In 2014 we identified a couple of key priority areas and I will touch briefly on some of them, with the Deputy Minister covering the rest;
 
To give a meaningful impact on the recently amended labour legislations, our Inspection and Enforcement arm has to be vigilant or else these workers gains will mean nothing. Therefore our efforts to strengthen the Inspection and Enforcement remain one of our top priorities. 
 
We used Izimbizo to brief workers on what the new labour law amendments mean for them and how to derive maximum benefits from these fresh laws. We also used various Media platforms for creating awareness to the broader society on what the new Amendments mean for workers. CCMA and the Department ran roadshows around the country to raise awareness of the new Labour legislative dispensation.
 
In 2014 we said filling the post of the DG in the Department was our priority and indeed we have found a Director General, Mr Thobile Lamati and he has been in the job for a couple of months now. 
Let me thank Mr Sam Morotoba who kept the Fort in an Acting capacity for at least 75% of the 2014/15 financial year.
 
Honourable Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen; The Unemployment Insurance Amendment Bill which at this stage is before Parliament, since it could not be finalised by the fourth Parliament is being resuscitated as we speak.
 
The purpose of the proposed Amendments include, extending the period to draw unemployment benefits from eight to twelve months, extending the period within which a contributor can lodge a claim from six to twelve months, extending the scope of the fund to cover public servants and workers in the learnership programmes, among other things.

The Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Bill which is currently being consulted on with the social partners in Nedlac will be introduced in parliament during this period. 
 
The purpose of the proposed Amendments is to align the Act with other labour legislations and to introduce provisions to regulate triangular relationships.
 
The Compensation of Occupational Injuries and Diseases Amendment Bill which is currently going through internal processes within the Department will also be tabled in Parliament during this period.
The purpose of the proposed Amendments is to align the Act with other labour legislations, introduce provisions that provide a legal framework for the Fund to promote habilitation and rehabilitation programmes to facilitate a return to work objective.
 
Given the significance and the benefits that will accrue to workers once these proposed Amendments become Law, and in the spirit and the letter of the Ruling Party’s 2009 and 2014 Election Manifestos, We humbly request that Parliament accord the consideration of these Bills a high degree of priority.
 
Honourable Chairperson, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am advised that it was the first time in the history of the Labour Relations in South Africa that four Labour Amendment Bills were signed into law in less than three months in succession. Some commentators even suggested that there was no international precedent of such an achievement. 
 
Today, we are proud to have in our statute book, revised and progressive Labour Relations Act; Basic Conditions of Employment Act, The Employment Equity Act and the landmark Public Employment Services Act.
I want to thank members of Parliament for their hard work in making this possible. Without you going an extra mile, this would not have been achievable. There are indeed bitter and joyous memories of the journey towards the adoption of these Amendments. We look forward to working with you on many fronts and this term will equally be busy given our plans going forward.
 
The challenge going forward will be to make the new laws count for workers in general and vulnerable workers in particular. I am advised that there are some employers who have dismissed workers in order to side-step the new amended laws. Others are contemplating approaching the Courts with a view to water down the transformational character of the revamped labour laws.
 
Well, as you may very well know that this has been the case for many years that some employers respond by dismissing workers every time when new labour law amendments that favour vulnerable workers, are put into place. Same thing happened in 1996 when the new LRA became law and it also happened in 1998 when the Basic Conditions of Employment Act became law.
 
Let me however, warn those employers who are engaging in this practice that there is a provision in the new law that is designed to prevent this practice if it is proven that they are doing this purely to side-step the law.
 
It is very strange that those who are bitter about some of the amendments are quiet about the mitigating provisions in the law. The law does provide exceptions where there are justifiable reasons. As for those who are seeking Court intervention with malicious intents, we are keeping an eye on you.
 
Our Inspectorate and Enforcement and the CCMA will have to rise to the occasion and become more vigilant in this respect.
We must dismiss the myth that Labour Brokers create jobs, they don’t, as they are merely intermediaries.
 
Why these amendments Honourable Members and Fellow South Africans?
 
Whilst South Africa has made huge strides in transforming South Africa into a better place for all who live in it, transforming the workplace is the assignment that is still far from finish. It is ludicrous that some voices are already calling for sunset clauses on the Employment Equity when in actual fact there is no sign that the sun has even risen in some sectors.
 
In order to stay in touch with the changes brought about by internal and external factors, we also need to keep an eye on whether or not the policies we set are still capable of achieving the intended outcomes.
 
 
Indeed, examining the case law, our international obligations, poor levels of compliance and the emergence of new forms of employment, were some of the reasons for the recent Amendments.  Some of the critical questions that we had to ponder as the rationale behind crafting these amendments included;
 
1)    Is it correct that a worker can be a casual for the rest of his or her working life? 
2)    Why should a worker be a temporary worker forever when the job that he/she does is permanent? 
3)    Why should a worker just because he/she is employed by a labour broker not be able to take his /her case to the CCMA or paid less than his/her colleague? 
4)    Why should there be differences in pay and conditions of work between and among employees performing the same or substantially the same work, or work of equal value?
5)    Why should a work-seeker be charged a fee in order to be placed by temporary employment services agent?
 
Honourable Chairperson and Fellow South Africans; I submit that in the main, the recent labour law amendments were driven, largely by the 2009 ruling party’s Manifesto, and by giving careful consideration to these questions. So it was the exercise of fine-tuning the law, tooling and retooling the labour market institutions so that they can do their work better.
 
What do these Amendments mean for the Labour Market, Honourable Members?
 
1)    First and foremost these amendments bring clarity to areas of the labour law that were ambiguous.
2)    They align the law with the case law and gaps identified by various Courts of the land.
3)    They bring about alignment with our international obligations. 
4)    They address abusive practices that are inherent in various forms of employment such as labour broking.
5)    These amendments address certain aspects of the sectoral determination in order to ensure that they remain meaningful to workers in the sectors concerned.
 
I am particularly pleased Fellow South Africans that, at the very least, most of what became the final products, were the outcome of negotiations by social partners in Nedlac, the input from the general public with few areas where absolute consensus could not be found and the rigor of the Economic Impact Assessment Test.
 
Our key priority areas going forward include;
 
1)    Expediting the finalisation of the Unemployment Insurance Amendments Bill which could not be completed by the fourth Parliament due to the term coming to an end.
2)    Improving the efficiency of the Compensation Fund.
3)    Fast-tracking the Tabling of the proposed Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Amendment Bill and the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Bill.
4)    Rolling out the Self-help Kiosks in order to improve service Delivery.
5)    Continuing to build the ICT capacity of the Department.
6)    Reviewing minimum wages for the vulnerable sectors.
7)    Ramping-up our performance in managing workplace conflict and dispute resolution.
8)    Advancing the capacity of the inspectorate and enforcement.
9)    Continuing to play a meaningful role in the international relations world of work.

Honourable Members, Ladies and Gentlemen; whilst this budget is inadequate, relative to what needs to be done, we will do the best we can. 
 
As I close, we would implore our social partners to continue their support of our endeavours to create a labour market environment conducive to investment, economic growth, job creation and decent work.
 
Honourable Chairperson let me thank the Deputy Minister of Labour, Inkosi Phathekile Holomisa, for his support during this time and it is clear that we indeed make a good team. Let me also thank the leadership of our social partners for their support and invaluable contributions during this time and we call on you to continue lending a hand.
 
Thanks to the DG, his Management team and the entire DoL staff for their efforts and support.
 
Last but not least, thanks to Members of this house, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Labour, the Whip and the Committee members for your invaluable support.
 
Let us “Leverage our labour relations to contribute towards promoting social and economic well-being of our society”
 
I would like to commend the 2 Billion 686 million and 867 thousand Rand budget of the Department of Labour to this house.
 
Together let’s move South Africa Forward.
 
Ndithi, Nangomso Honourable Members Amaqobokazana angalal ’endleleni yazini kunyembekile!

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Speech by the Deputy Minister of Labour on the occasion of the 2015/16 Budget Vote of the Department of Labour tabled in the National Assembly in Cape Town

7 May 2015

Honourable Chairperson
Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Honourable Members
Traditional Leaders here present
Leaders of our social partners
Directors General
Esteemed guests, some of whom are members of my clan and led by my wife, Nosimanye
Fellow South Africans
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is indeed an honour for me to stand before you once more, on the occasion of the Department of Labour’s Budget Vote. Time has flown since we presented the 2014 Budget Vote for the Department in July last year, and a lot has happened in the intervening period.

President Jacob Zuma at the beginning of the year, affirmed 2015 as the year of the Freedom Charter, pointing out the significance of the Charter as a guide to shaping our policies and legislation aimed at bettering the lives of our people.

Accordingly we started off this year with the promulgation and implementation of four pieces of legislation.

These were in effect amendments to the Labour Relations Act, the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, the Employment Equity Act and the Public Employment Services Act.

These are a product of protracted and often difficult negotiations involving the contrasting interests of labour, business, government and diverse political parties in parliament. The National Economic Development and Labour Council, as always, played a sterling role in bringing about the requisite consensus for the passage of these laws.

The revamping of our labour laws is a highly significant milestone that underscores our resolve to help transform and regulate the labour market. In this regard we thank the Minister of Labour, uMaShenge, for her foresight and leadership during this difficult but important journey.

Honourable Members and Fellow South Africans, the political and historical narrative of repression in this country is well documented. It is against the background of this history that the Department of Labour is irrevocably committed to the task of restoring the dignity of all workers, the organized and the unorganized alike, and the protection of the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalized work force namely our domestic workers, farm workers and the security guards, among others. Ladies and Gentlemen, in 2014/15 financial year, communities have been highly appreciative of our direct engagements with them in all provinces, through the Ministerial Domestic Worker Izimbizo.

Sol Plaatjie, the first Secretary General of the mighty African National Congress, describing the lives of the South African black miners as far back as 1914 once said, and I quote

“Two hundred thousand subterranean heroes who, by day and by night, for a mere pittance lay down their lives to the familiar 'fall of rock' and who, at deep levels, ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 feet in the bowels of the earth, sacrifice their lungs to the rock dust which develops miners' pneumonia and other lung related diseases."

Notably, in 1941 the wage gap between the white worker and the black worker was on a ratio of 12:1, with white workers in today’s currency earning R848 per annum whilst black workers were earning R70 per annum.

Thus began the excessive exploitation of one by another that has seen generations of former miners returning to their villages with not a penny to their name, but sickness and helplessness.

Honourable Chairperson, it is pleasing to remind this august House that government recently opened a facility at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha, where former mine workers who contracted the afore-said diseases can obtain decent and meaningful medical treatment albeit on a small scale. This of course was established by the Department of Health under the auspices of the Occupational Disease In Mines and Works Act of 1973.

The Department of Labour is to complement this noble initiative and take it a step further. The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act will soon be amended to create space for a more comprehensive habilitation, rehabilitation and reintegration programmes. It is important to record that some of the occupational injuries and diseases, condemn our fellow citizens to being mere shadows of themselves. Therefore restoration of dignity is paramount in this regard.

Honourable Chairperson, in the last budget vote speech, we indicated our intention to strengthen the Inspection and Enforcement Services in order to improve our enforcement capabilities.

Honourable Members, whilst exploring different options to increase the capacity of the inspectorate, new challenges have emerged – the biggest constraint being the current tight fiscal environment. This makes it rather difficult to acquire enough essential tools of trade.

However our resolve to make significant advances in this area has been revitalized by the commitment of National Treasury to return the allocation for the inspectorate capacity in the 2016/17 financial year. A commitment we received with relief and gratitude.

We also informed this House that we initiated the investigation into the collapse of the Tongaat Mall. The investigation took some time to be finalised due to the complexities of the issues involved. It is pleasing to report however that the investigation has since been completed.

The Minister will in due course communicate the findings and recommendations of the report.

Honourable Chairperson, we are pleased that the recently enacted Public Employment Services Act gives us the latitude to respond and influence much more effectively labour market interventions and programmes.

Accordingly we have established the link between our Public Employment Services work stream with the 18 Strategic National Infrastructure Projects which were announced by President Jacob Zuma in the 2014 State of the Nation Address. We fully recognize the ability of these projects to stimulate economic growth whilst creating much needed employment opportunities.

During the past year more than 618 000 work seekers were registered on the data-base of the Department and more than 246 000 of them were provided with employment counseling and advice by our career counsellors. 18 provincial and 519 local advocacy campaigns were conducted to educate work seekers and employers on various services offered by the Department. Lastly 14567 people were placed in employment during this period.

Honourable Chairperson, some of our guests in the gallery are people who have benefitted directly from our Public Employment Services initiatives. With your permission Honourable Chairperson, may I ask them to indicate where they are seated.

The Department also supports organisations of persons with disabilities purely to improve their employability prospects. To this end, during 2014 a total of R7, 792,159 was transferred to Workshops for the Blind, whilst more than R10 million in subsidies was provided to organisations that promote employment of persons with disabilities. In addition, more than R150 million was allocated to the Supported Employment Enterprises to accelerate employment opportunities to people with disabilities.

During 2014 services were also taken closer to the people through the launch of the first self-help service station kiosk in the country. This facility at Richards Bay allows work-seekers to register themselves in our data base and makes it easier to access available work opportunities.

Through the Public Employment Services Act, the Department registered more than 363 private employment agencies. This gives us the leverage to regulate the work of these agencies and to monitor their compliance with relevant labour laws. More importantly it ensures that workers employed through the private employment agencies are no longer vulnerable as they are entitled to all the rights that other workers enjoy.

The Department will work closely with other Departments in general in its efforts to enhance the employability of our people. Collaboration with the Department of Higher Education and Training & the Department of Small Business Development will provide the added impetus in this regard.

Honourable Members, of all the entities associated with our Department, Productivity South Africa (PSA) is the most underrated entity, yet the work they do, contributes immensely in promoting social and economic growth in our society.

Productivity SA programmes are anchored on production improvement processes, jobs retention and the creation of necessary enabling environment for employment creation.This will change henceforth, as we seek to locate the work of Productivity SA at the centre of what we do, as it is indeed an important lever in our active labour market interventions.

The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, (CCMA) remains one of our flagship labour market institutions and is considered an international benchmark.

The success stories of the CCMA are too many to cram into the remaining few minutes. However, it is important to point out that the success and failure of our labour market regulatory efforts depends on the optimal functioning of this institution.

The National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) continues to provide a platform for social dialogue. It is currently hosting dialogue on the prevailing industrial relations environment, - at times characterized by protracted and violent strikes - as well as the modalities on the introduction of the National Minimum Wage.

Honourable Chairperson, in pursuit of our quest to build a better Continent and a better World, we are active participants in various international fora dealing with labour administration.

These include attending the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Governing Body session which sets the agenda for the International Labour Conference; visiting and engaging with the People’s Republic of China to share experiences and strengthen bilateral relations; interacting with the representatives from the German Government to discuss issues of common interests. These visits have broadened our outlook on social security matters, as well as employment relations regimen respectively.

Recently we participated in the African Regional Labour Administration Centre, (ARLAC) hosted by Zimbabwe the general objectives of which include the provision of training for officials at all levels of labour administration systems, advisory services and research.

Last month the Deputy Minister of Social Development, Mrs Henrietta Bogopane-Zulu and I led our respective delegations to the first session of the Specialised Technical Committee on Social Development, Labour and Employment (STC-SDLE-1) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This was a result of the African Union introducing a new committee that combines matters of Social Protection and Social Security under one roof.

Our participation in these fora has resulted in a request by the ILO to share experiences and expertize with countries in the African Continent on how to set up legislative instruments to promote the implementation of the ILO conventions.

To take this point further, South Africa has been asked to lead Africa in discussions on Convention 87 where there is contestation globally on the Collective Bargaining as it relates to the ‘right to strike.

There is a school of thought that says the ‘right to strike” is not entrenched in the ILO Convention whilst on the contrary there is one that asserts that the right to strike is automatically an entrenched human right.

On 24 April 2015 the Minister launched the ILO study titled “Africa Multi-Study on Effective Responses to HIV and AIDS at Work”. The study was commissioned at the request of South Africa, being the first of its kind in the world, with pragmatic lessons for our Continent.

Honourable Chairperson, I have also taken the opportunity to visit the Department of Labour facilities across the length and breadth of the land. My observations are that, whilst some of these facilities function optimally, quite a sizeable number of them require infrastructure improvements and provision of adequate tools of trade. The need for such improvements is urgent, as the conditions of some of the buildings, fail to meet the required standards.

A report on all the provincial visits will be handed over to the Minister, with a view to mainstream the findings into the service delivery improvement plans of the Department.

As I draw to a close I wish to remind all of us in our different vantage points to reflect and consider our collective responsibilities to embody, embrace and advance the spirit and the intent of the Freedom Charter as it relates to the aspirations of our people in its 60th year of existence.

I would like to thank the Minister of Labour for her support and hand-holding whilst finding my feet in this environment.

Thank you to the Honourable Members of the Portfolio Committee for their understanding and support.

I also wish to thank Mr Morotoba who helped me to settle during his tenure as the Acting Director General of the Department.

To the new DG, Mr Lamati, so far it’s been great working with you and your team and I wish you all the best in your new post. To all the staff in the Ministry and the Department, as well as the entities reporting to us, thank you!

Finally it is only proper for me to also thank my family and my clan for being the wind beneath my wings as I respond to the call of national duty.

Together let’s move South Africa Forward.

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Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) response