Hansard: Appropriation Bill : Debate on Vote No 1-The Presidency

House: National Assembly

Date of Meeting: 13 Jun 2011

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Minutes

UNREVISED HANSARD

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Tuesday, 14 June 2011 Take: 269

TUESDAY, 14 JUNE 2011

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

_____

The House met at 14:06.

The Speaker took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.

The SPEAKER


Start of Day


SWEARING IN OF NEW MEMBER

(Announcement)

The SPEAKER: Hon members, I have been informed that there is agreement that there will be no motions today. I also wish to announce that the vacancy which occurred in the National Assembly owing to the resignation of Ms A Mda has been filled with effect from 26 May 2011 by the nomination of Mr G B D McIntosh. Mr McIntosh made the solemn of affirmation in my office on Thursday, 2 June 2011. Hon member, welcome to the National Assembly. [Applause.]

The PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC

The SPEAKER

APPROPRIATION BILL

Vote No 1 - The Presidency:

The PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC: Speaker, that you very much for the opportunity. Hon Deputy President of the Republic Kgalema Motlanthe, Speaker Max Sisulu, Deputy Speaker Nomaindiya Mfeketo, Ministers, premiers and Deputy Ministers, heads of Chapter 9 institutions, hon members, esteemed special guests, and fellow South Africans, this past week marked the end of an era, as we bid farewell to Mama Albertina Sisulu, a dignified freedom fighter and pillar of our struggle for liberation, who was a founding member of this democratic Parliament in 1994. Mama Sisulu made history when she nominated Isithwalandwe Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela as the first President of a democratic South Africa in this House on 9 May 1994. We salute her, and may her spirit inspire us as South Africans to serve our people as selflessly as she did.

Hon members, we thank you for the opportunity to present the Presidency Budget Vote to the House. We will outline some of the work that we are doing to supervise government to ensure that it carries out its responsibilities of serving the South African people efficiently, speedily and in a caring manner, as required by the Constitution of the Republic. I will provide an update on some aspects of our work, with a particular emphasis on improving the performance of the state, local government, service delivery, progress on job creation and international work. The Deputy President, the Ministers and Deputy Minister in the Presidency will outline further aspects, including national planning, the campaign against HIV/Aids, human resource development and promoting energy efficiency.

Hon members, on 18 May we held the fourth democratic local government election. The election illustrated the importance that South Africans are beginning to place on this sphere of government and the depth of their concerns with service delivery and municipal accountability. The political parties, the citizens, the Independent Electoral Commission and government departments worked together to produce one of South Africa's most exciting and competitive local government elections. Local government became everybody's business, and we have to maintain that collaborative spirit for us to succeed. [Applause.] We have emerged from the election with a changed local government landscape. There are eight instead of six metropolitan municipalities, with district municipalities decreasing from 46 to 44, while local municipalities decreased from 231 to 226. Our goal is to achieve a responsive, accountable, effective and efficient local government system by 2014 in terms of the delivery agreement for local government.

With the election behind us and new councils inaugurated, now is the time to focus firmly on implementing the local government turnaround strategy. The strategy provides a number of immediate solutions. We have to address the immediate financial and administrative problems in some municipalities. The findings from the Auditor-General's report for the 2010-2011 financial year indicate that of the 237 municipal audit reports currently available, only 57 municipalities showed some improvement. Some remained unchanged while others have actually regressed. Efforts to strengthen municipal audits continue through Operation Clean Audit, with a target of clean and unqualified reports by 2014. We also plan to tighten and improve the supply chain management system to eliminate possibilities of fraud and corruption. Most importantly, infrastructure backlogs should be reduced significantly. Citizens must have access to affordable universal basic services such as water, housing, electricity, sanitation, refuse removal and others. To better co-ordinate and support the provision of housing at local level, government has begun to accredit metros and top performing district municipalities to perform the housing function in support of the Department of Human Settlements. In March 2011, six metros and two district municipalities were accredited to deliver housing programmes.

We are seriously exploring the need to have a single election for national, provincial and local government. [Applause.] In this way, we will have one financial year, a single Public Service, a common five-year medium-term planning... [Applause.] ... as well as aligned human resource and budgeting frameworks. We welcome the improvement in the human resource management of municipalities. By March this year, 234 municipalities had filled the municipal manager posts, representing 82% of filled posts nationally. A total of 242 chief financial officer posts have also been filled, representing 85% of filled posts nationally. A total of 218 technical services, or engineer posts, were filled, representing 77% of the filled posts nationally, while 120 municipalities have filled development and town planning posts. This should contribute positively to an improvement in the operations of local government. The turnaround strategy will help us to restore the confidence of citizens in our municipalities. They are key institutions through which government will improve the lives of our people.

Our focus on local government is part of a broader campaign to improve efficiency in government and to build a performance-oriented developmental state. It was for this reason that we established the performance monitoring and evaluation as well as national planning functions in the Presidency. Sustainable progress has been made by the two Ministries. Last Thursday, the National Planning Commission released its first set of outputs, a diagnostic document analysing the key challenges that confront us in fighting poverty and inequality. The report forms the basis for a national dialogue on how to fix the problems raised in the report.

Over the next three months, the commission will lead a public engagement process. We call on South Africans from all walks of life and from all organised formations to contribute to the development of a national plan for the country. Only with the support and active participation of all South Africans can we work towards a truly united, nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous society. Minister Manuel will speak further on the work of the National Planning Commission.

The Performance Monitoring and Evaluation department has been keeping track of the implementation of the ministerial performance and delivery agreements, including the local government outcome. Our work goes beyond written reports from departments and provinces to hands-on monitoring visits to communities from time to time. The visits are intended to promote a service delivery ethos across the Public Service and to speed up delivery in the communities visited. The lessons drawn enable the implementing departments to intervene more successfully in other areas. We are pleased with the progress made since our visits to a number of communities. Following the visit to the Bethlehem informal settlement, in Hermanstad in the City of Tshwane, housing the poor white community, a mobile health clinic now visits the community once a month. [Applause.] The Gauteng provincial government has identified land to accommodate the community.

There is also progress in the Sweetwaters informal settlement south of Johannesburg that we visited. The area forms part of a consolidated development project that will yield some 2 600 sites, two primary schools, a high school with a community centre, open space plans and a taxi rank. The Gauteng government has purchased land for this purpose. There is progress at the Madelakufa informal settlement in Tembisa, Kempton Park. This very dense settlement, with more than 5 000 dwellings, is now receiving much more dedicated temporary services pending relocation. It is a complex project, and the timeframes for upgrading all the households will take three to six years to complete.

Through the presidential intervention in Siyathemba township, Balfour in Mpumalanga previously incomplete houses were completed, additional housing units have been built, and roads have been rehabilitated. Access to basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity has been expanded. Community services such as a community hall, two libraries, a clinic, a disaster management centre and computer centre have been completed. Policing services have also improved. More work is to be done to ensure that these projects reach finality. The issue of the transfer of Balfour from Mpumalanga province to Gauteng is receiving the attention of the two provincial governments.

Following the raising of the Bekkersdal service delivery challenges by Ms Portia Mrwetyana on the Presidency Facebook page, mentioned in the state of the nation address, the provincial government is looking for safer land for the relocation of the community. They will also improve the services provided to the informal settlement in the interim.

UMzimkhulu town, which was also mentioned by Bongokuhle Miya on Facebook and quoted in the state of the nation address in February, is receiving priority attention from the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government. The sewerage problem is being resolved, the water cuts in the central business district have stopped, and the flooding of the central business district during heavy rains is to be corrected. Two large reservoirs are under construction to increase the town's water storage capacity.

We have established an interministerial committee led by Minister Chabane to attend to the revitalisation of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality area, especially in uMthatha. The team is working on the delivery of water, sanitation, electricity, roads, housing and the renovations of the airport and the stadium. [Applause.] This is part of our efforts of creating thriving rural towns.

On 7 June, we entered a new monitoring phase. We have begun a programme of focused site visits, emphasising a single priority area per visit. For example, we visited the Eastern Cape to assess the state of education. The visit was aimed at promoting and restoring effective learning and teaching in the province. It enabled us to discuss with the province how best to implement section 100(1)(b) of the Constitution, designed to enable national government to assist the province. We had intervened due to the failure to supply textbooks and stationery, the termination of the services of temporary teachers, leaving children without educators, the stopping of nutrition and scholar transport and a host of other difficulties. A memorandum of understanding has been signed with the provincial government, enabling the transfer of functions from the province to the national government. Teams from national and provincial government will work closely together to implement the decisions taken.

Next month, we will visit the Limpopo province to assess the state of health care. Our contact with the public also continues through the Presidential Hotline. Minister Chabane will report on the work of the hotline, which remains a key direct contact point with the public.

You will recall that in the state of the nation address, we declared that job creation would be the key focus this year and pointed to the importance of the New Growth Path as the key job driver. We also stated that government would work with other sectors, especially business, to achieve these objectives. The Presidency has since convened meetings with business and labour separately and plans a joint summit later in the year. Meetings also take place within the ambit of the National Economic Development and Labour Council, Nedlac. The signs are good thus far, and the economy continues to recover from the global economic recession, which made us lose over a million jobs.

Formal employment creation has recovered in the past two quarters, according to both major employment surveys published by Statistics SA, one of households and one of employers. We are particularly pleased with the growth in formal employment, which provides better opportunities for most working people. In the year to March 2011, net formal employment grew by 42 000. The government sector created 133 000 new jobs in the past financial year. This compensated for the still weak performance of the private sector. That said, we recognise that unemployment in South Africa remains very high by international standards, which is why the New Growth Path is critical.

We are implementing a number of the undertakings made in the 2011 state of the nation address, geared towards removing obstacles and boosting job creation. I announced that R20 billion would be made available in tax allowances or tax breaks to promote investments, expansions and upgrades in the manufacturing sector. To date, three projects have been approved with a total investment of R4,1 billion. The total investment allowance or incentive made available is R1,3 billion, and 364 jobs have been created. The projects are in the Eastern Cape, Free State and Gauteng. [Applause.]

Hon members, as you are aware, the Companies Act has been enacted to assist the creation of jobs through, amongst others, simplifying the registration of companies and reducing the regulatory burden. The jobs fund was launched by the Minister of Finance last week, and we have asked the Development Bank of Southern Africa to administer it. The National Treasury has indicated that its target is to disburse at least R2 billion of the jobs fund on job creation during the current financial year. We are also looking to our competition policy to improve job creation. The strategic approach to competition policy is ensuring lower prices, especially for intermediate goods and wage goods, including fertiliser and food. In addition, while inviting foreign direct investment, we will also do all we can to protect local jobs and industries. We believe it is possible to do both. We have found some companies co-operative and willing to assist us so that there can be a win-win situation. [Applause.] We will also take advantage of opportunities offered by the global push to reduce emissions and green the economy, thereby creating more jobs. For example, the Integrated Resource Plan for energy ensures that close to half of our new electricity will come from clean sources. Government is also providing subsidies for solar water heaters and energy-efficient light bulbs to households.

Black economic empowerment, BEE, remains an important policy of government. We need BEE to address the monopoly domination of our economy, which remains an obstacle to the goals of economic transformation, growth and development. The Presidential BEE Advisory Council has recommended a review of the BEE codes and of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act to harmonise the implementation of black empowerment across government. The council has also recommended stern measures to eradicate the fraudulent practice of fronting. [Applause.] We also want to shift the focus of BEE away from equity investment and ownership towards productive activities. [Applause.] Minister Rob Davies will soon present to Cabinet proposals for a review of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act and the refinement of the BEE Codes of Good Practice.

Part of the process of transforming our economy to promote economic growth and job creation involves strengthening the role of state-owned enterprises, SOEs. The Presidential State-Owned Entreprises Review Committee began its work in September last year. The committee's preliminary observations indicate that we may need to revisit the regulatory framework for SOEs to enhance the state-ownership attributes and enable the SOEs to function more effectively. The committee is also looking at how to align the SOEs with the New Growth Path and the Industrial Policy Action Plan, as well as black economic empowerment instruments. The role of SOEs in skills development is another critical area of focus. The final report will be handed to the President early next year.

We have asked all Cabinet clusters to report on the employment impact of their work and what they are doing to create the right environment for job creation. The first reports are due next month.

Working with premiers and mayors in the President's Co-ordinating Council, we will together keep track of progress in both job creation and service delivery.

We meet just two days before the commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the June 16 1976 uprising in Soweto. This is an important day in the calendar of our struggle for freedom and justice. We are pleased that in the build-up activities the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, has taken young people born after the dawn of freedom to important liberation sites in Soweto. Awareness will make them realise that they carry a huge responsibility of assisting the country to eradicate the legacy of colonial oppression and apartheid. The older generation has taken the country thus far to a nonracial, democratic and nonsexist society. The youth must prepare themselves for hard work to make this a prosperous society. They also need to look beyond South Africa and work with their peers within the African continent to promote sustainable development, peace and prosperity in Africa.

We are therefore happy that the youth has chosen economic transformation as the theme for the youth month. We support the NYDA in its efforts of promoting youth development, employment, entrepreneurship and skills development to enable them to undertake the economic revolution successfully. [Applause.] Minister Chabane will outline more work on youth development.

Still on the subject of youth development, last year I accepted the role of Patron-in-Chief of the President's Award for Youth Empowerment, taking over from former President Nelson Mandela.

This international youth development programme, which is affiliated to the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Association, targets young people between the ages of 14 and 25 in over 132 countries around the world, 21 of them on the African continent. There are currently 10 000 young people actively involved in the award programme in the country. They include young people from a broad diversity of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, drawn from schools, community youth groups, residential youth facilities and correctional centres, nationally. The President's handing out of awards at the bronze, silver and then gold level seeks to encourage young people to engage in their own holistic development. Last week two Gold Award holders, Tinashe Chandauka and Duncan Van Niekerk, joined 200 other young people in the Youth Parliament hosted in Parliament and contributed significantly to the robust debates of the day. We encourage the private sector to support the programme, given its impact around the country. [Applause.]

We present our Budget Vote against the background of encouraging news in the fight against HIV/Aids. The Medical Research Council reported in Durban last week that the HIV transmission from mother to child has dropped to 3,5% in all provinces, except in Mpumalanga and Free State where it is 6%. [Applause.] Upbeat researchers believe that the virtual elimination of HIV transmission to children could be possible by 2015. We are clearly on the right track with the fight against Aids, and we congratulate all South Africans for responding so well to all campaigns, including the call for HIV testing. However, these successes do not mean that we must now relax. We must intensify campaigns to prevent the spread of HIV, conduct research and to support the infected and affected. The Deputy President chairs the South African National Aids Council and leads the country's fight against Aids. He will report on this area of our work and other priorities.

We continue to play a role in international relations, promoting the agenda of Africa and the South. Saturday, 11 June 2011 marked the anniversary of the start of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. A year later, we are building on that momentum to create a better Africa. Heads of state and government of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, SADC, gathered in Johannesburg to launch the negotiations for the establishment of a common market. The 26 countries translate into a combined population of nearly 600 million people and a total gross domestic product of approximately $1 trillion. The establishment of the tripartite free trade area will boost intraregional trade, by creating a wider market, increase investment flows, enhance competitiveness and develop cross-regional infrastructure.

The tripartite summit adopted a developmental approach based on three pillars: market integration, infrastructure development and industrial development. On the sidelines of the tripartite summit, we hosted the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of SADC. The summit endorsed our approach towards the faster implementation of the Zimbabwean Global Political Agreement, to ensure that free and fair elections can be held when the environment permits. In this regard, the summit supported the full mobilisation of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee to create conditions of a level political playing field.

We are concerned about the ongoing conflict in Libya, which is resulting in the loss of innocent lives, the destruction of property and a deteriorating humanitarian situation. We have spoken out against the misuse of the good intentions in Resolution 1973, which was cosponsored by the Arab League and supported by African countries in the UN Security Council. We strongly believe that the resolution is being abused for regime change, political assassinations and foreign military occupation. [Applause.] These actions undermine the efforts of the African Union in finding solutions to the problems facing its member states. It also flies in the face of all efforts to promote the sanctity of international law. All parties must respect human rights and comply with international humanitarian law. The events in Libya have re-emphasised the urgency for the full operationalisation, without delay, of the African Peace and Security Architecture and also the reform of the UN Security Council. We express the hope that, following the briefing by the Ministers of the African Union Ad HocHigh Level Committee on Libya to the UN Security Council tomorrow, 15 June, common ground would be found on a political track as the best means towards a durable solution to the Libyan crisis.

With regards to Madagascar, we believe that the endorsement of a revised road map by the SADC extraordinary summit in Sandton this past weekend paves the way for the resolution of the Malagasy crisis. This will allow the main political stakeholders to participate in the process to restore constitutionality and civilian rule based on the will of the Malagasy people. We wish to urge the political stakeholders, including the High Transitional Authority in Madagascar and its president as well as the opposition parties, to accept and implement the amendments to the road map. They must fulfil the aspirations of the Malagasy people for peace, stability and socioeconomic development.

We welcome the return to peace and normalisation of the situation in Côte d'Ivoire. The immediate challenge facing the Ivorian government is to reunite the country, re-establish the government administration and restore law and order. We avail ourselves to help during the process of reconciliation and reconstruction.

On 9 July 2011, South Africa will join African nations in celebrating the independence of Southern Sudan. While there are still challenges of consolidation, such as the contested oil producing area of Abyei and tension in Kordofan, we trust that the AU mediators, including former President Thabo Mbeki, will be able to amicably resolve this impasse between Khartoum and Juba. Together with the AU and the international community, we will continue our collective work to ensure that the objectives of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement are met. We will continue to support all international efforts to promote peace and a strong human rights culture in the entire Sudan, including the Darfur region. With regards to Western Sahara, we have worked for the integration of a human rights aspect into the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. We have done this in light of recent reports of human rights abuses against the Saharawi people.

We will later this year host the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 7th Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol from 28 November to 9 December 2011 in Durban. Preparations are proceeding well. South Africa calls on the developed countries to take the necessary leadership to assist in achieving a successful outcome in Durban. We will strive towards an outcome that is guided by the convention principles of equality and common but differentiated responsibilities. The conference itself will uphold multilateralism and be the result of a consultative process with all parties. South Africa recognises the urgency with which an agreement needs to be reached, as this ultimately has an impact on the poverty eradication imperatives of developing countries. We are thus of the view that parties should find a common solution.

In April, we officially joined the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, BRICS, group, which provides opportunities for trade and investment linkages, as well as co-operation in science and technology, agriculture, finance and international relations. We also have strong relations with Brazil and India in the Brazil, India, and South Africa, IBSA, forum which remains critical for relations among the three countries. IBSA will meet in South Africa in October. We continue to strengthen our relationship with the developed North. We work closely with France, which currently holds the presidency of both the G8 and the G20. We are also reaching out to Poland as the incoming chair of the European Union.

Our country faces many challenges, but it has certainly done well in only 17 years of freedom and democracy. [Applause.] Life has changed for the better for millions of South Africans and continues to change each day... [Applause.] ... as we implement our transformative programmes working with the people. We all have a responsibility to acknowledge and promote the country's achievements and to be good ambassadors for our country. The work done during the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup by all South Africans to profile our country as a globally competitive destination has yielded results. This is evidenced by the awarding to South Africa of the most valuable nation brand in Africa. South Africa, as a brand, is now valued at $135 billion... [Applause.] ... making it the top valued African nation brand and the 34th largest nation brand in the world. [Applause.]

We met with the President's International Marketing Council, IMC, last month, which brings together government, business, community representatives, sport and other sectors. We agreed to enhance our domestic and international marketing. In addition to our sport and culture achievements, we have to market our global competitiveness so that we can attract investments and create jobs. We will work further with the IMC on this, including its own rebranding, which will include changing its name to Brand SA. We have more opportunities to promote Brand SA. From 4 July, we will host the 123rd International Olympic Committee general assembly in Durban, the first African country to do so. [Applause.] The session, to be attended by heads of state and government, royalty and the international sport fraternity, will attract extensive international media attention, as the hosts of the 2018 Winter Olympics will also be announced during the session. Together, we must rise to the occasion, inspired by the same spirit of unity in diversity, hospitality, professionalism and efficiency demonstrated during our hosting of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. The Soccer World Cup event taught us that it is possible for South Africans to unite across race, gender and regional divides when facing a common purpose - to promote their country and make it succeed. We have to enhance this national attribute. It augurs well for the future.

Next week, the national netball team, Amantombazane, will travel to Singapore to participate in the World Netball Championships, which will start on 3 July.

IsiXhosa:

Huntshu, Mantombazane, ningabuyi nilambatha! [You go, girls, and don't return empty handed.] [Applause.]

English:

We wish the team success, and we must all support them in this crucial competition. Likewise, we wish the Springboks all the best as they prepare to defend our trophy in New Zealand in September. [Applause.] With our support, they will bring the trophy back home where it belongs.

Allow me, before I conclude, to thank the other branches of government - the judiciary and Parliament - for the harmonious working relations we have forged, while maintaining the necessary independence and adherence to the separation of powers. We thank the leaders of political parties with whom we meet to share perspectives and approaches on issues that are in the national interest. I also thank the heads of the Chapter 9 institutions, whom we met last week, on 10 June. It was valuable to hear their perspectives on challenges facing the country and how we, as the executive, should respond. We had so many issues to discuss that we agreed to meet at least twice a year.

We thank Business Unity South Africa for their consistent support. We work very well together in promoting job creation and campaigns to attract investments to the country. We thank organised labour, Cosatu, the Federation of Unions of South Africa, Fedusa, and the National Council of Trade Unions, Nactu, for also making time to engage us on job creation and other priorities. We value the working relations that exist between us and them. We thank the Advisory Council on National Orders, which performs the important task of identifying men and women who are deserving of receiving the highest honour that the country can bestow. The Orders contribute immensely to defining the character of the South African nation and encourages all South Africans to work harder in different disciplines. We will meet the religious sector in August to engage on the national priorities, especially the challenge of job creation, rural development and social transformation. Working together, we will continue to do more.

I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to the hon Deputy President, Kgalema Motlanthe, for his support. I also thank Minister Chabane, Minister Manuel, Deputy Minister Dina Pule, the director-general, Dr Cassius Lubisi, advisers, management and Presidency staff in general for their hard work. [Applause.] It is my pleasure to commend the Budget Vote of the Presidency to the House. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mr T A MUFAMADI / Mia / END OF TAKE

The PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC

Mr T A MUFAMADI: Hon Speaker, hon President of the Republic, Deputy President of the Republic, hon Ministers, hon members, Director-General in the Presidency, Cassius Lubisi, distinguished guests, let me also pay tribute to an outstanding heroine of our people, Ma Albertina Sisulu whose mortal remains we interred on Saturday, 10 June 2011, exactly four days ago.

Ma Sisulu devoted all her life to the liberation of our people black and white, men and women, young and old and rural and urban poor. She remained committed to this cause to the end of her life and there is no doubt that she would walk the same path were she to live again. The story of Ma Sisulu's life is a lesson about what it means to be a true South African, a true African. It is an apogee of what it means to be human.

With all the pains visited upon them and the masses they led, the generation of leaders to which Ma Sisulu belong taught us that our South Africaness and indeed our humanity could only manifest itself in the struggle had, as one of its central objectives, the liberation of the oppressor so that he or she too could be humanised by appreciating the humanity of the other.

All these qualities can only be fully appreciated both in contrast and in relation to our understanding of the structure of the society into which she was born, the antagonistic political forces which battled to shape that society for over 350 years culminating in the democratic dispensation of 1994.

In its manifesto for the 2009 election the ANC reminded us that throughout its proud history it has always been committed to the building of national unity against all forms of tribalism, racism and sexism. We moved on to embrace the unity all South Africans irrespective of their, culture or religion. In the 1955 Freedom Charter we declared that South Africa belongs to all who live it both black and white.

As the ANC government assumed the reigns of political power in 1994 through one of its most distinguished and celebrated product and icon, President Nelson Mandela, who in his inaugural speech said:

Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another.

We understood that the challenges of reconstructing our society to forge common nationhood, citizenship and more equal society will require a strong developmental state.

In addressing these challenges we must not conveniently forget that the state in our context, a South Africa emerging from colonial and apartheid past, a developing country the reality of the majority of our people is not a seventeenth century Marie Antoinette's luxurious choice between bread and cake but one of bread and hunger.

The objectives and measures of the Presidency Budget Vote expressly require the improving of long-term planning and development. This approach can only ensure that the quality of spending in programmes under the national planning will be informed expenditure addressing the underlying causes and then matching these against costed programmes to address these challenges.

Let me take this opportunity to welcome and appreciate the release of the diagnostic report of the National Planning Commission by hon Minister Trevor Manuel last week. This gives us mainly an illustration of how far we have moved towards the realisation of the society envisaged 56 years ago as well as to the extent to which we are abler to respond to our electoral mandate.

The tabling of the overview report must be seen as a critical response in addressing the main challenges confronting the Republic, it introduces vision 2030, the ANC' response in 2007, to the need for a long-term planning for a developmental state.

The importance of the report lies in the fact that it directs our national effort into issues that are relevant to long-term strategic planning and sustainable political and economic reconstruction. The report reminds us that 1994 was but the beginning of a new order that introduced the national democratic society and organising vision for post apartheid South Africa which was signposted by successive generations of freedom fighters who declared in the Freedom Charter in 1955 that South Africa belongs to all who live in it.

Against this backdrop there lies once more a provision for an important platform for national discourse regarding the post- apartheid economy. Most importantly it identifies the persistent problems which continue to retard the development of our national economy. We are starkly reminded that whilst the period between 2005 and 2007 the South African economy experienced some budget surpluses and short glimpses of expansionist fiscal polices, it also identified the persistent problems that continues to stifle the efficiency of our national economy as a whole as well as the obstacles towards the full realisation of our nation building project.

Amongst the deficiencies identified are: shortage of critical skills, heavy burden of diseases that continue to afflict significant section of our society and education system that has failed to revolutionalise our indigenous technical abilities.

This calls for serious introspection for all role-players and also that our national conversation must be subjected to a cause for common good.

This is a debate that must never be allowed to suffocate under the weight of holly cows. It must provide us with the economic tools to improve the precision with which we can shape the trajectory into the future.

The Budget Vote on the Presidency takes place less than a month since the third democratic local government elections. The results of these elections demonstrate the overwhelming confidence the people have in the ANC's policies at local government and more broadly national government. Through the ballot box our people expressed confidence that the nation building project as led by the ANC remain their choice; it remains their project and the programme to which they are most willing to give support to. [Applause.]

At this time let me acknowledge and show appreciation to the people of South Africa for their active participation in making local government elections a success.

Tshivenda 15:18:46

Ndi tama u livhuwa vhadzulapo vhothe vha Afurika Tshipembe, kha thikhedzo ye vha i nekedza lihoro la ANC, nga uri tendela u vha vhusa kha mivhusa yapo kha tshifhinga tshidaho tsha minwaha mitanu. Hezwi ri sumbedza uri vhathu vha hashu vha na fulufhelo kha mbekanyamaitele dza ANC, nga maanda kha dza u tanganya mirafho.

Ndi tutuwedza vhathu vhothe vha Afurika Tshipembe uri na matshelo vha ite nga u ralo. Ndi dovha hafhu nda vha fulufhedzisa uri vhakhanselara vhothe vho imelaho lihioro la ANC kha mimasipala yothe vho funzwa vhukuma zwa uri maiitele a demokirasi a shumisiwa hani, nahone vhaa zwidivha uri vha tea u vhea thodea dza vhadzulapo phanda kha maitele othe. Ri a ditongisa vhukuma nga vhurumiwa he na ri thakha ngaho, ri do ita zwothe nga nungo u khunyeledza zwe ra ni fulufhedzisa zwone kha u khwinifhadza vhutshilo ha vhadzulapo vha Afurika Tshipembe. [Vha vhanda zwanda.]

English:

Our people did this pushing past negative assumptions fuelled by the media that voter turnout will decrease based on the assumption that the ANC government has failed to deliver and that it has lost significant number of its support base. It is in this context that as a society we should seriously re-examine the actual role of the media and the so-called independent political analysts as well as their role and contribution towards creating a tensionless democratic society. The guilty are always afraid. [Aplause.]

Might I remind this House that contrary to opposing propaganda much progress under the administration of the ruling party has been made regarding voter participation? In the year 2000 voter turnout recorded was 48,7%. In 2006 it was 48,4% and in 2011 a commendable 57,6% was recorded.[Applause.]

On behalf of the people I would like to thank President Jacob Zuma and his organisation, the ANC, for making it possible for people to believe in participatory democracy and for opening a pathway for people to freely participate in electing parties of their own choice. Despite the negativity the ANC won an outright control of 198 councils which translates to almost 71% of the councils in South Africa. In any democracy, in any country this would be defined as a landslide, noncontest and an overwhelming crushing victory.

It is of note that we remember the climate under which these elections were contested. Some amongst us, particularly to my left, boldly professed that our democracy would be well served if the ruling party support base is reduced. To this date we await a formidable explanation to this myth.

Sepedi:15:22:40

Ke be ke rata go tšea nako ye le sebakanyana se le mphilego sona legatong la mokgatlo wo mogolo wa setšhaba go re thekgo ya lena re a e amogela ebile re a e leboga; mokgatlo wa magoši le baruti, ke sa lebale le bona bonkadingala – bopšhatladiolele - le bona baswa, bakgekolo le bakgalabje. [Legofsi.] Re re ebile bonkgetheng ba le ba kgethilego ba swanetše go tseba gore ba tla kwa ka lena.

Re leboga gape ge le ile la gana go theetšwa ke bo mabina go solwa. Le ge ka Sepedi re re sa koša ke lerole, ge e le mašaedi wona le kgonne go a bona gomme la a tsupolla la re ge e le yo yena, ga a bine go swana le rena. [Legofsi.]

English:

When the people continue to vote for the ANC again some amongst us lay the blame on the people, the custodians of our democratic process, accusing them of blind loyalty. It is unfortunate that their commitment to democracy begins to ebb when the people exercise their democratic right in the ways that they do not approve.

As the ANC we are humbled by the overwhelming mandate that we have received in these elections. Our people have spoken and expressed their frustrations at the slow pace of delivery and their anger towards corrupt practices at certain levels. The essence of this message is in fact our people's contribution towards solutions in a collective effort towards nation building.

We should never lose sight of the fact that when we say the people shall govern what we mean is that our people have a right to be vocal when things are not properly done including peaceful protests.

We take nothing for granted and through our own internal introspection know very well that our work has been clearly cut. Together with our people we will do more.

In his eighth January statement the president of the ANC, hon President Jacob Zuma said, and I quote:

Political emancipation without economic transformation is meaning less. That is why we have to commit ourselves to economic freedom in our lifetime. The ANC must continue to be in the forefront of that transformation.

The President was calling upon all South Africans to understand the magnitude and legacy of the past and the need to act together as a nation to bring about an economic transformation in the interest of all. Economic transformation is more that black economic empowerment transactions. It is not merely about appointing women and black women in particular in managerial positions. Neither is it all about demographic representations. It means understanding how the structure of the economy should look like to meet the objectives of national unity. Economic transformation means that we must pay constant attention to the sustainability of our economic growth with job creation; it is about how we manage our debt, how we harness and direct gross capital formations in the areas that we'll have positive impacts on job creation; it is about the ability of our economy to compete globally; and it is about harnessing skills and revolutionising our indigenous technical knowledge.

Sepedi:

Mma Tona Naledi, ge ke bolela ka tsebo ya naga ye ya gaborena, ga ke bolele ka tsebo ya rena ye nngwe ya kua magaeng.

English:

These require that all role-players work from a common national agenda.

In conclusion, we reached the climax of 1994 because of the conviction that people place confidence in the ANC. These masses yearn for a unified South Africa in which race, gender and class are not factors of exclusion. All of us in this House are obliged to remain true to this commitment of our people.

Nation building and national unity are critical ingredients of the success or failure of all our undertakings. Seventeen years after the democratic dispensation we still do not have much to show with respect to national identity. It is a debate we must still return to regardless of the discomfort it visits on us. It is worth noting that in the DA's purview providing services to our people is not an imperative as the state. It is an optional big if, an act of charity which the state can exercise if it so wishes but one which it is neither a moral nor political duty to. It is not difficult to imagine where this if ideology lives a woman in Bonteheuwel, Mitchell's Plain, Nyanga, Langa, Masisi, Sekgosese, Mdantsane and Sekhukhune, to mention but a few.

Working together we can do more. The ANC supports this Vote. Maatla![Power!]

The LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION /keh (Sep) /GC (Eng)/ END OF TAKE

Mr T A MUFAMADI

Mr T A MUFAMADI

The LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: Hon Speaker, bereaved son and daughter of Mama Sisulu; the DA conveys it deepest condolences at your loss.

Mr Speaker, hon President, counter intuitivity is what made our country's greatest leaders great. The ability to think beyond the obvious, the vision to recognise that what appears to be a logical solution could actually exacerbate the problem and the courage to push for better outcomes. It is not a fanciful post modern western construct. We have some of the best examples of counter intuitivity right here in Africa; King Moshoeshoe who was born in 1787 and formulated his own political philosophies before he ever met a European. This is an extract from Max du Preez's column entitled: Pale Native.

Du Preez goes on to illustrate how counter intuitivity has served our country's best leaders, not least of all Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. He describes how Professor Njabulo Ndebele explained this quality in President Mandela:

The characteristic feature of this type of leadership is the ability of a leader to read a situation whose most observable logic points to a most likely outcome, but then to detect in that very likely outcome not a solution but a compounding of the problem.

This assessment then calls for the prescription of an unexpected outcome, which initially may look strikingly improbable. A leader then has to sell the unexpected because he has to overcome intuitive doubts and suspicions that will have been expected. The block buster South African movie, Invictus, illustrates this characteristic perfectly.

Mr President, you are faced with many challenges as the Head of State. These include, not least, the internal dynamics in your political party that play themselves out in the most bizarre kind of "Saint Vitus' dance," but also more importantly the challenges so candidly enumerated in the National Planning Commission's, NPCs diagnostic overview. These include challenges such as unemployment, poor quality education and health care and insufficient infrastructure. Three key areas of concern highlighted by the NPC that I wish to discuss today are: the uneven performance of the Public Service, the role of corruption in undermining state legitimacy and service delivery and divisions within South African society.

Of course, you would or should know all of this but now it has been identified after 13 months of intensive investigation by the NPC and its commissioners; a task at vast undertaken at vast cost with the NPC this year being allocated almost R84 million.

You will also know these challenges after your door to door campaigning during the election, because you told the Sunday Times that this campaign had exposed an ugly side of South Africa that government officials did not mention in their service delivery reports. You mentioned to the chaos in education in the Eastern Cape today that is so chilling. Mr President, this is precisely why I called for the establishment of an oversight portfolio committee in April last year, to oversee the presidency and the two ministries that fall under its authority.

Deputy President, Kgalema Motlanthe, said in September 2009 at the Annual Association of Public Accounts Committees conference that:

The Constitution prescribed that members of the executive are collectively and individually accountable and must regularity provide comprehensive reports regarding matters related to the performance of functions under their control.

This means that the Presidency, like the nine offices of the provincial Premiers, must be overseen by a legislative authority. We are, today, debating the passing of a Budget for the Presidency and I cannot responsibly agree to this if I had no opportunity to scrutinise its operations and outcomes in regard to its previous year's Budget and strategic plans. This is further compounded by the fact that the Department of Monitoring and Evaluation that was under direct authority of the Presidency could not give you an idea of what you encountered personally when you said:

You had seen the coalface of service delivery and that the reports you received from officials sometimes may not give the same feeling that you get when you come into contact with real conditions people live in.

We, in this, Parliament represent these people and the real conditions they live in. This is why we have a constitutional and parliamentary obligation to oversight government and to hold it to account your department included. The acclaimed author of many books on Zimbabwe, Peter Godwin, says the following about democracy and accountability:

Democracy is not something that only happens when you go and vote and that is it. It has to be guarded with jealousy all the time and it is guarded by people participating in it and by being well informed and by reading about it and holding politicians accountable. Democracy has to be policed by its citizens.

The four hundred Members of this Parliament are the representatives of the citizenry and we have a constitutional and moral obligation to oversight the executive and hold it to account. We do this to the best of our ability in regard to all government departments – which we know they are many - with the exception of the Presidency. This must change. As the body at the apex of government, the Presidency should set an example in this regard.

Regarding being an example, I want to place on record some of the issues that were discussed with you at the last meeting you held with political party leaders. Firstly, the participation of other political parties at national events organised by the State has been placed at jeopardy by the behaviour of the supporters of the governing party. Your claim that you believed that the efforts by Minister Mashatile at the last Freedom Day celebrations were adequate is simply not acceptable, especially as you yourself were present and all that you needed to do was to intervene and explain why it is do important to have all political parties present at such events.

The second issue is much more uncomfortable, and that is the seriously divisive and incendiary utterances made by senior government executives including, but not exclusively, yourself and Minister Nzimande, not to mention the leader of the ANC Youth League that you forever tell us to engage in debates, even though he is not a Member of Parliament and when national TV organises a debate he throws his proverbial toys out of the cot and refuses to engage.

Mr President, we are not a secular State and your exhortation to votes that a vote for the ANC is a guarantee to enter heaven and that one for the opposition is guarantee to eternal damnation in hell is unacceptable.

IsiXhosa:

Asifuni, Mongameli, ukuphila ubomi obungcono ezulwini; sibufuna apha emhlabeni.

English:

Furthermore, conjuring up the wrath of the ancestors is reminiscent of similar exhortations that led to genocide and ethnic cleansing in other African countries. We cannot afford this type of rhetoric - not now, not ever! This is what keeps South Africa a divided nation.

Speaking of rhetoric, let this House note that as I speak today, there has been no formal repudiation nor sanction against the Nelson Mandela Metro Regional Chairperson of the ANC and former Mayor, Nceba Faku. This crazed individual called for the burning down of the Eastern Province Herald and for all black people who voted for opposition parties to be driven into the sea.

This deranged kind of rhetoric was to serve as a thinly veiled veneer of self preservation as it was the Herald newspaper that was reporting on the finding of the buried Kabuso report that apparently finders Mr Faku in multiple instances of corruption and self enrichment. I have written to the Provincial Chairman of the ANC, the Premier of the Eastern Cape and the Human Rights Commission in this regard. To date, only the Human Rights Commission has even had the courtesy to reply and have said that they will now consider the complaint and decide whether it warrants an investigation.

The ANC in the Eastern Cape, through Mlibo Qoboshiyane, initially undertook to have Faku withdraw his insane utterances that were not ANC policy and to apologise, however, this never happened, instead Qoboshiyane had a volte-face and stated that the ANC provincial leadership "had accepted Faku's explanation that he never made a call for any form of violence against the Herald." Mr President, is the call to burn down a newspaper not a violent act or exhortation? Mr President, It is.

You need to see to it that this man is held to account for his behaviour especially as this incident occurred the day after we had all accepted the election results as the will of the people at the provincial election result centre. Imagine what Faku would have said and done if the ANC had actually lost the Nelson Mandela Metro. The mind boggles. Counter intuitivity, Max du Preez, believes:

Is the one quality completely absent in a political leadership in South Africa today, the uncontrolled cheap populism that has overwhelmed the ANC since Polokwane in December 2007 and the vicious infighting and power struggles inside the party makes any such possibility virtually impossible.

He says, and I agree:

We stumble form one crisis to the next and the only constant is that political elite and their cronies look after themselves. There is no vision, no thoughtful and courageous leadership. God help us.

The DA cannot support this Budget as we do not know what it is being used for and we have seen nothing to date that inspires us to believe that the Budget is being effectively utilised to address the diagnostic overview of the NPC. I thank you. [Applause.]

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA /

GM (XH)...(Eng)...LIM / END OF TAKE

THE LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Hon Speaker, hon President, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, hon premiers in the gallery, ladies and gentlemen, I am honoured to address this august House on the occasion of the Budget Vote of The Presidency. We are meeting during youth month and in two days time we will be celebrating Youth Day.

Continuing with the theme of the state of the nation address, which declared that this is the year of job creation, it is fitting that we continue to dedicate as much of our budget allocations as possible towards combating unemployment and poverty, especially as they affect our youth. Contrary to some of the public commentary, the biggest challenge facing our youth is not simply political apathy, but unemployment and, therefore, economic marginalisation.

On this account, we are encouraged by the multitudes of young people who came out to cast their vote during this year's local government elections. In terms of the turn-out this was a highly successful election, which signals the strengthening of our democracy. Of course, the challenge flowing from this is that all of us have to roll up our sleeves to speed up delivery of services to our people. Given heightened expectations from these local government elections, new councillors have the duty to bring in efficiency, diligence, accountability and skills in executing their electoral mandate for the next five years.

As we all know, investment in human resource development contributes significantly to growth in income, reduces inequality and improves the productivity of countries. It is with this in mind that we have launched numerous interventions to systematically strengthen the skills base of South Africa. Historically, South Africa has had a mismatch between the skills produced by our education system and skills needed for the growth and development of our economy. We are working hard to close the gap between what the education and training system produces and what the labour market requires.

To this end, government has been able to create congruence between the priorities of the Human Resource Development Strategy and those of the new growth path. This means that investment in training programmes will mirror investment in the priority sectors.

As you would recall, I announced during last year's Budget Vote that I would be appointing a human resource development council which would advise government on sector mobilisation and on a human resource development strategy managed through the Ministry of Higher Education and Training. I am pleased to report this year that the council is now fully operational and meets quarterly.

A technical working group led by the Minister of Higher Education and Training has also been set up to facilitate implementation of the council's decisions. This technical working group has already developed a one-year operational plan and will be finalising a five-year strategic implementation plan.

In essence the priorities of this council are: to accelerate annual introduction of artisans into the economy; to ensure greater access to further education and training opportunities; to support the jobs fund by developing worker education and on-the-job training programmes; and to review sector skills plans. The council will also focus on co-ordinating programmes that include career guidance, setting targets for identified professions and building stronger relations with academics, higher education institutions and industry. I am confident that these plans will reposition the education and training landscape, thus helping South Africa to a higher development trajectory.

As it is to be expected, these measures to improve the employability and productivity of South Africans are medium- to long-term in nature and cannot immediately address the twin challenges of unemployment and poverty. Therefore our strategies will include a number of short-term assistance packages that form part of a larger basket of anti-poverty measures.

To review the implementation of these strategies, we paid visits to uMsinga in KwaZulu-Natal, Bitou Municipality in the Western Cape, Nkomazi in Mpumalanga, and Taung in the North West. These visits enabled us to interact with households that are trapped in a cycle of poverty and who were not aware of where to go to for help, especially as we experience a shortage of social workers, paediatricians and career counsellors in some of our rural areas.

The absence of socioeconomic infrastructure constrains the potential presented by, for example, agriculture and natural resources in some rural communities. Therefore, people are unable to farm successfully and get their produce to the markets.

Our anti-poverty programme will strengthen government's co-ordination and integration efforts. This will be achieved through three specific War on Poverty Campaign outcomes, namely targeted delivery of services to poor households; monitoring household progression out of extreme poverty; and improved accountability and intergovernmental relations and co-ordinated service delivery by all spheres.

To achieve these outcomes government will in this financial year finalise a national poverty reduction strategy, building on existing macroeconomic instruments like the new growth path and Industrial Policy Action Plan 2, to demonstrate government's determination to synergise our work for optimum outcomes. We will also be holding regular meetings with the provincial and local spheres of government with the aim of unlocking bottlenecks to service delivery in the implementation of our anti-poverty programmes.

In addition, we will also visit service delivery points and frontline offices to ensure that those at the coalface of delivery are not only able to do so efficiently, but also receive support where necessary. We are encouraged by the positive response shown by change agents in these poor households and the collaboration with different spheres to help these change agents access further training, learning and work opportunities.

Another concern evident in our anti-poverty work is that too many people are dependent on social grants. We cannot pull back from our social security regime, even though in themselves such interventions are not sufficient to take families out of poverty. Therefore, investment in improving the quality of education and job creation is vital. In the final analysis we must provide opportunities for people to earn an income.

We are, therefore, committed to the targets set under the Expanded Public Works Programme and the Community Work Programme, and will continue to monitor progress on these interventions, which are driven by the Departments of Public Works and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, respectively. While these are not permanent work opportunities, they provide poverty relief alongside other social development programmes.

In this regard, we must commend the significant successes we have seen in the Community Work Programme's projects as already reported by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. The Community Work Programme has now become the fastest growing component of our public employment initiative, with significant involvement of nongovernmental and community-based organisations.

The Minister of Health told this House during his Budget Vote speech that our country faces a major burden of disease, with the HIV, Aids and TB pandemics leading. Clearly, winning this battle requires taking our collective efforts to another level through building on the commitment shown by our civil society partners, development partners and the international community.

In the past year we have made remarkable progress in the core pillars of our anti-Aids strategy, which comprises prevention, care and treatment. In this regard, we are pleased to report that since the launch of the HIV counselling and testing campaign in April last year, close to 12 million people have been tested. We are heartened by this overwhelming response and also like to congratulate all who participated for taking active responsibility in managing their health and in turn protecting others.

We want to encourage those who have not tested to do so because testing demonstrates a deep respect and value for human life. If you test and find that you are HIV positive, it means you can take precaution to prevent infecting your partner and receive timeous medical treatment.

We will continue to improve our condom procurement and distribution channels with a particular focus on expanding access to female condoms. We are encouraged by reports that condom use, particularly among young people, is increasing. Equally, we are pleased by the positive response of young people to government's call for medical male circumcision as effective ammunition in our arsenal in the fight against HIV infection. Once again, we would like to thank community and traditional leaders for supporting this effort.

As honourable members are aware last year we revised our treatment guidelines and fortified capacity in primary healthcare centres to be able to administer anti-retroviral treatment safely and in line with approved international norms. This expanded capacity has enabled us to increase the number of people on antiretroviral, ARV, treatment to close to 1,4 million.

The challenge is to reduce the rate of new HIV infections and to mitigate its impact. As the President stated, the research outcomes presented at the 5th South Africa Aids conference convened in Durban indicate that there is a significant decrease in mother-to-child transmission, dropping from 10% in 2008 to 3,5% currently. New infections among youth have also come down. However, a lot more still remains to be done, especially with regards to addressing the social determinants of this epidemic among our people.

As hon members are aware, our national strategic plan for HIV, Aids, sexually transmitted diseases, and STIs, from 2007 to 2011, is the blueprint which guides the country's response to HIV, Aids, STIs and all other co-related morbidities. The current framework expires at the end of this year, and the SA National Aids Council has already endorsed the process for the development of the next plan for the years 2012 to 2016. Due to the high rates of HIV and TB co-infection, the new plan will cover HIV, STIs and TB.

The SA National Aids Council, through its various structures at the national level, will lead and co-ordinate the development of the new plan. Provinces and Municipalities will make input through provincial and local Aids councils to ensure that context-specific dynamics are factored in. My office will maintain close oversight of this crucial process to ensure that we meet the deadline of 1 December for the launch of the new national strategic plan for HIV, Aids, TB and STIs.

A series of consultative meetings will be held across the country over the next few months, and these will include community dialogues to ensure that the voices of ordinary women, men and young people are captured and their concerns highlighted. I urge people from all sectors, civil society, the private sector, labour, traditional leaders, development partners, faith-based organisations, and all relevant role-players to participate effectively in this process to ensure that we achieve consensus. In this way, we can all agree on what needs to be done; who will do it; how it will be done; how it will be resourced; and that we all have joint accountability at all levels.

By working together in the manner outlined above, I am confident that the new plan will unite us and bring all our efforts to bear on the challenges we face. Equally, we are humbled by the global recognition for our modest efforts in the fight against HIV and Aids as recently expressed by the UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, as well as the UNAids Executive Director, Mr Michel Sidibé.

Hon members, I am sure that you will recall only too well the electricity blackouts that the country experienced in 2008. We have since then made significant progress in ensuring that we stabilise electricity supply. However, as our economy and population grow, our reserve margin will remain under pressure until such time that new power stations are commissioned. Facing this daunting reality, the Energy Advisory Council, Eskom and the Interministerial Committee on Energy have been working tirelessly to implement the Integrated Resource Plan recently released to the public.

Working together with our social partners we have developed a comprehensive strategy for energy security, with an appropriate mix over a planning period of 20 years. This long-term planning horizon will be the norm in the energy sector and beyond.

We are experiencing erratic weather patterns, which is a manifestation of climate change. Our effort must, therefore, be geared towards efficient and alternative natural resource use to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, reduce water consumption and other wastage. We, therefore, encourage all consumers to continue to use energy efficiently. At the same time, government recommits itself to prioritising the roll-out of solar water heaters, among others, and to ensure availability and affordability of liquefied petroleum gas.

The global energy security landscape is complex and changing rapidly. The recent developments in North Africa and the Middle East have implications for energy security in Africa in as far as it affects growth and development. For our part, in South Africa we will intensify our energy diplomacy in line with our broader international relations work for the benefit of all sectors of society.

We are encouraged, therefore, by the growing direct supply of crude oil to South Africa by sub-Saharan countries such as Angola and Nigeria, and, thus, helping diversify sources to secure our supply. We hope to sustain this trend and ensure that we convert the short-term agreements into long-term agreements that support intra-Africa trade.

We also seek to position South Africa as one of the main destinations for oil and gas beneficiation in sub-Saharan Africa. These efforts are amongst our international relations initiatives announced by the President in the state of the nation address. We intend to consolidate and deepen our relations with Nigeria within the framework of the Binational Commission chaired at Deputy Heads of State level. Continuing with this Africa Agenda, we have recently established an Interministerial Committee on the Pan-African infrastructure initiative to assist the President in his role of leading the AU-Nepad infrastructure projects as requested by the African Union.

As hon members are aware, a pillar of our foreign policy involves strengthening North-South and South-South relations in pursuit of our development interests and those of our continent. To this end, we will strengthen diplomatic and economic relations with the Nordic countries. A notable aspect of these relationships is the trilateral arrangements we have entered into which will see South Africa collaborate with some of these Nordic countries in support peace and development efforts in Africa.

South Africa attaches importance to our close and cordial relations with the People's Republic of China. We are indeed satisfied with the progress made in the Binational Commission and hope to deepen the existing comprehensive strategic partnership. We will continue to develop fraternal relations with a number of other states with a view to creating positive results in areas of trade, investment and people-to-people contact.

In the past financial year, we have received visits from China, United States of America, Germany, Vietnam, and Japan. We have undertaken outgoing visits to Kenya, South Korea, Turkey, Syria, the United Kingdom and the United States and Vietnam. This is testimony to the diversity and strength of our international relations.

The flow of legislation from the executive to Parliament has been proceeding smoothly. Although some of my Cabinet colleagues are not able to keep to the dates that were originally given for the tabling of their Bills, there have been no requests for fast-tracking in the past year. Cabinet is committed to its accountability to Parliament, including attending committee meetings and answering questions on time.

Last year, a government delegation met with the SA National Editors Forum, Sanef, to discuss ways of enhancing working relations between government and the media. In this engagement we affirmed the important role of the media in our society and reaffirmed our commitment to work closely with Sanef to resolve any differences that may have arisen. We agreed to regular in-depth engagements on the longer-term strategic issues faced by both government and the media in the building of a better South Africa.

In conclusion, hon Speaker, allow me to remind this august House that it is exactly one year ago since we hosted the first Fifa World Cup final on African soil. What the successful hosting of this global tournament showed is that we are indeed a capable nation when we work together towards a common goal. Government has learnt from the World Cup experience that to accelerate delivery, all three spheres must co-ordinate better and work and meet all the deadlines.

But, more importantly, the World Cup united our nation in ways we had never seen since the 1994 democratic elections. It reminded us that social cohesion and nation-building are the cornerstones of our democracy. We have no choice but to work together to build a united, democratic, nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous nation.

On this score, I wish to echo those who have condemned the senseless attacks against women and foreign nationals. South Africa has no place for hooligans who taint our flag with barbaric acts of violence. Whatever the grievances or disputes may be, they can never be justified through violence against fellow citizens or foreign nationals who earn an honest living in this country. Once again, as we observe the 35th anniversary of June 16 on Thursday, we are reminded of the need to work even harder to bring about a better life for all our people.

I would like to end by thanking the President for his unwavering support, the Ministers - my colleagues - Deputy Ministers, Members of Parliament, as well as presiding officers with whom I interact in my capacity as Leader of Government Business.

Let me also acknowledge the stellar support from the staff in my office and The Presidency in general. Na khensa, ndo livhowa, ngiyathokoza, baie dankie. [I thank you.] I thank you for your attention. [Applause.]

Mr M G P LEKOTA // GM// END OF TAKE

THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT

Mr M G P LEKOTA: Hon Speaker, hon President, Deputy President, members of Cabinet, and hon members, may I start by adding a word of sympathy on the loss of Comrade Albertina Sisulu. We, as a country, are poorer for having lost one of the best individuals who ever graced the length and breadth of our country, men and women counted together.

In debating whether to approve the budget for the Presidency, I wish to begin by focusing sharply on the President's sacred constitutional duty. Section 83(b) requires the President to "uphold, defend and respect the Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic".

On 5 February, contrary to the above, many of us were shocked when the SABC reported that the President had warned people in Mthatha, and elsewhere, that if they voted for opposition parties they were choosing the devil. [Interjections.] Now, was the President suggesting that the Constitution is wrong by making room and allowing for opposition parties to exist? Indeed, by stating what he did, the President not only undermined the Constitution, but negated the legacy of the great Nelson Mandela. [Interjections.]

Section 83(c) of the Constitution requires that the President "promotes the unity of the nation and that which will advance the Republic". For the nation, it was quite a shock on 6 May when the President failed to rebuke young Malema at a rally in Galeshewe near Kimberley, when the latter said, in his presence, that "the whites stole our land, we can agree that they are criminals, and must be treated as such". [Interjections.]

Nothing is more dangerous than this particular pronouncement, for it goes directly against the drive for the policy that President Nelson Mandela so energetically advanced - of national reconciliation, of uniting our people into one, so as to pave the way going into the future. Certainly, under the circumstances, it was a constitutional duty for the President not to remain silent in the presence of a pronouncement that patently went against the provisions of our national Constitution. In this way, we hold the view that the President became complicit in the undermining of the Constitution, and in undermining the goal of uniting the people of South Africa and forging one nation. [Interjections.]

This particular pronouncement is dangerous for many reasons. In particular, it is dangerous because any nation that allows and teaches its young people to make pronouncements of this nature, to be proud of them, to go to the courts of the country and demand the right to sing songs that promote racial division, ... [Interjections.] ... can only lay the basis for similar situations that have arisen in such countries as Rwanda, ... [Interjections.] ... where the Hutu young people were taught that Africans of the Tutsi people were not like them. [Interjections.]

When that process was under way, it was taken as easily as some are taking these pronouncements in this country, today. However, when it did explode, when it reached its maturation, in 90 days, Africans slaughtered one million other Africans, for no reason other than that they were of Tutsi stock. [Interjections.]

I insist on pronouncing on this issue today, and Cope must pronounce on this issue. [Interjections.] Our voices cannot be silenced at a time when some who are as black as ourselves are saying and doing things which trample underfoot not only the teachings of Nelson Mandela, but the efforts and contributions of men and women like Bram Fischer, Helen Joseph, and so many others, who stood up when we were marginalised. [Interjections.] When we were marginalised as black, they went to jails with us. They stood up to say it was wrong.

I will say it today. It is wrong for those who are like me, with my same colour and skin, to point fingers and to teach children to hate those who have a complexion slightly different from ourselves. [Applause.]

So, I insist that the President should have stood up as the defender of the Constitution, as is required. [Interjections.] Not only did he subvert it on the occasion, but he allowed and encouraged it, and he let all of us down. He let the stalwarts of the struggle down, he let the country down and he let Africa down.

Hon MEMBERS: Hear, hear! [Applause.] [Interjections.]

Mr M G P LEKOTA: I also speak ... [Interjections.] ...

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Order, hon members. Let us give the hon member a chance to be heard.

Mr M G P LEKOTA: The President is also misapplying the resources of our nation. Today, the Presidency is larger and more expensive than it has ever been. Three years ago, the administration cost R200 million. Today, that cost has risen to R318,9 million. Three years ago, the salary of the President was R1,3 million. Today, it is R2,4 million. [Interjections.] With more formal advisers in his office than under any other President, one wonders why the expenditure on consultants has risen from R19,6 million in 2007-08 to R36,3 million. [Interjections.] These consultants who are appointed by the Presidency on five-year contracts are free to carry out business deals with government.

Even though the hon President Zuma is the most advised President in history since the advent of our democracy, his capacity and willingness to defend the Constitution is the weakest of any incumbent so far. [Applause.] [Interjections.] He gets his political advice from Mr Charles Nqakula. [Interjections.] He gets his advice from Gen Nyanda, from Lindiwe Sisulu, from Ayanda Dlodlo – I am sorry, Lindiwe Zulu. I apologise. [Laughter.] - from Lindiwe Zulu, while Ayanda Dlodlo...

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Order, hon members. The member must focus on his speech.

Mr M G P LEKOTA: ... while Ayanda Dlodlo was looking after parliamentary matters until Gen Nyanda took over. Bonisiwe Makhene is the legal adviser. All of these advisers, after the President expanded his Cabinet from 28 to 34 Ministers with 32 Deputies! With a bureaucracy now larger than ever in the history of South Africa, the government is consuming a great deal of the resources that ought to be going to the people, and especially the poor people of this country. [Interjections.]

Our national debt, which stands at about 35% of GDP, has, for the first time in our history, topped the R1 trillion ceiling. In fact, it is now R1,4 trillion, and rising. How are we doing as a country? Perhaps, it is better to compare ourselves not with the worst, but with those who are doing better, so that we can strive for excellence, not for something down there. [Applause.] [Interjections.]

In order to drive my point home, I want to make a comparison with another newly-established democracy, in South America. Let me remind fellow South Africans and members of the House: on 16 June last year, all of us were stunned when Uruguay defeated Bafana Bafana 3-0. It was on 16 June. [Interjections.] Afterwards, some of us tried to find out about this country and what happens in this place called Uruguay. Let me say this to all of you - I do think that if our government were to compete with the Uruguayan government, we would probably get a 6-0 thrashing. [Interjections.]

This is what Wikipedia Encyclopaedia records about Uruguay:

It is one of the most economically developed countries in South America, with a high GDP per capita and the 52nd highest quality of life index in the world as of 2010 ...

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Hon members, there is too much noise in the House.

Mr M G P LEKOTA: I am saying good things, sir. [Interjections.]

... and first in quality ...

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Order!

Mr M G P LEKOTA:

... of life/human development in Latin America, when inequality is factored in. [Interjections.]According to Transparency International, Uruguay is rated as the second least corrupt country in Latin America, although Uruguay scores considerably better than Chile on domestic polls of corruption perception. Its political and labour conditions offer the highest level of freedom on the continent of South America. It was the highest rated country in Latin America on Legatum's 2010 Prosperity Index. Reader's Digest ranked Uruguay as ninth "Most liveable and greenest" country in the world, and first in all the Americas. [Interjections.] Uruguay is also ranked highest in Latin America on the Global Peace Index. [Interjections.] It is reimbursed by the United Nations for the majority of its military spending, because the majority of its military is deployed as UN Peacekeepers. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Cope will not support this Budget Vote, I am sorry. [Interjections.]

PRINCE M G BUTHELEZI /Robyn/ END OF TAKE

Mr M G P LEKOTA

Prince M G BUTHELEZI: Hon Chairman, Your Excellency the President, Your Excellency Deputy President, hon Ministers, hon members of the NA, on 15 of February I stood before this House during the President's state of the nation debate and spoke some unpalatable truths, which begged the question whether our country's leadership can be trusted with the responsibility of nurturing democracy. Since then, the local government election results and the coalition in KwaZulu-Natal, including attendance today of the inauguration of the mayor of the Zululand by the premier and two of his Ministers have resonated my concerns and underlined the veracity of what I said.

The question of trust has arisen again. It is necessary that I raise this point hon Ministers, hon members, as the President delivers his third Budget Vote, because we are engaging a debate over money and leadership. The efficient financial operation of the Presidency sets the tone for all government departments, and the allocation of the Presidency's budget sets the course.

It is unavoidable that, in the budget of the President, we become seized therefore with questioning value the country receives for the money it invests in this appropriation. The President per se does not have an operating department, but a supervisory one, which carries the ultimate responsibility of providing the policy leadership, motivation and inspiration for the work of all other Ministers and departments. Therefore, we must assess how well the Presidency has exercised its leadership role in the past two years.

We should have noticed enormous progress, almost in leaps and bounds, as compared to the previous administration. But this does not seem to be the case. Since the time of the previous administration, the Presidency has been strengthened with two full Cabinet Ministers with the functions of planning our future and overseeing compliance with current policies respectively.

The hon Minister in the Presidency with the function of national planning and the hon Minister in the Presidency with the function of Performance Monitoring, Evaluation and Administration should have enabled the Presidency as a whole to be much more effective, capable and experienced. But that does not seem to be the case. There are no signs of such progress.

The only thing that is clear is that the budget for the Presidency has increased enormously. It is also clear that other departments of state are exercising an ever increasing role of leadership within the affairs of the Republic, especially the Treasury and National Intelligence. I must hasten to say that it was already the case when I was the Minister of Home Affairs under President Mandela and President Mbeki that no Cabinet Minister would get beyond committee level to reach the full Cabinet if opposed by the Treasury and National Intelligence. It appears that this trend has intensified at the expense of the leadership role to be exercised by the Presidency.

Considering the size of the Presidency and the significance of its efficiency or lack thereof, the IFP believes the same measure of oversight should apply to the Presidency as applies to other departments. We therefore propose a parliamentary portfolio committee to oversee the Presidency, which would ensure not only accountability and transparency, but assurance to South Africans that their leadership does not operate with unfettered autonomy.

I believe that this is important hon Chairman and hon Members of the House, for there is an increasing perception in the public debate that the law has a limited reach, in direction relation to political connectedness. The level of corruption and wastage in the public service impacts public trust. We cannot sweep under the carpet the Special Investigating Unit's estimate that some R30 billion of state procurement expenditure is lost each year to overpayment and theft.

We cannot afford for South Africans to doubt their leaders' integrity, any more than we can afford a lack of integrity in our leadership. Our people, living in the conditions they do, must believe that their President has their best interests at heart.

This is brought into stark relief as we consider this Budget Vote. Looking at what the Presidency has achieved with last year's allocation and what it intends to achieve this year, one cannot help but fear that what we have accomplished is insignificant compared to the vast needs of our country. In saying this, I do not seek to belittle the achievements of the Presidency, nor the Presidency's intentions. I applaud our country's executive where applause is due.

The diagnostic overview, for instance, positioned as it is in the Presidency, holds the potential to arrest the bureaucratic practice of making excuses and passing the buck. This is particularly welcome considering the signs of decline contained in the overview. The overview is also promising in that it directs the focus to two issues; education and unemployment, rather than covering the plethora of issues at hand. This expresses a more realistic approach.

But it also highlights the challenge before the President of providing leadership, both within the country and within his party. It is argued that the greatest obstacle in tackling the two highlighted priorities of education and unemployment is resistance from within the ruling party. In both instances, a firmer hand is required with trade unions and it is unlikely that the ANC's tripartite alliance partners and the President's allies on the other hand, will take kindly to this development. The tripartite alliance has been shaken repeatedly under President Zuma's administration and it will take a courageous leadership to risk shaking it again.

But, as I said on 15th of February, our President cannot take several courses of action which are in conflict with one another in the hope of pleasing everyone. Integrity comes at a very dear political and personal cost. It requires taking a course of action which inevitably pleases some and displeases others. But failing to take bold leadership decisions will paralyse South Africa into inaction.

We cannot afford to take a decade to do what must be done in a matter of months. We can also not set unrealistic targets, of course and raise our people's expectations beyond what can be met. This is playing irresponsibly with our national psyche. Again, it is a question of accountability.

Since 1994, a lack of accountability has been a stumbling block to development and progress. It is therefore unacceptable that the executive is often unavailable to respond to members' statements in this House, because the Minister responsible for monitoring and evaluation is absent. Similarly, written questions demand a response that is often not forthcoming.

There is still a sense of coming from the top, that government is not answerable to the citizenry. The ongoing financial fiasco of the National Youth Development Agency is a case in point. Has the burning question of why R100 million was spent on a youth festival ever been answered, either adequately or at all? The many unresolved complaints received through the Presidential Hotline suggest that answers are not a priority.

This brings the debate back to the leadership challenge facing the President. There are undoubtedly contradictions between what the ruling party wants and what the development of the state requires. How the Presidency makes good on the promises contained in this budget will, to some extent, answer the question whether our country's leadership can be trusted with our fragile democracy.

It is an answer we deserve and I have always said in this podium, that although the ruling party is possessive of the President, that the President as the head of state is also our president and the President of all the opposition parties. In that capacity, I would like to say that we wish him well in his mandate. The President stated today that parties should find a common solution. I stated here before and I repeat it today that, whenever the Presidency implements measures to uplift our poorest of the poor or whether it is in the interest of the country, the IFP will support the President.

We only get confused now when the national democratic revolution is mentioned as in which direction that will take our country? The hon Mr Mufumadi stated that the ruling party access peaceful protest; we all do Sir, but I must say that there are scenes that took place in the ANC's office in Pietermaritzburg two days ago; the numerous vandalisation of property and burning down of offices including such facilities as libraries in the ANC-controlled municipalities are very worrying.

IsiZulu:

Masengiphetha

English:

I would say that my party supports the vote.

IsiZulu:

Okokugcina Xhamela, Ngqongqoshe wezokuPhepha nomhlonishwa uSomlomo, asinalo igama esingalisho okusivelele ngoba umama uSisulu ubengunyoko nje ngoba enizala. Ubengumama wethu futhi engumama wezwe, ngakho –ke kuningi esakusho ningekho. Ngifisa ukusho ukulila kwami nokudabuka okukhulu kwethu, ngokuthi namhlanje umuthi omkhulu obesihlezi ngaphansi kwawo uwile. Ngiyabonga Sihlalo.[Ihlombe.]

Mr J J McGLUWA / LIM CHECKED ZLU / GG / END OF TAKE

Prince M G BUTHELEZI

Mr J J MC GLUWA: Mr President, in your State of the Nation Address you have highlighted very important points. One of them was the youth wage subsidy that excited many of us. It was intended to assist in doing away with unemployment among the youth which is at dangerously high levels.

A major percentage of the 4,3 million unemployed South Africans are represented by our young people. About 42% of young people under the age of 30 are unemployed. The sad reality is that only one in eight working age adults under 25 years of age, have a job.

We call upon you Mr President, to accelerate and implement what you have stressed in February this year. Furthermore, in response to a question by the leader of the opposition on oversight of the Presidency in the week of 27 March, the hon Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe replied:

That is a matter for this august House to take forward. We would not oppose that in anyway. I believe the ANC benches would be very happy to establish such a structure.

Mr President, my question is: When will this Parliament give birth to such a structure? It is not only crucial, but common cause to have oversight over the Budget of the Presidency, and in particular the two Ministries that fall under it. The ID welcomes all attempts that seek to encourage the exchange of ideas and solutions amongst our youth. However, initiatives such as the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, that essentially becomes an ANC youth league support scheme, has been used at the expense of the poor and disadvantage young people in our country.

We are completely opposed to the expenditure of the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, without proper oversight, scrutiny and the lack of reporting to any Parliamentary committee. Yet, we are expected to condone such event. Why is it that the Zuma administration has allocated R30 million to the youth for what is essentially a festival event while we have such pressing issues in our country?

Mr President, is this a party of government or a government of parties? Can you explain Mr President, what benefit we have got as a country out of hosting a jamboree for some of the most repressive states in this world? If the NYDA and the Zuma administration have allocated a R100 million for bursaries or skill s development across the nine provinces, each province could have approximately received R11 million.

These are funds that we could have utilised to enhance education and economic opportunities for our youth, to bring about delivering and real changes to South African youth where oversight structures are in place. Mr President, another concern is your promise on monitoring and evaluation in the Cabinet. Mr President, you have the power, this is your Cabinet, why don't you take responsibility and remove those Ministers who blatantly abuse state funds?

Can you explain to the nation why you do not remove these Ministers immediately? Mr President, the core function of this Parliament is oversight. We as Parliament, we will do an injustice to support a Budget when no oversight structures exist. It is for this reason that the ID cannot support this Budget. I thank you. [Applause.]

Ms N R BHENGU / C.I/Eng//A N N(ed) / END OF TAKE

Mr J J McGLUWA

Ms N R BHENGU: Chairperson, His Excellency the President of the Republic of South Africa, hon Deputy President, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, let me start by acknowledging the contribution made by Mama Sisulu to our struggle for liberation.

The ANC has tasked me to speak on sustainable development. I will focus on working together with our communities for sustainable development, and mobilising our people to understand and embrace the agenda of a developmental state.

We debate the Presidency Budget Vote today, fresh from heavily contested local government elections. Service delivery featured more prominently in the election campaign compared to all the others that we have experienced.

Every political party poster was speaking about service delivery. The difference was in the service delivery approach presented in the messages of the different political parties. A careful analysis of each of the messages reveals two key underlying ideologies and messages held by each of the parties. The first shows the kind of a state each party believes South Africa to be, and the second points to the kind of a society each party would build if voted into power.

I will not waste this House's valuable time and talk to election messages of those parties that did not present a service delivery approach. Any one of these in my view has no relevance to sustainable development and the developmental state.

I am therefore going to unpack the message of the DA as well as that of the ANC. In doing this I hope to highlight the differences between the two. The message of the DA was service delivery for all. Well it sounds very convincing, doesn't it. It is a very well crafted message that puts the DA head and shoulders above the rest.

Let us look a little deeper though. In the first instance the key word that explains the service delivery approach in the message of the DA is the word "for".

The service delivery approach presented by the DA is that of a government that provides for the people. The government does for the communities and no mention is made of the role and involvement of communities in that delivery.

In this approach and ideology community remains passive beneficiaries of services provided by government. Communities are dependent on government. Government knows all their needs and will provide for all of them all of the time. [Interjections.]

Also prominent in the message of the DA was the emphasis on good governance. You must not hear me wrong here. There is nothing wrong with clean governance but if you listen carefully to the DA message, once again you will notice that it makes no mention to the end, which is the eradication of poverty and community development. [Applause.]

It clearly shows that the DA does not subscribe to a developmental local government. It does not seek to involve the community in their development but comes along as a know-it-all charitable state that dishes to a community that lives on handouts from a state.

For the DA the means is greater than the end. As long as the administration is clean and government delivers for all it is fine. This is the welfare state that the DA wishes South Africa to become. It is an undesirable and an unsustainable end indeed. [Laughter.] We should together rise against this archaic mentality because it will take us backwards.

The message of the ANC - on the other hand – working together to build communities, is loud, clear and cannot be faulted. [Interjections.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Order! Hon members, you are drowning the hon member and her speech!

The words "working together" explain the approach in service delivery. And the last part of the message "to build a better community", explains the expected end result.

The majority of the communities in South Africa prefer a service delivery approach that would result in a sustainable development and as a result they overwhelmingly voted for the ANC. [Applause.]

Central to the attainment of sustainable development is the understanding of the nature of the problems and challenges we inherited from the apartheid government. This is followed by a keen awareness and ability to introduce the way government does business, a people centred and a people driven development approach.

In moving forward we need to constantly remind ourselves of the legacy and inequality and injustice that we inherited from apartheid and how such imbalances were structured and institutionalised and how they continue to inform and shape the way we think and of things.

We do this not for purposes of apportioning blame. We have risen above that and moved on. We have overcome that temptation and emerged victorious as a nation. We should do so in order to gain a better understanding of the problems we are addressing so that we can find better lasting solutions.

Our biggest challenge is that during the apartheid era services were provided to communities along the racial, class and geographic location divides. If we pretend that this was not so and present an image that this counts no more we are fooling ourselves and we will be denying our communities the truth.

In the past first world services were preserved for the rich communities in leafy suburbs. Townships and peri-urban communities received sub-standards services and poor communities in rural areas received no services.

Even the education system was designed to produce black people that were collectors of water, hewers of wood, wheel barrow pushers and mixers of udaka (mud) – hence the word "dakaboy" (a boy that mixes mud). All this is from a state that provided for the people without involving them. That is not sustainable development.

Investment in the past targeted developed areas and that is still the case today. The current formula for allocation of financial resources for service delivery perpetuates these imbalances. The impact of the education system we inherited will remain with us for a long time.

You will note that community development was never a part of formal education before 1994. It is still not a prerequisite for employment in government and participation at policy making level. It is also not used as a tool for building the capacity at the community level thereby enabling communities to effectively participate in their development. This gap remains evident in the way we do things and think.

In responding to these challenges the ANC government has put in place progressive policies that include amongst others the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment; Co-operatives Development and Affirmative Action as part of a long-term solution towards sustainable development.

Social grants are a short term intervention responding to high levels of poverty, lack of skills, and lack of investment under developed areas. Capacity building interventions provided by further education and training colleges and a number of Sector Education and Training Authorities are aimed at dealing with problems of the unemployed and the unemployable. They are a medium term intervention.

Our development approach will continue to evaluate the progress and impact of our systems and programs at all levels. We would effect change where necessary. The National Planning Commission, the monitoring and evaluation ministry, the assessment of state-owned enterprises and the Advisory Council on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment are tools we have put in place to continuously measure our progress and impact on sustainable development.

We should prioritise co-operative education and commit government as sustainable market for co-operatives so as to reduce poverty and transform economy. We have undertaken to work together with communities we remain committed to that. The ANC supports the budget. [Applause.]

Mr B H HOLOMISA ///tfm/// END OF TAKE

Ms N R BHENGU

Mr B H HOLOMISA: Chairperson, hon President, hon Deputy President and hon members, the UDM supports the Budget Vote No 1 [Applause.] Today, we participate in your debate, concerned about the new culture of anger and lawlessness we witness on a daily basis, when people express their concerns.

Examples of this culture of ill-discipline range from people burning trains because they are late, to industrial actions, where people carry dangerous weapons in public and destroy both public and private properties with impunity.

As a nation, we should take decisive action against this perpetual use of violence, as a means to achieve one's objectives. Such a step would contribute to improved investor confidence in South Africa's adherence to the Rule of Law. However, one of the biggest challenges facing our country is that our people are bereft of hope due to a high level of unemployment.

The jury is still out as to the overall success of the ruling party's economic policies, since it took over in 1994. We have yet to discover whether hon President Zuma, who ascended to power on a propoor economic policy ticket, has, in fact, done anything to move away from his predecessor's perceived procapital economic policies.

Nevertheless, the truth of the matter is that Mbeki's largely jobless economic growth continues to gain rapid momentum every day.

This causes our people to question the value of political freedom without tools or mechanisms, designed to produce indigenous wealth creators.

Despite recent interventions by government at the beginning of the year, such as the introduction of the R9 billion jobs fund, among others, government's grand plans have yet to bring tangible benefits to the general populace.

In the past, we have seen similar grand plans from the government that amounted to nothing. Poor or lack of implementation of government plans remains the single biggest issue crippling service delivery. After these noble plans, we are often disappointed to hear that billions of rand are returned to the National Treasury, unspent.

The question that remains engraved in the minds of many is whether the current decentralised budget process serves the interests of the people we serve. Budget allocations which are usually read out by the Minister of Finance in February each year, have to wait for extravagant parades of different spheres of government, including the local government level, before they are committed.

This cumbersome process normally takes months before it is finalised. Often by the time the funds reach the local government level, it is time for revised budget estimates. Therefore, comes the beginning of each year, billions of rand are returned to the national fiscus, unspent. Thus, the budget process becomes a victim of bureaucratic inefficiencies and bungles.

Consequently, one is compelled to ask whether the time has not arrived for us to review the current pseudo-federal system, which negatively affects service delivery. By so doing, we would ensure that budgets reach the local government level without unjustified delay.

As we speak, roads in most small towns and rural areas are impassable. The infrastructure is in a state of disrepair. Some of these roads and basic infrastructure were washed out by the rains, as far back as November last year. In the meanwhile, our people and the unemployed are told to wait for the finalisation of the lavish parades.

While on the subject of budget allocations, it is important to note that this process has structural problems. The current budget allocation formula of basing budget allocations on the population size of each province creates numerous challenges. The amount of money that a province receives should also take into account the province's infrastructure backlogs and imbalances of the past. [Time has expired.] Thank you.

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES:

Mr B H HOLOMISA

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Chairperson, today it is exactly five years, on the day, since Mr Mbeki announced the resignation of Deputy President Zuma. I was here on that day.

Afrikaans:

In Afrikaans sê ons die kat kom terug. Hy is nog hier.

English:

The hon President referred to the role of the youth. This week it is also the ANC Youth League's Conference of electing leaders. The Albeitina Sisulu funeral posters read: "Albertina Sisulu: Nation builder and selfless leader". Can you imagine a poster of Mr. Malema, reading: "Julius Malema: Nation builder and selfless leader"?

What is the difference then between these two people? Mrs Sisulu was a first-generation political leader, following the 1994 political settlement. In her speeches and actions she emphasised nation-building and reconciliation. Mr Malema is a third-generation political leader after the settlement. I have never heard Mr Malema emphasizing nation-building or reconciliation.

Are we not giving too much attention to Mr Malema? Why must we take notice of his statements in a debate like this? There are more than enough examples in the world of how populist leaders had soured relations between groups, through irresponsible comments that eventually lead to conflict, violence and even civil war.

In Cyprus, the Greeks and the Turks reached a political settlement that seemed to permanently solve the conflict between them. In the sixties, the settlement failed and ended in serious violence. In Lebanon, the Muslims and Christians reached a political settlement that seemed to permanently solve the conflict between these two groups. In the seventies, the settlement failed and ended in a lengthy fifteen-year violent civil war.

What lessons must we learn from this? When does a political settlement, reached between various groups, fail? Any political settlement comes under great pressure when the third-generation political leaders, following such a settlement, start getting power.

What do I mean with that? Mandela, Albertina Sisulu, De Klerk and Constand Viljoen were the first-generation political leaders that negotiated a settlement. To reach a settlement they had to compromise and find common ground between the interests of their specific supporter groups.

The second-generation leaders are Mbeki and Zuma, Tony Leon and Mulder. As second-generation leaders, we were part of or witnesses to the initial negotiations. As leaders fighting elections, we are under pressure from our various power bases, to promote our supporters' interest alone. The challenge is to keep a balance between the interests of your power base and the general interest of South Africa.

The third-generation political leaders are the Mamelas of today, hoping to be in power tomorrow. You find them in all political parties and in all sides of the political spectrum. They do not feel bound by the original settlement because they were not part of it. The general interest of all South Africans is not their priority, as they prefer to only play to their audiences with racial statements.

When I listen to the ANC Youth League and Mr Malema, they irresponsibly propagate nothing else but camouflaged revenge of blacks on whites. The alarming part of this is that they get huge applause at public meetings for this.

In Kimberley Malema said that all whites in South Africa are criminals. I checked up on that. That is exactly what he said. Does he have the faintest idea what anger and resentment this causes, especially as it is seen against the background of the song "Kill the Boer" that is associated with him? I know the ANC arguments of their struggle history, of apartheid being a crime, etc, but this does not change the emotions and polarisation I experience everyday in reaction to these statements.

Is it a crisis? Yes. If these problems are ignored, it becomes a crisis, permanently bedevilling all relations between South Africans. When leaders like me and the President, do not react to these statements, it creates a climate within which these young people act in a racist way and believe that it carries the required approval. Once these views become the view of the majority of people then we are in a Cyprus or Lebanon crisis situation.

Are these not normal in a society? Yes. Let me give you an example. Since the sixties, there have been radical, for example in America where they tried to fight racism. In spite of this, you will find some of the worst racists in Washington and in London. But you also find them in Soweto and in Cape Town, ask me. I have tried to debate with some of these people in Washington and in Soweto. But in a normal society it is always a minority viewpoint.

A community is in trouble when these radical minority viewpoints become the viewpoints of the majority of the community. That is where we are today. An Indian chief spoke about good and evil and said that there are two dogs fighting on the inside of him. One dog spurs him on to do good things and the other spurs him on to do bad things.

To the question as to which dog wins, he said: "The one that I feed the most". At present, the wrong dog is being fed and is winning in South Africa. It is our responsibility to look after that. I thank you.

The MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: NATIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION: Madam / src / END OF TAKE

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES

The MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: NATIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION: Madam Chairperson, Mr President, Deputy President, colleagues, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, last week I stood at the podium here and released the first output of the National Planning Commission, NPC, it's diagnostic report, launching a period of public engagement aimed at uniting all South Africans in a process to develop solutions to our critical challenges.

Already we have received dozens of comments and pledges of support and I want to quote just two. The first says:

I'm pastor from the Dutch Reformed Church in Lynnwood and would love to be part of this wave of renewal. This is one dream we must share and let it spread like fire. I did run the idea of my participation past the Chairperson of the Dutch Reformed Church in the northern part of South Africa, and he gave the green light to be a link to your cause.

That is from Dominee Immanuel van Tonder of the Dutch Reformed Church in Lynnwood, Pretoria.

The second quote comes from Ziphilele Gaju, a teacher from Port Elizabeth and he says:

We must begin to review and measure ourselves on the basis of we and the rest of the continent are currently faced with, and begin to revise our past and present for an improved future, without waiting for things to fall apart.

Mr President, we are heartened that our public engagement process has been received so warmly by so many South Africans. In particular, I would like to thank the National Assembly for the opportunity to launch the diagnostic report here, affording us an opportunity to engage with the nation's representatives and talk directly to millions of our people. We look forward to engaging also on the solutions.

The National Planning Commission has spent the bulk of the past 14 months, since its appointment, conducting research, meeting with experts and stakeholders and listening to South Africans about the key challenges that confront us.

South Africans are united in affirming that the values of the Constitution should form the basis of the vision. The elements of the vision statement that we tabled last week are drawn directly from our Constitution. South Africans are equally emphatic that eliminating poverty and reducing inequality are our key strategic objectives.

The National Planning Commission identified nine key challenges that confront us in meeting our objectives of eliminating poverty and reducing inequality. These are that too few South Africans are working; the quality of education for most black learners is still substandard; our infrastructure is inadequate to meet our social and economic needs; the spatial legacy of apartheid planning limits social inclusion and growth; our development path is too resource intensive and hence unsustainable; our public health system is ailing under a massive disease burden; public service performance is uneven; corruption levels are high and undermine service delivery; and finally South Africa remains a divided society.

These nine challenges are underpinned by extensive research and engagement with key stakeholders. We are fully mindful of the fact that agreeing on the major challenges is in many ways going to be the easy task. Developing solutions that enjoy broad support and are implementable will be much harder. However, a problem correctly diagnosed is a problem at least half solved.

We recognise that these are formidable challenges. We are confident that South Africa has the capabilities to solve them. We raise these challenges mindful of our successful track record in uniting as a people to confront our greatest challenges. Through a national dialogue involving the broader spectrum of our people we can indeed develop solutions and the capacity to implement them. As we point out in the diagnostic report, success will require the involvement of all South Africans; clear leadership from all sectors of society; proper planning; clear prioritisation; and meticulous focus on implementation.

It is important that we indicate that the process of consultation takes a shared collaborative form. That we have made all these documents available and it will, by the end of this week, be available in all 11 official languages, is only one part of this process. The commission, supported by the secretariat, is very determined to take the idea of elements of the vision statement and the diagnostic document to every corner of South Africa.

We want to share with everyone our observations, and it is vitally important that we get feedback from all South Africans. As we take this process forward, we want to place special emphasis on young people who must be involved in defining the South Africa of 2030, a time when many of us will have passed, or at least be out of the policy-making arena. It will be their South Africa; their decisions to make and, therefore, their involvement is important and the planning commission provides a bridge between the present and that future.

The public engagement process will be a multidimensional one. In order to give all citizens an opportunity to contribute to solutions, commissioners will visit the provinces and meet with elected leaders, civil society, business communities, and as I said, in particular young people.

We will also receive comments by e-mail, fax, text message and in writing. Soon we will have the full capacity to receive phone calls, so that people can call to simply tell us what they thing. Not to swear at us, hopefully, but just to tell us what they think and we will be able to collect these inputs.

In addition to using social networking methods to receive input, we will also host what is called an online jam, for the first time in this country, which will allow thousands of people to participate in an interactive, online discussion on key the issues that confront us. In parallel, the commission is already working on aspects of the plan, conducting detailed research and meeting with experts to guide the development of the plan. There is an incredible amount of detail that is required.

Allow me to illustrate, using just one issue as an example. We have identified the resource-intensive nature of our development path as a key challenge. There are several questions that have to be answered. How will we transition to a low carbon economy while creating jobs and raising competitiveness? Reminding ourselves, of course, that President Zuma and in Copenhagen made a very strong global commitment that must speak to us as a nation. Can we transition to a low carbon economy and still exploit our vast mineral wealth for the good of all of our people? How will we use our water resources more efficiently? What type of infrastructure is required to provide water to all our people, throughout the country? What is our solution to the challenge that some regions are likely to become water stressed quite soon, and there are some parts of the country that are water stressed because they don't have access to water even though they frequently live just in the shadow of dams? How do we manage our marine and fishing resources to meet the needs of future generations? How do we produce more food using less water?

As is evident, this single challenge throws up dozens of questions that need to be answered and the answers must be based on solid research, sound evidence and careful plans, and tested with all the major stakeholders.

In November this year, we will release a vision statement and development plan for consideration by Cabinet and the public at large. As mentioned earlier, the planning commission is largely advisory. Decisions and implementation reside with the President, the executive, and various spheres of government and entities.

The work of the National Planning Commission clearly does not stop in November. November merely signals the end of the first phase of work of the commission. Next year and in subsequent years, the commission will produce much more detailed plans on specific topics, guided by the Green Paper on the National Planning Commission and the needs of the President and Cabinet.

For example, in 2012, we might present detailed reports on food and water security and on managing the transition to a low carbon economy. Each of these reports will have much more detail than can be fitted into a single overarching national development report.

Turning to some of the specifics of our budget; we are asking Parliament to vote an amount of R83,8 million to the NPC this year. I want to emphasise that it's million with an M; it has six zeroes because in the press last week, some journalist got it very wrong and said that we are spending R63 billion. I want to stress to the members of the parliamentary press gallery that it is a million with and M; six zeroes please.

The Appropriation Bill provides for a purpose for each programme. The programme: National Planning has as its purpose to help develop the country's long-term vision and national strategic plan and contribute towards better outcomes in government through better planning, better long-term plans, more policy coherence and clear articulation of long-term goals and aspirations.

The commission, and the ,secretariat which is based in the Presidency, will strive to achieve these goals by working together with the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation and other departments and spheres. In particular, we will work closely with other the centre of government departments that provides strategic advice and support to the President and Cabinet.

The commission consists of the chairperson and 25 independent commissioners who are part-time, appointed on the basis of their expertise and experience. The budget for National Planning provides resources to compensate commissioners for the time that we take from them and for work that they do in fulfilling the mandate of the commission. Resources are also provided for administrative support, travel and accommodation, meetings and other public engagements. These resources can be found in the subprogramme called Ministry.

The Ministry subprogramme also includes resources for a programme called the National Income Dynamics Study, Nids. Nids is South Africa's national panel study, a longitudinal survey that will span at least a decade. Nids Wave 1, which is the base survey, was undertaken in 2008, Wave 2 last year and Wave 3 will be undertaken in next year. In Wave 1, 7 305 households were surveyed, and a total of 28 255 individuals were interviewed. The SA Labour and Development Research Unit, Sraldru, at the University of Cape Town, UCT, is the implementing agency for Nids Wave 1 and 2. The Nids Wave 3 tender process is nearing completion and the contract will be signed in the current financial year.

An important component of the Nids is capacity-building; through the contract with Saldru they have to train students in quantitative analysis. In this regard 14 scholarships were awarded to students doing their honours, masters, PhD and post-doctoral work.

The Nids data set provides an invaluable resource with which to track the income, employment and asset status of South Africans. As an example for the usefulness of this programme, one of the studies, Low Quality Education as a Poverty Trap, undertaken by Professor Servaas van den Berg at Stellenbosch University this year, shows that the education system generally produces outcomes that reinforce current patterns of poverty and privilege, instead of challenging them. The inequalities in schooling outcomes manifest via labour market outcomes, perpetuate current patterns of income inequality. This is a key conclusion of the diagnostic report that we released last week. All Nids papers are available on the Nids website and I would like to acknowledge members to take the time to follow the analysis and research.

The second subprogramme covers research and policy support to the commission and Ministers. This covers the salaries of the secretariat in the main. The third subprogramme covers communications and public participation, enabling the commission to listen to the public, receive input of various types and to communicate the findings and reports of the commission. In addition to the more traditional means, we are making a special effort to communicate with young people, as I said.

When the President appointed the National Planning Commission, in his mind, he saw it as part of a series of reforms aimed at improving coherence in government and the performance of the state more generally. For this reason, the success of the NPC as an initiative is at least partly dependent on working together with other stakeholders inside the Presidency, in government in general and in society at large. We pledge to continue to work collaboratively with other stakeholders, even with Minister Nzimande.

When commissioners were appointed, I do not think that they knew what they were signing up for. They probably thought that it would take a few hours a month of their time. This has not been the case. Commissioners have given up huge amounts of their time, attending meetings, overseeing research, consulting with stakeholders and engaging with government departments. We thank them for the hard work and sacrifice that they are making to contribute to the development of the vision and plan. They do this because they are patriotic South Africans who are passionate about the success of this country.

The President's appointment of such independent-minded outsiders to do such a difficult and complex job is a huge vote of confidence in our democracy and in our Constitution. We thank him for his leadership and support throughout the process so far.

In addition to my role as chairperson of the National Planning Commission, there are several functions that I perform that do not relate to the work of the commission directly. The President has asked me to help co-ordinate work on the North-South Corridor, an international effort under the auspices of the AU and Nepad to promote infrastructure investment in road and rail along this important corridor. The signing of the agreement of the tripartite this past weekend is going to require a lot more effort on the North-South Corridor.

I also serve as one of the joint chairs of the Transition Committee of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, tasked with designing and mobilising a Green Climate Fund. The work of this committee is especially important as we look forward to hosting COP 17 in Durban later this year.

As a board member of the Green Growth Institute, I am part of a globally represented, nonprofit institute dedicated to the promotion of economic growth and development while reducing carbon emissions, increasing sustainability, and strengthening climate resilience. In particular, the institute supports emerging and developing nations in their efforts to create and implement national and local strategies and policies for pursuing green growth.

In conclusion, I would like to thank both the President and the Deputy President for the support that they have given us in our work over the past year. We are convinced that the boldness displayed by the President in appointing the planning commission and the faith that he has displayed in their abilities will be evident as we embark on this journey. I also wish to thank the staff in the Ministry and in the Presidency for their hard work in the process thus far. Thank you. [Applause.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms F Hajaig): Hon President, Deputy President, hon members, there will be a 15 minute comfort break. Please do not leave the precincts of this chamber. Bells will ring for three minutes before we recommence the debate. Thank you.

Adv T M MASUTHA /UNH/ END OF TAKE

The MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: NATIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION: Madam

Adv T M MASUTHA: Chairperson, before I proceed with my speech, I would like to say a word to the Leader of the Opposition, hon Trollip, to say that he made an interesting speech and to congratulate him on the 24% performance that his party has shown in the elections, but also to warn him that hot money is not sustainable. His party drew most of its support from the support that the other opposition parties lost, and if he were to ask them their about their experiences, hon de Lille would tell him that at some point she was the so-called the new kid on the block, but eventually got subsumed into what is now the DA.

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms F Hajaig): Order, please!

Adv T M MASUTHA: On a serious note, chairperson, may I, through you, ask the Speaker's indulgence and on behalf of all of us in this House offer our condolences to him, the Minister of Defence and the rest of the family and next of kin for the sad loss they suffered from the passing away of our mother, uMama Sisulu. With the same breath, however, let me also use this occasion to join fellow South Africans and the world at large in celebrating her life, a life well lived. Her towering stature is like the baobab tree, a beacon and a landmark that reminds us of whence we have come, where we are and where we are going, or ought to be going. She was the baobab tree that offered shade when the scorching sun was too hot to bear, offered shelter from the rain and its large trunk sheltered the children and senior citizens who came for her support alike. We salute her. [Applause.]

May we also express our condolences to the victims of yesterday's fire in Ekurhuleni and welcome the Gauteng government's response by initiating an assessment of all the facilities hosting our senior citizens to prevent a recurrence of this sad tragedy. May we also spare a thought for the many policemen and women who continued to risk both life and limb every day of their working lives in defence of our freedom and safety and for the protection of our way of life.

We salute all those who have fallen to the vicious and ruthless murders of evil criminals. May their families that they leave behind be comforted in the knowledge that their deaths will not be in vain. We however condemn the reckless conduct of those officers who act with little or no restraint and who appear to be trigger-hungry and resort to unnecessary and excessive use of force against our people. They should be isolated and dealt with accordingly so that the good image of the rest of the police force is not tainted by their recklessness. Security is at the heart of every nation and, indeed, everyone's life and although it is often narrowly confined to risk to both life and limb and to one's personal belongings and assets, it goes far beyond that.

Every mother, and some fathers, of course, is concerned about whether her or his child or children will have enough clothes to wear and blankets to keep them warm in this cold winter, food to eat, go to school and a safe environment to play. Every young person who has finished school is concerned whether he or she will have funds to go to college or university or to find employment.

As we grow older or lose our jobs, we are concerned as to whether we will have enough income to support ourselves and our families. We are also concerned as to whether we will afford decent health care especially in the event we contract deadly diseases such as HIV/Aids. All these things affect our sense of security, whether in the present or in the future.

In this regard, we should compliment government for progress made towards the establishment of a new national health insurance scheme that would ensure equal access to health care services for all our people. This is part of a commitment that the ANC has made over several of its national conferences of developing a comprehensive social security scheme.

The German basic law locates the principle of social solidarity at the centre of its architecture. This principle ensures that equal value is attached to the life of every German and ensures that both social and economic policies are in inextricably linked as the foundation on which the fruit of economic prosperity is shared amongst all Germans. We in South Africa have equally committed ourselves to these values, both in the Freedom Charter and our current Constitution, by including socioeconomic rights such as access to clean drinkable water, nutrition, shelter, education and social security in our Bill of Rights.

Bruce Schneier in his essay entitled The Psychology of Security, dated 18 January 2008, states that "Security is both a feeling and a reality, and they are not the same. The reality of security is mathematical, based on the probability of different risks and the effectiveness of different countermeasures".

He proceeds to state that security is also a feeling based not on probabilities and mathematical calculations but on your psychological reaction to both risk and countermeasures. He states that the feeling and reality of security are certainly related to each other, but they are just as certainly not the same as each other. In other words, you can be secure even though you don't feel secure, and you can feel secure even though you are not actually secure.

We have come a long way with the security question in South Africa, from the days of "die swart of die rooi gevaar" in our colonial and apartheid history to addressing so-called white fears after 1994, from dealing with afro-pessimism and issues of brain drain associated therewith, to exaggerated perceptions of crime and corruption which, although unacceptably high, are often the subject of unsubstantiated generalisations. Many of these critics were silenced by the almost event free hosting of the memorable 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. The experience we gained out of the hosting of the World Cup is that it is all in our hands, that we are in this together, black and white, and that our fate, and that of our children, depends on us reaching out across the fence to each other, holding hands side by side and working together to secure a better future.

In response to the poor white question after the devastating Anglo-Boer War at the turn of the last century, the newly established Union of South Africa introduced a number of policies that sought to address the physical, social and economic insecurities of the white population to the exclusion and even confrontational to their black counterparts. These measures included the Land Act, Act 27 of 1913, the Job Reservation Act, the Colour Bar Act, the Group Areas Act, the Influx Control Act and several pass laws and many other similar measures calculated to deny black people citizenship rights and make them insecure in a country of their birth.

The Freedom Charter, as adopted at the real congress of the people in Kliptown on 26 June 1955, amongst other things states: "There shall be work and security and all people shall have the right to live where they choose, be decently housed and to bring up their families in comfort and security".

Social security, as understood in its narrow sense, relates to measures to secure or substitute personal income or provide financial assistance to the indigent, unemployed, retired, senior citizens, children or people with disabilities. In its broader sense, however, it includes other social measures aimed at securing or sustaining a minimum standard of living for all in society, ensuring that their health, nutritional, clothing, housing, energy, transport and other basic needs are met. This is for any civilised society an equally important form of security to consider and address.

Creating or developing sustainable human settlements and not just building and allocation of houses, for example, is a policy response adopted and implemented by the ANC-led government in response to this imperative under the Freedom Charter. It is creation and preservation of sustainable quality jobs which is at the forefront of the ANC's response to eradicating poverty and reducing inequality and providing security and comfort for our people. The ANC has also adopted other policy and legislative measures to ensure that our people are freed from the shackles of poverty through employment and other forms of sustainable livelihoods and do not drift back into poverty due to their vulnerability to exploitation by unscrupulous providers of various services, including financial services and through the introduction of such laws as the National Credit Act.

In your state of the nation address delivered on 10 February this year, hon President, you alluded to the progress made by the ANC-led government in addressing the basic needs of our people when you said:

We are also making progress. More than 400 000 additional people were served with basic water supply last year. About 81% of the country is electrified, as compared to 63% in the year 2000. The crime statistics show a decrease in most crimes, particularly armed robberies, housebreakings and business robberies as well as contact crimes. For example, the murder rate declined by 8,6% in the past year.

Our crime prevention strategies have begun to bear fruit with significant reductions in serious crimes, especially violent crimes recorded in the statistics that were last released nationally. In this regard, we echo the confidence expressed by many South Africans in the current leadership of the police in the person both of Minister of Police, hon Nathi Mthethwa, and the National Commissioner, Gen Bheki Cele. Their no nonsense approach to policing, has given fresh inspiration and hope to the nation as a whole and has assisted in enhancing the nation's sense of security. The ANC supports Budget Vote No 1: the Presidency. I thank you. [Applause.]

Ms M SMUTS /Mohau//Mia / END OF TAKE

Mr T M MASUTHA

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms F Hajaig): I ask members on this side of the House to lower their voices. Mr Furrow and the other hon member, you are speaking too loudly and I can't hear the speakers. The two of them are speaking very loudly, Mr Ellis. Please continue, Ms Smuts.

Ms M SMUTS: Madam, allow me to have my annual conversation with the hon President on Chief Justiceship of the Republic of SA.

In June 2009 after his election, I said that the hon President's choice of the Chief Justice would be the single most important act of his Presidency and that there was a natural successor. He assured me most courteously in reply that he would make a good choice. In May 2010, I acknowledged that he had made a great choice and that we look forward to an institutionally-independent judicial branch under the leadership of Chief Justice Ngcobo. This year, I would like to say that I have actively supported the extension of the term of the Chief Justice because he is the leader we need, but that it should have been done by an Act of Parliament, as indeed I asked, and not under an Act.

Madam, the situation that has now arisen as a result of a challenge by certain legal nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, is undesirable. It places our judges in a position where they have to effectively rule on the fate of their Chief, and the Chief Justice himself in contention. If the hon President had consulted the hon Trollip and the other party leaders in Parliament before the fact, he would have received better advice on the best way to extend the term. We accept that he acted in good faith and so did the NGOs, but the position of the Chief Justice is now in contention.

In order to secure that position, this morning the opposition MPs in the Justice Committee therefore tabled a proposal that the Justice Committee should put before this House, a one-line Bill extending the term of office of Judge Ngcobo. We regret that it did not get the necessary support and that we so lose the opportunity to bring this unbearable situation to a quick and elegant end by passing the Act of Parliament which the Constitutional section 176(1) requires.

While I believe that the hon President has shown proof of a genuine commitment to the Constitutional separation of powers here at home, I am less impressed by government's stance on the Southern African Development Community, SADC, Tribunal. Madam, how is it possible that South Africa could support the suspension and effective closing down of that court while its design and jurisdiction are purportedly re-considered?

The exact equivalent would be that we suspend the Constitutional Court while we deliberate on the 17th Constitutional Amendment which precisely re-designs our court architecture and expands the Constitutional Court's jurisdiction! It is clear that the SADC Tribunal is in limbo because Zimbabwe does not like its judgements. SA is acting contrary to its own Constitutional principles in supporting this travesty. We would welcome an explanation from the hon President on his government's actions on that Tribunal during his reply.

There is another question on which I need to ask the hon President to reflect. We will be petitioning him on the Protection of Information Bill under section 79 later this year, asking him to send that Bill back here before assent if its unconstitutionalities are not cured.

I raise some of these today. The first is the criminalisation of the possession and disclosure of classified information, which is of concern to journalists, has been declared unconstitutional by a Canadian court, and on which I wonder if the hon President does not in fact find himself on the media side. Let me explain.

Is it the case that the hon President was in possession of and then disclosed classified police intelligence intercepts which precipitated the collapse of his own prosecution on charges of alleged corruption or knew that his legal team was, and did? Did he not feel that his assertions had been proven and his rights vindicated when he received and used the intercepted conversations? I am not addressing now the question of political spying, tainted prosecution or the merits of the abandonment thereof.

I ask simply if he does not in fact find himself on the media's side on the subject of possession and disclosure. What has been good for the hon President must of course be good for everyone. He will not want to hold himself above the law. He ignored the 1982 Information Act and the 2002 Intelligence Services Act. Why now support the same thing in what is after all a Mbeki Bill?

I raise a second concern about one of his ministries and departments, which connects to a third and a fourth. The DA has been arguing since the first sitting of the first Ad Hoc in 2008, that the classification law cannot apply to all organs of state. We say that it should apply only to departments that deal with national security and to international relations, and maybe a few others at their request.

Today I want to give an example of what happens when secrecy applies indiscriminately. A month ago every official of the Department of Basic Education was informed that he or she should sign on pain of dismissal and in perpetuity even after retirement as if they are spooks, an agreement to maintain secrecy. I have it here. What is it that the officials have to keep secret? It is the following: Classified material or any information or intelligence with regard to the sources, agents – who would have guessed Basic Education has agents? – operational methods, technology, financial personnel and administrative policies of the Department of Basic Education. Yet, that ministry - by the way - told us in reply to a Parliamentary question that it is a new department and therefore, has no classified information.

Hon President, Basic Education is not exactly one of the glories of your administration. There is doubt and suspicion about matric results and about the veil of secrecy drawn over adjustments made. Parents and learners are entitled to full information. It is their Constitutional right. This is a denial of delivery information.

Hon President, there is a fourth problem which may blow this Bill out of the water unless we can persuade our ANC colleagues to abandon the application clause. That clause includes not only the 1 001 organisations that Idasa counted, but also all the spheres of government.

How does the secrecy agreement affect provincial education departments? We are finding out, but we raise the question. Lastly, the Bill's provisions on public record keeping duplicates the National Archives and Records Services Act. The provinces have exclusive legislative competence on archives and some have their own Acts. [Time Expired.] Hon President, unless the application clause is amended and the chapter is thrown out, this Bill will be blown out of the water. [Applause.]

The DEPUTY MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION IN THE PRESIDENCY / A N N / END OF TAKE

Ms M SMUTS

The DEPUTY MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION IN THE PRESIDENCY: Chairperson, His Excellency the President Jacob Zuma, the Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, chairpersons of portfolio committees, hon members, honourable guests, friends and comrades, members of the media, and ladies and gentlemen, I stand here before you on this august occasion, still remembering our stalwart and dedicated soldier of the struggle for the emancipation of our people.

I stand here to salute and pay tribute to our beloved mother who left us what feels like just yesterday, Mama Albertina Sisulu. Our tears are still very fresh and the wounds too deep to heal instantly. Umama Albertina was the epitome of selflessness. She was always willing to get her hands dirty in the name of helping others. It is therefore befitting that we should follow her example, by ensuring that quality service delivery is the order of the day in our localities.

We have just come out of the local government election where, once again, South Africans of all colour and creed came out in their numbers to demonstrate their passion and commitment to this democratic dispensation that was born in 1994 through the ballot. We want to congratulate all parties who participated in the election and especially the ANC for registering an overwhelming majority victory once again. [Applause.] As a befitting tribute to Mama Sisulu, we must continue with much gusto to address historical, social and economic factors which limited our people's access to services.

Hon President, I want to say the following: don't listen to the people who say that there is no monitoring and evaluation. There is performance monitoring and evaluation, and I think that people must appreciate that this initiative is a good initiative and that our people accept and love it. All over the country where we go, when we interact with our people in the nongovernmental organisations, NGOs, and public sector and everywhere else including the community-based organisations, CBOs, they ask us one question: How can we contribute in the performance monitoring and evaluation of our own government? Therefore, it means that we are doing a good job and it means, hon President, that you have introduced a very good tool for monitoring the work of government. [Applause.]

Today, I am once again privileged to participate for the first time in this Budget Vote of the Presidency. The executive has made a firm commitment to improving the quality and standard of service delivery across all spheres of government, permeating through all organs of state. At the heart of our monitoring and evaluation system is the consolidation of all service improvement initiatives into a single seamlessly integrated service delivery model for the whole country underpinned by an effective corporate governance instrument in the form of service delivery agreements executed by various clusters and Ministries together with their provincial and local government counterparts. We are deeply encouraged by signs that this system is beginning to yield results in the form of discernable outcomes. Those who have never been into the villages and all the areas where our people stay are the only ones who will say that they have not seen what monitoring and evaluation is being done.

Once more, it is critical to highlight some of the strategic interventions that we intend to make in ensuring that our people receive quality service delivery at all levels of government. In ensuring that our mandate is clear and that there is co-ordination and synergy between national, provincial and local government, we have now visited seven provinces, and tomorrow I will visit the Western Cape executive council to discuss this co-ordination and synergy so that there is focus and impact on what we do as government, irrespective of our geographic location.

In almost all the provinces that we visited, we identified the following issues, amongst others: co-ordination of our work as Performance Monitor and Evaluation with the Planning Commission, reporting standards in all spheres of government, rationalisation and reporting standards at all local government levels, and efficiency and co-ordination of Minmecs. During our departmental Budget Vote on 8 June 2011, we indicated that when we visited the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, we found that they have a nerve centre that is assisting them to monitor financial information, poor spending – or nonspending – including overspending, nonfinancial information and annual performance plans, including departmental strategy plans. Their government gets a prompt helicopter view by just pressing a button, and it is rightly placed in the Office of the Premier. I must say that their system works, and we would like to congratulate the premier, the hon Dr Mkhize, and his team for displaying political leadership. [Applause.]

The President has spoken about local government on several occasions, including today, and we want to say that we have begun to do work, hon President. In our meetings a few months ago, we interacted with various stakeholders, including the National House of Traditional Leaders. With them, we emphasised the importance of working together in monitoring services at local level. We are aware that the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is planning a national summit to address differences between councillors and traditional leaders. We encourage all our councillors and traditional leaders to work very closely for the betterment of our people's lives. We must indicate that the Presidency will not rest until we make progress on the five strategic objectives of local government's turnaround strategy, developed and adopted by government in 2009.

We have also met with Salga, because monitoring and evaluation of municipalities must involve relevant stakeholders like Salga. During our meeting in March this year, we agreed to work very closely and monitor local government programmes together without fail. We are planning to meet with Munimecs to ensure that our monitoring and evaluation strategy at local government is intact and the above local government turnaround strategy objectives are met and evaluated at that level. We shall monitor all special projects with zeal and character, for example Operation Hlaselaby the premier's office in the Free State. We strongly believe that their strategic focus has the potential to change the lives of our people, improve financial management and fight corrupt tendencies.

Once again, the focus of monitoring is on the targets relating to service delivery quality in the Delivery Agreement for Outcome 12, namely customer satisfaction, unit cost of services and other key customer-oriented indicators, such as waiting times in queues and response times. Therefore, we shall continue to interact with stakeholders, citizens and all members of civil society. We shall not be trapped in a desktop approach to monitoring. Our approach is active participation direct to citizens. We shall never monitor government services sitting in our offices.

This system has enabled us to accurately measure the impact of our plans on the citizenry and to hold accountable the various implementing authorities to the commitments that the ANC has made at the last election in 2009. The concept of regular unannounced visits to service delivery centres like hospitals, schools, driving lessons and testing centres, Home Affairs offices and municipal offices, will become an integral part of our day to day system of monitoring and evaluation of service delivery. These, we believe, would go a long way towards fostering an intensifying face to face and unmediated engagement with our communities and bringing government to the people. Although these take the form of surprise visits, we also engage with the management of the service delivery points both before and after the visits. The aim is to provide them with useful toolkits to monitor and improve service delivery. The aim of frontline service delivery monitoring is to both affirm good performance and assist departments, municipalities and entities to improve service delivery points that are performing poorly.

The Government Communication and Information System, GCIS, continues to strengthen provincial and local government communication by ensuring concrete communication initiatives for effective provincial and local government communication, which includes the intensification of face to face and unmediated engagement with communities, localising national content every day. Government remains committed to a strong and diverse media which will support nation-building, as well as efforts to deepen, consolidate, defend and strengthen our democracy, social cohesion and good governance. This responsibility rests with the Media Development and Diversity Agency, MDDA.

On the Presidential Hotline, the Presidency is currently working with other departments and spheres of government to address issues raised with the President by citizens through the Presidential Hotline. We follow through on all these issues raised and, where necessary, visit citizens in their communities to interact with them face to face. This ANC government has a responsibility to respond to all the needs of our people, regardless of their geographic positions, and that is what this government is doing. As Minister Chabane indicated last year...

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms F Hajaig): Hon Deputy Minister, I am afraid your time has expired.

The DEPUTY MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION IN THE PRESIDENCY: Thank you very much, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Rev K R J MESHOE /Mia / END OF TAKE

The DEPUTY MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION IN THE PRESIDENCY

Rev K R J MESHOE: Chairperson, hon President, Deputy President and members, one of the stated key priorities of the Presidency is, and I quote:

To promote nation building and social cohesion and a partnership with the people towards the collective achievement of the common identity and caring society.

To achieve this objective, the President appointed the National Planning Committee in April 2010 to, in his words and I quote:

Take a broad, crosscutting, independent and critical view of South Africa, to help define the South Africa we seek to achieve in 20 years time and to map out a path to achieve those objectives.

Mr President, when the commission's diagnostic report was launched by Minister Trevor Manuel and was debated last week, I raised concerns and questions about the racial classification and profiling in the document, which I acknowledged, is helpful in assessing the challenges and gains made by different race groups, since the dawn of our democracy.

To reiterate the concerns I raised, I am going to repeat some of what I said, particularly, because, one of the challenges raised in the report is that South Africa remains a divided society.

The concern that the ACDP has, is the way the word African is used, as it appears to be used exclusively for black people. The four race groups mentioned in the document are African, white, coloured and Indian.

The question that arises from these grouping is whether, whites, coloureds and Indians, who were born in Africa, are not Africans? If they are not, then we must be told what they are because they regard themselves as Africans too. The ACDP believes that an African is anyone born in Africa, be they black, white, coloured or Indian. We have to build a national consensus on who is an African, before we can truly become a people united in diversity.

Only a collective effort from all race groups in our country, black, white, coloureds and Indian, who love Africa, can narrow the divide between the South Africans. The national identity that hon Mufamadi referred to, can only be fostered by all race groups in our country who are accepted as Africans because they were born in Africa.

The other concern I want to raise is what appears to be a disproportional budget allocation to the three programmes in Presidency. The highest budget allocation of 47% went to the National Youth Development Agency, Nyda, followed by the administration programme that received 42,2%. The smallest portion of the budget, 10,2%, went to the National Planning Commission.

In my opinion, the almost 37% difference between the budgets allocated to Nyda and National Planning Commission is way too big. We do not understand why the Nyda was allocated 47% of the President's total budget, when their performance indicators cannot be easily translated into measurable outcomes.

It is also difficult to monitor the Nyda's specific achievements in terms of job creation. How many jobs, if any, have been created for youth, as a result of direct interventions by the Nyda?

The structure of the Nyda seems to be top heavy when one looks at their staff compliment, consisting of board members, executive management, senior management and middle management that consume 47% of their budget. What measurable outcomes are there to justify such a staff compliment? Are taxpayers getting value for money?

Lastly, I want to ask you a question that is being asked by many South Africans who heard you speak at the late mama Sisulu's funeral. Mr President, in the list of acknowledgements, you mentioned by name, the foreign heads of state that were present, but when it came to acknowledging former South African Deputy Presidents, you omitted to mention their names. The former President was not even acknowledged. Is this normal protocol or are there reasons for these omissions, particularly, when one views them in the light of unity and nation-building. Thank you. [Appluase.]

Mrs M N MATLADI

Rev K R J MESHOE

Mrs M N MATLADI: Chairperson, hon President, hon Deputy President and members, it struck me as being odd when perusing the annual report of the Presidency and noting that there are so many vacant key posts in the organogram of the Presidency.

I certainly did not expect that from the highest office in government. I would be happy if they are now filled, but would however, wish to understand, if it has been due to scarceness of the skills, and if not, what could have been the reason?

I cannot understand how we continue to have vacant positions in various government departments when the very same government is committed to creating jobs and we know of many skilled and qualified graduates that are without jobs.

Similarly, there is the reshuffling of Ministers before the end of their term, which I, as a UCDP member, support but we have to look into other issues, especially the disadvantages that come with the reshuffling.

Firstly, when a new Minister comes, he brings along new officials and this forfeits the valuable skill and experience of the old people that have been serving in the department. It also increases the masses of the unemployed with some people loosing their jobs. Furthermore, as the new Minister and the new administration are still learning the new ropes, service delivery suffers.

It is interesting that the President's mission is to ensure accountability, amongst all spheres of government and the President has reiterated and emphasised over and over again, how government must have zero tolerance on corruption. However, the citizens are inundated with media reports of executive heads and other senior government officials, who are squandering state resources and this is such a concern. What is more concerning is that the Presidency does not seem to be swift and true to its word and commitment when dealing with such individuals.

We see that the government had resources focused on the development of transport services, but the disappointment in many areas and provinces is that such development seems to be focused on privileged road users. It caters for those that are already in positions of convenience, while masses of our people living in rural South Africa still have no proper roads and transport. This means that the poorest of the poor continues to use unsafe roads and pay a lot more on transport costs.

For instance, if you look at the Bus Rapid Transport, it is basically in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, which are all urban areas and you wonder if this government thinks that the poor in the rural areas do not deserve similar services.

I have read from the annual report that government is setting aside R25 billion over Medium-Term Expenditure Framework to stabilise the rail passenger transport service. I want to know what percentage of that shall be towards ensuring that rural villages have train access or any other safer transport services.

On another note, we commend the Presidency in its work co-ordination on the energy supply deficiencies. Of course many areas have not yet experienced the dreaded load shedding. Eskom and other agencies involved seem to be well on track. However, I want to know what intervention strategies the government has come up with in order to cushion the poor against the price hikes implemented by Eskom?

We applaud government for the intended digital migration and the intention to subsidise poor household on box sets. This is proactive thinking that the poor deserves, which is something we had started to see deteriorating in service delivery. We hope that the jobs that will be created in this process will be sustainable, and that such a process shall be sealed from corrupt tendencies that cloud attempts at bettering the lives of the poor South Africans.

We welcome the suggestion of one election for all three spheres of government, and hope that through proper preparations, we would not have the confusion of having more than three ballot papers, but making them even five. With this contribution, the UCDP supports Vote No 1 of the Presidency. Thank you

Mr S C MOTAU / MMN/src (Ch) / END OF TAKE

Mrs M N MATLADI

Mr S C MOTAU: President, Chairperson – the following is an opening paragraph of a recent newspaper report, and I quote:

Five men who sought to set up a political party to oppose the apartheid regime have finally been released from a Pretoria jail after serving four years without trial on charges of treason.

I am sure this sounds very familiar. This kind of story must be very familiar to many of us in this chamber and outside. It brings back bad memories of fearful days gone by. We feel sad, we feel angry and we want to do something about the matter. It is also the kind of story that made the whole world stand up against apartheid until it was defeated.

Fortunately, I made up that story by substituting apartheid regime and Pretoria – the words in the parts of a story that I would now like to share with this house. Fortunately, the story was published in the Sowetan newspaper on Tuesday, 7 June 2011, and I have a copy of that story here.

Under the heading, "Free after jail agony", and the subtitle, "Five Zim detainees tell of their four years of hell", by John Roth of the Times, London. Here are the relevant parts of the story, and I quote,

Five men who sought to set up a political party to oppose President Robert Mugabe have finally been released from Harare jail after serving four years without trial on charges of treason.

Of their four years and a day in custody; two years were spent in solitary confinement. All five men were badly beaten and tortured while in prison. On 29 May 2007, the six were abducted from the Harare Travel Agency, where most of them work, by 15 men in plain clothes with AK47 rifles.

The former prisoners claim that it took a month to force the prisons department to summon a doctor to examine their injuries. The doctor produced a detailed report for the court and then fled the country.

And the story goes on, but I am sure you get the drift by now. Chairperson, I tell the story to say to the hon President Jacob Zuma, that it is time for him as a leader of this country to take sides on the Zimbabwe crisis.

It is time to side with the oppressed people of Zimbabwe against the tyranny and dictatorship of Robert Mugabe, just like the world sided with the people of South Africa against apartheid. It is time to show President Robert Mugabe that he is not Zimbabwe. Mr President you will be surprised by the number of men and women of goodwill in your own party and elsewhere who will back you up on this matter if you take the right route.

I believe that President has just one ambition left in life; to die in office as a President of Zimbabwe. By not standing up to him you will be aiding and abetting his plan at the expense of the terrorised people of Zimbabwe. Mr President, Zimbabwe did not wake up one morning to find that it is a failed state.

States fail because of a failure of a failure of leadership. It is a failure of leadership when the young leader of your ruling party's youth league vows in your presence to kill for you Mr President, in your personal capacity for political ends, and you do not call him to order.

Mr President, when the Premier of the Western Cape, the only province that is not governed by the ANC, is hackled and booed in your presence at the making of one of our national days, and you do not intercede to call to order the unruly people in the crowd believed to be members of your own party, that is a failure of leadership!

Mr President, when the representative of the official opposition, the DA, is mistreated in a similar manner by people wearing the regalia of your governing party, the ANC, on Freedom Day, of all days on our national calendar, and you do nothing to reprimand the errand crowd, that is a failure of leadership.

Chairperson, let me pause a while here because I was personally involved in this disgraceful incident a few weeks ago. I want to commend the Minister of Arts and Culture, Paul Mashatile, for the manner in which he handled the situation; that is what leadership is about.

The DA and other parties represented in our NA were invited to the Freedom Day celebration at the Union Buildings on April 27 2011 by the national government. In other words, we were there as guests of the Minister of Arts and Culture and the President of the Republic of South Africa.

We were all there, including the representative of the ANC, to pledge our support and commitment to the government's call on all of us to work together to unite the nation, promote democracy and protect freedom. Unfortunately, those who booed and disrupted my speech and the proceedings were in fact working against all that.

They disunited the nation, they derailed the democracy and they denied freedom. Mr President, I believe you missed a great opportunity that day to assert your leadership. You addressed the multitude and said nothing about the undemocratic behaviour and the nasty display of intolerance towards a fellow countryman whose only crime was to be a member of the DA.

Mr President, I believe you should have taken the opportunity to tell the nation that South Africa is a multi-party democracy because our founding fathers and mothers, like former Presidents Nelson Mandela, F W de Klerk, like Mama Albertina Sisulu - may her soul rest in peace, and Mrs Helen Suzman - may her soul also rest in peace, went to great lengths to make this possible for all of us.

They did all in their power to establish an inclusive democratic society that would be the antithesis of the apartheid regime. I believe you should have told that unruly crowd that all political parties in the country, but more importantly, the ruling ANC have a huge responsibility to uphold the values of democracy, freedom of choice, and nation building. No leader should remain silent when these values are breached and trampled.

Mr President, I do not believe that you would like to go down in history as a President of South Africa who saw nothing, heard nothing, said nothing, and did nothing when a tyrant on our door step was destroying Zimbabwe. And some of our country men and women are trampling on our hard-won freedoms and rights in our young and very promising multi-party democracy.

The role you played around the funeral of Ouma Johanna Cecilia du Plessis of Honeydew, demonstrates that you are a compassionate person and you have the capacity to be a good leader. South Africa needs to experience more of such leadership on your part. By the authority vested in your office as a President of all the citizens of the Republic of South Africa, the nation needs to hear you speak up and speak out on the issues I have raised within appropriate leadership. [Time expired.]

They need to hear you speak! Thank you very much. [Applause.]

Ms J L FUBBS /Mosa/ END OF TAKE

Mr S C MOTAU

Ms J L FUBBS: Madam Chairperson, His Excellency Mr President, His Excellency Mr Deputy President, hon members, colleagues and compatriots, I have not come here to address a rally or to speak to you from the ghetto. [Laugther.] I have come here to address the fellow South Africans on the Presidency Budget, a matter of grave importance. [Applause.]

President Zuma has put decent work at the centre of South Africa's economy. The antithesis of decent work is the current situation where workers are generally selling their labour and becoming steadily impoverished. As President Zuma said in January, our national vision and our nation-building project is to creating jobs and meaningful economic transformation. Yes, fellow South Africans, because, indeed, we are all fellow South African, at Polokwane, we reiterated our commitment to a caring society ethos and ubuntu, your ubuntu - taking care of each other. Indeed, what mama Sisulu's whole life exemplified.

We need to go beyond the spiritual and pursuing the socioeconomic wellbeing of the individuals of communities and enabling all our people to enjoy sustainable livelihood. Surely, the caring face of capitalism can at this point intersect with government's policy, planning and implementation.

Unfortunately, the agreements by business at the 2003 Growth and Development Summit to commit 5% out of accumulated profits to job creation, remains a paper commitment. However, we can, I believe, act in concert and put our country and all our people first. The danger of not pursuing this approach is the development of instability and not stability and the loss of our sound and credible credit rating and, in fact, could even jeopardise our contribution to regional integration which can and is busy strengthening our economic development through trade within Africa and beyond; as indeed, our recent agreements reflect through Southern African Development Communities, SADC, Commersa and Ecosa.

Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan recently announced the launch of a R9 billion jobs fund to create 150 000 jobs in three years, as part of government's New Growth Path, NGP. Two billion will be spent in this financial year. This is a concrete measure, hon members, to address what Statistics SA has told us that it is 25% unemployment rate. Once again, this offers corporate captains an opportunity to concretise their commitment from their accumulated profits. Again, Minister Gordhan re-iterating President Zuma's position by saying: "...job creation is not just government's responsibility, but it is a challenge that must be embraced by the public and private sectors".

This will complement the R20 billion in tax break to promote investments, expansions and upgrades in the manufacturing sector. The Industrial Development Corporation, IDC, is now committed itself to invest in additional R102 billion in industrial projects. What is this? Just a little test of these projects; let me tell you, R22 billion to mining and beneficiation; R20,8 billion to manufacturing; R7,7 billion to agriculture – and I mean agriculture 2011-2012; R14,8 billion to tourism and services; R2,5 billion to funding for distressed firms; and R22,4 billion to greening industries – our pursuit of reducing carbon emissions. [Applause.]

A few examples are the R25 million working capital, again, which I have been told is a uniquely South African branded fruit marketed internationally, with an opportunity to partner in land reform project in Limpopo, funding will retain nearly 4000 jobs. The company was launched in the late 1990s, but it has been enabled now in the face of economic pressures to retain and increase its work force.

In KwaZulu-Natal, IDC provided funding to funding to set up the establishment of a plant to produce aluminium-zinc coated sheet steel as well as other coated steel products. The total funding approved so far is R3

1

67 million. The project will created 160 permanent jobs. But the important issue here, hon members is that the local market is currently dominated by one player and the establishment of this plant will assist in introducing competition in this industry and the drive prices down.

In its first approval for the roll out of low-pressure water heaters, IDC approved a total of R142 million, installation of solar geyser, etc. I could go on and on and on about the projects being funded as part of creating jobs. And I know, of you, even on the left side of the House agrees, we need it, we must do it and let see it. Overall, there would be many jobs created.

But what is at the heart of this? What enable this to be concretised, to become a reality not just a dream? It is the powerful triple fusion of policy, planning and implementation. That is what drives our development state to create employment. The public and the private sector, backed by our people, have gotten unbeatable weapon against poverty and an instrument that will stem the haemorrhage of jobs and build a long-term platform for a vibrant and robust restructured society.

The 12 outcomes of the Presidency for the first time effectively managed by the Presidency through the evaluation of the achievements in the respective Ministries of the targeted performance outputs and policy outcomes. For years, Parliament has been demanding this kind of oversight by the Presidency and we have got it. [Applause.]

Decent work and the new growth path calls for state intervention to lower the cost of working and production. Don't tell me that there is anyone here wants to see an increase and production costs; no one does. We want to see this happening through an expansionary rather than a tight fiscal policy, regulation and public ownership of strategic sectors. It is imperative that the state intervention should ensure an employment in our growth path in which redistribution goes hand-in-hand with economic expansion rather than what has prevailed.

Indeed, we want a nation in which equity is being implemented back-to-back with inclusive economic growth, using procurement effectively as an instrument, as it was its intention – the preferential Procurement Act. We have a constitutional people's democracy supported by a nonracial and nonsexual policy, laws and practices. Yes, we have achieved a political freedom, but we have not yet achieved economic freedom. We must as a nation, as a developmental state, a people's democracy, work more urgently and collectively to achieve this. The president and his Cabinet are implementing this vision. I will keep on telling you about the 12 targeted planned outcomes.

I believe that the government is ensuring that the new growth path succeeds by using the fiscal and monitory strategically. Indeed, the Freedom Charter that most inclusive charter in South Africa, and our society embraces these coherents between the macro and micro fundamentals within the framework that is informed by our humanity.

The new growth path vision of five million jobs by 2020 is achievable; it is achievable though only if we all work together, public and private sector and civil society. [Applause.] The checks and balances build in for accountability inherent in the performance agreements is undergoing a rigorous and regular monitoring process within the Presidency.

And as I see my time marching on because, of course, it waits for no one, let me simply say the most importance things here: We also recognised the Presidency has acknowledged the value of skills especially strategic skills as a back-to-back, and that is what is one of the major outputs of the 12 of outputs that he is got there and the Presidency as a whole. We know that all of these informs and drives decent work. This approach will feel the vacuum created by the retrenchments, etc. A jobless family means a hungry family and breadwinners robbed of their dignity. We cannot have that, hon members, we won't have that because we are committed as a caring government to overcome that.

In conclusion, the ANC-led government acknowledges the challenges we face in the local government's sphere. We don't only want competents local governments and municipalities, but we also want a caring local government. Councillors who work the streets. [Applause.] People's outputs and outcomes will be achieved. You, the people of South Africa, are the envy of this . . .and I know, we can do this together. [Time expired.] The ANC supports this budget. [Applause.]

Mr L M MPHAHLELE / END OF TAKE

Ms J L FUBBS

Mr L M MPHAHLELE: Hon Speaker, hon President, hon Deputy President, hon Minister and Deputy Ministers, hon members and guests, Nxamalala, one of the praise worthy practices that characterise your leadership is accessibility to the ordinary people. When you launched the Presidential Hotline in 2009, we all cherished the moment. For the first time, the shack dwellers would be given an opportunity to voice their frustrations to the highest office in the land. This was more than a hotline; it was soul therapy for the nation.

It is sad that number 17737 is no longer what it promised to be at its inception. Hon President, something drastic needs to be done to salvage, popularise and resuscitate the Presidential hotline.

Bab' uMsholozi, our country has just held local government elections. The Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, declared the election free and fair. Let me site two incidents and leave it to you to conclude as to whether or not the elections were indeed free and fair.

Firstly, on 3 May 2011, schools in the Lusikisiki area were closed because Mr Zwelinzima Vavi of Cosatu had visited the area to drum up support for the ruling party. He addressed a massive rally at Sacred Heart playgrounds. On that day normal schooling was disrupted in the entire area that covers Lusikisiki itself, Flagstaff and Ntabankulu.

Hon President, when your government wanted that there no more interference by politicians during school hours would be tolerated, we heeded the call. But, now George Orwell's Animal Farm replays itself is our politics. Certainly some political parties are more equal than others, and the question is: Where is fair play?

Secondly, on 10 May 2011 hon Pemmy Majodina, the Eastern Cape MEC for Social Development, distributed school uniforms to poor learners at Silindini Junior Secondary School near Sterkspruit. Addressing an audience that included parents and teachers, this is what she said:

IsiXhosa:

"Ze ningalibali apho nisuka khona. [Uwelewele.]

English:

Vote ANC, umbutho omkhulu." [The great party.]

The ceremony turned into an election rally, addressed by the MEC wearing a government cap. Where is fair play, hon President?

Free and fair election is not about counting at the polling stations; it is more than that. If the system is corrupted through resource allocation, the end result cannot be declared just, free and fair. If we add up what the ruling party and the official opposition party have spent in the recent elections, and compare it to what the rest of the other parties have spent, you end up with a two-horse race. You end up with a two-party democracy instead of a multiparty democracy. The present funding model for political parties must change.

Democracy is about security and a better life. It is about equal opportunity in accessing resources. Free speech, elections and other trappings are just elements of that jig puzzle. A democracy that fails to reverse colonialism through equitable redistribution of the land and wealth is a bogus democracy. Today the indigenous African people own less that 5% of farmable land, and we are supposed to celebrate freedom of thought with empty stomachs. We celebrate freedom of movement without means to move on.

Hon President... [Interjections.] The PAC supports the Budget Vote. [Applause.]

Mr R B BHOOLA

Mr L M MPHAHLELE

Mr R B BHOOLA: Mr Speaker, hon President, best wishes to you. We had very exciting and interesting local government elections. At the result centre the MF noted profound words expressed about multiparty democracy and multiparty co-operation. I want to make an earnest appeal to you that this must not be tokenism.

In the province of KwaZulu-Natal, since 2009, the premier has had only one multiparty meeting and a multiparty relationship in the Durban Metro had gone into the mud. I would also like to bring to the attention of this House that there is one political party that is intolerant to smaller parties. However, we must respect the constitutional right of the voter to elect people, irrespective of how big or small they are.

Mr President, I also laud your effort in forging a relationship with Brazil, China and India. Also in the past 72 hours, the effort of our country in Africa and where we can have a GDP, or rather shall I say an economic development worth $3 trillion. The food basket for the future is going to be Africa, undoubtedly. I am very proud of the fact that you are taking a lead in the emergence and development of Africa.

However, the MF is extremely concerned about the enormous mandate of the National Planning Commission and strongly believes that 10% of the entire budget will not do justice to hasten the process to enhance service delivery. Whatever we want to do and say, we appeal that whatever you agency comes under the Presidency, we must make sure that every sector of South Africa's population, according to its demographics, is included in every youth structure in this country, and that they are recipients of benefits, whether it is national, provincial of provincial government.

The MF strongly advocates that Parliament looks at a legislation called the Youth Employment Act, and makes sure that our youth are given skills. The National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, said that they would mobilise 500 women towards the 16 Days of Activism for the four quarters of the year. Given that this event only occurs in one month of the year, it indeed will be quite interesting to know how the NYDA plans to mobilise women throughout the year, before and after the event.

Japan and Germany have become world economic powers. The United States had a recession in 1933, but it came out with a growth of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises, SMME, and the informal sector. There are many grants that are given by government departments, practically every department, and there are complete acts of dishonesty on the part of recipients. There is absolutely no monitoring.

Mr President, the MF wants you to take a turn and look at one particular important aspect, that is the media. If ever we have learnt a lesson from the local government elections, it is that of the slanted role of the media. There is one TV station in our country that has become the official mouthpiece of the official opposition. [Applause.] The mainstream media must not complain. They have been canvassing for and promoting only one political party in our country.

Enshrined in our national Constitution is the freedom of political association. Quite correctly in the Western Cape, the DA has entered into a coalition with the ACDP. They had a coalition with the ID; they had a coalition with the IFP in KwaZulu-Natal and that is their right. But, in KwaZulu-Natal smaller parties were subjected to the filthiest campaign by the DA and the result was that the MF has emerged the third largest party in the Durban Metro. [Applause.] We must do a lot of soul searching among the values and principles on which the foundation of our country is built.

Mr President, in spite of all the criticism, you have stood well; you have stood tall; you have survived the test of time. [Applause.] [Interjections.] We laud your efforts in the peace in South Africa; for peace in Africa. All that we want is to bring every structure in our country back the values of which Madiba stood for; for which iNkosi Albert Luthuli stood for; for which the founding fathers and mother of our country stood for.

Mr President, a bold step to the future is undoubtedly a challenge to a step to the top. Let us be reminded of the profound words of Madiba: "We must forgive, but not forget". [Applause.] Mahatma Ghandi once said: "Those who embark on a journey of goals with vengeance, the whole world will be blinded". United in our diversity, let's march forward, hand-in-hand, side-by-side and never stop until we have delivered all our people from the darkness of poverty into the light of economic opportunities and social development. [Interjections.] The MF will support the Budget Vote. [Applause.]

Mr N T GODI

Mr R B BHOOLA

Mr N T GODI: Mr Speaker, comrades and hon member, Comrade President, as the APC, we want to, first and foremost, indicate our support for the budget, so that your office can continue with the important work of supervising and directing the work of government. [Applause.]

The APC would like to congratulate our government on the successful hosting of the conference of the three African regional economic blocks over the past weekend. As Pan-Africanists, we welcome this long overdue integration process. It has been argued all along that for African to develop and have a strong voice on the international stage, it must unite or integrate economically, politically and militarily. We need courage and determination to take the process forward. The course of Africa must triumph.

The unity of Africa is important if we are to be the captains of our souls and masters of our destiny. Our position of weakness as a continent sees the continued advocacy of foreign agendas in Africa. We have seen this in the recent case of the Ivory Coast and we are witnessing it now in the case of Libya, where the AU is only consulted to be told what to do. It is regrettable that the AU is completely sidelined in the case of Libya and the negative forces of regime change have become the frontline combatants of the rebels. Only through unity can Africa have a zone of manoeuvre and resistance to foreign pressures.

The APC congratulates and supports your efforts, Comrade President, in seeking to find peaceful solutions to conflicts in Africa. Your efforts in the Ivory Coast and Libya have been frustrated by powerful countries of the north. We believe that Africans must be given the space to solve African problems.

However, Comrade President, the APC would like to make a call that the African Renaissance Fund in the Presidency be revived and strengthened. That fund was a powerful statement of Pan-African solidarity and the desire on our part to fund our own people's development and assist each other.

Comrade President, the APC appreciate that your statement on local government this afternoon is as focused and intense as when we were campaigning. We agree with you, Comrade President, that municipalities must be responsive and efficient. Our worry, however, is that Operation Clean Audits seems to have lost its steam and direction. It is our contention that one of the most critical areas of intervention is in developing capacity in municipalities for oversight, especially on financial expenditure.

As things stand, there is no consistency in municipalities about the composition, powers and functions of Municipal Public Accounts Committees. We believe that National Treasury and the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs need to urgently create the requisite guidelines or frameworks to enhance oversight. Comrade President, there is a lot of confusion and frustration in municipalities on this one. Our people deserve better. We promised them better service delivery during our election campaigns. The material conditions of the majority of our people need to change for the better, and that needs to happen sooner rather than later.

In the fight for freedom, the masses were not fighting for ideas or things in anyone's head, but they fought for material benefits and to see their live move forward. They fought for better health and better education for their children. Thank you. [Applause.]

The MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION, AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION IN THE PRESIDENCY (Mr O C Chabane) /UNH / END OF TAKE

Mr N T GODI

The MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION, AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION IN THE PRESIDENCY:

Tshivenda:

Muambeli wa Phalamennde, tshannda tsha muambeli wa Phalamennde, muthomphei Phuresidennde Vho Jacob Zuma, muthomphei tshanda tsha Phuresidende Vho Kgalema Motlanthe, mirado i thonifheaho, vhaeni vha thonifheaho, vhanna na vhafumakadzi,namusi ndi khou pfa hafhu ndo hulisea, ndi tshi khou da u amba na vhoiwe mirado i thonifheaho ngaha mugaganyagwama wa tshipida tshi kondaho tsha ofisi ya Phuresidennde ya muvhuso washu.

Uri ri kone u vhona uri ofisi ya Phuresidennde i khou shuma mushumo wayo nga ndia yone, ri tea u dzudzanya hafhu ofisi ya Phuresidennde u itela uri ri kone u sedzana na khaedu dzine ra khou tangana nadzo. Hezwi zwo tea uvha zwithu zwine zwa khou bvelaphanda, sa vhunga mushumo wa ofisi ya Phuresidennde u tshi vha wo tea u bvelaphanda. Hezwi zwi itwa nga uri Afurika Tshipembe lo dzeniswa kha tshigwada tsha mashango ane a khou bvelelela, Brics,na u vhonalesa ha dziPhuresidende dzi tshi dzhenelela kha u fhelisa dzikhakhathi kha dzhango la Afurika.

Mahola ro amba uri ri khou sedzulusa lutingo lwa Phuresidennde, zwi tshi tevhela u pfuluwa hayo i tshi ya kha muasho wa [………………………], na u sedzulusa mashumele, ro dovha hafhu ra amba uri ri do thoma zwine zwa do thusedza uri lutingo lu khwinifhadze mashumele.

English:

I am pleased to announce that the hotline reached another milestone on 24 May this year when it logged the 100 000th query. This proves how important the hotline has become to the people of South Africa. [Applause.]

As at end of March this year, a total number of over 95 000 calls had been logged nationally, of which over 71 000 were complaints. Of the total calls logged, 67 000 calls have been resolved, which puts the resolution percentage at 70%.

The ministries received a total number of 29 000 calls and over 22 000 calls have been resolved, which puts the resolution percentage at 78%. The provinces received a total number of over 29 000 calls. A total of over 8 000 calls have been resolved to date, which puts the resolution percentage at 28%. This is low and provinces need to improve their responses and resolve issues raised by the public.

We are aware that there are still challenges with responding to all of the queries received and that there are people still awaiting assistance. We would like to assure our people that we are in the process of addressing those challenges, but the progress we have made thus far shows that the hotline is maturing with time.

Xitsonga:

Hi n'hweti ya Mudyaxihi n'waxemu Presidente u thorile komiti yo xiyaxiya xiyimo xa mabindzu ya mfumo kumbe mabindzu lama lawuriwaka hi mfumo. Tani hi laha Presidente va vuleke komiti leyi yi fambile ndzima yo nyawula ku ya eku heteni ka xiviko xa yona.

Komiti leyi ya ha ku endla xirhambo xa swibumabumelo ku suka eka vanhu. Ku languteriwa leswaku leswi swi ta pfuna ku hetisa xiviko lexi. I swa nkoka ku kombisa leswaku nkumbetelo lowu wu nyikiweke hi komiti wu vula leswaku komiti yi ta kota ku va yi hetisisile xiviko xa yona hi n'hweti ya Nyenyankulu lembe leri taka.

Leswi swi vangiwa ngopfu hi ku kula ka ntirho wa kona na ku tsotsomba ka bajete. Hambiswiritano hi na xitiyanhlana xo boxa leswaku xiviko xi ta va xi herile hi n'hweti ya Nyenyankulu haxawa.

Hi tlhela hi tirhisa nkarhi lowu ku tekela enhlokweni na ku khensa mabindzu hinkwawo ya mfumo na tindzawulo lava kombeke ntirhisano eka komiti leyi. Maendlelo yo pima lama tekelaka na matikomambe enhlokweni na wona ya herile. Nakambe hi khensa vatirhikulorhi, matikomambe ku katsa na matiko lama ngheneleleke na ku pfulela komiti leyi.

English:

Hon members, with regard to our work to tackle corruption, work is proceeding very well. We continue to improve the co-ordination of government efforts against corruption.

The Departments of Public Service and Administration, Justice, Crime Prevention, the Security cluster and National Treasury have announced measures and the progress we are making in this area. Corruption remains a challenge in our society and we need to double our efforts to eradicate it.

Another critically important task of this Ministry is to oversee activities relating to the development and empowerment of young people in our country. It is significant that we are tabling this Budget Vote two days before the country commemorates Youth Day on 16 June. This month marks the second anniversary since we established the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, on 16 June 2009, to mainstream and integrate youth development in all sectors of our society.

This year also marks the 35th anniversary of the Soweto and related uprisings. The activities of the 35th anniversary of that historic day are organised under the theme "Youth Action for Economic Freedom in Our Lifetime." This is in recognition and commitment to address the economic conditions that face young people. Research reveals that youth unemployment is 45% by the narrow definition and over 60% by the broad definition. We cannot continue to ignore this reality; we should respond accordingly.

Government has adopted the National Youth Policy for 2009 to 2014 which is an essential planning tool guiding the country's approach to youth development. This policy document contains inherent commitments by government, young South Africans and society at large on interventions and services that would have to be rolled out to ensure effective and efficient mainstreaming of youth development in the socioeconomic mainstream.

South Africa has also ratified the African Youth Charter, which provides a framework for youth development programming across the African Union member states and we are participating in all continental and international fora on youth development.

Today's youth activism is directed towards successfully tackling the challenges of combating poverty, unemployment, underdevelopment and HIV and Aids. Through the NYDA, we have made various strides in a number of areas including plans to fight poverty through broadening youth economic participation, youth skills development programmes, and the promotion of youth civic participation. This includes promoting social cohesion and the culture of volunteerism that was an integral part in the fight for democracy.

It is important to continuously evaluate progress of the work we are doing in youth development. Thus far, we have provided business funding of over R67,7 million to youth-owned enterprises, supporting over 23 900 young entrepreneurs with business loan finance.

In addition, over 5 000 young entrepreneurs were issued with business consultancy services vouchers to help them access services such as business plans, company registrations and marketing plans.

Hon members, government has declared this year a year of job creation. Through the NYDA we have sustained just over 60 000 jobs through various initiatives including the Enterprise Finance and Business Development Services programmes.

We have linked 11 000 young people to job opportunities through the NYDA Jobs and Opportunities Seekers' database. We have also trained 500 artisans through the NYDA's Accelerated Artisans and Skills Training Programme. We encourage government departments and the private sector to recruit from this database.

In the area of skills development, over 152 000 young people, including 84 644 participating in the National Youth Service Programme, were trained.

We have enrolled over 2 000 young people in the National Senior Certificate Second Chance programme to assist them to acquire matriculation certificates.

Furthermore, a number of disadvantaged schools have been supported with donations of mobile science laboratories to help increase the enrolment and performance of physical science learners.

The NYDA has also expanded over the past two years, increasing its network to 144 access points across all provinces, resulting in the increased accessibility of NYDA services to more young people.

As government we are mindful that youth development does not only take place during Youth Month, but is a service that requires all our energies and participation 365 days of the year.

A number of government departments also have youth programmes; however we want to make an appeal to all departments to establish youth directorates to co-ordinate developments within their line of work. The NYDA will be contacting departments to provide guidelines.

As the government, through the NYDA, departments and many of our partners, we will continue to prioritise the development of young people.

In the current financial year, the NYDA will focus on the following.

It will continue to increase its access points throughout the country by establishing partnerships with municipalities to open new offices.

It will finalise the integrated Youth Development Strategy to guide the implementation of youth development programmes across all spheres of society. This strategy is at an advance stage and should be completed this year. It is now in the process of extensive consultation among stakeholders.

It will support more youth with business consultancy vouchers, business opportunities, support services and mentorship.

It will register 2 500 companies with the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office, Cipro, as part of the NYDA partnership with Cipro.

It will set aside R40 million to be accessed by youth-owned small and medium enterprises.

It will create over 12 900 jobs through the various NYDA programmes ranging from business consultancy vouchers, business opportunities support services, and mentorship programmes.

It will enroll 50 000 youth in the National Youth Service programme including the National Rural Youth Service.

It will provide over 18 000 youth with various skills covering critical areas such as business management skills, life skills and job preparedness skills.

Hon members, last year Parliament appropriated R29 million for the NYDA that made it possible for the agency to host the World Youth Festival in December last year. [Interjections.] This R29 million, coupled with the assistance of other role players, enabled the conference to produce a declaration which is being presented in all our international engagements on youth. This declaration is expected to be discussed at the African Union Summit and at the United Nations General Assembly later this year.

The festival report has been taken through government processes and will be presented to Parliament through the portfolio committee.

[Interjections.]

The SPEAKER: Order, hon members!

The MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION, AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION IN THE PRESIDENCY: Turning to the budget, the Presidency received an amount of R819 793 million for the 2011-12 financial year. For the administration of the Presidency, an amount of R345 308 million has been allocated. The National Planning Commission is allocated R83 822 million for this financial year and an amount of R385 853 million is allocated to the National Youth Development Agency.

[Interjections.]

The Presidency is ready to respond to the challenges and deliver on its mandate. We remain committed to improve government delivery and build a performance-orientated state.

Finally, I would like to thank the director-general and all staff members for their commitment and dedication to their work.

Hon members, it is my pleasure to commend The Presidency Budget Vote to the House.

[Interjections.]

I would like to respond to what you are raising when you were heckling. If you are a Member of Parliament you should know that the NYDA is accountable to the Portfolio Committee on Women, Children and People with disabilities.

[Interjections.]

The SPEAKER: Order, hon members! Order!

The MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION, AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION IN THE PRESIDENCY: It is important that...

[Interjection.]

I can't blame you. Sometimes you are not able to attend these committees because you are... [Inaudible.] [Time expired.]

Dr W G JAMES / Mpho (Tshivenda) / GC/Xitso/ Nvs(Eng)/ END OF TAKE

The MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION, AS WELL AS ADMINISTRATION IN THE PRESIDENCY (Mr O C Chabane)

Dr W G JAMES: Colleagues, former President Nelson Mandela conducted the 20th century's most extraordinary public transaction with history, with a budget that stood at R24,46 million by 1998 and a salary of R550,000 per year. Madiba took a fractious people and led us in building a free and inclusive nation. He branded South Africa globally. Madiba knew how to lead by example. He had the ability to inspire the people to do the right thing. He had the ability to restrain the human inclination to respond violently to extreme provocation. He said the right thing and he did the right thing. He spoke of nonracialism and he built nonracialism. He spoke of being inclusive and he actively embraced his adversaries.

Mr President, the budget for your office is R929 million, an increase since 1998 - taking into account the inflation - of about 3,000% and your salary for the forthcoming year is R2,5 million. Accounting for inflation, your salary of Mr Mandela in 1998.

What have you accomplished with such a generous endowment? All you really have to show is the National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel's diagnosis of our ills. By the way, the analysis and whole planning exercise of Mr Manuel will cost the taxpayer a whopping R83,8 million this coming year, the cost, may I point out, of Madiba's entire office adjusted for inflation. That ought to focus the mind on an expenditure.

The hon Manuel in his Diagnostic Overview has identified poor educational performance and inflexible labour regulations as formidable barriers to development. Colleagues, in the area of education, I draw your attention to very fundamental findings in this Diagnostic Overview: Firstly, almost 20% of teachers are absent on Fridays and Mondays. Teachers in black African schools teach an average of three and half hours a day compared with about six and half hours a day in formerly white schools, amounting to an accumulated three years of schooling wasted; strike action, sometimes unofficial, consumes as much as 10 days a year of 5% of school time; the holding of union meetings during school time is often the norm in township schools; and procedures for dismissing teachers for misconduct, I am quoting the hon Manuel's Diagnostic Overview: "The procedures for these missing teachers for misconduct are complex and are therefore rare". Colleagues, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga will have to attend to some of these problems.

Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant will have to deal with other problems. Given the place of trade unions in the tri-partite alliance, it is over you, Mr President, who must lead the economic governance of our country. It is you, Mr President, who must lead the trade unions to let go of their outdated struggle tactics and begin to make a positive contribution to better education outcomes.

If you do not, we face a low-value outcome. The people do not want a low-value outcome, but they want a high-value outcome, which is growth and prosperity for all.

Colleagues, the highest function of the President is to lead the building of the nation. At the national funeral of mama Albertina Sisulu President Zuma said that, for him, nation-building means being inclusive, nonracial and, in the ringing words of the Freedom Charter, embracing a South Africa that belongs to all that live in it. In the name of nonracialism and inclusiveness, leadership requires that you stiffen your backbone, get up and say no to those who use racial invective in the public discourse.

Mr President, if you use your office's budget to enhance your personal prestige, you do nothing for leadership, and if you use your budget to protect the greedy and tolerate the corrupt, you do nothing for the poor; if you use your budget to divide the nation, you do nothing for reconciliation, but if you use you use your budget to support those who wish to build the nation, we will respect you; if you use your budget to work on eliminating poverty, we will support you; and if you use your budget to support those who educate our children for a productive life, posterity will thank you. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

The MINISTER OF ENERGY (Ms E D Peters) / VM/ END OF TAKE

Dr W G JAMES

The MINISTER OF ENERGY: Motlotlegi Mmusakgotla [Hon Speaker], His Excellency President Jacob Zuma, His Excellency Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, ...

Setswana:

Motswana wa kgale o kile a re kgosi thotobolo o olela matlakala, mme ke dumela thata gore Rre Mphatlhele ga a ka ke a tla mo Ntlong e go tla go go pega molato wa go sa dire sentle mo ditlhophong ka ntlha ya fa ena a latlhegetswe ke tšhono ya go dirisa molaetsakhutswe go itlhola kwa IEC gabedi gore a o teng mo bukaikwadisong ya ditlhopo. Jaaka e le moeteledipele, o paletswe ke go etelela batho ba gagwe pele mme o kopa gore re thuse gore lekoko la gagwe le gole.

English:

I just want to take this opportunity to also respond to some of the things that the Leader of the Opposition said. There are people in this House who today want to claim the former President, Mandela, as their own. [Interjections.] I just want to say to you that you remember that former President, Mandela, is a leader of the ANC, a statesman and an icon because of being an integral part of the oldest liberation movement in Africa, the ANC. [Applause.]

The other thing I want to indicate here, Mr President, is that people think that when the ANC, you and the leaders of the ANC go door to door, you only do so during election time. I just want to say that the ANC does not do door-to-door visits during campaigns only; the ANC has this as its tradition. Those who will read the book written by Helen Joseph, when she sat side by side and depicted how they worked to ensure that 20 000 women would march to the Union Buildings, will note that she indicates that the ANC leadership, together with women's leadership, went door to door to mobilise the people. [Interjections.]

The ANC has a programme called "Know your neighbourhood", and another called "Imvuselelo", which actually entrench programmes of working amongst the people. So it is important that you remember that when the ANC leadership and ANC members go out on door-to-door visits, it is just but to remind the people that it is about time that they renew the mandate of the ANC; not to go and ask them things that they would not know.

The people of South Africa have confidence in the ANC. The people of South Africa know that it is the ANC that is working very hard to get them out of the shacks, to give them water, to give them electricity, to make sure that their children are able to go to school, to make sure that it can implement, through the Deputy President, a programme called the War on Poverty Campaign. [Interjections.]

If it was not for policies of apartheid of the past, we would not need programmes like the War on Poverty Campaign. [Interjections.] This programme is targeting especially those of our people who live in squalor in the squatter camps, and those of our people who live in the former Bantustans, which were created by apartheid. [Interjections.]

I also want to say to you that the ANC does not only speak to the people and its members from this podium; it engages with the people. We are not a parliamentary party; we have structures. That is why, if you read papers, people speak about the ANC when they identify most of the challenges.

Mr President, you know that, when people of South Africa march, they march to the ANC because they know it is the only party that will listen to them. [Applause.] They are just reminding us that they are here and they still need our attention. [Interjections.] Therefore, I want to say to you that you questions to the President, your questions to Ministers and Deputy Ministers, and your statements here in the House are not a replacement of interaction with people on the ground.

These parties, Mr President, will have to account to the Speaker about what they are doing with their constituency allowances ... [Interjections.] ... because they don't exist in the communities. [Interjections.] So I think it is important that we remember that we are here because of the people.

I also want to say to those of our people who used to be with us, who have decided to be in the cold ... I just want say to hon Lekota: Remember the history of the DA. Every time during the local government elections, the DA goes and forms alliances with smaller parties. What happens to the smaller parties? Ask the former National Party or the New National Party. [Interjections.] Ask ... [Interjections.] ... Ask ... [Interjections.] ...

The SPEAKER: Order! Order!

The MINISTER OF ENERGY: Yes, you formed an alliance with them with an intention to destroy them. [Interjections.] Ask the now Mayor of Cape Town. [Interjections.]

The SPEAKER: Order, hon members, order!

The MINISTER OF ENERGY: The Mayor of Cape Town, equally so a party leader in her own right, formed an alliance with the DA in the last election; they swallowed her up. [Interjections.] I want to caution you. I want to say to you: "Be careful because you have heard what they say. They say they want only two strong parties. So want to be able to usurp the votes that the people gave you." So, ...

Setswana: 18:23:32

O seka wa digela batho ka go tsaya diboutu tsa bona o ya go dirisana le mokgatlho o o ikaeletseng gore ga o batle go dirisana le batho.

English:

There are times that when members of the opposition - in particular the DA - speak from this podium about Cape Town and the Western Cape, they speak as if Cape Town and the Western Cape is not part of South Africa. [Interjections.] This Cape Town is equally part of South Africa. Cape Town benefits from our taxes because they are counted within Cape Town. [Interjections.] But also remember that Western Cape is built where it is by the ANC. [Interjections.]

When you target the ANC for cadre development, Western Cape and Cape Town can you horrific stories. What happened to Comrade Wallace Mgoqi who was the municipal manager when Madam Helen Zille became the Mayor? [Interjections.] She removed her. Why did she remove if it is not cadre development? [Interjections.]

So I want to say to you ... [Interjections.] ... Yes. There are those like the hon James who said that the Presidency and its budget are big. [Interjections.] Yes, it has to be big because now we have a Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, as well as Administration unit ... [Interjections.] ... we have the National Planning Commission, NPC, in it; we have the National Youth Development Agency ... [Interjections.] The ANC ...

The SPEAKER: Hon members, allow the speaker to be heard; stop heckling.

The MINISTER OF ENERGY: The President is doing a lot of work in the continent through the New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development, Nepad, programmes and the African Union, AU, forums. [Interjections.] We have got five key priorities in this government and 12 outcomes.

In your history ... I'm sure you don't even have a performance agreement with your members. [Interjections.] We have performance agreements with the President; that you have never seen. [Applause.]

Furthermore, I don't know whether you can compare a budget of 1994 with a budget of 2011 ... [Interjections.] ... even in your own households! [Interjections.] Mr Speaker, you would remember that members of the opposition will come here and want to oppose many budgets, but they will never oppose the budget of the legislature because their salaries are in it. [Applause.]

But, Mr President, I also never knew that members can come here to lobby you for positions in missions. Hon Lekota was standing here trying to plead with you to deploy him in Uruguay. I thought that I have heard him say that. [Applause.]

Mr M P LEKOTA: Speaker, on a point of order: That's a total misrepresentation and she must withdraw it. [Interjections.]

The SPEAKER: Please take your seat, hon member.

The MINISTER OF ENERGY: Hon members, you would know that the hon Buthelezi was referring to the challenges we are facing as a country. He is not dealing with the challenges the IFP is facing. The IFP is shrinking and shrinking. [Laughter.] I want to say that it is important that ... [Interjections.] [Laughter.]

Prince M G BUTHELEZI: Yes, it is shrinking through your corruption. [Laughter.]

Setswana:

The MINISTER OF ENERGY: Bagolo ba nthutile gore ke tshwanetse gore mogolo o a fosa. O a fosa rra.

English:

I just want to say that equally so, the hon Mr Mc Gluwa spoke so much about the ID. We don't even know whether the ID exists because you are leaderless. I think it is important that we don't even focus on you.

I also just want to say that it is about time that hon members of this House understand that Comrade Julius Malema is not a member of this House. He cannot come and defend himself here. So, engage him on the platforms he has. Don't come here and talk about Julius Malema.

Hon Meshoe speaks about social cohesion. Other members are also speaking about the importance of us intervening in issues of Zimbabwe as if Zimbabwe is not a sovereign country. Do you also remember, Mr President, that there are members who sit in this House who were the key sanction bastards when you and others were speaking on the world platforms about sanctions? But today they are the very ones who can come here and tell us about intervening in Zimbabwe. [Interjections.]

Yes!

I want to say that today is a very important day because it is two days away from commemorating the 35th anniversary of June 16. This anniversary remains a portent symbol and an emotional reminder of the painful history of this country. It reminds us of the collective determination and resolve of our people to unite in the face of adversity. It is a reminder to all of us that oppression and racism, with all its ugly consequences, is an evil that turns humanity against each other, where who perceive themselves as the ordain superiors over others will do anything to maintain their status quo and subject others to less humane living conditions.

The Freedom Charter, adopted by the masses of this country on 26 June 1955 in Kliptown, categorically states: "South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of the people". The ANC, as early as 1956, adopted the Freedom Charter. We make bold to say that the ANC has and will always be the custodian of the Freedom Charter and all its ideals as demonstrated through years of unbroken and relentless pursuit of the ideals of an equal and prosperous society.

Former President Nelson Mandela said during his inaugural speech on 10 May 1994:

We have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity - a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.

In his inauguration address, President Jacob Zuma said:

This is indeed a moment of renewal. It is an opportunity to rediscover that which binds us together as a nation. The unity of our nation should be a priority for all sectors of our society. We are a people of vastly different experiences, of divergent interests, with widely different views. Yet we share a common desire for a better life, and to live in peace and harmony. We share a common conviction that never shall we return to a time of division and strife. From this common purpose, we must forge a partnership for reconstruction, development and progress.

These words demonstrate the consistency of the ANC on the critical matter of nation-building. In fact, in 1912, Pixley ka Isaka Seme made a clarion call to all when he remarked: "We are one people. These divisions, these jealousies, are the cause of all our woes today".

Hon Speaker, I cite the words of these leaders of our liberation struggle to make it clear that we are not advocates or champions of the Charter today because it is fashionable to do so, but because we truly believe in the ideals espoused by it. So, if the DA and Cope want to take from the Freedom Charter, they must adopt it in their national conferences. [Applause.] To some of the parties in this country, allegiance to the Freedom Charter and other symbols of progressive struggle has, in 2011, become their new found moral consciousness.

For the ANC, nation-building is at the core of the national democratic revolution. Indeed the National Democratic Revolution's, NDR, objectives will not be achieved without being a just democratic and fair nation. We need to deal with those issues that make us as a nation and create a common vision and value system. Core within this is access to the economy, especially ownership of the means of production and not just marketeers of our labour ability. When our people go out looking for jobs they say "ke a go maketa". This is because they understand that they have been turned into marketeers of their labour.

Do you remember the impact of the major national, social and political cohesion campaigns that the country has held? When it is elections, we can feel that we are busy with something that makes us focus on one objective. Do you also remember how we were united as South Africans during World Cup 2010? In fact, somebody said it felt like Christmas that lasted for a whole month. Can you remember when we hosted the World Cup of Rugby in 1995? Can you remember what happened in Paris 2007 when South Africa was abuzz, including the fact that Brian Habana said when he stood on that stadium he felt that more than 48 million people were behind them. So, it is important that we support the initiative of Magnificent Fridays as driven by Minister Mbalula as well as the Minister of Arts and Culture, Minister Mashatile, because I believe this is a noble ideal that all of us should adhere to.

Unlike some sections of our society who are purporting to have embraced the vision of a new South Africa, but still, in a subtle way, continue to perpetuate the policies of our painful apartheid past. They employ tactics that seek to disguise their intention and even resort to the exploitation of the black masses of this country and reinforce racial polarisation that meets their objectives of subtle separate development, all in the name of creating what is called "an equal opportunity society". What "equal opportunity society" exists when we are faced with what Bobby Godsell and Bridgette Gasa, members of the National Planning Commission, said in the past weekend's The Sunday Independent: "The goal is unity and equality, but that's not the reality on the ground". In their article they quote statistics that they say reflect the reality on the ground: "In 2005, white households earned on average R68 680 per annum; Asian households, R24 707 per annum; coloureds R13 213; and Africans, R6 979." They further highlight the reality of unemployment in this country in 2010 and its racial character with 29,8% unemployment for Africans, 22,3% for coloureds, 8,6% for Asians and 5,1% for whites.

These statistics, ladies and gentlemen, indicate that the worst affected communities are the black majority. What "equal opportunity society" exists when, despite our interventions and efforts in the main, it is Africans, and generally black learners, who suffer from the legacy and devastation of an inferior apartheid education system and when the majority of black women are still caught in the trap of poverty and underdevelopment? Is this the society where the economy of the country remains in the hands and control of a small minority who own the land and continue to benefit from the progressive instruments of change implemented by the ANC government? Even in the face of this reality and truth, there are those who want us to believe that we are in an equal society. They are the ones who say we do not need affirmative action. They say we do not need state intervention. They say we must allow the status quo to remain. They want us to believe that the miraculous invisible hand of the so-called new liberators ... [Interjections.]

The SPEAKER: Order! Hon Minister, please take your seat.

Hon members, while interjections are regarded as a sort of a debate - and we do have these interjects from time to time - it's clearly unacceptable to have this continuous interjections. I again request that we please allow the speaker to be heard. Please let us not have continuous interjections. [Interjections.]

Order, hon members! I am still on the floor. I didn't give you permission to speak.

I am now giving you permission to speak, Minister. [Laughter.]

The MINISTER OF ENERGY: Hon members, in 2009 President Zuma called for a partnership for reconstruction, development and making a further call for unity in diversity. However, today we must ask questions. Are we all equally contributing to President Zuma's call for a partnership and former President Mandela's call for a covenant towards our common future?

Hon President, forged in struggle and demonstrated throughout the nearly 100 years of its existence, it is only the ANC with its strong foundation and conviction in nonracialism which is meaningfully engaged in the construction of a nonracial and a just society. All others are just actors in a political theatre, without any political will towards the creation of a nonracial society. They attempt to project at all cost the image of the ANC and our democratic government as the enemy of certain sections of South Africa, forgetting that we are on a daily basis leading the continued rebirth of a democratic, nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous society. They do this primarily because a nonracial society is but a distant dream in their view. What gives them sleepless nights are the advances we are making in continuously challenging the reality of the colour bar and inequality in our society. What scares them is displayed in the Chicken Licken advertisement showing the re-emergence of an Afrikaner family from below the ground, hiding for fear of perceived reprisals with the advent of democracy in 1994... [Interjections.] ... only to realise that today South Africa is a much better and more tolerant society than it was when they went into hibernation.

Some of these people even go as far as distorting the outcome of the 2011 local government election, with the assistance of some independent analysts to try and create political polarisation by arguing that minorities are deserting the ANC. They are telling tales and are not being factual. The purported increase in the DA's support is mainly at the expense of the minority parties. [Interjections.] They even said themselves that they were disappointed by Cope. [Interjections.]

It is this ANC that, at its 52nd national conference, reaffirmed that black people collectively –

... are the drivers of reconstruction and development. As in the past when they rose above the politics of race and hatred, these communities do carry the responsibility of nation-building and reconciliation too. Critical for them to play this role is the defence and consolidation of unity across ethnic and racial divides to fight racism and tribalism whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head.

All sections of South Africa today, including minorities, know and accept that the ANC is their only trusted and reliable ally in pursuit of a nonracial, nonsexist democratic and prosperous society. [Interjections.] Equally, they know that the ANC government is at service to all South Africans and it does not and never will discriminate in its services to South Africans.

Mr G R MORGAN: What about Plato? What did he do?

The MINISTER OF ENERGY: Our people also know well that it is only the ANC government which is truly committed to the full advancement of women within our society. We do not see women as poster or pin-up girls, campaigning for men to be in charge and perpetuating the old sexist marketing strategies of using women to attract attention. [Applause.] We do not take advantage of poor Gugulethu women to garner votes by distorting the truth and claiming that their shacks had been electrified, turning our poor and vulnerable people into thieves. We do not challenge the inhumanity of open toilets like some have done with the Macassar open toilet fiasco, but we act swiftly to correct whatever wrongs have been done. [Interjections.] The dignity and safety of our people is sacrosanct to us.

Since 1994, not only has the ANC formulated laws and policies to protect and advance the women's cause for full emancipation, but through practical and consistent actions, we have shown our real resolve towards the women's cause. Today we have a national department tasked with the mainstreaming of women's issues. We have the gender machinery, and we have employment equity legislation, which is an instrument for affirmative action. No-one will argue against the fact that one of the most notable successes of our affirmative action policy is the positive move towards gender parity in this country, benefitting all women – black and white. Many of the members here would know that when we arrived at Parliament in 1994, even the inscriptions on the toilets read "members' wives," not "members." So, it showed that the women who used to come to this Parliament were not members. [Applause.]

The ANC and its government, including its own Youth League, have a clear policy on women participation and representation in their decision-making structures at all levels. That is why President Zuma was not shy to appoint a woman as the Governor of the Reserve Bank. [Applause.] We celebrate when we witness, through the progressive policies of this government, many women taking charge of strategic industries within the realm of the economy and other sectors of our society. It is only the ANC that fully understands the legacy of triple oppression that women have endured and some of the continued hardships women still face today. ANC women have no inferiority complex, thanks to the Women's League. [Interjections.] Women who emerge from the political school of the Progressive Women's Movement are committed to the goal of an equal society. Women from the ANC will never surround themselves with men because they feel inferior. [Applause.]

We are the proud heirs of the legacy of great ANC Women's League leaders such as Albertina Sisulu, Adelaide Tambo, Lilian Ngoyi, Greta Ncaphayi, Helen Joseph, Ruth Mompati, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and many others. We do not need to parade women on our posters to prove our commitment to the issue of gender emancipation. [Applause.] We live our commitment daily, and it is reflected in the products of our efforts. Mr President, you and the ANC...

Mr M J ELLIS: Mr Speaker...

The MINISTER OF ENERGY: ... have deployed women in strategic positions because you have full faith...

The SPEAKER: Hon Minister, your time has expired. [Applause.] Hon member? Order! Order! I have not adjourned the House. Hon member, what point are you rising on?

Mr M J ELLIS: Mr Speaker, I was rising simply on the point of order that the hon Minister's time had expired. [Laughter.]

The SPEAKER: Yours too, hon member. [Laughter.] That concludes the list of speakers on the debate of this Budget Vote and the business of the day. The hon President will reply tomorrow. The House is adjourned. Good evening.

The House adjourned at 19:41.

GM// LM/Setswana / keh (Eng) LM/Setswana / /Mia / END OF TAKE


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