Hansard: NCOP: Debate Vote No 21 – Correctional Services, Vote No 23 – Independent Police Investigative Directorate, Vote No 24 – Justice and Constitutional Development, and Vote No 25 – Police:
House: National Council of Provinces
Date of Meeting: 29 Jul 2014
Summary
No summary available.
Minutes
UNREVISED HANSARD
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Tuesday, 29 July 2014 Take: 29
TUESDAY, 29 JULY 2014
PROCEEDINGS OF NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
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The Council met at 14:00.
The Chairperson took the Chair and requested members to observe a moment of silence for prayers or meditation.
ANNOUNCEMENT
START OF DAY
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ANNOUNCEMENT
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Hon members, I have been informed by the Whippery that they have agreed that there will be no notices of motion or motions without notice.
APPROPRIATION BILL
(Policy debate)
Vote No 21 – Correctional Services, Vote No 23 – Independent Police Investigative Directorate, Vote No 24 – Justice and Constitutional Development, and Vote No 25 – Police:
The MINISTER OF POLICE: Chairperson, hon members, thank you for this opportunity. I also take this opportunity to acknowledge the Ministers, my Cabinet colleagues present, the Deputy Minister of Police, the MECs present, the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Justice, members of the Select Committee on Security and Justice, Provincial Commissioners present, members of the SA Police Service, esteemed guests, fellow South Africans, ladies and gentlemen.
We are enjoined by the Constitution, the supreme law of the Republic, “to prevent, combat and investigate crime, to maintain public order, to protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic and their property, and to uphold and enforce the law”. In their wisdom, our fathers and mothers also inserted this pearl, which calls on the Minister of Police to “promote good relations between the police and the community and to assess the effectiveness of visible policing”.
We commit ourselves to the spirit of the Constitution. We recognise that even though we have travelled quite a journey, there is still a long way to go and we will continue to try and do better, as expected by the people of this Republic. Much of the work of the SA Police Service happens in the provinces, districts, municipalities, villages and hamlets. Our report today to the National Council of Provinces will reflect this work and what we intend to do to improve on our service.
We are directed by the Freedom Charter, which envisages a state where our people are free, safe and able to raise our children in a stable society. This found resonance in the ANC’s 1992 “Ready to Govern: ANC policy guidelines for a democratic South Africa” document, which directed the policy position to ensure, among other outcomes, the following: Policing is based on community support and participation; the police remain accountable to society and the community it serves through its democratically elected institutions; policing continues to be subjected to public scrutiny and open debate; allegations of police misconduct are dealt with by an independent complaints and investigation mechanism; and that we require a Police Service that continues to strive for high performance standards.
In the discharge of our duties we are mindful that the battle against crime cannot be divorced from the war on want and that, as the SA Police Service, we are called upon to maintain law and order in the face of extreme poverty. It is for these reasons that we are advocating an integrated approach to issues of policing and social stability.
As a philosopher of note, Plato advanced the argument that the environment is the main shaper of people and therefore the question of what is just could not simply be a private one, but was necessarily a political one. For us to succeed in this approach, we need to work with other organs of state, business, nongovernmental organisations, and research and tertiary institutions.
This ideal of partnerships finds traction in the National Development Plan, which envisages a state where police work closely with communities, where real partnerships emerge among the different organs of state to ensure that the root causes of crime and criminality are addressed before they pose a major threat to our society. With this in mind, through the Medium-Term Strategic Framework, the SA Police Service will focus on the following key strategic priorities: the need to reduce the number of serious crimes; combat border and cyber crime; increase the percentage of trial-ready case dockets for serious crimes; stabilise public protests; and enhance local policing capability.
Furthermore, in this financial year, we are going to introduce and/or reintroduce the following legislative and policy reviews:
a comprehensive review of the South African Police Service Act to align it with the Constitution; research and policy into reducing the barriers to the reporting of cases of violence against women and children, serial murders and rapes; a review on how community police forums, CPFs, and Community Safety Forums, CSFs, can assist the police in the stabilisation of areas affected by service delivery protests; research on the assessment of police deployments and how these impact on crime; legislative policy and research into the impact of firearm legislation on crime, and the need to investigate areas of legislation that require strengthening.
We commit the SA Police Service to community engagement, listening to and being one with the people we serve. We are also obliged to fight crime and restore the citizens’ faith and trust in our law-enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system. For us to achieve this, we should take our cue from KwaZulu-Natal province, who have articulated, correctly so, that we need to build a united front against crime and corruption in our society.
In Ndundwini in KwaZulu-Natal, Kakamas in the Northern Cape, Nobody in Limpopo, Malelane in Mpumalanga, Riversdale in the Western Cape, Parys in the Free State, Elliot in the Eastern Cape, Orange Farm in Gauteng, and Taung in the North West, our citizens need to embrace what is good in our police and reject what is bad. Citizens should feel the good service and, where we fall short, use designated institutions of policing to deal with matters of policing and conduct by the police.
We are extremely concerned about the spate of killings of policemen and police women and call on our communities to mobilise against this scourge. To this end, we appreciate the work that has been done by the Mpumalanga province in highlighting the cost to society around this issue, and for coining the theme, Wabulala iphoyisa, wabulala umphakathi. [You kill the police, you kill the community.]
As part of the process of the professionalisation of the Police Service, we have approved changes to the recruitment strategy of entry-level constables, to ensure that only the best-suited candidates are recruited into the SA Police Service. Our new recruits are being taken through rigorous testing for suitability before they start formal training. This community-based recruitment strategy is aimed at addressing challenges, such as pending and/or previous convictions and fraudulent qualifications, and to avoid nepotism. In terms of this strategy, the role of the community in commenting on their suitability will also assist in completing the 360-degree cycle of suitability testing.
We have further put in place mechanisms to build capacity in our crime intelligence units all over the country. A number of critical senior and middle-management positions were filled in the reporting period. This is an important unit that helps the police in the fight against crime and its significance cannot be overemphasised.
We will further ensure that the current members of the Police Service are taken through rigorous sessions to understand the code of conduct. We are expecting each and every member of the Police Service to acknowledge and understand the contents of the code before signing, to make sure that they are accountable. Our approach to the professionalisation of the Police Service will contribute to zero tolerance of corruption and nepotism, and to deliver the calibre of police official who will serve the people of this country with dignity and pride.
Allow me, at this point, to reflect on some of the successes that were realised from the use of the resources that our government provided to the department. The effort of the SA Police Service to fight crime and rid our streets of criminals is evident in the ever-rising entrants to our holding cells and prisons. These are not just filled by criminal walk-ins. Just in the past year, we made 1 392 856 crime-prevention arrests. This included 818 322 for serious crimes and 574 534 for other crimes. A further 1 218 arrests for serious organised crime, with a resultant 828 convictions, was reported by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks.
South Africa, once more, experienced a peaceful process when electing the current administration into power as a result of, among other role-players, the diligent and dedicated service demonstrated by our police, who were deployed in all provinces, with minimum incidents reported.
As a means to encouraging the reporting of cases of a personal nature, which may include victims of trauma, sexual violence and vulnerable groups, we have established 947 victim-friendly rooms across all provinces. We have 112 of these rooms in the Eastern Cape, 72 in the Free State, 151 in Gauteng, 156 in KwaZulu-Natal, 76 in Limpopo, 72 in Mpumalanga, 69 in the Northern Cape, 56 in the North West and 183 in the Western Cape.
As stated earlier, community mobilisation is critical in the fight against crime and corruption. Currently, we have established 1 123 functional CPFs across all provinces and we will ensure that the remaining 13 police stations, where they are not functional, are addressed jointly with the affected communities. This effort will be complemented with nationally targeted, co-ordinated and focused izimbizo and/or community outreach programmes, of which we have had 19 thus far during the 2013-14 reporting period.
Notwithstanding the spike in protests, the SA Police Service still must ensure domestic stability and order. For South Africa to grow economically and otherwise requires social stability. We have sought to focus ourselves on capacitating the Public Order Policing Unit, as directed by His Excellency President J G Zuma in 2013. Overall, 13 575 recorded public order incidents were successfully policed in the period under review. Of these, 1 907 were violent. In these violent incidents, few brutal incidents were reported, which is a sign that the SA Police Service does not have an institutionalised culture of brutality. Notably, although these incidents were stabilised, an increase in these incidents warrants an increase in the deployment of resources and the cost thereof.
We have also ensured that 1 826 members have undergone successful public order policing refresher training, and 60 members were trained as video camera operators and information managers to capture footage during crowd-related incidents. Other members attended a work session relating to statement-taking in regard to the incidents arising from public protests.
Through our investigative capability, we have managed to secure convictions resulting in 1 110 life sentences being imposed on 803 suspects across all provinces for serious crime, such as murder, rape, business robbery, house robbery and armed robbery. This figure includes 659 life sentences secured by our 176 Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units. Additional to these life sentences, 3 718 persons were convicted to 51 631 years’ imprisonment for various crimes.
The following milestones were recorded in some of the provinces. In the Eastern Cape, a 39-year-old was convicted and sentenced to 25 life sentences for 29 murders in Butterworth. In the Free State, the arrest of gang members resulted in the following sentences: eight life sentences, four 18-year imprisonments and two 15-year imprisonments. In Gauteng, the so-called birthday rapist, who lured university girls and raped them, got 39 life sentences and 212 additional years of imprisonment. Regarding the taxi rapists, who would rape women who flagged down their taxis, rape them and leave them there naked or throw them out of the moving taxi, one suspect received 51 life sentences and 780 years and the other 49 life sentences and 780 years.
In KwaZulu-Natal, two suspects who broke into the residential premises of two elderly women and raped one of them received a life sentence for rape and 15 years each for house robbery. In Mpumalanga, a 77-year sentence was handed down for rhino poaching, which attests to the seriousness of government in fighting organised crime; and a serial rapist was sentenced to 22 life sentences and 245 years’ imprisonment. In the Northern Cape, four suspects were arrested and convicted after a police vehicle was stolen and shots fired at the police. The police vehicle was subsequently recovered, together with another hijacked vehicle. One suspect received a 25-year sentence; another 20 years, and the other two each received a 30-year sentence.
We continue to smash drug syndicates and successfully dismantled 36 clandestine drug laboratories in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape.
Stock theft remains a priority crime due to its economic impact and the fact that it is a threat to food security and economic development in the rural areas. To stem the tide against this crime, on 15 August we are launching a national rural strategy which, among other measures, prioritises stock theft. Furthermore, we have established 84 stock theft units across all nine provinces, with the result that 49 865 stolen livestock to the value of R280 387 100 was recovered.
Despite the successes that we have mentioned, as the SA Police Service and the country, we continue to be faced with challenges, including the question of illicit mining, rapid urbanisation, the nonenforcement of municipal bylaws, ritual murders and witchcraft-related crimes, community and labour-related protests, instability in the taxi industry, the influx of undocumented foreign nationals, rhino poaching and police killings. We are focusing on these and other challenges.
As the SA Police Service, we continue to be seized with these challenges and we are calling on various sectors of our society – business, NGOs, civic society – to be part of the fight against crime and corruption. Of importance, we would like to engage business around the issues of scrap metal and the second-hand goods industry, its threat to the economic development of the country and the contribution of business to the fight against crime and corruption.
Indeed, ladies and gentlemen, it should not be forgotten that the quality of a nation arises from the combined attributes of its citizens. In this regard, our combined attribute, as South Africans, is our unity of purpose in the fight against crime and corruption. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
The MINISTER OF POLICE
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The MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: Chairperson, Ministers present, Deputy Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, other Deputy Ministers present, hon chairperson and members of the select committee, Members of this House at large, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. I stand before this august House today to reaffirm our unequivocal commitment to the realisation of the goals of the National Development Plan and the government’s programme of action of building safer communities and the democratic and just society envisaged by our beloved Tata Madiba. We are also alive to this House’s constitutional mandate of ensuring that provincial interests are affected in our national sphere of government.
The President’s decision to integrate the two Ministries into one, that of Justice and Correctional Services, is underpinned by his vision of ensuring that we have an integrated criminal justice system that strives to be equitable, just and accessible. Under the leadership of my predecessor, Mr Radebe, the Office of the Chief Justice was liberated into a separate administrative entity to support the goal of achieving an independent judiciary and promoting and advancing it.
The Judicial Service Commission and the Magistrates’ Commission broadened opportunities for the appointment of black and women judicial officers. In the high courts, the number of black judges has, for the first time in our history, exceeded that of white judges ... [Applause.] ... while at the same time the gap between white and black magistrates has narrowed significantly.
The Constitution Seventeenth Amendment Act and the Superior Courts Act were finalised in the last term. The processing of the Legal Practice Bill is at an advanced stage. These legislative improvements constitute a formidable legislative foundation laid by the previous Parliament for us to advance the transformation of our justice system, sanctioned by the Constitution.
The development and improvement of the courts constitute the primary mandate of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. It is for this reason that the bulk of the budget allocated for the Justice and Constitutional Development Vote is allocated to court services programmes. Of the budget allocated to the Justice Department, which totals R17,9 billion, R6,1 billion has been allocated to court services specifically and R3,2 billion to the National Prosecuting Authority.
This implies that R9,3 billion, which is more than half of the department’s annual budget, is used for services that are directly related to the functioning of our courts. An amount of R2,1 billion is allocated to the Chapter 9 institutions that are in the justice sector, including the Public Protector and the SA Human Rights Commission, to carry out their constitutional mandates of promoting accountability, good governance and the advancement of human rights.
Our Access to Justice Programme entails, in the main, the construction of new courts and the rehabilitation of dilapidated ones, the conversion of branch courts into full service courts, the realignment of court jurisdictions with municipal boundaries and our small claims courts. Our courts infrastructure constitutes our greatest capital investment.
We have 763 magistrates’ courts and 13 High Courts countrywide, of which 45 magistrates’ courts were built in the past 20 years of our democracy. In the past 20 years we have effectively built, on average, two courts per annum,which is a remarkable milestone when one takes into account that government spends, on average, approximately R350 million on the construction of a new court and making sure that it is functional.
The construction of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga High Courts is earmarked for completion by 2015 and 2016 respectively. A further five magistrates’ courts are contemplated by the end of 2016-17 financial year. These will be built in Booysens, Mamelodi, Plettenberg Bay and Richards Bay. In the past four years, 29 of our 90 branch courts were revamped and proclaimed as full service courts. A further four branch courts will be converted into full service courts in the current financial year.
We are also accelerating the alignment of magisterial districts with municipal boundaries with a view to ensuring that there is a magistrates’ court in each municipality. This process also seeks to redress the past geospatial injustices through which the majority of Africans were attached to far-flung courts in self-governing territories and homelands. They were barred from accessing courts in the towns and cities were they worked. The implementation of this long outstanding exercise will be gradual. Gauteng and North West are earmarked as some of the key starting areas for implementation by 1 December 2014. Consultation with the affected stakeholders and communities in the latter provinces are under way.
The court-annexed mediation rules, which will introduce mediation into our system, will be implemented with effect from 1 December 2014. This will speed up the settling of maintenance and other civil claims and reduce the costs of litigation. Child maintenance and deceased estates are the important service delivery outcomes that we have prioritised over the years. We are pleased that many child maintenance beneficiaries are opting to receive payment through the electronic funds transfer stem, the EFF … [Laughter.] … sorry, the EFT system.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order, members!
The MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: A staggering figure of 9,5 million transactions to the value of R3 billion are registered annually on our system. Of this, R2 billion was paid to maintenance beneficiaries in the past three years. As of March 2014, a total of 98% maintenance beneficiaries are receiving their monthly payments via EFT - not EFF! [Laughter.] This translates into 234 271 of the 248 000 monthly payments.
Similarly, we have improved services relating to deceased estates. In 2012-13 government made 37 000 payments, totalling around R1 billion, to beneficiaries of their guardians’ fund. The majority of these beneficiaries are children.
In view of the high levels of unemployment among young people, primarily due to inadequate skills and a lack of prior work experience, a dedicated effort towards their integration into the world of work within society is critical. A total of 680 interns and 200 unemployed youth with LLB or paralegal qualifications have been placed in various courts and in other sections of the department. This is an unprecedented number of interns at any given time, and the aim is to impart the knowledge and work experience they require to enter the job market.
At its outset our Constitution states, and I quote:
The Republic of South Africa is one sovereign democratic state founded on the following values:
(a) Human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms;
(b) Non-racialism and non-sexism;
(c) Supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law.
The promotion of the rights of vulnerable members of our society is therefore one of our priorities in advancing these values. For example, my predecessor launched the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex, LGBTI, Programme, which is aimed at the protection of the LGBTI community against crimes based on sexual orientation and hate.
We are also forging ahead with the establishment of dedicated sexual offences courts to eliminate gender-based violence. By the end of the 2015-16 financial year we will have upgraded 57 regional courts into sexual offences courts. To date 22 sexual offences courts have been designated. These courts guarantee high conviction rates in view of the specialised skills deployed therein.
Before I turn to Correctional Services, let me briefly reflect on the traditional courts, which attracted huge interest during the previous administration. We are considering all comments made before this Parliament with a view to drafting a revised Bill that addresses the shortcomings that were identified.
The use of indigenous languages is another long outstanding matter, and we aim to address it in the current administration. The Constitution demands parity of languages and we must earnestly start work in this regard to ensure that all languages are taken into consideration in our system.
With regard to Correctional Services, on 16 July 2014 I tabled a Budget Vote in Parliament where I highlighted our plans for the financial year ahead. The department’s budget for the 2014-15 financial year is R19,721 billion. I indicated that amounts totalling R72,6 million in 2014-15; R72,8 million in 2015-16; and R77,9 million in 2016-17 have been reprioritised within the 2014 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework baseline from noncore goods and services items for spending on the following policy priorities: firstly, the implementation of victim-offender dialogues; secondly, the purchasing of security equipment; thirdly, the replacement of dilapidated workshop and agricultural machinery equipment; and lastly, an integrated inmate management system, IIMS.
The department has at present managed to provide six regions with regional commissioners. These are Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, the Free State - which is combined with the Northern Cape and is generally abbreviated as FSNC - and Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West, which is abbreviated as LMN. This is a department that has a national funded staff complement of 42 006 posts and we are in the process of filling some 2 403 vacant posts.
We have 243 correctional facilities in the country and have the following regional profile: Gauteng has 8 335 officials, 35 503 inmates and a budget of R3,87 million. The Eastern Cape has a staff complement of 5 303, 18 896 inmates and a budget of R1,996 million. The Western Cape has a staff complement of 7 672, 27 140 inmates and a budget of R2,746 million. Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West have a staff complement of 5 656 officials, 23 325 inmates and a budget of R2,019 billion. The Free State and Northern Cape combined have a staff complement of 5 631 officials, 22 143 inmates and a budget of R1,981 million. KwaZulu-Natal has a staff complement of 6 443 officials, 27 372 inmates and a budget of R2,361 billion. Gauteng has the highest inmate number, followed by KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, LMN – that is Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West - followed by the Free State and Northern Cape accordingly, with the Eastern Cape as the last one.
In 2013 there were about 36 000 offenders without a qualification equal to Grade 9 or Adult Education and Training Level 4. More than 500 of this category were classified as illiterate offenders. I am glad to report to the NCOP that currently we have placed more than 50% of the illiterate offenders in our literacy programme and more than 30% of offenders without a qualification equal to Grade 9 or Adult Education and Training Level 4 have been placed in the general educational programme.
We should celebrate the fact that the number of full-time correctional centre schools registered with the Department of Higher Education increased from one in 2000 to 14 in 2014 – on average one a year since the commencement of this programme. These are as follows: St Albans and Cradock in the Eastern Cape; Tswelopele, Kimberley and Groenpunt in the Free State; Emthonjeni Youth Centre in the Northern Cape; Johannesburg Medium C in Gauteng; Usethubeni Youth, Qalakabusha and Ekuseni Youth Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal; Barberton Youth, Barberton Maximum and Rustenburg Youth Centre in LMN, as well as Brandvlei Youth Centre in the Western Cape.
We want to ensure that as of this financial year, at least 64% of offenders complete correctional programmes and that an 80% participation rate of offenders enrolled in education and skills development programmes is maintained. We want correctional centres to produce excellent results and our ex-offenders to be role models and ambassadors against crime. We are proud that last year a copy of the novel Kwakungeke Kube Nje was handed to its author, Celimpilo Cele, an inmate at the Qalakabusha Correctional Centre. The novel won the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Literature Writing Competition and was published by Oxford University Press. May I also share that, after the Budget Speech in the NA, I was privileged to be given a gift - a beautiful portrait of uTata Madiba - by one of the inmates, which is an impressive work of art and something to marvel at.
Overcrowding remains a persistent challenge at our facilities. We are addressing this problem through the strengthening of diversion programmes, alternative sentencing, the building of additional bed spaces, improving the management of the parole system and the promotion of successful social reintegration. We are moving closer to the ideal international target of 25% of all inmates being remand detainees. Since the year 2000, remand detainees have been reduced by 31%, from 63 954 to 41 690 in June 2014. Interventions include the tracking of the category of remand detainees for periodic referral to courts. One part of the solution to overcrowding is the construction of 500 additional bed spaces by 2019, the broadening of the use of electronic monitoring of inmates and their placement under community correction.
Fighting corruption and enabling the organisational effectiveness and efficiency of our operations through street governance and compliance requirements continue to be our key priority. The department is assisted in the execution of its operations by a number of oversight bodies such as the Judicial Inspectorate of Correctional Services, under the leadership of Judge Tshabalala, and the National Council for Correctional Services, under the leadership of Judge Siraj Desai. In addition, of course, the select committee and the portfolio committees of this Parliament continue to play a pivotal role in exercising oversight over our work. At this juncture, I would like to acknowledge the role that is played by the chairpersons of both the portfolio and select committees in this regard.
Let me use this opportunity to also share our vision of adopting an aggressive stance in the fight against corruption. In the first quarter of this financial year, we obtained a 100% success rate in securing convictions for many offences involving 26 of our officials. The department also deployed a special task team at Mangaung in the Free State and St Albans in the Eastern Cape for purposes of ensuring that there is law and order at these correctional centres and that the security and safety of offenders, officials and members of the public are assured.
As per the National Framework on Offender Labour, the department is increasing the number of offenders who participate in offender labour and skills development programmes. On 12 February 2013 the department signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Basic Education to use offender labour to build schools, supply furniture, rehabilitate school furniture and establish school gardens.
These community outreach programmes form part of our plough-back initiatives aimed at, among other goals, changing the public perception of the role of correctional services and contributing positively to the socioeconomic advancement of our country in general in order to bring down the challenges presented by the inequality, poverty and unemployment among our people.
I want to thank all those who have contributed to this work, including the leadership in both government departments as well as my two deputies. I thank you very much. [Applause.]
Mr D L XIMBI
The MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
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Mr D L XIMBI: Hon Chairperson, Minister of Police, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, MECs, ladies and gentlemen, all special guests, I rise with profound humility to take part in this policy debate that truly narrate the journey that our nation has travelled in the fight for equality and freedom. I say this because these policy debates are centred on two cardinal pillars of our fight against oppression and the discrimination of our people in their fight for justice and freedom: firstly, that all our people shall be equal before the law; secondly, that peace and friendship among all our people shall be secured by upholding equal rights, opportunities and status for all.
The masses of our people, as they took to the streets of Kliptown in 1955 and throughout the years in their fight for liberation, made the clarion call for continuing to wage a concerted fight so that not one of our people shall be imprisoned, deported or restricted without a fair trial. They declared that the courts shall be representative of all the people and that imprisonment shall only be for serious crimes against the people.
For many years, the primary source of insecurity confronting our people was the South African apartheid state and the brutality and violence waged against them by the apartheid regime and its forces. In attempting to maintain white majority rule, the apartheid regime brutally crushed internal dissent and used every aspect of our security arm to wage a concerted war against our people.
Among a litany of massacres waged against our people, Sharpeville in 1960 and Soweto in 1976 stand out as stark testimony to the brutality of the apartheid state and its forces. For many years, any talk of democracy, freedom, justice for all and human rights was treasonous. This was because democracy threatened the very foundation of the racist regime.
On many streets of our country and at every gathering of the masses, the apartheid police were unleashed to wage vicious attacks and human brutality against innocent people. Many of our people were incarcerated without just cause and many were forced into exile from their country of birth.
The dawn of democracy in 1994 brought watershed changes for our people. The adoption of the Constitution of South Africa in 1996 ensured that the fundamental rights of our people to freedom and justice are protected. The Constitution enshrines the right of access to justice, which includes access to courts and other independent tribunals or forums.
As the ANC, we champion this because we are aware that unless ordinary people have access to courts and other independent forums or tribunals to resolve their disputes, the vision of society based on the rule of law, as envisaged in the Constitution and the Freedom Charter, will not be realised. Informed by our lived experience under apartheid rule, as the ANC, we went further to say there should be additional elements to enhance access to justice for ordinary citizens.
We said that our people needed to have access to the legal profession and access to courts, which include: One, the right to effective legal representation; two, developing simple and effective rules to govern the conduct of legal proceedings; three, the promotion of the use of all official languages; four, the development of proper infrastructure; five, the decentralisation of the services of the administration of justice; and six, the training of magistrates and judges to understand the Constitution, values, aspirations and traditions of all the people.
The policy debates of the Departments of Police and of Justice and Correctional Services narrates the journey that our nation has travelled since the dawn of democracy in 1994. They clearly show that the ANC has moved with the utmost speed to transform our society and ensure that our people are secure and that their right to a fair trial is protected.
As the ANC, we are aware of the brutality that our people suffered under apartheid policy. It is for this reason that we took the conscious decision to establish the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, Ipid, to ensure independent oversight over the SA Police Service and the Municipal Police Services, as well as to conduct independent and impartial investigations of identified criminal offences allegedly committed by members of the SAPS and of the MPS and to make appropriate recommendations.
The vision of the Ipid is to promote proper police conduct in accordance with the principles of the Constitution. The 2014-15 financial year marks the second year that Ipid will operate under the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, Act 1 of 2011. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate Act gives effect to section 206(6) of the Constitution, which makes provision for the establishment of an independent police complaints body.
In terms of section 28(1) of the Act, the directorate is obliged to investigate:
(a) Any deaths in police custody;
(b) Deaths as a result of police actions;
(c) Complaints relating to the discharge of an official firearm by any police officer;
(d) Rape by a police officer, whether the police officer is on or off duty;
(e) Rape of any person in police custody;
(f) Any complaint of torture or assault against a police officer in the execution of his or her duties;
(g) Corruption matters within the police initiated by the executive director or after a complaint from a member of the public or referred to the directorate by the Minister, an MEC or the Secretary for the Police Service; and
(h) Any other matter referred to Ipid as a result of a decision by the executive director or, if so requested by the Minister, an MEC or the Secretary for the Police Service, as the case may be.
As the ANC, we have said that the strengthening of Ipid’s footprint countrywide is vitally important to bring its services closer to the community. Establishing more than one satellite office in each province should be encouraged. We said this because we wanted to alleviate the burden of investigators travelling vast distances from provincial offices to attend to crime scenes involving members of the police service. We are indeed proud of the anonymous work of the Ipid throughout South Africa.
The increase in resources allocated to the Ipid, from R216,9 million in 2013-14 to R234,7 million in 2014-15, which is an increase of 8,21%, also illustrates our commitment to expanding the work of the Ipid. We want to convey our profound appreciation to the Minister for expanding the investigation and information management programme, which is intended to strengthen the directorate’s oversight role over the SAPS and MPS by conducting investigations within 90 days of the receipt of a complaint, making appropriate recommendations on investigations in the various investigation categories within 30 days and submitting feedback to the complainants within 30 days of the closure of the investigation.
We are aware that the programme also enhances efficiency in case management over the medium term by increasing the percentage of cases registered and allocated within 72 hours of receipt from 86% in 2012-13 to a projected 100% in 2016-17. The programme also helps to maintain relationships with other state security agencies through ongoing national and provincial engagement forums. We want to appeal to the Minister to ensure that the issue of the vacancy rate and lower spending patterns are addressed immediately and, where there are areas of capacity, that we ensure that we employ the right people with the right skill.
As the ANC, we are conscious of the Constitutional principles that we adopted in 1991 and which sought to establish a judicial system that advances the ideals of the national democratic society and social justice in particular. These principles provided as follows:
Without interfering with its independence, and with a view to ensuring that justice is manifestly seen to be done in a non-racial way and that the wisdom, experience and judicial skills of all South Africans are represented on the bench, the judiciary shall be transformed...
[Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES: Order! Hon member, your speaking time is running out.
Mr D L XIMBI: Chair, must I finish?
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES: Please finish up, hon member.
Mr D L XIMBI: Thank you, Chairperson. As the ANC, we will continue to support all the initiatives of the department to address overcrowding, as the Minister had said, including the strengthening of diversion programmes, alternative sentencing, the building of additional bed space ... Thank you very much. We support the Budget Vote. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Mr G MICHALAKIS
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Mr D L XIMBI
Mr G MICHALAKIS: Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, Members of Parliament, Winston Churchill said:
All great things are simple and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honour, duty, mercy, hope.
Despite my unswerving admiration for ordinary South Africans, I often cannot help but doubt claims that we are developing into the great country that was hoped for when our Constitution was adopted. Frankly, without being unduly pessimistic, one can say with some accuracy that we are not. Freedom, justice, honour, duty, mercy and hope – we lack the greatest of simple things.
The ANC currently governs one of the countries with the highest crime rates in the world. During this speech, three South African citizens will lose their lives to murderers. Another shocking statistic is that half a million women are raped every year, an estimated 40% of these cases being children. For every 1 000 crimes in South Africa, only 430 arrests are made. That is 43%.
In a revolving-door cycle of crime, those who get arrested just keep coming back, over and over again. Depending on which source one uses, the figure for inmates being rearrested after completing their sentence is between 70% and 90%. This extraordinary figure speaks to the fact that the inmates at our far-too-few correctional facilities emerge, generally, more criminalised than when their sentences started.
There is little freedom in this, no less for the innocent victims than for the criminal who wishes to change his ways. This while the budget for rehabilitation – one of the goals of correctional services – comprises the smallest portion of the total budget, but was underspent during the last financial year. This financial year sees the budget for rehabilitation diminish still further in real terms.
There is little justice in having a globally admired Constitution, yet a governing party that ignores the independence and role of the very institutions it establishes. I refer to the attacks on the independence of our judiciary and the attacks on our Chapter 9 institutions every time they blow the whistle on the executive. Chapter 9 institutions are not obliged to report to the executive, no matter what Gupta-controlled newspapers may say.
In terms of Chapter 9 of our Constitution, the more-than-adequately-qualified Adv Thuli Madonsela, whose reputation and integrity is beyond question, was identified by the National Assembly and assumed office. Section 181 of the Constitution allows for Adv Madonsela, subject to the Constitution and the law, to carry out her functions, impartially, without fear, favour or prejudice. This is the core mandate of the Public Protector.
No organ of state or person may interfere with the functioning of Adv Madonsela’s office. The recent attack on the Public Protector by ANC Members of Parliament is evidence of a threat to our democratic rule. The accusations of political motives influencing Adv Madonsela are empty and only an unwarranted ANC attack to block the Nkandla investigation. [Interjections.] This is a sad day for judicial independence, when the ANC fails to acknowledge the Public Protector’s autonomy.
There is, similarly, little justice in citizens having to wait for years to finally reach a court of law in this country, due to unacceptable case loads that our courts are simply not capacitated to deal with. Some of these cases never reach the courts, due to blatant political meddling in the affairs of the national Prosecuting Authority and the Criminal Justice cluster as a whole.
Although many civil servants in the Departments of Police and of Justice and Correctional Services serve their country with pride, honour and diligence, it is unfortunately not one of those clusters where a few corrupt officials within the system do not reflect on the system as a whole. A single corrupt official in the Police Service becomes a stain on the entire service.
From major-generals to constables and staff, we have an abundance of these, with at least 1 448 convicted criminals serving in the SA Police Service. These are the people who are paid, from this budget, with taxpayers’ money, to protect our citizens. Included in that number are murderers, rapists and fraudsters. As stated by my hon friend in the other House, the probability of more criminals lurking in these ranks is immense, since the audit was stopped for no reason at the end of 2010.
Our new Minister of Police inherits a service that is undertrained and untrusted – hardly an environment that stimulates a pride in protecting those we serve. I salute those who do, despite the general lack of another simple yet vital thing such as a sense of duty.
There is also little to say in terms of mercy shown; equally little to distinguish Sharpeville from Marikana. The ANC has become, scarily enough, in many ways, exactly what it helped to fight. The Police Service has, yet again, become a force to fear as a symbol of an incompetent government trying to control its angry and hungry citizenry – this, while honour is probably the most uncommon of all state commodities.
For the first time since 1994, respect from ranks outside the ANC, and likely even within, is shown to the high office of the President, only for the Office, not for the person. Honour and respect are rarely linked to a private palace if the people who helped to build it are poor. Then, as if Freedom Charter hypocrisy has not reached its high point, the guilty go after the innocent who do their duty to point a finger and cry foul.
If the man placed in control of the Police Service supposed to maintain law and order is a criminal, as has been the case before, it brings dishonour and humiliation. If the man placed in control of the state is supposedly a criminal, as is being whispered, but all proof thereof blocked, it brings dishonour and humiliation. It belittles a once-proud organisation, and the saddest part is that the belittlement is self-inflicted.
I will probably stand accused of highlighting the negative, as so many of my hon friends have been, for doing their job as members of the Official Opposition and presenting uncomfortable facts to the governing party. The latter always urges that constructive criticism is best. We stand accused of not sharing in the dream of the executive, while it is about time that the executive wake up from their dream and face the immense challenges that those who came before them left from the Fourth Parliament. I can see little more constructive than that.
As things are now, there is but one great Churchillian word left among the scraps of what was the greatness of the South African nation until the new ANC got hold of it: hope – even though citizens are left with no option but to turn to a brutally honest opposition for that. I daresay there is even a shred of hope that that there might yet prove to be some reliable leaders within the ANC itself who have not resigned or been thrown out in disgrace or who have campaigned against their former political home.
Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape): Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, on a point of order: Serious allegations are being levelled against the ANC by the speaker at the podium. I just want to check with him if he is raising his own opinion or if he is basing whatever he is saying on the facts. As far as I, a member of the ANC, know, what he is saying is unfounded.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Michalakis, are you prepared to respond?
Mr G MICHALAKIS: No, hon Chairperson, I am not prepared to respond to that. May I continue?
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Hon MEC from the Eastern Cape, there are a number of statements made by the hon Michalakis that I have noted. However, I would like to be given a chance to go through the records, especially his reflections on the person or the persons leading the state. So, can we leave it at that? Please continue, hon member.
Mr G MICHALAKIS: Thank you, hon Chairperson. No money, no healthy budget – were we ever to face such a fortunate unlikelihood – would fix what is wrong with these departments. What will, is for those who can change it around – those who bring hope – to recommit to making South Africa great, one simple principle at a time: freedom, justice, honour, duty, mercy and hope. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms M A MOKABA-PHUKWANA (Limpopo)
Mr G MICKALAKIS
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Ms M A MOKABA-PHUKWANA (Limpopo): Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, Deputy Chairperson, Minister of Police, Mr Nkosinathi Nhleko; Deputy Minister of Police, Ms Maggie Sotyu; MECs, Chief Whip, chairpersons of portfolio committees, members of the House, generals and senior officers of the SA Police Service, comrades and friends, I rise to contribute to the debate on the Budget Vote of the Police, delivered to the National Assembly by our hon Minister, Comrade Nathi Nhleko. In his address the hon Minister advocated for an integrated approach to policing and social stability. He emphasised the need to work with other organs of state, business, nongovernmental organisations, research and tertiary institutions in order for us to succeed in this regard. This is an ideal that finds traction in the blueprint for the future, the National Development Plan.
The National Planning Commission’s diagnostic report of 2011 underlined the reality that high crime levels in South Africa have slowed our social and economic development. I quote:
Violent crime, contact crime and property crimes are so common that many South Africans live in fear. When people feel unsafe it makes it harder for them to pursue their personal goals and to take part in social and economic activity.
This state of affairs is almost akin with one painted by Omar Nelson Bradley, a US Army general during World War II, when he said:
Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount.
To paraphrase one Dorothy Thompson, a foremost advocate of peace and an anti-Nazi journalist:
Peace has to be created, in order to be maintained. It must be a product of Faith, Strength, Energy, Will, Sympathy, Justice, Imagination, and the triumph of principle. It will never be achieved by passivity and quietism.
Building peace and stability has been one of the ANC’s topmost priorities since 1912. Notwithstanding the violent culture from our past and the rampant socioeconomic challenges that overwhelm us ffom time to time, we can say with no fear of contradiction that a solid foundation for a better life has been laid. The Constitution bequeathed on us by our Madiba provides a sound foundation from which we can continue building on.
In his state of the province address, the premier of our province, Limpopo, Chubu Mathabatha, underscored the message of the Minister when he called for a multifaceted approach to fight crime. He called for all stakeholders, including members of the community, to participate actively in street committees and other community policing structures. To this end the province has already established 80 functional street committees, in addition to 97 community police forums and 30 community safety forums. We welcome the Minister’s comment to revitalise community police forums and community safety forums.
As a province, we have a target to reduce contact crime by 2,4% by the end of the financial year. The existing policing infrastructure in fast-growing towns such as Polokwane, Seshego, Mankweng, Thohoyandou, Mahwelereng, Lephalale, Musina, Burgersfort and Modimolle cannot cope anymore. The population explosion in these towns, coupled with general urbanisation, gives rise to new challenges that require more focused and dedicated resources for policing. Residents require not less but more well-resourced satellite police stations closer to where they live. This does not only shorten the response time of the police but also increases their visibility, thereby deterring crime from happening in the first place.
The province is also prioritising the fight against crime in farming communities, which threatens not only social cohesion but also food security and rural economies. We are also paying particular attention to and we are focusing on the mushrooming of taverns and shebeens, which has proven to be a major contributor to contact crimes, especially the abuse of women and children. In this regard the provincial government will pilot a new liquor Bill, which seeks to regulate the liquor industry and enhance law enforcement. The Limpopo government is committed to acting swiftly to ensure that we do not have liquor outlets in close proximity to schools and places of worship.
While our province is generally peaceful and is sometimes known as the home of peace, we have lately been taken aback by a spate of what appears to be a resurgence of ritual murders or muti killings, especially in the Vhembe district. In the six cases reported from April to July 2014, the police have already arrested seven suspects in connection with this kind of crime. Suspects were found in possession of human body parts and exhibits such as cell phones. This, once again, is testimony to the good work our men and women in blue are doing to curb crime, often in trying circumstances. The rise in ritual murder cases serves as an indictment on all of us to heighten awareness against ritual killings, especially in the rural areas of our country.
Let me come back to one important issue, which the Minister raised: the challenge of drugs among our youth. The Minister is right to intimate that “any nation that does not want to have a future must kill its youth”. Drugs are the surest and quickest way to destroy the hopes and aspirations of any young person. So serious is the challenge in our province that we have had to convene a youth crime prevention summit early this year to deal with the scourge, among others issues. We are going to review our provincial crime prevention strategy later this year to incorporate a pillar that we will call our youth crime prevention plan. The strategy will soon be rolled out to ensure that young people become active participants in the prevention of drug use in their schools and communities.
In conclusion, let me take the opportunity to commend all youth volunteers who are doing good work in fighting crime, often without tangible incentives. I salute members of street committees, community policing forums and community safety forums for their commitment and selflessness. Your goodwill and passion is evidence enough that your love for this country and its people can never be diminished.
You have shown that peace can never be achieved through passivity or quietism. Peace has to be created, maintained and worked for.
Sepedi:
Ye ke mešomo ya ANC. [This is the work of the ANC.]
English:
Working together we can move South Africa forward.
Ms G M MANOPOLE
Ms M MOKABA-PHUKWANA
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Ms G M MANOPOLE: Hon Chairperson, House Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Chief Whip, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MECs and special delegates of Salga, members, officials of the department, ladies and gentlemen, before I proceed with my speech, allow me to congratulate the Muslim community on completing Ramadan, as well as on celebrating Eid Mubarak. I hope that some of our members that were on the Ramadan did not break their fast!
I am pleased and honoured to participate in this policy debate of the cluster that is always contested in the media arena: the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster. Let me reiterate that the Freedom Charter remains the platform of the ANC. Let me quote one or two issues from the Freedom Charter that speak to this cluster: “All shall be equal before the law.” This refers to access to courts and legislation.
Let me highlight what the National Development Plan says: “In order to prevent crime and increase public safety, an efficient and effective criminal justice system is necessary.” The plan recommends more coherent implementation and reporting of the seven-point plan adopted by Cabinet in 2007. My debate will be premised on the said highlights of the NDP.
This department has made significant strides in addressing the challenges of the past 20 years. Now the ANC wants to move South Africa forward. The ANC manifesto committed to do the following in the next five years:
We will continue to prioritise incidents of domestic violence and crimes against women and children by further strengthening the Sexual Offences and Community Affairs Unit and pursuing a multi-disciplinary approach in our fight against violence against women and children.
It is pleasing to note that this department indeed understands what the ANC wants to deliver for its people. It has prioritised the goals by aligning the manifesto to their annual performance plans. Starting with the strategic priorities of the Department of Justice and Correctional Services, the department is responsible for Outcome 3, which states that all people in South Africa should be and feel safe. In this second phase of transition for radical socioeconomic transformation, there should be an acceleration of the transformation of judicial services.
I am pleased with the plans and measures in place for the transformation of state legal services. I noted the innovativeness of the department in kick-starting the implementation of State Attorney Amendment Act, Act 13 of 2014, which is the key to unlocking the transformation agenda by reprioritising funding to run this train of transformation. We urgently need to see to it that the train reaches its destination.
We therefore call on the legal fraternity to donate its services, in the spirit of working together to build a better South Africa. To address the needs of vulnerable group, 12 sexual offences courts should be re-established, as well as the rolling out of a trauma debriefing programme and improving maintenance services.
Increasing access to justice by building six new courts is the key to services like maintenance, traffic fines, legal and criminal cases, etc. Small claims courts should be established across most of our provincial districts, with plans in the near future to open in all the districts of a province.
As the ANC, we welcome the undertaking by the department that it will meet with the Department of Public Works to address the issue of infrastructure, something that needs urgent attention. This must be implemented in this current financial year, because they were not released in the last financial year, in order for them to realise the goal of accelerating access to the services provided by the Master of the Court and the State Attorney’s office.
As the ANC, we have noted - and it is worrisome - the Occupation Specific Dispensation, OSD, issues that are affecting both the Departments of Police and of Correctional Service and Justice. It would be prudent for both departments to engage the Department of Public Service and Administration and to address the OSD since it has a pivotal role in addressing those challenges and because it affects critical posts for service delivery. If not addressed, they may impinge on the service delivery in some areas of the two departments.
The spending priorities of the Department of Correctional Services for the 2014-15 financial year involve the incarceration, rehabilitation and social reintegration programmes. These will be used to reduce escapes; register the offenders for participation in education and skills development programmes; and lastly, to increase the percentage of paroles per year without violation.
Setswana:
Ke mang yo o ka reng ANC e latlhetse Freedom Charter kwa thoko, go ya ka se ba se buileng kwa tshimologong?
English:
I think that congratulations are in order for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, Ipid, for its unqualified audit report. Furthermore, we are looking forward to the institution continuing to achieve a clean audit. Despite the fact that the institution is only three years old, we noted that they have made strides in realigning its budget to support the core mandate and strategic objectives with which they were grappling.
Now they can work together towards improving the trust between the community and the SA Police Service and reassuring the citizens that they are committed to their safety. As the select committee we should jealously guard this institution and we call on the Treasury to look in its kitty to see if it makes provision for increasing the budget for that institution.
We call on the institution to expedite the retention policy in order to address the issue of staff retention. This issue might negatively affect and impact on its effectiveness moving forward. Moreover, the Department of Public Service and Administration must also expedite remuneration uniformity by finalising the remuneration policy, which will culminate in single public service legislation.
The national democratic revolution seeks to abolish the combination of sources of social conflict. Therefore, the ANC seeks to build a democracy with social content. Informed by our own concrete conditions and experiences, this will in some respects reflect the best traditions of social democracy and will include a system that places the needs of the poor and social issues such as the social safety net at the top of the national agenda.
The National Development Plan envisages the transformation of the police into a professional institution through the objectives of demilitarising and professionalising the police service. We as the ANC believe that the department is on track to realising the objectives of the NDP with regards to demilitarising the police service. Given our interaction with them in the select committee briefing on the annual performance plan and the budget presentation, we believe that the multifaceted approach will enable them to realise the goals. They will prioritise the capacity building of officers and enhance the community outreach programmes and the strategy for new recruits to the service.
Let me highlight some of the 31 priorities for the 2014 financial year, as follows: the establishment of victim-friendly facilities; the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act of 1998; the capacity of police stations to implement the service delivery improvement programme; youth crime prevention and social crime prevention.
The above-mentioned spending priorities speak to the Department of Justice as well. This is a clear display of sync and integration of programmes by the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster. This cluster is expected to deliver services to the people of South Africa efficiently, effectively and with professionalism.
To conclude, because these priorities speak to the ANC’s manifesto and the NDP in pursuit of radical transformation, we the ANC support the entire budget presented in this House by these two hon Ministers. I believe that they will move South Africa forwards.
Setswana:
Ebile ke dumela gore ga ba oketse marago ka maje. Ke a leboga.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
Ms G M MANOPOLE
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The DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers, hon members, I do not have much time but I just want to respond briefly to two points raised by the hon Michalakis. The first one was that he accused the ANC of attacking the Public Protector. I think it would be useful to engage with you on exactly what was said. What were the attacks - were they attacks or was it constructive criticism? I think there is a little bit of hypocrisy here. Let us take the attack last week - and I use the word “attack” specifically, because that is what it was - by your DA mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, on the Human Rights Commission. In the past there has also been an attack by your leader of the DA and the Premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille, on the Human Rights Commission. Those are attacks. So you cannot accuse one party for saying one thing, which, I would hold, is criticism - and nobody should be above criticism - with specific attacks by your leadership when you just do not like the reports.
The second point I wanted to make is that I think you need to read up a bit to improve your knowledge of history. [Interjections.] Your comparison and your equation of Marikana with Sharpeville suggest that you obviously do not know the facts of what happened at Sharpeville. On the morning of the Sharpeville massacre, nobody had been killed. So it is all very well to politic. I mean, what happened at Marikana was a tragedy, but do not politic with our history.
Just on the issue of history - and particularly for the hon Michalakis and his ilk - in May 1992, two years before our democratic election, the ANC released the document “Ready to Govern: ANC Policy Guidelines for a Democratic South Africa”. It was a comprehensive piece of work and set out the ANC’s policies and vision for the future.
Paragraph eight of that document states, and I quote:
There will be no part of South Africa from which the law and the Constitution will be excluded ... All South Africans shall have recourse to independent courts of law and other tribunals. The bench will be transformed in such a way as to consist of men and women drawn from all sections of South African society.
These are the two issues that I want to focus on: How do we ensure that all South Africans have recourse to the courts of law? Secondly, regarding the transformation of the bench, I want to deal specifically with our magistracy, or the lower courts.
As far as access is concerned, the small claims courts are a vital component in the quest for access to justice, as a cheap and easy-to-understand place to resolve civil disputes when the amount in dispute is less than R15 000. This is a success story. And it is the aim of the department to ensure that there is a well-functioning small claims court in each of our 393 magisterial districts. To date we have 303 small claims courts. The vast majority of these are sitting in rural areas and former black areas. Since the start of the current financial year, 10 small claims courts have been established and gazetted. Three more are to be gazetted shortly. These are in Glen Grey or Mount Frere in the Eastern Cape, Christiana in the North West and Calitzdorp in the Western Cape. Two are still to be processed.
As this is a provincial House, I just want to report on the specifics of each province as far as small claims court coverage is concerned. In Gauteng and Mpumalanga there is 100% coverage. In other words, there is a small claims court in each and every one of the magisterial districts. Limpopo has 94% coverage, with only two small claims courts still needed. Free State has 80% coverage, with 11 courts still to be established. KwaZulu-Natal has 79% coverage, with 12 courts still to be established. North West has 72% coverage, with eight courts still to be established. Western Cape has 65%, with 15 still to be established. Northern Cape has 62% coverage, with 12 courts to be established. The Eastern Cape has 60% coverage, with 31 still to be established.
I am pleased to say that with the assistance of our regional officers and provincial role-players we are busy finalising a plan of action for the establishment of the remaining small claims courts. The biggest challenge really lies in finding suitable persons to serve as commissioners. And I want to urge members of this House to assist in trying to identify people, especially in the smaller towns.
Regarding our magistrates, significant progress has been made in establishing a lower court judiciary which is, as the Ready to Govern policy document says, and I quote, “drawn from all sections of South African society”. Figures for the fourth quarter show that 40% of our magistracy is white, 60% black and 43% of the black group are African. With regard to gender, however, only 40% are female.
In addition to the issue of transformation, additional magistrate posts have also been created. From 2000 to 2014, 227 new posts of magistrates at various levels were created, with 112 being created in October last year alone. A total of 309 posts, both vacancies and newly created posts, were advertised by the Magistrates’ Commission in November last year. The commission is currently busy with the appointment processes. Unfortunately delays were caused by the general election because a number of members of the commission are members of both Houses of Parliament.
There was an attempt to get the appointments committee of the commission to split itself in two. However, they decided that given the number of newly appointed members, it would be best not to proceed with splitting the appointment committee in two and doing double the amount of work. In the meantime, however, the vacant posts are filled by acting appointments, which in terms of the Magistrates’ Court Act can only be for a maximum of three months at a time. One of the challenges is to ensure that we do not turn those acting appointments into permanent appointments by having people acting for too long a period. These are but two of the many initiatives undertaken by our department to ensure enhanced justice for all our people.
The history of the ANC shows a proud legacy in the pursuit of access to justice and the attainment of human rights. In his address in 1892, entitled “Upon My Native Land”, the first president of the ANC, John Langalibalele Dube, called for a free and prosperous Africa. Pixley Ka Seme echoed this call in 1905. In 1923 the ANC became the first political organisation on the continent to adopt a Bill of Rights, which laid the basis for human rights and justice for all. Rev Zaccheus Mahabane, who became president-general of the ANC in 1924, dedicated his life’s work to equality and human rights. And so the list continues. The people who want to try and airbrush out that history because they are still so caught up in the pre-1994 or pre-1990 image of the ANC as being an organisation to be afraid of really need to go back and read their history.
Now, more than a century after Dube’s address, we will continue to strive tirelessly towards ensuring justice for all South Africans, black and white, rich and poor, urban and rural. With the assistance of this House in supporting this Budget Vote, we can continue to make access to justice a reality. I thank you.
Mr M KWAWULA
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): Order! I call on the hon Mr Matebus. [Interjections.]
THE CHIEF WHIP OF THE COUNCIL: Chair, according to the information that came to my office, the hon Mtileni is not debating. If there are changes, those changes have not been processed through the correct channels.
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi): Order! According to the information that I have before me, I am calling hon Matebus. I thought ... [Interjections.] ... the wrong man is standing. Can you process that accordingly? Without further ado, hon Khawula, please proceed with the debate
Mr M KHAWULA
The TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (Mr A J Nyambi)
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Mr M KHAWULA: Hon Presiding Officer, hon Minister Masutha, hon Minister Nhleko, Deputy Ministers and colleagues, the IFP supports the belated demilitarisation of the police in order to move the SA Police Service away from its history of brutality. The unbecoming incidents involving some members of the SA Police Service at Marikana, Cato Manor and the KwaMashu hostel, as well as the Mido Macia incident in Daveyton, the Sidwell Mkwambi incident in Bellville, the Andries Tatane incident in Ficksburg - the list goes on and on. These are all testimonies of our police overstepping the mark.
Due to police brutality and illegal arrests, civil claims against the SA Police Service increased by 142% from 2010-11. To date these civil claims have cost the department about R18,5 billion in the process of litigation and other related costs.
Service delivery protests have increased in the country. Some of these have needed personnel specially trained in crowd handling. On the other hand, the department has centralised the Public Order Policing Unit. In the process of this centralisation, the numbers of the members dwindled drastically, from the initial 11 000 members to 4 000 members. This is a concern that needs to be addressed.
The measures to professionalise the SA Police Service are with an objective to strengthen the criminal justice system, by inter alia, opening the Paarl Police University. This is a step in the right direction. The National Development Plan says:
In 2030, people living in South Africa feel safe and have no fear of crime. They are safe at home, at school, at work and they enjoy an active community life free of fear. Women can walk freely in the streets and children can play safely outside. The police service is a well-resourced professional institution, staffed by highly skilled officers who value their work, serve the community, safeguard lives and property without discrimination, protect the peaceful against violence and respect the rights of all to equality and justice.
This future life envisaged by the National Development Plan says a lot about what is not happening now and should actually be happening. It is a very pregnant vision. Be that as it may, as communities, we do not want to feel safe in 2030. We want to feel safe now.
Recently there has been a steady increase in the incidence of police suicide. This has been coupled with innocent close relatives of such members also becoming fatal victims. The authorities must quickly attend to this unfortunate turn of events.
It is reported that police officers with the ranks of captain, lieutenant and colonel have not been graded for the past 12 years. This is a concern. Grading is accompanied by the financial betterment of deserving members. This is an incentive and motivation that has been removed and/or denied to members of the service, and it must be revived. You will not have a happy workforce if you do not rank and pay them deservedly and accordingly.
Programme 4 of the Crime Intelligence Unit has remained with decreased personnel in 2013-14. The intention is using unspent salary funds from vacant posts to implement grade progression for qualifying officials. This is a bad strategy and it sets the wrong precedent. Grade progression must be budgeted for and should not eat into other service delivery programmes, thereby jeopardising them.
Sector policing has a distance of about 20 km from one police station to another in an urban area, and a distance of between 40 km to 80 km in rural areas. This is an unnecessary urban bias against rural communities. The allocation of resources to police stations also reflects this bias against rural police stations at times.
The IFP is concerned about the civilian leadership of the police, reflected by the current President and the previous President’s choices of police commissioner at national level. This has further been worsened by the authorities’ choice of the Director of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate. The aim of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate is to ensure independent oversight of the SA Police Service and Municipal Police Service, as well as to conduct independent and impartial investigations. Yet, appointments of these drivers remain seemingly partial.
IsiZulu:
Hhawu bahlonishwa, isikhathi sesidliwe yinja; sesiyobuye siqhubeke ngelinye ilanga. Ngiyathokoza. [Hon members, unfortunately, my time has expired. We will continue another day. Thank you.]
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
Mr M KHAWULA
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The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: Hon Chairperson, all the Security cluster Ministers present in the House this afternoon, colleagues, members, I want to submit that the hon member Mickalakis is a controversial public representative. This is not because of his name but because of the statements he made from this podium this afternoon. Time permitting at the end, I hope to say a few things about those statements.
The Budget Vote presented by Minister Mike Masutha two weeks ago has prioritised the implementation of restorative justice. We appreciate the Minister’s support of the victim-offender dialogues, which are aimed at bringing the victims of crime to the centre of the entire criminal justice system.
In his seminal literary work, Ityala Lamawele [The Lawsuit of the Twins], published exactly a century ago, in 1914, S E K Mqhayi, the renowned Xhosa poet, prose writer and educator, provides an exposé of the amaXhosa people’s legal system in the time of King Hintsa. Mqhayi succeeded in demonstrating that long before our colonisation, Africans had a sound legal system in place. He expressed concern that “the language and the mode of life of the Xhosa people are gradually disappearing because of the gospel and the new civilisation which came with the nations from the West.”
The victim-offender dialogues are akin to African indigenous forms of justice. They are based on a theory of justice that considers crime and wrongdoing to be an offence against an individual or community, rather than just the state.
Participation in the victim-offender dialogues is voluntary, and victim-offender dialogues provide an opportunity for offenders to express remorse to victims without any obligation to be forgiven by victims. The victim-offender dialogues show the highest rate of victim satisfaction and offender accountability. We are, indeed, moving away from the inclination of forgetting and neglecting victims of crimes once sentence has been passed by our courts.
It is a fitting coincidence that we should, today, be debating a budget of correctional services, which, among others, foregrounds a policy intervention that seeks to reclaim the ethos of precolonial African societies, whose demise Mqhayi bemoaned, exactly on the day he died 69 years ago, on 29 July 1945.
The victim-offender dialogues should be viewed as central to the department’s mandate to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders. The leading proponent of restorative justice, Howard Zehr, reminds us that restorative justice derives from the consideration that crime is a violation of people and relationships; crime creates obligations to make things right; justice involves the victim, the offender and the community; and justice seeks solutions that promote repair, reconciliation and reassurance.
Victim-offender dialogues are an important tributary to crime prevention and in ensuring safe and secure living environments. The community, as the victim of crime, needs to move away from retribution and distrust into a new movement that seeks partnerships to re-educate offenders in order to reduce crime.
The purpose of the victim-offender dialogues is, among others, to provide an opportunity for the victim and offender to discuss the offence, to get answers to their questions, to express feelings and to gain a greater sense of closure. It should also provide an opportunity for broad community participation in the fight against crime, and for the prevention of repeat offending.
From these telling observations, it is explicit that for restorative justice and victim-offender dialogues to succeed, we need a cultural leap back to the future. Since the launch of the victim-offender dialogues programme on 28 November 2012 at Secunda in Mpumalanga, 91 victim-offender dialogue sessions were hosted and 1 342 Department of Correctional Services officials were trained in the victim-offender dialogues implementation guidelines.
The programme has recorded modest but encouraging successes. For example, in 1996, when the so-called Worcester bomber, Stefaans Coetzee, was initially interviewed, he said his only regret was that the other three bombs he had planted never exploded. He was unremorseful. With the victim-offender dialogue, Coetzee has now contemplated the consequences of his action in context and has expressed regret and remorse to the surviving victims, families of the deceased and the community of Worcester.
In the Eastern Cape, a mother who has participated in victim-offender dialogues has forgiven an offender who murdered her son. She has adopted this inmate as her own child. The mother and her children regularly visit the offender at the Umtata-based correctional facility and have even give him money. Work should still be done to involve the father of the offender to reconcile with his son.
In Hammarsdale in KwaZulu-Natal, two parolees who went through the victim-offender dialogue programme are back in their communities and are managing their own businesses. The programme has contributed to the destigmatisation of these offenders and afforded them a second chance through their victims and the community.
The victim-offender dialogues are being received well by the press and public. In the story “Prison taught me to tell the truth”, published by The Star on 19 February 2013, a Durban businessman is quoted to have said, “Through the victim-offender dialogue programme I learnt that asking for forgiveness was key to my healing and trying to get closure.” Upon release, this offender, who killed two people and injured 10 others because of negligent driving, has been involved in anticrime talks at schools and continues to participate in the victim-offender dialogues of the department.
The single Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services carries the promise of implementing restorative justice to unprecedented levels. Our victim-offender dialogues are premised on the philosophy and experience of ubuntu. When we say, “Motho ke motho ka batho”, we mean, “My humanity is tied to your humanity”; that is, what makes others worse off also brings harm to oneself.
In her article “Ubuntu and the Law in South Africa”, Justice Yvonne Mokgoro says:
I believe we should incorporate ubuntu into mainstream jurisprudence by harnessing it carefully, consciously, creatively, strategically and with ingenuity so that age-old African social innovations and historical cultural experiences are aligned with present-day legal notions and techniques if the intention is to create a legitimate system of law for all South Africans.
The problem of prison overcrowding and the overwhelming incarceration of Africans is an old one in South Africa. In the 1964 foreword to Nelson Mandela’s No Easy Walk to Freedom, O R Tambo ...
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Hon member, please finish up.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: As I conclude my remarks, I am reminded that reflections on the state and conditions of South Africa’s correctional centres today coincide with a significant development in the annals of our history. On this day in 1921, here in Cape Town, a political organisation whose members became arguably the most dominant and celebrated prisoners of conscience for decades more in South African prisons, the SA Communist Party, was established here.
Allow me, therefore, to dedicate my remarks to the memory of Bram Fischer, who, as fate would have it, subsequently died in prison, and that of his fellow comrades Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Ahmed Timol, Raymond Mhlaba, Wilton Mkwayi, Ahmed Kathrada, Andrew Mlangeni and many more whose lifelong suffering in South African jails made our society clamour for a humane order. This was to the destruction of a system that sought to dehumanise them. Thank you, Chair. [Applause.]
MS M WENGER (Western Cape)
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES
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Ms M WENGER (Western Cape): Hon Chairperson, good afternoon. It is indeed an honour for me to deliver my maiden speech here in the National Council of Provinces on behalf of the Western Cape. In his Budget Vote Speech to the National Assembly two weeks ago, the hon Minister of Police, Nkosinathi Nhleko, quoted the British political scientist Ernest Barker. This is perhaps fitting because Professor Barker placed great emphasis on justice as the supreme guiding ideal. Justice is the ideal of the modern constitutional state – it gives it purpose and it defines the nature of the relationship between a people and their government. This relationship is determined by law and the police bear responsibility and the honour of being its custodians.
Without the police to prevent, combat and investigate criminal acts, no formal justice can be delivered by the state. This Parliament is the people’s representative within the state and, as Parliament, we must ensure that the police are performing to the very best of their ability with the tools that they require to do justice.
The Western Cape suffers from the largest shortage of police officers, more so than any other province. In fact, some provinces, such as the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal, have surplus members while the Western Cape is the most under-resourced province of all. In our province, the shortage of officers accounts for 60% of the national shortage. That is three out of every five members in the country. That is not justice. Of our police stations, 128 are understaffed. That is 85% of the total. That is not justice.
Beyond the calculations of debate, this statistic has a very real meaning. It means that our most vulnerable communities do not have enough police officers to serve them. Indeed, the 10 stations that experience the highest crime levels, and which are collectively responsible for half of the crime in this province, have some of the lowest police officer ratios to the population they serve - at three to four times less than the national norm. The people who are most affected by crime have the fewest police officers.
In the interests of justice, surely these stations should be getting a disproportionate amount of officers and resources to tackle crime head on. I ask, on behalf of the citizens of the Western Cape, and in particular on behalf of the residents of Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Kraaifontein, Mfuleni, Mitchells Plain, Phillippi and Bishop Lavis, that the Minister, as the new incumbent, addresses the shortage of officers as a priority, please.
In Klapmuts recently, there was only one – only one - police officer manning the station on a particular evening. Robbers came in, ruthlessly killed the officer and stole police firearms. His family is left waiting for justice because Warrant Officer Britz was made vulnerable by the lack of support and resources given by his own organisation. This Parliament should thank him for his service but also say that never again will we allow another police officer to work undersupported and under-resourced.
Being a police officer is a dangerous and often thankless duty. We must ensure that these brave men and women have the tools and the resources they need not only to do their job but also to protect them from harm as far as possible. That is justice.
We know that there was a recent drive to recruit 600 officers in our province. But this will only address half of the shortage. We need at least 1 000 new recruits. And it will take two years before these recruits are street ready. Why can we not take some officers from other provinces, perhaps, to ensure that the Western Cape has the support it needs in the meantime?
The problem of not enough officers has been compounded by the inordinate amount of time it has taken to complete the Reservist Policy – during which time half a decade passed by in which police reservists could not be recruited. In the Western Cape in 2008, there were 22 159 instances in which police reservists were used. By 2012, this had diminished to a little over 2 700. The last annual report tells us that year on year the police in the Western Cape were unable to even maintain this low level of reservist activity and there was a decrease of over 1 000 active reservists, amounting to 82 000 less police hours in one year. This means that 82 000 hours of justice were denied to this province.
Each province is different in the safety challenges it experiences and policing must be responsive and adaptive to the unique needs of those provinces. I firmly believe that this warrants a policy debate on the merit of a centralised police service and whether this best serves the safety ideals of our Constitution.
Considering our Constitution, section 206 has some provisions to assist those responsible for the police to introduce tailor-made approaches instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. It notes that the Minister of Police must determine national policy after consulting provincial governments and after the Minister has taken into account the policing needs and priorities of each individual province. It goes even further to note that there can be different policies for different provinces. This is a legacy of our terrible past, when the centralised apartheid police force stood unreformed, untransformed and unresponsive to the needs of a truly representative, democratic ... [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! There is a point of order, madam.
Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape): Chair, I just want to check if the member is aware that South Africa is a unitary country, not a federal state, when she demands separate policies for separate provinces.
IsiXhosa:
Ucinga ukuba sindawoni apha?
Ms M WENGER (Western Cape): Read section section 206 of the Constitution.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Please, ladies, behave like hon members. [Interjections.] Hon member, do you want to respond?
Ms M WENGER (Western Cape): What I have just ... [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Will the other members please take their seats? I have not recognised them.
Ms M WENGER (Western Cape): What I have just stated comes directly from section 206 of the Constitution of the Republic.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Thank you, madam. Hon van Lingen, are you rising on a point of order?
Ms E C VAN LINGEN: Chairperson, yes, I rose on a point of order because the previous member from the Eastern Cape should have asked you whether the member on the podium would take a question. But she proceeded, as was the case before, to ask her question. I think that was the point of order that should have been made.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: That is noted, madam. Yes, hon member?
Mr J W W JULIUS: Thank you, Chair, I am covered by the previous member.
Ms E C VAN LINGEN: Stick to the rules, Chairperson!
Ms M WENGER (Western Cape): All provinces should be able to make use of this tailor-made approach, which allows the police to be more responsive to the needs of communities and which in turn builds trust.
We have the National Development Plan, the principles of which, I am pleased to note, received a lot of attention in the Minister’s speech. Interventions aimed at putting the NDP into practice are most welcome. We hope that in line with the NDP, specialised units will also be re-established. The Western Cape government has determined the reintroduction of the specialised units for gangs and drugs as a policing need in our province because drug and gang crimes plague our communities on a daily basis.
Given the fact that we have no say in police planning, we cannot put these policy recommendations into effect. And this is very serious because innocent children are caught in gang cross-fire and families are afraid to leave their homes when gangster bullets fire at random. I hope that the Minister will take this into account when determining the unique police policy for our province.
The police is set to receive roughly R72,5 billion in this financial year. The police’s budget has more than tripled in the last decade, moving from roughly R21 billion to almost R73 billion. Unfortunately, we have not seen an equal reduction in the crime statistics.
With a budget allocation of roughly R200 million per day every day for the next year, police management and each and every police officer have an immense responsibility to deliver to the citizens of our country; an immense responsibility to relentlessly uphold the law, maintain order, prevent crime and conduct good investigations that lead to convictions in court. Similarly, the citizens of South Africa have a responsibility to be law-abiding and to assist and support the police, because safety is everyone’s responsibility and each person can and must take steps to ensure their own safety as well as that of others.
To conclude, I take this opportunity to wish the Minister well in his new role. I also take the opportunity to say thank you to the men and women in blue who put their lives on the line for us each day and who, despite difficult circumstances, fight on for justice - the supreme guiding ideal. Thank you. [Applause.]
Mr M A MATEBUS
Ms M WENGER
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Mr M A MATEBUS: Chairperson, thank you for the time. I want to take this opportunity to greet hon members and the Ministers. Correctional facilities are mainly places to harden and graduate offenders into hard-core criminals. They are places of rape and violence, which makes prisoners turn to gangs for protection. This perpetuates the cycle of violence.
The risks of overcrowding include the risk of contracting TB and HIV/Aids infection. Correctional facilities are not actually correctional.
There are no systems in place to deal with that juvenile offenders, who are treated like hard-core criminals for petty crimes.
Access to justice in our country largely depends on socioeconomic realities. This sees the poor being left to rot in jail for being unable to pay bail of as little as R500. Poor offenders often have lengthy trial times – sometimes more than a year – for failing to pay bail.
Furthermore, Legal Aid SA is being granted only R1,6 billion to assist those who cannot afford private lawyers. It is common knowledge that this body is underfunded and overstretched. This undermines its effort to empower poor and vulnerable clients in accessing legal services and making informed choices.
Magistrates, court officials and staff are underpaid and overworked. There are backlogs of cases and the courts are inaccessible to the poor. The criminal justice system is extremely ruthless to the poor but lenient to criminals who misappropriate billions, such as tax evaders, price fixers and those who bribe their way to being above the law. Despite the fact that the SA Police Service is well resourced, the actual work on the ground does not reflect that.
We have been called on again to fund a programme that was tried and failed - that of demilitarising the police. That will put an additional burden on the fiscus. The civil claims against the police have shown an increase in the last four years, since the 2010/2011 budget. Illegal arrests have cost the state R18,5 billion in the process.
The police in this country have been used to serve the political ends of the state, as well as its financial interests. A clear example of this was the Marikana massacre, where the police killed 34 miners to protect ANC senior cadres or stalwarts, as well as white monopoly capital.
The police in this country are generally mistrusted because of the increase in police brutality. Lately we do not see what is different between the police of today and the apartheid police. The EFF will not support a department that promotes the criminalisation of the police. Government must deliver services. The police cannot be called in every time to shoot at people for demanding better salaries and services.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Hon Rayi, are you rising on a point of order?
Mr M RAYI: Yes, Chairperson, on a point of order: I would like to request that the hon member withdraw his assertion that the police killed people in Marikana, because currently there is a commission that has not yet decided whether the police were the ones who killed those people in Marikana. Thank you.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon members, you are putting me in serious trouble. The massacre in Marikana did happen; bullets were fired; there is a commission. In other words, I am saying that both of you are right and both of you are wrong. There is a commission that is sitting. It has not concluded its business. Can we leave it at that? [Interjections.] Hon Mtileni?
Mr V E MTILENI: Chair, I am not aware if you are allowing me to talk?
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: I am allowing you to talk, so say your piece, hon member. Oh, you are sitting down. Continue, hon Matebus.
Mr M A MATEBUS: The police must be retrained and every police officer must understand that they are law enforcers and that they should protect instead of harm citizens. Thank you.
Mr G O MOLAPISI
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Mr M A MATEBUS
Mr G O MOLAPISI (North West): Hon Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Ministers, Chief Whip, hon members, MECs present, delegates from the provinces, the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Justice, generals and other senior members of the SA Police Service, distinguished guests, South Africa is a unitary state. Hon Mickalakis, Winston Churchill said; “The price of greatness is responsibility over each of your thoughts.” I am saying this because on 21 July, during the Minister’s Budget Vote, we observed with dismay the negative remarks made by the member of the Opposition when he was bashing the police and its entire management. We want to say to the hon member that the mind is a wonderful servant but it can also be a terrible master. If you have become a negative thinker, it is because you have not cared for your mind and taken the time to train it to focus on the good. [Applause.]
This Budget Vote debate comes at a time when the world has just celebrated a successful International Mandela Day a week ago for the first time since his death in December 2013. We recognise the 67 years of his selfless struggle to change the socioeconomic challenges facing the people of this country and the world. Let his soul continue to rest in peace.
The importance of this debate is that it comes at a time when we just had our fifth general election, with all the challenges and successes still fresh in our memories. I am standing here with clear memories of the different conditions under which some of our people still live.
As the North West province, we believe that the Budget Vote is in line with both the Freedom Charter policy position on security, the manifesto of the ANC and the National Development Plan, which is our vision – Vision 2030. We also believe that it positions South Africa better in the fight against crime and corruption.
It is clear in your speech, Minister, that policing is a societal responsibility. As a province, the North West is extremely excited with the direction and the policy position under your leadership which, in my view, is a continuation from the past administration. This is a clear demonstration that the ANC-led government will always listen to its people and assess its policies and strategies and effect changes where necessary in order to benefit South Africa and its people as we move South Africa forward.
We want to thank the Minister for the visit to our province on 25 July to share his vision and that of the department with us. The Budget Vote speech has already created and stirred a serious and constructive debate among the police and the community. It has also created enthusiasm and brought about renewed energy among the stakeholders.
We would like to commend the Minister and his department for their emphasis on resourcing police stations; community involvement in policing matters; revisiting some of the existing policies on the police; and capacitating police officials and equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge. This has renewed the hope among many South Africans of walking their streets freely and without fear as we move South Africa forward.
The efforts by the provincial commissioner in the province to support the administration and its direction are visible. The plans to build new police stations in remote communities and areas where the existing police stations cannot cope with the demand due to new developments; the efforts to revive and sustain community forums and other stakeholder relations; and the redeployment of senior police management and generals to provide much-needed leadership and guidance across the province are deeply appreciated.
These efforts, in some instances and to a large extent, will ensure greater police visibility and will improve the response time, which is still lacking in specific areas due to, among other causes, the human factor, a lack of resources, etc.
It is also important to note that the people of the North West have already displayed their willingness to co-operate with the criminal justice system by conducting citizen’s arrests within the boundaries of the law.
This is best explained in the incident where the community of Naauwpoort in the Mahikeng area arrested and handed over to the police a suspect in a case where an 83-year-old granny was raped and killed in her own home. We want to salute this community and we condemn the incident in the strongest terms possible. The community’s conduct will go a long way and it serves as a perfect example of a good relationship between the police and the community.
The premier of the North West, Mr Mahumapelo, has emphasised the significance of the traditional authorities, religious communities and other stakeholders in his administration. This gesture of respect and recognition of our tribal authorities and religious leaders, among others, will also go a long way in addressing moral values in our communities.
On 23 July, the entire executive, under the leadership of the premier, held a reconciliation, healing and renewal ceremony in Bloemhof. This was led by the various religious leaders after Bloemhof was characterised by a series of violent incidents and was declared a hotspot before the election. All these emphasised the need for the police to work with the community and the benefits thereof.
This is further reinforced by the existing knowledge gap between the ordinary police detectives and the normal court prosecutors, which explains the gap between successful prosecution and the reported cases. Crime against women, children, the disabled and the elderly is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. A lot has been done in this regard but there is a lot that still needs to be done.
We recognise the importance of our community leaders, traditional authorities, religious leadership and every single community member and their willingness to help fight crime and corruption.
In conclusion, we are demonstrating all these initiatives to confirm and endorse our support for this Budget Vote. It is our strongest belief and conviction that partnership is the way to go.
Setswana:
Kgetse ya tsie e kgonwa ke go tshwaraganelwa. Ke a leboga. [Legofi.]
Mr S G THOBEJANE
Mr G O MOLAPISI
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Mr S G THOBEJANE: Hon Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon Chief Whip, members of the National Council of Provinces, special delegates from our provinces, ladies and gentlemen, and the people of South Africa, good afternoon. I am going to deal with these three budgets in a very short space of time. I just want to indicate that we know that the ANC, when it was planning to deliver South Africa to where it is today, it did not waste time to consult people who did not understand where the country was supposed to go. It did that on its own.
The reason for this is that if you look at the history of the ANC, from 1912 to date, you will see that when we gathered from time to time to consider where South Africa was, security and justice became the core of the ANC. Therefore, even today, when we are deliberating on these budgets, we are guided by this principle, saying that the security and justice of our people come first, before any other consideration. Hence, even in our manifesto, if you look among the five priorities, security is at the core.
We are still saying that we have not done enough yet. We still need to create a country that is stable and has guaranteed peace. We need to ensure that everybody has security and a safe environment, without any compromise. We are taking into consideration that the Minister of Police indicated to us here this evening that when he was considering the budget that he tabled before this House, he was guided by the blueprint document of the ANC, the NDP.
In the NDP there are five key areas that have been highlighted in relation to security. Among them is the strengthening of the criminal justice system. When you talk about that, you cannot implement it without partnering with other institutions, including the Department of Basic Education, where we have identified that our schools need to be a safer environment for our children in order to build a South Africa that we will be proud of.
Sometimes it is worrying to be in the highest House in the country and find people deliberately misrepresenting facts, despite the fact that everybody in South Africa has stood up and said that South Africa is better than what it was before 1994. It is amazing when you find an hon member standing here and saying that South Africa has never shifted to any level under the leadership of the ANC. It is amazing.
We need to remind our hon members that in this House we are calling you hon members for a reason. Once you start deliberately misrepresenting facts, we will never continue calling you an hon member. We will look for a term that will suit you. I guess we will find that term very soon. [Applause.]
We cannot keep on having people who are deliberately misrepresenting facts to the people of South Africa. The people of South Africa have trusted you and instructed you to gather here and deliberate on issues that are important to them and nothing else.
The Minister talked about the fact that the professionalism of the police is something that needs to be considered. We need to change the police from being military. We inherited the police in that state from the apartheid system. They had military police because then they did not have the intention of giving the people security. Their intention was to kill our people, but now we do not have the intention to kill anyone. We want professional police who will understand the needs of the society; who will work with the society and make sure that they achieve the goals that the society has set up for security and justice. We thought that this idea was something that needed to be pursued in order for us to achieve what we want.
We are aware that the crime prevention strategy needs to be enriched because the criminals are so sophisticated. They move in tandem with you, Minister. As you develop systems, they also develop systems ahead of you. So, we need to work together and leave this idea of politicking at the expense of peoples’ lives. Let us all talk facts and all say that we want to build a South Africa that we will be proud of.
If there is anyone seated in this House who still says he does not care about security and justice, he is a lost person. We need people who will all contribute to saying that we should have security and justice. We need to do things differently now. We need to make sure that our communities become our focus in the direction that we are working towards.
Sometimes one gets confused, for example when some people who come from a little province want to compete with national government. I mean, the Western Cape as a province cannot be equated with South Africa as a country. But every day it looks as if there are people who are addicted to the words “Western Cape”. Whenever they stand on this podium, they will tell you about the Western Cape, while we are talking of a national crime prevention strategy to address the challenges that are confronting us. [Interjections.]
By the way, we are dealing with the legacy of some of your own ancestors. We are addressing things that have been damaged by you. When you talk, you need to be very careful that you do not waste our time and that we should have been talking about other things. For the past 20 years we were addressing your own legacy, which is very ugly. Nobody wanted to associate himself ... Today, all of you, when you stand here, you want to claim that you have never been part of apartheid. You are part of apartheid. You cannot cheat us forever. You need to stop delaying us and help us progress and build the nation that will be beneficial to all of us. [Applause.]
We cannot forever be hearing about Western Cape this, Western Cape that. What is Western Cape? We are talking South Africa. You must start planning for the bigger picture, not the little picture in a cocoon, but a family issue. We are running the nation here; you included. Do you hear what I am saying? We are creating a better home for you. We want you to be safe. [Interjections.]
Of course you can try that. I knew it. When we remind you of your ugly picture, you become agitated. You cannot sit down; you have to roar. We understand. This is not surprising. For God’s sake, you know you will never even intimidate me. You did not when you were still in power and you will never do it today and you will never do it in future. [Applause.]
The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services made mention of one important area that is close to my heart, which is the revival of the Traditional Courts Bill. We are going to work with you and make sure that we produce a law that will be suitable for all South Africans and make sure that Africans remain the original founders of this particular piece of legislation.
Sepedi:
Ka segagešo ba re: ”Moeng o naka di maripa.” Ke bona mohlolo mo Afrika-Borwa. Batho ba tšwa gagabobona ge ba fihla mo ga ba na dinaka tšela tša maripa, ba re hlaba ka dinaka tša bona tše ditelele. Dula o iketle, re tla go hlompha. Eupša ge o sa re hlomphe, re ka se dire bjalo le rena. Ke nagana gore rena ga re na lebaka leo le re thibelago gore re thekge ditekanyetšo tše gore di fetišwe ka gore ke tšona tšeo di tlogo tšea Afrika-Borwa tša e iša go bokamoso bjo bokaone. Ke a leboga. [Legoswi.]
THE MINISTER OF POLICE
Mr S G THOBEJANE
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The MINISTER OF POLICE: Hon Chairperson and hon members, in response to the debate I firstly thank you very much for the positive contributions that have been made by a number of speakers and participants in this debate. There are also a few areas that I want to touch on just briefly to give clarity. The hon Deputy Minister, Andries Nel, has signed up as a police reservist. I mention this precisely because we should all take a cue from his example. The leadership he has provided shows that it is everyone’s responsibility to create a safe and secure environment to live in. We should all learn from the step taken by the hon Deputy Minister. I am just throwing this in as a particular example.
There are a few points that have been raised and perhaps in my response I will try to bundle them together. I think that the hon Ximbi, the chairperson, is absolutely right: We had an apartheid police institution that was unleashed on our people and it cannot be compared to what we have today. It can never by any measure be compared to what we have today. Last night, someone who was a student at Turfloop was relating the experience that, as students, whenever they saw a police van, they knew they needed to run. It was like that. In fact, his story is not an isolated case. In many different circumstances, in our respective communities, that is what the South African police represented at that time. They represented oppression.
Therefore, post 1994, we have had some significant shifts. Of course we have alluded to the fact that we still have challenges that we must continue to address to transform the police force. One of the interventions is the issue of professionalising and demilitarising the police service.
When we debate issues of policing and the creation of a safe and secure environment, as well as a stable society, we should be able to create the necessary linkages. The hon Mickalakis spoke about recidivism, which is actually reoffending. The reason you have that, hon member, is precisely because the social circumstances under which the majority of our people live have not been effectively addressed. We are still in the process of dealing with those particular issues. Therefore, when you deal with the matter of crime and incarceration, among other things, you should also be able to put into the equation the fact that if we have not fundamentally addressed our social conditions, which, by and large, become a production point for criminal activity in our society, we shall always battle with this particular matter.
If you want to know about the independence of the judiciary in South Africa and the Chapter 9 institutions, the best advice I can give you is this: Go and speak to one judge or to many judges whom you know around the country and ask them about their experience during apartheid and see if they will indeed tell you that they were independent.
The second thing is that it is not possible for the ANC to insist that the Constitution should have clauses talking about the independence of the judiciary and of the Chapter 9 institutions, for example, and then the next day turn around and say that they do not want the independence of the judiciary. If the ANC was in the position to do that, then indeed it would be quite schizophrenic. But as far as I know, we are talking about an organisation that is quite sober and at its full senses, so it really knows and values what is there in the principles enshrined in the Constitution.
The issue around the question of caseloads, for example, refers to a point that we have also placed emphasis on: We will continue, as the SA Police Service, to make a contribution to strengthening the criminal justice system in the country. So, all that it refers to is the need for us to co-ordinate and strengthen mechanisms so that the question of the caseloads, which you were referring to, are matters that will indeed be attended to because that is in the interest of justice.
On the issue of undertrained police officers, I disagree with you. You will not have a country like South Africa, which stages major events like the World Cup and other events, and so on, with an untrained police service, as you put it, and then still have successful events. It is not possible. [Applause.] I am not saying that we should not continue to step up efforts, for example, to train our people in issues of public order policing and so forth. It is not possible to talk about an untrained police service in circumstances where a country has over 13 000 public protests and only less than 2 000 turn violent. We still respond responsibly and appropriately as the SA Police Service even under such circumstances. It is absolutely not true.
The hon Deputy Minister, John Jeffrey, is absolutely right - people should not make this mistake. First and foremost, let me just say that I think we should value the fact that we have the Marikana Commission of Inquiry. In the history of this country, you had an SA Police Force that killed people and there was absolutely no consequence. They killed our people in Sharpeville; there was no consequence and no commission. They killed Steve Biko, Neil Aggett and many others and there was absolutely no consequence. Therefore, to stand here and begin to compare a tragedy such as the one that we had in Marikana and compare it to a Sharpeville, when our people were treated with disdain and absolute hatred by a state agency such as the police service of the time, that is unjust in itself. It is also an act of disrespect to the rule of law because what we need to do is to respect that we have the commission. Let us therefore be guided by the articulation that will eventually come out of the commission.
Hon member Khawula, thank you very much for supporting the issue of demilitarisation and also for pointing out that we do have incidents that are quite isolated. For example, you also mentioned the issue of Mido Macia, where we acted accordingly. With regard to the centralisation of public order policing, you must remember that we have recently re-established it. So, as we speak, we are standing at about 4 800, but we are continuing to increase capacity. In the next four or five years, we want to double that number to the region of about 10 000 to 12 000. So, it is something that we are paying attention to.
Of course we take note of some of the issues raised. Hon Wenger, from the Western Cape, thank you very much for congratulating me and praying for me. [Laughter.] I think I need those kinds of prayers. Your recognition of the fact that a large number of our people in the police service are doing their jobs to the best of their ability, under very difficult circumstances, is a gratifying point.
You talked about underresourcing, so maybe let us also note that particular point. Wherever you go in the country, you will always come across the question of the manner in which we are deploying resources and whether they are sufficient or not, and so forth. You always come across those matters. The debate that we as South Africans should be having is this: Do we think the issues of policing in South Africa can adequately be addressed through the number of police? I think we need to confront that question.
I asked the Institute for Security Studies this question because they alluded to this point. There is research from Colombia - you know the situation in Colombia. The manner in which they have reduced their crime levels without increases in police personnel is quite interesting. They looked at alternative ways and means of intervening at the societal level and as a result they have experienced a decrease in crime. So, I have asked the ISS to also favour me with that kind of research work, because it is quite interesting. Safety is everyone’s responsibility, hon member Wenger - you are absolutely right.
Hon member Matebus, it is really difficult to say anything around the issues that you mentioned. Of course, the SA Police Service must function within a democratic context and it must further the interests of the democratic state. It must be able to do that. It cannot further any other interests. Policing and the creation of a safe and secure environment are in the interest of development and democracy. Therefore, that is what the police service must be able to fit into, in terms of an agenda that needs to be followed.
Hon MEC from Limpopo, the hon Mokaba-Phukwana, a multifaceted approach to fighting crime is one of those interventions that will certainly stand us in good stead and enable us to deal with the issue of the fight against crime and corruption in our society. Thank you very much, Chairperson. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The MINISTER OF POLICE
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The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! I now call on the hon Masutha. [Interjections.] Hon Masutha, are you not availing yourself of the chance to close the debate?
The MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: Chair, I did not hear you when you called me, because there was some background noise.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: I did call you.
The MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: I believe in the rule of law and obeying the rules of the House and the Chair is paramount to me. [Interjections.] [Laughter.] I did not hear because of the noise in the background. But thank you very much for the opportunity. I would like to thank hon members for enriching this debate and in the process also sharing valuable advice. We will take that on board as we begin to develop our implementation programmes in response and to give effect to some of the undertakings that we have made in our budget representations.
In particular, I would like to thank, among others, Kgoshi Thobejane, who ran what I could call - to use NGO language – a political school for some of the opposition members. I think your speech should be reproduced in writing. Hopefully Hansard has captured it accurately so that you can share it with some of the colleagues on the other side, who clearly seem to live in a different South Africa from the one we have come to know for the past 20 years.
We indeed have a good story to tell. The assertion that South Africa experiences highly levels of crime is partially true. That truth is incomplete because there is another part of that truth, and that other part of that truth, as articulated by an independent statistics gathering institute in the US called the Information Handling Service, IHS, says that overall crime statistics indicate that crime in South Africa overall has reduced by about 35% over the past decade. It says that violent crime has reduced by about 40%. It says property-related crime has reduced by 24%. Now, that is a good story to tell.
Of course the opposition will not tell that story because they will not give credit where credit is due - double standards! They talk about the Western Cape. Well, let us tell you it will be interesting when we eventually get to gather the true statistics as opposed to … I do not where you get the figure of 70% to 90% recidivism. Let us see, when the statistics eventually get gathered by Correctional Services, where the highest level of recidivism occurs. Chances are that the socioeconomic conditions in the Western Cape, which remain depraved in Khayelitsha and the Cape Flats and where the crime levels are likely to be higher, will also show high levels of recidivism because, as my colleague the Minister of Police indicated, you have to look at the underlying socioeconomic conditions that give impetus to the rise in the levels of crime.
Now, Western Cape, tell us your good story. Your good story is a partial story. It is a story for a select few. It is not a story for the totality of the population of the Western Cape, and I am glad somebody reminded you, hon Wenger, that yes, this constitutional democracy established a unitary state with elements of the devolution of certain responsibilities to the other spheres of government.
We do not have an independent Republic of Cape Town or the Western Cape. Get that out of your mind because it is an illusion! Come and join fellow South Africans and help build the new South Africa espoused in our Constitution, espoused in the policies of the glorious movement, the ANC, which, by the way, you so expressly said you support. You have said you fully support the National Development Plan. You say you also support - you actually love - the ANC but you just hate the ANC of Jacob Zuma. How selective! When President Thabo Mbeki was in power, you hated the ANC of Thabo Mbeki. Today you love the ANC of Thabo Mbeki. Tomorrow, when a new ANC President is in power, you will hate the ANC of that President and, I assure you, you will be singing the praises of the great achievements that were attained during the term of the current President.
Look, for example, at the spend under the leadership of the current President that has gone to infrastructure development and includes, of course, the many courts that we have built - something I have alluded to. Look at the many other improvements in service delivery that have occurred and are often distorted by sometimes politically motivated protest marches. God knows which of the parties represented here may have a hand in those violent protests. I do not know.
I would like to conclude by thanking hon members for the valuable contributions they have made and to remind the opposition parties to tell the whole truth and not part of the truth. I thank you.
Debate concluded.
The MINISTER OF HEALTH
The MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
|
APPROPRIATION BILL
(Policy Debate)
Vote No 16 – Health:
The MINISTER OF HEALTH: Hon Chairperson, my colleague, the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, my colleagues, Ministers present, Chairperson of the Select Committee on Health, hon Dlamini, members of the Select Committee on Social Development, hon members of the House, MECs present, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, the year 2015 is very important on the world development agenda. It is the end year for the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs. These are a set of goals adopted by heads of states, under the auspices of the United Nations, to try to move the development of the world forward.
As you know, of the eight MDGs, three can be found in health. These are reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015, reducing maternal mortality by three-quarters, or 75%, by 2015 and dealing with the scourge of HIV/Aids and malaria.
Over the past 14 years, countries have been working very hard to achieve these noble goals. Now that 2015 is around the corner, does it mean that these noble goals are coming to an abrupt end? Fortunately, no. Borrowing from our Convention for a Democratic SA, Codesa, days, I will say that within the global health fraternity, there is a generally broadly emerging consensus of what the world health agenda must look like, post 2015. It is generally believed that there must be three goals that form the post-2015 world health agenda.
The first goal is that MDG numbers four, five and six need to continue far beyond 2015. These are the goals on child mortality, maternal mortality and the fight against HIV and Aids, TB and malaria. The second goal is that the world must decisively deal with the risk factors that cause the ever-exploding pandemic of the noncommunicable diseases of lifestyle. You will recall that these risk factors are smoking, the harmful use of alcohol, poor diet and a lack of exercise.
The third goal that must be on the world health agenda post-2015 is the implementation of universal health coverage by every country. As you know, the universal health coverage in South Africa is called the National Health Insurance, NHI.
As far as HIV/Aids and TB are concerned, we have made tremendous progress in the last five years. The 2015 International Conference on HIV and Aids, held in Melbourne, Australia, has just been concluded, on Friday last week. The decision was that we need to bring HIV/Aids to an end by 2030.
It was agreed that, in this instance, ending HIV/Aids must mean, firstly, that 90% of people know their status; secondly, that 90% of those who are positive are on treatment; thirdly, that 90% of those on treatment are virally suppressed. Viral suppression means that you are HIV positive, but the medication is so successful that when we try to measure the level of the virus in your blood, we cannot detect it. When an HIV-positive person is in this state of viral suppression, they can no longer disseminate the virus to other people, even while they still remain HIV positive, of course.
To enhance these three things means a lot of work. It means mass testing in every possible setting - schools, universities, workplaces, churches, parliaments, legislatures and the communities. I forgot the NCOP, of course, and I want to add it!
It will also mean stepping up treatment. At present, there are 2,5 million people on antiretrovirals in our country. This is 30% of the global total. This is a huge programme, which needs the co-operation and participation of all in this country. That is why we announced last week that from January next year, we shall treat HIV-positive people when their CD4 count is less than 500, no longer 350, as is the case now.
We also announced last week that all pregnant women who are HIV positive would now be moved to what is called option B+, as opposed to the present option B. Option B+ means when a woman is pregnant and HIV positive, they stay on treatment only while they are breastfeeding. On termination of breastfeeding, they do a CD4 count and if it is less than 350, they stop treatment. No, sorry - if it is less than 350, they continue treatment and if it is more than 350, they stop treatment. But in option B+, HIV-positive pregnant women stay on treatment for life, regardless of their CD4 count. This will start in January next year. This is being done to save as many mothers as possible.
As you can see, this is a mammoth task. It means that an extraordinary effort is needed by all for us to be able to reach the above–mentioned goals. If we lower our guard, for instance when one province is not doing their level best to implement and sustain these programmes, the country will fail to achieve these goals. I am now calling on hon members of this House to be vigilant in their oversight work. The country needs that type of vigilance. I want provinces also to commit themselves to these ideals.
I have already stated that one of the three goals on the post-2015 world health agenda is to implement universal health coverage, or the NHI in our case. Let me repeat what I have said many times in the past three years. For the NHI to work and be sustainable in South Africa, two things need to happen: Firstly, the cost of private health care needs to be under control. This fact is even asserted in the National Development Plan. Secondly, the quality of care in the public health sector needs to improve drastically. Last year, Parliament passed an Act that allows us to establish the Office of Health Standards Compliance, in terms of which inspectors will go to our health facilities unannounced to inspect the facility for compliance with certain basic standards.
I wish to report that the office was set up in January, in other words, we have appointed the commissioners who are going to set up this office and they are in the process of doing so as I speak.
It will be imperative that health facilities achieve those basic standards. To remind you, the basic standards are, among others, six core standards. These are the cleanliness of the institution, the safety and security of staff and patients, the attitude of staff, infection control, drug stock-outs and waiting times.
Compliance with these standards is not just going to be ushered in on the wheels of inevitability. No, it will need a deliberate and determined effort from every health facility. It will need an extraordinary will by all stakeholders. Let us take, for instance, our primary health care facility. We want them to be the first port of call under the NHI. Yes, our primary health care facilities will have to be exceptional and be used by a large number of people before they are referred to higher-level facilities.
We asked ourselves a very important question: What should a clinic in South Africa look like for every citizen to proudly use it without any reservations? You are aware that in South Africa today, everybody who sees themselves as well-to-do believes they can only use the private sector when they are sick.
When we instituted our first workshop to establish the Office of Health Standards Compliance, we invited Lord Nigel Crisp, who is from the House of Lords in Britain, to help us. He was previously the chief executive officer of the national health system in Britain. Britain has a quality care commission and our Office of Health Standards Compliance would work like a quality co-commission. So we asked him to help us establish this office.
One day during his visit, he asked me what we in South African are trying to do. He said he had noticed that everybody in South Africa who has a name, a title and some form of decent salary would only go to a private sector facility when they are sick. He said, “Minister, please, come to Britain and you will discover that the rich, the mighty, the powerful and the famous are still using public health facilities.” He asked me to consider this very seriously, because what we are doing is not sustainable, not anywhere in the world, and that it will collapse at some stage or other.
You are aware that the Competition Commission has established a public market enquiry to look into the pricing of private health care, because that prediction by Lord Nigel Crisp is already happening. Many medical aids are collapsing because they cannot cope. Many people who are on medical aid, including you here, will know that the premium you are paying for your medical aid is going higher and higher, but the benefits are going lower and lower. One day, the premium will hit the ceiling and the benefits will hit the ground. Unfortunately, that is where we are heading.
We need to deal with this issue and one of the ways of dealing with it is the implementation of the NHI, but it must be in such a way that the whole health agenda, the whole platform on which health is delivered today, changes completely. I want you to understand this issue.
Now, we interrogated this question: How do we make sure that a clinic can be used by the powerful, the mighty and the famous, as is happening in England, according to Lord Nigel Crisp? After thoroughly interrogating this question, we came across the concept of an ideal clinic model. An ideal clinic is what would characterise the new primary health care facility in South Africa. The ideal clinic will have 10 components. The 10 components will be the administration part, clinical guidelines, medicine supplies and laboratory services, staffing and professional standards, infrastructure and support services, health information management, communication, district health support systems and partners and stakeholders.
Under these 10 components, there will be 184 elements. These elements will identify the activities in the ideal clinic. That is how the reception operates or how the security system of the clinic is arranged. For instance, regarding the water supply and sanitation, should the clinic suffer if the water supply of the municipality somehow is switched off, the water is dirty or something wrong happens in that municipality? An ideal clinic needs to have a 10 000-litre tank that would make sure that during that period, the health system does not suffer. Should the electricity supply suffer if something goes wrong with Eskom? An ideal clinic needs to have a generator that will automatically switch on when the electricity supply in that municipality is in trouble. The issue of the maintenance of the facility, the financial management, the computerisation of the record system and community engagement are also a few of the 184 elements of the ideal clinic.
During his state of the nation address, the President spoke of a Malaysian concept called big, fast results. The Malaysians believe that any government policy, anywhere in the world, will always be found at 300 feet from the ground. That means that no matter how good a government policy is, it would always be above the ground from ordinary people, until it is pulled down to be at least three feet and not 300 feet above the people.
The method of bringing this policy to three feet is called big, fast results and this is what the President talked about. It is achieved by creating a laboratory. In that laboratory, you bring together under one roof all the people who are needed for the successful implementation of this policy, for a period of about eight weeks. They are locked together in that venue for this period and will not be allowed out, until they produce a credible plan for big, fast, results.
The President announced that the first laboratory in South Africa will be created for the Department of Environmental Affairs to help them harness the marine resources along our vast coastal lines. The laboratory is now operating in Durban as I speak. I am due to visit it because the next laboratory, as the President announced, must be in health. We, in health, have decided that this laboratory will be about the ideal clinic. It will be a laboratory to bring the ideal clinic into operation.
No less than 80 to 100 people will be locked in that laboratory. It will be people from Health, Finance, Water and Sanitation, Public Works, Roads, Eskom, Telecommunications and all the other relevant departments needed to bring the ideal clinic into operation. It will also bring together the needed members of civil society and the private sector. These people will sit under one roof for a period of eight weeks and produce a clear implementation plan for the ideal clinic. This plan will have timeframes and it will have to indicate the budget, targets and people responsible for each step. We are looking forward to this laboratory, because our clinics must improve to the extent where we are able to use them, regardless of our status in the society.
I told you that the Third World health agenda is about noncommunicable diseases, which are exploding on the face of this planet. Diseases of lifestyle, such as diabetes mellitus, cancer, high blood pressure and chronic diseases, are a problem. In fact, it is believed that if we do not take drastic steps in the next decade or two, many countries around the world will not be able to carry their health budget.
Already, as I speak, there are countries where 45% of the whole population has diabetes. Just imagine what that would mean if it happened in our country. That is why we talked this morning about taking further drastic steps about smoking. People thought we are becoming health lunatics. They do not know that the world is sitting on a time bomb.
So, we are going to solve this issue by establishing a National Health Commission. It will be chaired by the Deputy President of the country, deputised by somebody from academia, a professor, who talks a lot about these diseases. The Minister of Health will be the third in charge.
This commission will be given the job to tell the country and instruct Parliament and municipalities what to do about smoking and what will happen to the country if we do not do this. This commission will tell the country what we will do about alcohol and what will happen to our country if we do not take action. This commission will tell the country what we will do about motor vehicle accidents and what we will do about the diet that is poisoning our people. It will tell the country about the lack of exercise, which many of you are accustomed to. I still do not know how I am going to force you to exercise, but according to this method, we have to devise a means to make everybody exercise. [Laughter.] I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms L C DLAMINI
The MINISTER OF HEALTH
|
Ms L C DLAMINI: Hon Chair, my greetings to the hon Minister and the Deputy Minister, the Chief Whip, MECs present from different provinces, alternate delegates and hon members in our midst, good afternoon, good evening, I learned from the chief that you can say both. [Laughter.]
I am tempted to start of by supporting the Budget Vote of the department, together with the Annual Performance Plan, as presented, because in our minds and based on what was presented by the department during the sitting of the select committee, we were convinced that that plan will really change the lives of our people for the better. It is in line with the National Development Plan, the manifesto of the ruling party, the January 8 Statement and the health plan of the ANC. There are those who are saying we have abandoned the Reconstruction and Development Programme, the RDP. I am inviting them to go back and revisit the RDP. I have gone through that plan and I was convinced that the department is implementing that plan to the letter. We want to thank you, hon Minister, for taking the ANC’s plan as seriously as you did and the passion that you have attached to it. We really appreciate that. [Applause.]
In fact, there is no way I can start this debate without going back, after realising the extent of the education we have to do with some hon members here, in terms of our plan. I am convinced that sometimes it is not deliberate. It is because with most of the plans – in fact, all the plans - during the negotiations, they did not have a plan. We are using the ANC plan. So it is a great expectation from our side to expect them to understand our plans, even though those plans were adopted to be the plan of the government.
We are debating this Budget Vote today after 20 years of democracy, which suggests that we look back to pre-1994 in terms of policy, celebrate the achievements and gains of democracy and plan ahead for the next 30 years. There are those who are saying in 30 years they will not be here, which means they are doing things for themselves.
The mental, physical and social health of South Africans was severely damaged by apartheid policies and their consequences. The health care and social services that were developed were grossly inefficient and inadequate, especially in rural areas. Health services were fragmented, inefficient and ineffective and resources were grossly mismanaged and poorly distributed. That was the analysis before 1994. But we hear them today, talking about corruption that is happening in the health system.
I was fortunate because just before the democratic South Africa I was working for the Department of Health and Population Development in the Eastern Transvaal. So, if I may give an example of what was happening …
Siswati:
Bengihlala endzaweni lebeyingaphasi kwahulumende waKaNgwane ngisebenta endzaweni yalabamhlophe.
English:
I had to take a bus to work.
Siswati:
Ngifike emsebentini ngitsatse imoto ngiye kuyosebenta...
English:
... drive past the Bantustan areas and go and service the white areas. I would then go back, drop the car and take a bus back to where I was staying. When I got sick, I would not use those facilities in the white areas because of my colour. I would have to go back to KaNgwane. That is what we mean here when we talk about the health system at the time.
The South African government, through its apartheid policies, developed a health care system that was sustained through the years by the promulgation of racist legislations and the creation of institutions such as political and statutory bodies to control the health care profession and facilities. These institutions and facilities were built and managed with the specific aim of sustaining racial segregation and discrimination in health care services. So, apartheid was everywhere. Whether you liked it or not, it was there. We have to go back to those issues.
The net result had been a system that was highly fragmented, biased towards curative care and the private sector, inefficient and inequitable. There was no team work. The most important person in the health care system was a doctor. Other people did not matter at the time. We want to thank the ANC, which recognises all stakeholders involved in the health fraternity so that they can contribute to making the lives of our people better.
Siswati:
Kulaba ke labatsi...
English:
... in fact, you would not be surprised that there are people who will not support this budget and plan. What they basically mean is that everything must stand still.
Siswati
Akungabi namitsi, kungadliwa etibhedlela. Asingakhi kabusha tinsita tetemphilo...
English
... because they do not see themselves as being part of this government. I just want to give advice to opposition parties. During the election campaign, you told the people what you were going to do. However, you will not be able to do it if you do not work with the ANC but oppose everything because the ANC is the leading party. For you to achieve your manifestos, unfortunately, you are forced to work with the ANC. You cannot oppose everything if you are responsible leaders.
In 2012, at its 53rd conference in Mangaung, the ANC took a number of resolutions on the following matters: the National Health Insurance and the central hospitals, which are known as academic hospitals. Hon Minister, I realise that those are national hospitals but we want to recommend that you consider having one such hospital in each province. If you look at the number of ambulances that are travelling from specific places to those hospitals - for example in Mpumalanga there is transport that is going to Gauteng almost everyday – think of the resources that we spend. What happens when people accompany their family member? We would recommend that if resources allow, let us consider having one in each province.
The Minister has alluded to the issues of security, human resources, infrastructure, the quality of health care, the re-engineering of primary health care and the cost of health care. The state of the nation address and the manifesto of the ANC have more details on all those. I have already indicated that I will not be surprised if people do not support this budget. But they must just bear in mind that they had said to people, vote for us so that we can go to Parliament to oppose everything that is being said by the ANC, or they would not be here today.
In his state of the nation address, the President indicated that health remained one of the five priority areas of government. In the previous financial year, the Department of Health, led by the ANC of course, made considerable achievements in the implementation of the above-mentioned goals, for example, the overall life expectancy of South Africans has increased from 56 years in 2009 to 60 years in 2011. That is a great achievement. The mortality rate of children under five years has decreased from 40 deaths per 1 000 live births to 30. That is also a good story to tell. I do not know if they understand what I am talking about.
SiSwati:
Mhlawumbe kutawufuneka ngisho nangeSiSwati kutsi, lizinga lekushona kwebantfwana lehlile ku-40 ngetinkhulunngwane laya ku-30. Nabasukuma lapha batawutsi ...
English
... our systems are not working well. This exceeds the sector negotiated service delivery agreement targets of 2014, which are a decreased mortality rate of children under five and the infant mortality rate to 50 per 1 000.
The department has finalised the national strategic plan for HIV/Aids, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis for the period 2012-14. Those are plans; you do not just implement things. You plan ahead if you are a government that leads. The campaigns for the accelerated reduction of maternal and child mortality in Africa and the strategy to accelerate progress towards improved maternal and child health outcomes are all achievements that have been attained by the department through the leadership of the ANC.
Hon Chairperson, I may not go through all of them but it is important to say that the ANC-led government has reported on its new sophisticated system of infrastructure planning, where the key issue of access, using geospatial technology, is now able to map out where the greatest needs for health services are likely to be. We do not just thumbsuck, wake up tomorrow and build infrastructure. You need such technology to assist you in terms of building your infrastructure.
Having said that, and with all the achievements that have been attained by the government, I want to say, hon Minister, that there are a number of challenges that we have identified as a committee and which we think the department must take care of, such as the issue of infrastructure in other institutions.
There are also clinics said to have been built by missionaries, but which are being used by the government. One of them is Luphisa Clinic in Mpumalanga. They are doing very well, but the infrastructure is very bad. The queue for medication and the attitude of staff ... Thank you very much. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Ms T G MPAMBO-SIBHUKWANA
Ms L C DLAMINI
|
Ms T G MPAMBO-SIBHUKWANA: Hon Chair of the NCOP, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Deputy Chairpersons of the NCOP, members of the NCOP, ladies and gentlemen upstairs, good day.
IsiXhosa:
Okokuqala, Mphathiswa, ndifuna ukuthi igunya nombono wokuqinisa iSicwangciso soPhuhliso seSizwe, i-NDP, sakho, ziyabonakala kubantu boMzantsi Afrika. Ndifuna ukuthi la matyathanga owazisileyo, ngawo abonisa umbono wakho wokwakha isizwe nokubonelela ukuba impilo yabantu ayikho mngciphekweni.
English:
Firstly, I would like to point out that the deadline for the 2015 UN Millennium Development Goals is looming. Beyond the post 2015 agenda, it has been suggested that the sustainable development goals, within the millennium goals context, should be established to carry us into the future. That is a fact and a true fact. With this in mind, I want to know how equipped we shall be then in respect of the challenges that we are facing today in order to withstand the test of time. We are deeply concerned that South African citizens’ right to health could be compromised.
The South African government has the responsibility to ensure that the wellbeing of its citizens is not compromised. I would like to draw your attention to the issues relating to health that need stringent measures. Primary health care, as alluded to by the hon Minister in his speech, the National Health Insurance, the child mortality rate, and HIV and Aids issues could cost South African citizens their constitutional right if not addressed accordingly.
It is essential to understand that far too little time is being spent on addressing primary health care. The public sector is underresourced and stretched in various places, particularly in rural areas. The NDP, as it has been set up and with its vision, as the hon Minister mentioned in his speech, needs to address this.
Hon Minister, recent research shows that sick patients go directly to secondary care hospitals – and you alluded to this in your speech - when they had primary health care problems and primary health clinics at their disposal. The big question is why they do that.
Findings show that community-based primary health care limits the spread of preventable disease, resulting in trauma and opportunity costs of hospital care being avoided and physicians focussing on patients with urgent complaints. More broadly, if primary health care worked well to prevent disease, then our country could spend billions more on treating disease and conducting clinical research to find new cures. Currently, hon Minister, the burden on the primary health care system means that the scenario is escalating each and every day.
I just want to bring to your attention, hon Minister, what happened at one of the hospitals in George. Research found that 88,2% of patients who arrived at the hospital for emergencies had been referred to the hospital and 30,2% of them had complaints that lasted a month. It was established that 4,7% of the self-referred cases were for emergency reasons such as diabetes and high blood pressure, to which the hon Minister has alluded. Of these, 27,5% claimed that the prescribed medicines were not effective, while 23,7% believed that the treatment at the hospital was superior and that was why they seek this alternative. Thirdly, many people complained that no after-hours primary health care services were available, hon Minister. This is not just South African citizens. If they can only be served from eight o’clock to five o’clock but at midnight there is no help for them, then stringent measures need to be taken.
I just want to say, hon Minister, you are on the right path and we support the fact that you are re-engineering primary health care. That is a very good way to go - the re-engineering part. [Interjections.] The thing is, hon Minister, what is your plan for pursuing the vision you have described in your 2014-15 annual performance plan?
As the DA, and having heard the briefing of the select committee, we say to you, hon Minister, that you need to put in place education campaigns on primary health care services. Secondly, the clinics need to be open at all hours to reduce the number of patients inappropriately ending up in emergency care. Alternatively, hon Minister, appoint special clinical nursing practitioners who could provide after-hours primary health care services at hospitals. Using the triage system, channel patients to the appropriate level of care by ramping up the quality of health information and communication technology and use the standard referral letter for those patients. This would be justice for our South African citizens and this is a way to move South Africa forward.
Equally essential, as stipulated by Nomonde Bam in the Tshwane health post model – and this is a very good way to go – is the following: A health post manager needs to be re-instituted. It could be a professional nurse. Between 20 to 30 community health workers need to be recruited from the communities surrounding the health post. This a model that has been practised and it has proven to work well.
Each health post should serve approximately 2 000 to 3 000 households in a defined area or in a municipal ward. The health post should be hosted by an existing community-based nonprofit organisation that is rooted in the community. The community collects digitized records, using cell phones and other modern information technology, for the entire community.
IsiXhosa:
Kuba ke, Mphathiswa ohloniphekileyo, inyathi ibuzwa kwabaphambili ...
English:
... This information comes from medical doctors, researchers and health professionals working in this field, so we can be sure that the job, if done appropriately and properly, will prioritise the health of our citizens.
I would like to also point out to the hon Minister that our National Assembly shadow minister and shadow deputy minister visited Pelonomi Hospital because of what had been reported by the media.
IsiXhosa:
Siyakholwa ukuba singooTomasi ...
English:
... we can only do the test when we go to institutions. We cannot just sit back and hear from the media. Their visit led to certain findings, which, hon Minister, require your immediate intervention: Patients with bone fractures were accommodated in a referral ward. They were on stretchers due to a shortage of bed space. That hospital does not have hot water. The nursing staff and patients boil water in urns. This compromises one’s health. Patients bring their own blankets and pillows to Pelonomi Hospital due to a shortage of medical linen. The hospital regularly runs out of medical consumables.
According to hospital staff, there are three fully equipped operating theatres on the seventh floor that are not working due to a shortage of anaesthetic equipment. Hon Minister, we cannot do justice to our citizens if we are running short of certain equipment when the tax money is being paid. Some patients in the orthopaedic ward had been waiting for surgery for more than three months. I repeat, this is not justice for South African citizens.
According to the medical staff at Pelonomi Hospital, only four operating theatres are functional and the fifth is out of commission because it is not equipped with the relevant machines. This is a moral and constitutional failure that robs South African citizens of their right to quality health care. Your immediate intervention in this matter is essential. I trust you will prioritise it.
I heard you in your speech talking about child mortality, TB and HIV and Aids being prioritised. For that I compliment you. As the DA, we would like to pose a question. How does the health system address the problem of health inequality? How do we tackle the problem of underfunding, poor management and deteriorating infrastructure in this sector? Minister Motsoaledi has made great strides in this regard, even though we have a long way to go.
Taking into account the above-mentioned issues, it is unquestionable that the NHI’s 10-point plan has failed to be fully efficient. Poor management is still an issue in our rural communities. We need to expedite measures and systems to tackle these co-existing diseases, such as tuberculosis and HIV and Aids. However, as the DA we support the accelerated training of specialist nurses on scale - and this is in support of the NDP and the NHI plan that is in place.
The overcrowding in hospitals, particularly Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Gauteng, where patients, including the elderly, sleep on the floor, compromises the dignity of South African citizens. Furthermore, the sharing of beds in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital by two patients increases the potential of spreading contagious diseases among them. The issues in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital need to be addressed, hon Minister.
In the same vein, when it comes to addressing the issue of diarrhoea, hon Minister, we would like your immediate intervention for the sake of the wellbeing of all South Africans. We have long had the combined affliction of HIV and Aids, tuberculosis and diarrhoea. We would like to say to you, hon Minister, since you have an integrated approach, strengthen it from all departments and pool their resources. As you said in your speech, the Departments of Water and Sanitation, Social Development and Basic Education must work together on this. We call on these departments to address these issues, especially in the rural areas.
The disease of diarrhoea should be viewed as a pandemic. It is therefore much more important to have the political will to solve this problem. To conclude, we are saying, as the DA, let us advocate for greater emphasis to be placed on preventive measures of HIV and Aids, rather than channelling the money to behavioural changes. This would have the impact that could solve this problem and that of other communicable diseases.
IsiXhosa:
Ndihlaba ikhwelo nje kuwe, Mphathiswa ohloniphekileyo, ndicela ukuba uyithathele ingqalelo impilo yabantu boMzantsi Afrika. Unendlebe nje, ndiyaphinda, unetyala. [Uwele-wele.] Ingqalelo, ingqalelo sisi. [Kwaphela ixesha.] [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Ms P P DYANTYI (Eastern Cape)
Ms T MPAMBO-SIBHUKWANA
|
Ms P P DYANTYI (Eastern Cape): Chairperson, Deputy Chair, the Minister of Health, Dr Motsoaledi, the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Phaahla, MECs, chairperson of the portfolio committee, hon members of the House, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, today, as we draw closer to the end of Nelson Mandela month, we converge here to affirm that the Department of Health, under the leadership of Dr Motsoaledi, is committed to providing citizens of this country with quality health services and promoting a better life for all in the true spirit of Tata Mandela. Indeed, as government, we put the needs of our people first.
I have glided over the policy speech of the Minister and picked up that his policy speech highlighted the department’s plans and priorities, which are thoroughly aligned with the government’s priorities for the current administration. Indeed, as a province, we have aligned our priorities with the priorities of the national Department of Health. These departmental priorities also find reflection in both the strategic plan of the province and the annual performance plan, to ensure proper implementation.
The priorities for this financial year include improving compliance with national core standards throughout the department’s health facilities, as the Minister also indicated. It also includes improving the patient service experience while visiting health facilities; the implementation of the National Health Insurance phases in the O R Tambo pilot district; scaling up the fight against TB and HIV; strengthening the re-engineering of primary health care services; improving maternal, child and women’s health; improving the management system for emergencies and operations; strengthening governance in district and health facilities; strengthening public health effectiveness, as well as improving infrastructure.
The President has consistently emphasised infrastructure roll-out as a major job-creation vehicle and a stimulant for our economy. Infrastructure therefore assumes a critical role, particularly in the pilot area - the NHI pilot in the O R Tambo district. It is for this reason that the department will invest R1,7 billion in the O R Tambo district, which is the NHI pilot area, towards building 17 new clinics, the rehabilitation of three hospitals, 40 clinics and a community health centre. We will also build three new hospitals.
A total of R172 million has been set aside to attend to repairs and the maintenance of 154 health facilities. We are implementing the revitalisation of primary health care services through 383 ward-based teams, which addresses TB, HIV and chronic disease, among others.
On the emergency medical services, EMS, front, we will increase our capacity by increasing the number of ambulances, filling the vacant operational and management posts, training EMS practitioners and fitting ambulances with tracking devices so that the service is professionalised.
Yesterday we unveiled 110 new ambulances, 14 forensic vehicles and five rescue vehicles. [Applause.] This was the largest consignment of ambulances unveiled, though our target is to attain 167 more ambulances.
In terms of the budget, we have received the second largest budget in the province: R17,5 billion. In terms of economic classification, the budget allocation is as follows: current payments R16 billion, compensation of employees R11 billion, goods and services R4,4 billion, transfers and subsidies R229 million, payments for capital assets R1,1 billion.
It is worth bringing to the attention of the hon members of this House that although the department received the second biggest budget, the department service delivery and priority obligations to the people of the province far outweigh the current allocation. Key among the 2015 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework budget pressures is the provisioning of an additional 157 personnel.
The Eastern Cape has a population of over 6,5 million and therefore should have 656 operational ambulances. Nevertheless, according to our fleet, we have only 306 ambulances. That is a shortfall of 351. Although I am boasting about the 110 that we unveiled yesterday, we still need to replace 157 of the 306 that are in operation because some of them have reached the maximum mileage that they are supposed to. The cost for these replacements, the ambulances and the personnel totals R350 million.
The other pressure has been the student training programme. Because we increased the intake to 100 students per year, that increase is going to cost us R35 million. We have a good story to tell and next year will be no different. We will continue work on the focus areas I have mentioned and we will further pursue all efforts to ensure that a solution aimed at resolving the departments cost pressures is provided.
I would like to thank the hon Minister for the guidance that he keeps giving to the department. I pledge that we will help in every ways to improve the health of the people of South Africa. Thank you.
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH
Ms P P DYANTYI
|
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH: Hon Chairperson, Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi; Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, chairperson of our committee on social services, the hon Dlamini; hon MECs from various provinces present here, members of the select committee, members of the NCOP, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate this opportunity to participate in the Budget Vote for our department for 2014-15.
Let me say at the outset, as already pledged by the Minister and the chair of the committee and other speakers from the ANC, that our strategic plan for 2014-2019 and our annual performance plan both speak directly to the National Development Plan. However, it is also a true implementation of the commitments we made in our manifesto for the 2014 elections.
Let me appreciate the hon member from the DA for pledging to work with the ANC. I heard her saying that she pledges to work with the ANC in taking South Africa forward. We appreciate that and I believe that. While listening to the hon member, in most of her speech, she was actually confirming the correctness of ANC policies and programmes. I think the hon member still has a few minutes and hours to think about actually coming to the right home. We are looking forward to welcoming you, hon member.
We are all familiar with the fact that that we as a country face a challenge as far as HIV/Aids, TB and the high rates of maternal and child morbidity and mortality is concerned. This was outlined by the Minister. However, I must not hesitate to say to you that we also need to be aware of the growing problem, which the Minister touched on, of the new epidemic of noncommunicable diseases, which is being recognised all over the world.
Currently, as we speak, in the age range of 30- to 70-year-olds, noncommunicable diseases account for 43% of total deaths. Cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, cancer, diabetes, chronic respiratory infection, mental disorder and other chronic diseases have been part of our country’s problems for many years but because of the high levels of infectious disease, they have tended to take second place.
However, with increased urbanisation and industrialisation, we are already seeing a growing trend in the increase of noncommunicable diseases. These diseases are often termed silent killers - correctly so, because many people who have diseases such as diabetes mellitus or hypertension, for instance, are not even aware of the fact that they are suffering from these ailments.
The National Development Plan is very accurate in addressing this matter. I quote:
South Africa’s health challenges are more than medical; behaviour and lifestyle also contribute to ill health. To become a healthy nation, South Africans need to make informed decisions about what they eat, whether or not they consume alcohol, their sexual behaviour and levels of physical activity, among other factors.
In 2011, the United Nations passed a resolution recognising the challenges of noncommunicable diseases. Two weeks ago the General Assembly reviewed the progress made in implementing the Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases. I am pleased to say that South Africa was acknowledged as a leading country in taking serious steps towards addressing the major risk factors of these noncommunicable diseases.
We were recognised as a leader in areas such as tobacco control, trans-fat and salt regulation and also on the proposal to restrict the advertising and sponsorship of alcohol. Since 1995 we have brought down smoking by 30%. Our salt regulations, which the industry is now beginning to implement ahead of the compulsory targets set for 2016 and 2019, are projected to result in 7 400 fewer deaths due to cardiovascular diseases and also by 4 300 fewer nonfatal strokes.
Alcohol consumption remains a major problem in our country and it is very high among those who do consume alcohol. Our average levels are at 27 litres of pure alcohol per annum in the category of people over the age of 15. It is much higher among men, at 37 litres of pure alcohol, which is far above the general world average of 21 litres. So, this is quite a challenge.
We realise that these figures will not just be brought down by reducing advertising, but it is a well-established fact, supported by several studies, that alcohol advertising does influence behaviour. It brings about positive beliefs about drinking and encourages young people to start early and also in greater quantities.
An integrated approach to managing all chronic diseases, whether they are communicable or noncommunicable, we believe, will go a long way to improving our effectiveness. The Minister has already alluded to the establishment of the National Health Commission, which we believe will help a lot to enhance intersectoral collaboration among various sectors, such as business, civil society and government at various levels.
We must reduce premature death from noncommunicable disease by 25% overall; reduce tobacco consumption by 20%; reduce alcohol use also by 20%; and reduce salt intake to less than 5 grams per day. As the Minister said, we must also reduce obesity and overweight by at least 10% and increase physical activity - starting with us - by 10%. And I am sure the Minister of Sports and Recreation will be happy because in the process we may develop some sports stars. We must also enhance screening for cancer.
When it comes to obesity, the number of people in South Africa who are overweight is actually very high and it is increasing. A survey done in 2012 found that in people over the age of 15, 65% of females and 31% of males were overweight. So we still have a long way to go in terms of dealing with this.
I have already referred to the area of cancer screening, including the introduction of the human papilloma virus, HPV, vaccine, which we believe will go a long way in preventing certain cancers. The treatment of cataracts will also go a long way in avoiding and preventing blindness. The area of accidents and injury is also a major burden for our medical services and we believe that collaboration among all role-players - government, the private sector and civil society - will go a long way.
As I conclude, let me also touch on the issue that the hon MEC from the Eastern Cape spoke about: the programme in which South Africa entered into an agreement with Cuba in 1995. It is called the Co-operation Agreement in the Field of Public Health. This has contributed quite a lot in terms of improving our human resources. In total, more than 2 733 students have been trained in Cuba and as we speak 2 132 students are in Cuba. This year alone we have enrolled more than 600 students through the Cuban programme.
Lastly, let me touch on one of the entities that falls under us and provides a service to the country. We have a number of these public entities but I will just touch on one that I know is a major concern, especially to colleagues from the provinces. This is the National Health Laboratory Service. It provides diagnostic laboratory services to all our clinics and hospitals. I would like to say it is providing a valuable service but we are aware that it is currently facing a number of challenges in terms of financial stability. This is largely related to the business model of the current Act. This matter is receiving attention and I am certain that, working together with our colleagues in the provinces, we will be able to sort it out because it is a critically important service.
Thank you very much, hon members. I believe that we are indeed on the way, marching to universal health coverage and that together - having had that assurance from the hon DA member - we will indeed take South Africa forward to providing universal health coverage. [Applause.]
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Thank you, Deputy Minister. I call on the hon Mathys. [Interjections.] Hon Mampuru, why are you rising?
Ms T K MAMPURU: Deputy Chair, on a point of order: It would be misleading for hon Mathys to present a speech in this policy debate because on 16 July 2014, when the department presented its budget, the hon member was not present.
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: No, hon Mampuru, that would not deny her the right to participate in the debate. Hon Mathys, please proceed.
Ms L MATHYS
The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH
|
Ms L MATHYS: Good evening, hon Deputy Chair, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Minister, hon MECs and hon members. I did get the brief from my chief of staff when I was not able to attend.
Hon Chairperson, there is a song that is on permanent repeat, both here in Parliament and wherever the ANC choir and soloists have the opportunity to give political input. We all know the chorus of that song, right? It goes: “We have a good story to tell.” It is time we define the ANC’s interpretation of a good story...
Ms L C DLAMINI: Chair, I rise on a point of order. The member mentioned the ANC choir. What choir is she referring to?
Ms L MATHYS: Chair, I withdraw.
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: She withdraws. [Laughter.]
Ms L MATHYS: It is time that we define what the “good” is in “the good story to tell” because clearly our definitions differ.
Let us do this with the story of a certain provincial department of health. Corruption was so rife that this department of health virtually collapsed while its MEC enjoyed lavish holidays and luxury homes. A report compiled by the National Prosecution Authority, based on an intensive Special Investigating Unit and Hawks investigation, found that tenders worth hundreds of millions of rands were given to the company of the honourable MEC for Health’s friend. There was also the allegation that the same company paid R700 000 to the ANC without any supporting documentation or explanation as to why they did so or what the money was for.
The company is further alleged to have paid R130 000 to the ANC Women’s League and R40 000 to an organisation called Friends of the ANC. These are...
Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape): Chair, I want to direct myself to you to assist me. Is it parliamentary to come and debate based on the allegations that are in the paper and you come and make a fact here? I just want your ruling on that.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Thank you very much, hon member, for bringing that to my attention. The ruling is quite simple. We should refrain from making allegations for which there shall be an investigation or there is an investigation that is continuing. Some allegations that we may come up with might border on fact. Even as an institution for our own purpose, we will have to do our own investigation to verify what was said in the House because if it is not true, then it can be treated as having misled the House. So, for now, if the hon member is consistent on this kind of thing, then it would mean that, as a House, we would have to satisfy ourselves as to whether these things are factual. If they are not factual, then an inquiry will have to be instituted to investigate these things.
Ms L MATHYS: Thank you, hon Chair. I did use the word “allegations”.
In 2008, the department froze all 22 000 vacant posts because they had run out of money. At the time, the province’s hospitals needed 8 974 nurses and 1 417 clinical professionals. The forensic audit states that this was disruptive and detrimental, and that health services were severely prejudiced. National Treasury had to urgently intervene to keep services running.
Now, if this particular provincial government was as persistent and passionate in their pursuit for service delivery as they are about the Economic Freedom Fighters’ sartorial elegance, they would not have their former MEC for Health facing imminent and multiple charges of corruption and money laundering relating to two tenders worth R1,4 billion.
Should I tell one more story? [Interjection.] I think so too. Let us go to another province. Do you remember that there was that lavish upgrade of an MEC’s office to the tune of R1 million? Obviously this was denied. While this honourable MEC for Health was secure in comfort, there was no medication for hundreds of thousands... [Interjections.]
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order, hon Mathys...
Ms L MATHYS: This same hon member claimed that there was no money...
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Mathys, please hold on. Hon member, why are you rising?
Mr E MAKUE: Chair, you have ruled that the hon member should desist from repeating allegations. I notice with concern that the member is continuing in that vein.
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Can we stick to that ruling, hon Mathys. May we refrain from making reference to allegations that would prompt us to follow up whether it is a fact? Desist from doing that, please.
Ms L MATHYS: Hon Chair, this is a forensic audit that I have been referring to.
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: I do not want to get into a dialogue, but if there is a reference point, then it would be good if such a reference point is brought to our attention.
Ms L MATHYS: It seems as if these good stories told by the ruling party do not have happy endings – well, at least not for our people. This is exactly why the EFF calls for legislation that obligates public officials to use government services. Achieving this would ensure that millions of our people enjoy the same quality public health care that these public health officials access privately.
I do not think I will tell any more stories because I will just get called to order all over again. However, we can now safely declare what a good story is: It is wasteful expenditure; it is greed to the detriment of the poor; it is corruption, gross mismanagement and maladministration; and it is a general lack of will to service our people – the poorest of the poor – who have put us here in government.
Concerning the overall state of the Department of Health, the focus of the department should be the protection of the health of the nation and by implication the health of the environment on which we all depend, without exception, for our continued existence. The department should be at the forefront of the battle to ensure the health and wellbeing of the nation, rather than being entangled, as it currently is, in the commercial maintenance of disease management.
With lip service being paid to prevention, health and wellbeing, the department is trapped beneath a raft of ideological problems – the misdiagnosis of problems leading to the wrong remedies, inappropriate disease management – and the consequences are ravaging our nation’s health.
The department’s response to the origins of disease has been poorly conceptualised and fails to consider the deeper effects of exposure to hazardous compounds, malnutrition, poverty and stress. Meanwhile, it pours billions into the wrong remedies involving the massive roll-out of Western chemical drugs, which are not designed to cure disease.
There is an urgent need to restrict, control or outright ban...
Mr A J NYAMBI: Chair, I rise on a point of order: Can you apply Rule 46(b) in light of the serious allegations being made by the hon member concerning drugs and what the department is doing. Maybe hon Mampuru was right to point out that the hon member was not part of the briefing because she is now totally out and is deliberately misleading the House.
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Having tried to guide the process and because it is constantly brought to my attention that it is being repeated, I think it will only be proper to say, immediately hereafter, as a House, an inquiry will be have to be set up to investigate some of the allegations that were made. If they are found not to be factual, then a report will have to be presented to the House. If the member is found to have misled the House … You see, I am raising this matter and I did not want to go to this extent because misleading the House is a very serious issue. It is a very serious issue. As hon members, if we consistently do that, we create a space for ourselves to be - I do not want to say to put ourselves in - in an uncomfortable situation. We are just creating problems for ourselves. So, it brings me to the fact that we will have to establish an inquiry to investigate some of these allegations and come back to the House on that. Hon Mathys, please continue.
Ms L MATHYS: By intensifying the vaccination programmes, the department has breached one of the pillars of its own 11 key objectives, namely the prevention of unintentional injuries due to poisoning. Can our hon Minister please explain why we are escalating the childhood vaccination programmes, considering that the vaccinations contain some very serious toxins and hazardous chemicals? These substances all bypass the body’s natural defence... Thank you. [Time expired.]
Mr M KHAWULA
Ms L MATHYS
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Mr M KHAWULA: Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister of Health, colleagues, the IFP commends the Minister on being more focused on the leadership of this department than his predecessors were. It gives South Africans hope to know that, within our government, there are some leaders who are truly committed to serving the needs of South Africans. We thank you for that, hon Minister.
Be that as it may, the state of our country’s health system is still not satisfactory in some ways and there is a constant lack of basic health services for the poorest of the poor in our country. The vast income inequalities continue to ensure that people suffer. The introduction of the National Health Insurance will go a long way towards bridging those inequalities.
The shortage of beds and equipment in hospitals is still prevalent and is an issue that needs addressing. It seems the provincial MECs for Health are unable to handle this situation.
The lack of doctors continues to plague the public health sector, as most graduates either go into private practice – which is more lucrative – or they go elsewhere. Some of the factors that drive them away from the public sector remain unchanged. These include poor working conditions, lack of qualified staff, inadequate equipment, shortage of medicines and low pay.
Hon Minister, your leadership has been inspiring, but it needs to transcend into practical steps in the provinces. Some hospital administrators continue to run hospitals inappropriately, not showing any measure of leadership but relying instead on the fact that they are not being held accountable and can get away with not delivering decent services. The department must take decisive steps to ensure that service delivery not only happens but is also structured in a way that will function beyond the National Development Plan’s target of 2030.
Hon Minister, you also touched on the interesting matter of medical aid schemes. It is not by choice that hon members are on the medical aid scheme that you mentioned. It is a matter imposed on them by historical circumstances.
In conclusion, the practice of moonlighting by some of our health practitioners is still happening at a rather steady pace. One understands that, at most, it is triggered by social and economic circumstances. However, it does effectively render any individual less productive at what they are employed to do. Thank you.
Ms M F TLAKE
Mr M KHAWULA
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Ms M F TLAKE: Hon Chairperson, Chief Whip, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, MECs, officials and colleagues, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen in the gallery, first I want to thank the hon Mpambo-Sibhukwana for giving some words of appreciation to the Minister for engineering primary health care. Thank you, Mme. It is good to be positive sometimes and not to always be negative as the DA.
However, I want to correct the member who spoke about Pelonomi Hospital. The way she spoke was as if she does not know what exactly is happening there. Hon member, I want to make you aware that the Minister instituted an investigation, from which a report was compiled. The Minister has gone to the department and, as we speak, he has instituted systems to revitalise that hospital. Therefore, what you are talking about, I guess, does not affect Pelonomi Hospital. I am speaking as someone from the Free State.
In addition, I need to tell you that there is a doctor by the name of Doctor Mzangwa who was taken from the municipality ... [Interjections.]
Ms T G MPAMBO-SIBHUKWANA: Chairperson, I would just like to know if the hon member Tlake ... [Interjections.]
Sesotho:
Na a ka nka potso na? Ke batla ho botsa.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Tlake, are you prepared to take a question?
Ms M F TLAKE: No, I will not take it because I am telling her facts that she does not know.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Tlake, can you allow me to do what I am supposed to do, really? [Interjections.] Okay, the member is not prepared to take a question. [Laughter.]
Ms M F TLAKE: I am not prepared. [Laughter.] She must read to empower herself and not come here and speak propaganda.
The National Development Plan is such ... [Interjections.]
Ms T G MPAMBO-SIBHUKWANA: Hon Chair, I want to know if it is parliamentary for the hon member to say I do not know what I am talking about, because that impacts on my integrity.
Ms M F TLAKE: Chair, can she prove it? I just want to know.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon members, can you allow me to hear the point of order, please? What was the point of order, hon member? I am listening to your point of order.
Ms T G MPAMBO-SIBHUKWANA: Chair, is it parliamentary for the hon member to impact on my integrity by saying I do not know the decisions that have been made. That affects my integrity. My integrity is made of building ... [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon members, I did not hear the context in which “I do not know” was raised, but there is nothing unparliamentarily in a member saying you do not know something. However, if the context in which the “I don’t know” or “You don’t know” is used, is derogatory or borders on questioning your integrity, then I would request that we resist using such language. We can use positive language in the House, not negative.
Ms M F TLAKE: Thank you, hon Chair. If the member is coming from a perspective of ignorance, I am really not going to cover her. She is a public representative. She must read and come here with facts. [Laughter.] The Minister compiled a report. He did go to Pelonomi. Therefore, I do not know what it is that she is hitting on.
Ms E C VAN LINGEN: Chairperson, is it parliamentary for one member to refer to another member as a “darkie?”
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Who said that?
Ms E C VAN LINGEN: She said so - the member on the podium. [Laughter.] Chairperson, we must just be very careful of what we say.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: No, I must be honest, that one I did not hear. I will definitely have to refer to Hansard to make a ruling on that one. However, equally so, may I warn members not to raise point of orders to disrupt a member who is on the podium. So, please, can we allow the debate to flow. Hon member, proceed with the debate.
Ms M F TLAKE: Thank you, Chair. You know, listening is a skill. If you do not listen, you will take things out of context. The National Development Plan is a radical move by the ANC to change the lives of South Africans, so that their lives can be better. Actually, it mandates the Department of Health to raise life expectancy to at least 70 years, to reduce maternal and infant child mortality, the prevalence of noncommunicable disease and the high prevalence of HIV and Aids. So, as a result, the NDP gives government departments a mandate to eradicate poverty and inequality. I want to commend the Minister on the work done and still to be done beyond 2015.
However, people on my other side do not understand when the NDP calls for all of us as departments to eradicate poverty and inequality. They do not understand how important it is that when a person has a disease such as HIV and Aids, and that person is not able to put anything in their stomach while that person is supposed to take medicine. It is because they have never suffered. They benefited from the apartheid system. They do not understand. That is why they will always say the NDP is just like any other plan; what is so special about it. It is because you do not know our history. You have never gone hungry, which is why you will always say things like that.
One member of the DA told us that they are concerned whether this plan will be sustainable, or that the entire good story that the Minister and the Deputy Minister told them will be sustainable. I want to tell you, hon member Mpambo-Sibhukwana, that ours is not just a talk show. Ours is sustainable because it is budgeted for.
The department has a strategic plan and the annual performance plan. All this talks to the budget. So I do not know what it is that makes you fear that everything the Minister has said is not going to be sustainable. We have asked. We are sure and we are satisfied because we know that it is definitely going to be sustainable. So, you are just talking out of turn, because as the DA you have to talk and criticise as you always do. I want to relay a quote from the Basotho people, who always say:
Sesotho:
Basotho ba re, moetsi o a lebala, empa moetsuwa, ha a lebale.
English:
Therefore, in the previous debates that I observed while I was here, it was as if the DA wants to force us to forget the ills they did to us. I want to tell you that it will not be possible for you to erase our history. Our history is there and it is there to stay. We are passing it on to our children, and the children of our children will know all about it. So, mind your own business and leave us. I remember the icon Nelson Mandela once said:
Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another...
Hon members, I want to promise you, we will never go back. “Never, and never again” to know if a person has tuned her mind to negativism and this person can no longer see the positive when it is as clear as a crystal. You must know that this person’s state of mind is somehow getting to another level, whereby the person is going to endanger himself or herself and the public. So, this is what is happening to the DA. They are no longer at a stage where they can make a difference between positive and negative. I want to tell you that this is not healthy to you and to your mind. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ms A MARAIS
Ms M F TLAKE
|
Ms A MARAIS (Western Cape): Hon Chairperson, health care services are an essential necessity for all people. For a long time the South African public health sector has faced many challenges. The Western Cape department of health is in no way immune to these challenges, but the difference is that the Western Cape department of health has devised proactive plans to counter these issues and improve patients’ experiences in general.
We are confident that provincial Minister Botha and the Western Cape department of health will ensure that every cent be appropriated to efforts to increase wellness, decrease the burden of disease and improve patients’ experience within the public health care system.
We are aware of the challenges experienced by the Western Cape department of health and some of these include, in terms of person-centred care, waiting times and staff attitudes, particularly primary health care facilities and emergency centres; achieving the target urban response time for emergency medical services in the face of an increasing demand for emergency services; as well as financial and capacity constraints. In terms of human resources, the challenges are facilitating the appointment of the right number of staff with the right skills at the right time at the appropriate levels of care; recruiting and retaining appropriately qualified and experienced health professionals, particularly in the rural areas; the shortage of skilled staff in certain clinical domains, which remains a challenge and impacts directly on the department’s ability to manage the burden of disease.
To redress these challenges, the Western Cape department of health has committed to various projects. Healthcare 2030 undertakes to improve patient experience through a people-centred approach to the provision of integrated care, whereby various doctors work together in the treatment of a patient to provide continued support for the patient and to treat patients during their full life cycle instead of on a once-off basis.
In the next three years, R55,73 billion will be spent on executing the various aspects of Healthcare 2030. The department made concerted efforts with infrastructure in order to improve wellness and decrease the burden of disease in the province.
We officially opened the Mitchells Plain Hospital on 12 November 2013 and allowed for the transitional re-arrangement of services from G F Jooste Hospital. The Lentegeur Regional Laundry opened in July. The picture archive communication system (PACS) and radiological information system (RIS) for digital data was successfully implemented at Tygerberg and Groote Schuur Hospitals and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.
The Western Cape health department had an unqualified financial audit for the 10th consecutive year and the average turnaround time for filling of posts from the date of advertisement was reduced from five months to two months through the introduction of an effective monitoring process.
The national Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, put plans on paper to redress the burden of disease in the country. I would encourage him and his department to use the Western Cape department of health as an example in their efforts to not only redress patients’ experiences through focusing on their staff and building more infrastructure but also in the way they hold themselves accountable and epitomise transparency through the Western Cape department of health complaints hotline.
The Western Cape Government Health Call Centre was initiated by Minister Theunis Botha in August 2012, and since then it has proven so successful that it will be rolled out across the province over the coming years. The telephone and text message complaints hotline was launched as a pilot project at eight facilities, including Tygerberg Hospital, Site B Community Health Centre in Khayelitsha and Wesfleur Hospital in Atlantis. It was further expanded to all community health centres, community day centres and district hospitals in the Metro district.
This year the project will be rolled out to all other remaining facilities in the Metro: two tertiary hospitals, one regional hospital, two TB hospitals, four psychiatric hospitals and one rehabilitation hospital, the Western Cape Rehab Centre. In 2015 it will be expanded to the Cape Winelands, in 2016 to Eden and the Central Karoo, and in 2017 to the Overberg and the West Coast.
I would like to mention what the hon Motsoaledi referred to as the quadruple burden of disease. The first and greatest burden is HIV/Aids and TB; the second is maternal and child mortality; the third is noncommunicable disease; and the fourth is injury and violence. Of these, I refer to the latter burden, which is characterised by an increasing number of injuries and fatalities due to botched male circumcision. In the Western Cape we have allocated a significant portion of our provincial budget to employ qualified and experienced medical practitioners to facilitate and ensure safe initiation practices.
The Western Cape department of health is committed to working with communities to improve the safety of traditional male initiation in the province. Together with the department of arts and culture, the Western Cape government is involved in a collective approach to make the journey from childhood to adulthood safer and healthier for young people. I encourage Minister Motsoaledi and his department to engage with all the role-players who have the mutual goal of preventing the deaths of young men, something that is so unnecessary.
The people of South Africa deserve quality health care through caring, competence, accountability, integrity, responsiveness and respect. I challenge all role players to come to the party with this goal in mind so that we can become the well-oiled machine that Minister Motsoaledi referred to in his speech last week. I thank you.
Mr S M DHLOMO
Ms A MARAIS
|
Mr S M DHLOMO (KwaZulu-Natal): Hon Chairperson, the Minister of Health, Minister Motsoaledi; Minister of Sports and Creation, Minister Mbalula; Deputy Minister Phaahla, my colleagues and fellow MECs, members of the National Council of Provinces, the Chairperson of the Select Committee, Mrs Dlamini; and guests in the gallery, in the province where I am from, we always encourage hon members that health issues are extremely important and critical and very close to anybody’s heart. Some of them deal with life and death.
So, we encourage hon members to speak less if they do not have information on a subject … [Applause.] … because they might actually end up embarrassing themselves and the parties they represent.
We appreciate the guidance and vision given by our hon Minister Motsoaledi in the health budget last week when he tabulated programmes that are assisting the quest to improve the lives of all South Africans. My province actually has the quadruple burden of disease and I will probably be highlighting here some of the issues that the Minister has guided us on. I may not actually be able to address all, but the first one is the prevention of mother-to-child transmission.
According to the International HIV and Syphilis Prevalence Survey of 2011, there were three districts that had an HIV prevalence of above 40%. Those were all in KwaZulu-Natal and therefore the average prevalence of the province was 37,4%.
Working together we have succeeded beyond our expectations in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission effort. This reduction is quantified in the report of the Medical Research Council, which indicated that the province has managed to reduce mother-to-child transmission from 19% in 2007 to 2,1% in July 2012. In fact, the reports that are coming in recently from the department of health in the province indicate that mother-to-child transmission is sitting at 1,6%. It is therefore with great excitement that the announcement that was made by the Minister last week, of moving all HIV-positive women to the World Health Organisation’s B+, will result in our province moving from prevention of mother-to-child transmission to complete elimination and zero transmission to a child.
These are actually very important statements because what it says is that there will be women who are actually of child-bearing age, some of whom are HIV positive, but we guarantee that they will give birth to HIV-negative babies.
The second part is therefore with regard to HIV control in the province. As we know, this country has the largest ever roll-out of antiretrovirals in the world. Currently 2,4 million people are getting ARVs. Of those, 860 000 are in just one province: KwaZulu-Natal. This is a third of the patients who are on treatment. We have moved and increased the sites for treating patients from 89 in 2008 to 608 sites where ARVs can now be dispatched in the province. We want to accelerate this programme going forward. We are therefore elated by the statement made by the Minister that in January next year they will initiate treatment for all patients who have a CD4 count of 500 and less. This is actually a good story to listen to.
Our province will therefore ensure that it is ready to increase access to ARVs to those who are eligible, in line with the Minister’s desire to have 5 million on treatment by 2016. We were very excited because when the Minister was making his budget speech last week, some of us were in Melbourne at the World Aids Conference. This announcement was made there in a plenary session, when there were 18 000 delegates from around the world, and South Africa got a round of applause for that. [Applause.]
We have really made strides in switching patients from regimen one to the fixed dose combination, which is convenient for patients and also improves adherence. Currently in the province we have 275 000 patients who have since been moved on to this new regimen.
We want to applaud the progress made on the issue of male circumcision in our province. We are currently at 400 000 males who have been circumcised since 2010 and we are doing this in terms of what we call roving teams. We take a nurse and the doctor and other health care workers to far-flung areas and do camps to deal with the issues of circumcision there. We are excited about this programme and it is the reason that, in 2012, eminent persons, namely the former president of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano; the former president of Botswana, Festus Mogae; and the former president of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda, visited our province to marvel at the work that we have done. They spent time with the king and they also came to our province to do programmes and to say thank you very much, KwaZulu-Natal, for what you have done.
We continue to focus on prevention as the issue. We are currently running the “Hlola manje zivikele” campaign, as well as the “First things first” and “Graduate alive” campaigns. Those are the campaigns we are taking to tertiary institutions.
Some people will want to listen to this story of good to tell in KwaZulu-Natal with regard to Operation Sukuma Sakhe. We now take prepacked medicines, pack it, take it to war rooms, community halls, churches, mosques, temples – everywhere. Patients are waiting there so that they do not have to go to hospitals. We learnt this from the Al Kayan campaign. Al Kayan Hospital even got a world award for doing just that. Now, this is going to accelerate and decongest our clinics and this is a great benefit to patients, who will then come in.
We were fortunate that the Minister came to our province in 2012 and launched a programme called Khama, which is a campaign for the reduction of maternal and child mortality. Since then we have been able to see an improvement in terms of maternal mortality because we have established what we call maternity waiting homes. We have ambulances that are dedicated to just collecting women who are pregnant. We have mainstream areas in all clinics and hospitals, called midwife obstetrics units, so that patients who have a low risk in terms of their pregnancy can be seen by the midwives only. That leaves space for doctors to see those women who have complications.
The Minister made a very important announcement with regard to family planning programmes. We want to say that the Implanon programme is a very exciting one in our province. It is going like hot cakes. Since we launched this programme in April this year, 25 600 women have came on board and have been given Implanon. We have trained 2 500 health care professionals, who are now able to do this programme.
The other very exciting story that we are doing relates to the launch, by the Minister, of the human papillomavirus vaccine, targeting girls from grade 4, so that they will be protected against cancer later in life. This is a successful story because currently in our province 68 593 girls have been given these vaccinations. It is linking very nicely with our other programme, because even before this, we already had a campaign, the “Phila Ma” campaign, meaning that we wanted to support women who are later in life so that we can give them vaccines. We can give them access to our centres and do Pap smears and prevent them from getting cancer of the cervix much earlier.
Hon Minister, we were very excited when you visited our province in January 2014 with Mr Michel Sidibé, the UNAIDS executive director. He made comments about Operation Sukuma Sakhe, saying:
I am confident that through the successful implementation of Operation Sukuma Sakhe, KwaZulu-Natal province will realise our common vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. You are changing the course of the epidemic, not only in your country but also on the continent and the world, by your efforts and achievements in the HIV response.
Lastly, we want to say that we have done very well in the province in terms of infrastructure. While we have been building some of the infrastructure, we have also been revamping. We built community health centres. Those are what people from the villages and rural areas called mini hospitals. We have built one at KwaMashu; at Turton in the Ugu District; at St Chad’s in the uThukela District Municipality; and the last one at Gamalakhe in the Ugu District Municipality. We are currently finishing another one at Amajuba, called the Dannhauser Mini Hospital, one at Pomeroy in Msinga, as well as the Jozini and Inanda community health centres. All these are helping to provide easy access to our people there.
Thanks to Msholozi’s administration, we have put a lot of money into improving the following hospitals: At Emmaus Hospital we have invested R132 million to build a new outpatient and casualty section. At G J Crookes Hospital we are putting up a casualty and a trauma admission area, at a cost of R138 million. Stanger Hospital is getting a new labour ward and an upgraded neonatal ward, costing R146 million. Rietvlei Hospital has a new administration and kitchen block, including staff accommodation, to the tune of R128 million. Edendale Hospital has also had its accident and trauma area revamped and now has an HIV/Aids clinic and a psychiatric ward, at a cost of R178 million. Lower Umfolozi Hospital at Empangeni has actually received half a billion rand to revamp the whole hospital. Addington Hospital received R208 million to upgrade theatres, kitchens and other areas. We are also elated that we are building a new hospital, called the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Hospital, which is going to cover the Umlazi, KwaMashu, Inanda and Ntuzuma areas, to the tune of R2,7 billion. We are already building that hospital right now. [Applause.]
We are extremely fortunate in KwaZulu-Natal because the Minister allocated us three districts where we are piloting the National Health Insurance. I want to indicate that we are doing very well there. We have committed R748 million for infrastructure because, as the Minister has said, you cannot have a good National Health Insurance unless you improve on infrastructure. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Mr J P PARKIES
Mr S M DHLOMO
|
Mr J P PARKIES: Hon Chair, hon Ministers present here, hon members and school children present, it is an opportunity and a privilege for me to be part of this important debate. Before I start with my speech, I am reliably informed that hon Matebus is sick and it is advisable for him to have a medical aid so that he does not die without a medical aid, being a Member of Parliament. [Laughter.]
Regarding the speaker of the EFF who was here, her absence from the sittings of this NCOP can now be explained: She was not here but busy conducting research. That is why all the points she was raising were never relevant to this debate. Perhaps we need to advise the EFF to engage us on new ideas, and new ideas are not synonymous with anarchy in our society. We firmly believe in good, progressive ideas.
All the DA speakers were positive today for the first time. [Interjections.]
IsiXhosa:
Bendithe Sihlalo ohloniphekileyo, kumntakwethu ...
English
... she must just come back.
IsiXhosa:
Kodwa ke utyiwa sisazela. Yiyo loo nto engakwazi ukubuya.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Parkies, just hold on. Hon Mtileni, what point are you rising on?
Mr V E MTILENI: Chair, I just want to know from hon Parkies what anarchy he is referring to.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Come again?
Mr V E MTILENI: I heard him say the word anarchy. I just want him to expatiate. What exactly is he trying to say when he says... [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Do you want to ask hon Parkies a question?
Mr V E MTILENI: Yes, I want him to... No, I want him to expatiate ...
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! If you are rising on a point or question of privilege, then hold it. Hon Parkies, are you prepared to take a question.
Mr J P PARKIES: No, Chair, no, I am not.
Mr V E MTILENI: No, Chair, it is not a question. [Laughter.] I just want him to expatiate on what he means when he says anarchy. [Interjections.] What anarchy is he referring to?
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon member, that is a question. You want to ask the hon member a question!
Mr V E MTILENI: No, I want him to expatiate on what he said. It is not a question. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon members, order! Order!
Mr J P PARKIES: Sit down! [Interjections.] [Laughter.]
Mr V E MTILENI: You are not going to tell me to sit; only the Chairperson will. You are out of order. There is only one Chairperson! No, you are out of order!
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Hon member, can you be in order? Can you be in order? [Interjections.]
Mr V E MTILENI: There is only one Chairperson in this Council! I am listening, Chair.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! I am telling you now that what you are putting across is a question and I had to determine whether the member was prepared to take a question and he said no. So, can you sit down, please!
Mr V E MTILENI: But, Chair, the word anarchy itself...
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Will you sit down? [Laughter.] Hon member, I am ordering you to sit down!
Mr V E MTILENI: No, Chair, there are some questions he cannot refuse to take. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon member, are you refusing to sit down?
Mr V E MTILENI: No, Chair, I am not refusing to sit down.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Can you sit down then? [Interjections.]
Mr V E MTILENI: No, but, Chair, can you please force him to expatiate on the word anarchy? [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon member, sit down.
Mr V E MTILENI: I think it is unparliamentary to say anarchy. I do not know what anarchy he is referring to.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon member, can you leave the Council please? [Interjections.] I am ordering you to leave the Council. Hon member, I have ordered you to leave the Council.
Mr V E MTILENI: Chair, but I am dissatisfied. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: I have ordered you to leave the Council. [Interjections.]
Mr V E MTILENI: But I am dissatisfied, Chair! [Interjections.] I am dissatisfied. I am dissatisfied.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Mathys, are you rising on something? Can I hear what you are bringing to my attention?
Ms L MATHYS: I rise on a point of order. I would like you to make a ruling on whether it is correct to refer to a political party or an individual as anarchist, as our speaker did. I want you to rule on that point of order, please, Chair - the comments about anarchists or anarchy. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Are you rising on a point of asking a question to a member?
Ms L MATHYS: No, Chair, I am asking you to rule on whether it is appropriate for an hon member to refer to another party as such.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Oh, okay, I get the point. Hon members, let us just respect the decorum of the Council. May we refrain from using the kind of language that involves words like anarchists and all that when we refer to each other. Please address each other as hon members, as per the rules of this Council. [Interjections.]
Ms T G MPAMBO-SIBHUKWANA: Chair, I am asking whether the hon member is prepared to take a question. [Laughter.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon member, are you prepared to take a question?
IsiXhosa:
Mr J P PARKIES: Andizimiselanga, Sihlalo.
English:
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: He is not prepared to take a question. Please continue.
Mr J P PARKIES: Chairperson, the first speaker from the DA posed a question to the Minister. It related to the level of inequality and made a suggestion to the Minister about the funding of community-based organisations, CBOs, and nongovernmental organisations, NGOs. But it is important to say that these CBOs and NGOs are the ones that are serving the scout masters against our policies and our revolutionary programme. It is the ANC’s policy and the ANC-led government that is prepared to crack the shell of dualism in our health system. The ANC’s perspective seeks to deal with those historical inequalities and the accessibility of health services. Any society needs a healthy workforce that contributes to economic growth and its productive capacity.
This vantage point is proven by the introduction of the National Health Insurance. This is further accentuated by the ANC’s January 8 Statement of 2008, which says that government should pay particular attention to the high cost of health provision, including measures to curb medicine prices and to establish a state-owned pharmaceutical company. These two variant policy factors will never spare the ANC-led government from the minuscule elite attacking our policies to maintain profit at the expense of the feckless poor masses. The imperialist powers will never tire as long as their interests are threatened by any truculent transformation. With their crowded pirate souls operating in our country, they will constantly proffer to the people luscious rhetoric, but polarised. Their infraction of line of thought with pernicious effects stimulates evil. They view the National Health Insurance as a palliative measure with a bad legacy in South Africa.
Let us tell and respond to all those who challenge and attack our policies and their faithful minions operating in our land that we will never flinch to defend our revolutionary programme with the remorseless mobilisation of our people. This is what defines the level of class antagonism rolling beneath the ground.
The implementation of the NHI to us and for our people is not just a mere social jaunt. It includes physical infrastructure development and hospital revitalisation programmes in our communities. Another issue that we want to highlight in this important debate, in particular, is accessibility of these services to farm workers. We will be happy if provincial governments could monitor how frequently your mobile clinics visit farm workers.
The second issue linked to the same debate is that we need to cut the outsourcing of services to a dead end, because it undermines the dignity of workers and their conditions of work, their fringe benefits and the bargaining power of workers. This gives a leeway for the palpable exploitation of workers.
Yesterday I came across a magazine in which they had written about fertility. This magazine says that in the United States of America, blacks will be the majority by 2020. I am not sure of the scientific part of it, but we are saying that everybody must come on board in our politics and we should operate and think beyond our racial lines. Imagine, and this is not a racist statement, if whites could be in the majority in South Africa, having the negative attitude of the DA, what will happen in this country? They will constantly attack every piece of legislation, every policy position adopted and implemented by the ANC–led government. [Interjections.]
The other issue which we want to frontload in this important debate is that we need to inoculate our young people. In Germany, 13% of teenagers have never engaged in drinking alcohol and in 2012 this figure increased to 30%. We are saying, as the ANC, we cannot be a society that descends into venality and a debauched lifestyle. We need to be hard on all the sordid vipers who regard our school kids as soft targets for drugs and alcohol and all the vices that affect the future of South Africa. Thank you. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF HEALTH
Mr J P PARKIES
|
Mr J P PARKIES
The MINISTER OF HEALTH: Hon Chairperson and hon members, thank you very much for your input in the debate. I have listened very attentively, but there are a few things I would like to take up.
The first one, if I understood correctly, is that the hon Mathys from the EFF referred to something about toxic vaccines. I am not sure which ones she was referring to or what exactly she was talking about. I should have ignored her, but I cannot leave this matter because it is extremely dangerous and I really advise her to desist from that. Please, hon member, do not do that to the children of our country, because it might lead to untold damage, even death in large numbers. It is like you are falsely shouting “fire” in a packed room.
Let me give you examples of what I mean here. It is possible that you do not know because of your age - being too young. Let me refer you to an event that occurred in the part of the world that was known as PAIN - Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria. A few years back, religious leaders in these four countries did exactly what you did, hon member: They shouted “fire” in a packed room by claiming and religiously spreading stories that the polio vaccine had severe side effects and toxins. Parents believed them. You know, if you are a member of this House, hon members, people out there believe in you. They think you know something by virtue of being in this House. [Interjections.] Yes, we must be mindful of our position in society; they really believe we know something. So, when you talk, they listen.
These religious leaders did that, parents believed them and they shunned vaccines, especially polio vaccines. Even up to today, as I am speaking here, polio exists only in these four countries I have mentioned. If it was not for those religious leaders, we would have eliminated polio in the world. That is why you see so many people using wheelchairs in those countries. It is because of this legacy.
Britain also nearly went the same way, when some people wrongly spread these stories. That is why, last year, I strongly reprimanded a member of the ACDP in the National Assembly who was making a similar comment during a vaccination campaign. Please, encourage our people to vaccinate. We will never give - and the world has never given - vaccines to our children if we know they have toxins. We have never done so. And we have successfully gotten rid of certain diseases.
For instance, I am sure you are aware that the disease called smallpox, which devastated the world, is gone. The world was declared free of smallpox in 1970. It did not go on its own. Until it disappeared, no treatment was found. It was because of vaccines.
Many of you, because you are older, check yourselves. [Interjections.] Ninety percent of the world was vaccinated by 1970. That is the only way we got rid of smallpox. Vaccines are very important, so let us not make any noise about them until we have very clear facts. That is the point I wanted to make.
You are aware that we said we are going to run many vaccination campaigns in our country. As the MEC from KwaZulu-Natal said, we have just added the human papilloma vaccines so that our future women do not suffer cervical cancer, the second-biggest killer of women in our country.
I am also very proud that on this continent, we were the first to introduce the pneumococcal vaccine so that children do not get pneumonia. [Applause.] The pneumococcal vaccine and the rotavirus vaccine were introduced in 1998. As I am speaking at the moment, even in municipalities where they struggle to get clean running water, the level of diarrhoea, as reported by our district health systems, has gone down because of those vaccines. Let us not undermine vaccines but rather encourage their use among our people. Thank you. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.
Business suspended at 19:03 and resumed at 19:39.
SIXTH ORDER
FIFTH ORDER
|
APPROPRIATION BILL
(Policy debate)
Vote No 20 — Sport and Recreation South Africa:
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, MECs of sport and recreation from various provinces, the Director-General of Sport and Recreation, leaders of various sport bodies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, development remains the critical foundation for progress from grassroots level through to elite sport and high performance levels. Hence, our theme for this year’s Budget Vote speech is correctly termed “Accelerating Sport Development: Our Non-negotiable Mandate”. We implore all stakeholders to walk hand in hand with us as we address the issues of development across all sporting codes in South Africa.
We reflected in our National Sport and Recreation Plan that:
... worldwide sports strategies are focused on increasing levels of participation in sport and recreation, as well as achieving success at an international level.
As we further argue in the same document:
No country can expect to achieve and sustain success at an elite level without a strong participation base in the community.
We have therefore identified school sport as the central starting point for sport development in this country. We shall indeed not end there, as we, working together with the municipalities and the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, will also be putting facilities in place in the communities.
In order for us to realise our objective for this term, we have adopted a programme of action with various stakeholders, which is guided by the National Development Plan-aligned National Sport and Recreation Plan. This is our sector-specific plan, which emanates from engagements with our stakeholders. Based on it, we agreed on the following programme of action.
In terms of school sport, our philosophy, approach and belief is that school sport is the bedrock of our entire sports development continuum. In 2011, we made a commitment with the Departments of Education to ensure that each and every learner at school does participate in sport. I said at that time that we needed to move away from a situation in which school sport was just an extramural activity; it must become a core element of the schooling curriculum.
Currently, there are about 24 000 schools in South Africa, in which about 12,2 million learners are enrolled. Of these schools, 18 786 are registered to participate in the league system. As a department, we intend to set aside 25% of our budget – which is approximately R400 million – for school sport development.
When we started with this programme in 2012, there were only 5 137 participants, but that number has grown over the years. At this year’s championships, we will include new codes. Swimming and goalball have been added to the championships and two new codes for the indigenous games kho-kho and kgati, have also been added. We anticipate that the number of participants at the 2014 championships will increase to more than 15 000.
It is our stated policy commitment that all schools in our country and all children should be afforded the opportunity to play at least one sporting code during their schooling days. We will also continue to integrate the rest of the priority sporting codes and indigenous games into school sport.
One of the most important policy initiatives government has undertaken is the National Norms and Standards for the Building of New Schools. Although this policy clearly directs that all new schools being built should have sport and recreation facilities as part of the establishment process, this is unfortunately often ignored and the sport facilities are left out of the new schools. We find this extremely problematic.
Hon members, following on the success of the school sport league system, the option of introducing a university sports cup and supporting leagues will be explored. This will provide a clear developmental pathway for talented athletes when they leave school.
The main activity in the school sport subprogramme is the National School Sport Championship. The amount allocated is R32,2 million at national level and R210 million, which is 40% of the conditional grant. But, as I reflected, this amount is insufficient to meet the objectives that we have set for ourselves in school sport.
Given the magnitude of the school sport programme and the limited public funds available, we have commenced a process of mobilising private sector partnerships and funding to increase the participation base for school sport, particularly the age-specific league programmes within specific codes. We have formulated a new funding model to finance the National Sport and Recreation Plan.
Most importantly, the model provides for ring-fencing of the conditional grant for school sport and for provinces to budget for school sport from their own equitable share budgets. It also proposes a new ticket levy to be imposed on sport tickets, which will become a new revenue stream that will generate funding for school sport development programmes. At peak level, the model is anticipated to raise just above R1,5 billion per annum for school sport by the fifth year of its implementation.
The second priority programme is club development. Hon members, even though an integrated and sustainable club structure is recognised as a prerequisite for the foundation of the South African sports system, there is currently no accurate picture of which clubs exist and what their membership status is.
Many of the clubs developed have not been sustainable. To this effect, we have produced a club toolkit as a means of classifying and grading clubs. We conducted a pilot study in the Mopani District Municipality in Limpopo province, and in eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal province, through which we are piloting a franchise system of club development. Our community club design should provide a useful compendium that could leapfrog South African sport into a new era of sport activism and increased participation.
Sports participation opportunities will continue in 2014-15 to be provided to communities through our Community Sport subprogramme. We will continue to fund loveLife with the funding choices aligned to the objectives of the sports plan of the department. loveLife will continue its focus on developing the capacity of young out-of-school and unemployed people in rural and marginalised communities with limited opportunities.
Our third consideration for this term is facilities. During this financial year, we will intensify our lobbying and redouble our efforts in the provision of facilities. We will conduct an audit of all existing facilities as a first step towards establishing a facilities roll-out plan in line with the National Sport and Recreation Plan.
We will introduce a Geographical Information System to assist with a database on facilities and the implementation of the National Facilities Plan during the Medium-Term Strategic Framework period.
We note that to effectively plan for and manage sport and recreation facilities, a common, standardised classification and categorisation system is necessary. We will therefore further engage relevant parties with the intention to comprehensively audit the sport and recreation facilities, after which they will be graded and classified in line with the profiles generated by the audit.
We will continue to develop and/or refurbish children’s play parks by facilitating discussions between the relevant municipalities and organisations.
Hon members, we will work closely with the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the SA Local Government Association and municipalities to maximise the use of the 15% of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant earmarked for building sports facilities.
Following the decision of the National Sport and Recreation Indaba in 2011 to engage with Salga regarding the transferring of the ring-fenced grant from the Municipal Infrastructure Grant to a new centralised grant administered by the Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa, I must report that this work began in earnest in 2012. Although the facilities conditional grant will not be allocated and administered by the department during the current financial year, we are going ahead with planning to ensure that, once allocated, the grant will be properly administered in the 2015- 16 financial year,.
We will also continue to provide technical assistance to local authorities and other relevant stakeholders in the construction and management of sports facilities to ensure compliance with national standards.
We shall also be building outdoor gyms in rural areas. Expenditure for infrastructure support for the year has been allocated at R10,4 million to achieve this purpose.
Our fourth consideration is the academy system. Through the National Sport and Recreation Plan, we have made a commitment to support the development of South African sport through a co-ordinated elite sport academy system. The essence of this system will be to create centres of excellence that will support and enhance the levels of performance of talented athletes and create a new generation of coaches, administrators and technical officials.
We have signed a co-operation agreement with the government of the Kingdom of Lesotho on the high altitude training centre at Ha Rakopolana in the Lesotho Highlands. [Interjections.]
Sesotho:
Ao tjhe, le tla ntshwarela Basotho. [Ditsheho.]
English:
Further to this, we have established a national training centre for South African elite athletes in partnership with the Free State department of sport and recreation, SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, Sascoc, the Free State Sports Science Institute and the Free State Sports Confederation.
Our fifth consideration will be our work with nongovernmental organisations. We have formulated new guidelines for the recognition of recreation bodies, which will be gazetted in the current financial year. This new framework will enable NGOs to be recognised as recreation bodies and will enable them to receive funding for their programmes of supporting sport from the department. This is in line with the National Sport and Recreation Plan.
The new national sport leagues become our sixth priority programme for the current term. We are pleased to announce that the Netball Premier League and the National Basketball League – which we have always promised to implement – have successfully seen the light of day. [Applause.] The second season of basketball is currently under way, while netball has recently concluded its first season. I am sure we have all noticed that the performance of our girls at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games is totally different from what it was before. We have now commenced the scoping exercises of establishing a volleyball premier league. We will engage with the SA Hockey Association to consider the creation of a national professional hockey league for South Africa.
The last point is transformation. Transformation is an integral part of our programme of action during this term and beyond. Despite the transformation scorecard, which highlights different elements such as governance as part of transformation, public discussions have always degenerated to the simple equation of colour and quotas. The NDP clearly stipulates that participation in each sporting code should begin to approximate the demographics of the country. Coupled with that is the expectation that South Africa’s sporting results should be reflective of the fact that it is a middle-income country, with a population of about 50 million and with historical excellence in a number of sporting codes.
Over the past 20 years, our country’s transformation initiatives in sport have proven to be mostly ineffectual. Overly simplistic and quick-fix strategies essentially focused on demographic change at the highest representative levels. One-dimensional demographically based processes ignored the need for a multidimensional approach based on cause and effect principles to bring about meaningful change.
We have entered the second phase of the transformation process, after a successful pilot. We are now setting targets mutually agreed on between the Eminent Persons Group on transformation and the federations. The Eminent Persons Group is led by Dr Somadoda Fikeni, who is with us in the gallery today. We will not back down from this important matter. This is a national imperative and we will implement the transformation charter and its accompanying scorecard to the very end. [Applause.]
Our provincial sport support and co-ordination will continue to be mainly funded through the transfer of the mass participation and sport development conditional grant. We have once more tightened the grant framework. The grant intends to contribute towards increased and sustained participation. For those who fail to transform, there will be consequences in relation to their nontransformation. [Applause.]
The MTEF grant allocations are R526 million for 2014-15; R550 million for 2015-16; and R579 million for 2016-17. Using 2012-13 as an example of audited allocations and spending, the department allocated and transferred R469,6 million of grant funds to provinces. The total available is R473 million, which includes provincial roll-overs of R3,8 million.
The spending related to the training of 7 405 educators for school sport programmes; the hosting of 33 mass mobilisation campaigns; and the participation of 2 900 758 people in school sport and in community hubs and clubs at school, district, provincial and national level.
To unblock the existing service delivery bottlenecks, provinces may transfer funds allocated to provincial sports councils and academies on condition that the transfer was planned for and is part of the provincial business plan approved by the national department.
I am happy to report that, as we come to this particular Budget Vote, the Department of Sport and Recreation did not only get unqualified reports but we are among the first departments for this year to be declared by the Auditor-General to have received a clean audit. [Applause.] We will announce this good news with our staff next week in Johannesburg as it is not fake or plastic, ... [Interjections.] ... our hands are clean and we do not celebrate corruption or mediocrity. [Interjections.] We celebrate excellence and the achievements of our sportspeople.
I want to conclude by congratulating and supporting all our athletes who have done very well at the Commonwealth Games and who continue to fly the flag for South Africa. [Applause.] I want to congratulate our national cricket team for retaining their number-one Test status during their Sri Lanka trip. I also want to congratulate our wheelchair basketballers for doing us proud. We want to congratulate Zolani Tete for doing us proud.
Given all of this, we can sum up by saying that we are indeed a winning nation. Therefore it is imperative for all of us to give this some oomph and celebrate the excellence of our athletes. When those athletes come back from the Commonwealth Games, we will continue to celebrate their excellence. Those who continue to represent this country and fly the flag high and bring medals in honour of this great nation of Nelson Mandela, we will continue to honour them. Let those who are living in slumber land and who want only to celebrate conveniently, when it is convenient, step aside as we continue to celebrate the achievements of our great nation.
I salute all our athletes for doing well for South Africa. Salutations are due to everyone who is doing well for South Africa. I will continue to honour then without any apology to any other individual or person, or political party or self-manufactured representatives of the people of South Africa. Thank you. [Applause.]
Ms L L ZWANE
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION
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Ms L L ZWANE: Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members of this august House, representatives of the SA Local Government Association, special delegates from provinces, distinguished guests in the gallery, ladies and gentlemen, let me take this opportunity to greet you this good evening. Maybe before I start to make a contribution in this very important debate on sport and recreation, let me take the opportunity to wish the Muslim community a happy Eid Mubarak. I am referring especially to those who are participating in various sporting codes and who are sports enthusiasts. We wish you happiness, good health and prosperity.
As we reminiscence about the constitutional democracy of this country, we remember that it emerged from an era in our history when the majority of the population had been marginalised and discriminated against in all aspects of social existence. Taking the baton from Madiba, our international icon and the father of our nation, the ANC-led government has continued unabatedly to develop and use sport for nation building and social cohesion.
In his state of the nation address, the President of the Republic, J G Zuma, made remarks when he responded to the debate and said the Department of Sport and Recreation is best positioned to bring about social cohesion. Section 9(3) of the Constitution guarantees that nobody can be discriminated against on the basis of race, gender, sex, social origin or social status. I like Dan O’Brien when he says:
The spirit of sports gives each of us who participate an opportunity to be creative. Sport knows no sex, age, race or religion. Sport gives us all the ability to test ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally in a way no other aspect of life can.
IsiZulu:
Siphuma esikhathi esinzima njengabantu abamnyama, la besicindezelwe khona kuzo zonke izinhlangatho zempilo. Lapho besicindezelwe saze sacindezelwa nakwezemidlalo imbala. La phaya emalokishini la siphuma khona azikho izizinda zemidlalo. Ezindaweni zamakhosi, emakhaya, la sizalelwe khona azikho izizinda zokudlala imidlalo eyahlukahlukene. Uma uhamba uthuka uthola abafanyana abancane begxumeke amapali ngoba bephokophelele ukudlala lona leli bhola likanobhutshuzwayo. Kodwa ngokufika kukahulumeni kaKhongolose, uhulumeni onakekela abantu, sesiqala manje ukubona ezindaweni zamakhosi sekuthuthukiswa izinkundla zemidlalo, into eyayikade ingekho ngesikhathi sobandlululo ngoba uhulumeni wobandlululo ...
English:
... had no time for a black person. The black people were brushed off like dirty flies. [Applause.]
English:
In terms of the Mangaung resolution, a direction is given that we must continue to use schools as the bedrock for sports development and excellence. Over the next 10 years we must also focus on indigenous and grassroots sport development in order to eventually phase out quotas. We must take care of the needs of the people with disabilities, as well as the sporting needs of the ageing population. We need to continue to nurture local talent identified through sport, which includes all aspects of our society.
IsiZulu:
Angithathe leli thuba-ke, Sekela Sihlalo ohloniphekile ukudlulisa nje amazwi, egameni le komiti, okuthakisela okuhle okwenzekile la ezweni. Ushilo uNgqongqoshe ukuthi laba abaye kuma-Commonwealth Games ...
English:
... already they have put South Africa on the map. As we speak they have already accumulated about 20 medals. [Applause.]
IsiZulu:
Phambili ngeqembu laseNingizimu Afrika, phambili! [Ihlombe.] Ukwengezela, uBaba u-Shakes Mashaba ...
English:
... has been appointed as the coach of Bafana Bafana. We know without doubt that he has the gravitas required for this responsibility.
IsiZulu:
Ubaba uMashaba unekhono. Ubambe iqhaza elikhulu ekudlondlobaliseni unobhutshuzwawo eNingizimu Afrika.
English:
We also wish to congratulate the Enactus team of the University of Fort Hare for their victory in the national competition.
IsiZulu:
Njengoba bewinile nje kulo mqhudelwano kazwelonke sebeyadlula bayosimela njengezwe e-Beijing, e-China, mhlazingama-22-24 kuMfumfu. Asinalo ixhala ngoba siyazi ukuthi bazosibeka kwimephu yomhlaba.
English:
With respect to the National Development Plan, we have engaged the department and we have observed that all it has set out to do is in accordance with the National Development Plan. Its priorities have been drawn as follows: It wants to accelerate universal access to affordable sports facilities. It wants to significantly reduce the infrastructure backlog, especially in rural areas, and it wants to support provinces and local government to achieve clean audits.
IsiZulu:
Ushilo-ke uNgqongqoshe ukuthi umnyango wakhe uthole umbiko wokucwaningwa kwamabhuku okhombisa ukuthi konke kuhanjiswe ngokusemthethweni. Kukhona lesi sisho esithi-ke ...
English:
... so is the school as the principal.
IsiZulu:
Okusho ukuthi uma uthishanhloko enje omasipala nezifundazwe zizolandela ezinyathelweni zakhe. Siyabonga, Ngqongqoshe. [Ihlombe.]
English:
Further, you also want to support the federations as they unearth talent. You also want to transform sport to be professionally administered and to reflect the demographics of the country, as is the case with Bafana Bafana. Bafana Bafana is one of the offsprings of democracy and it represents the demographics of the country. So, there is no other sporting code that should refuse to do that because ...
IsiZulu:
... ngalesiya sikhathi sobandlululo uchakide wawuhlolile, imamba yalukile. Sekuphethe thina-ke manje, aphelile ngambaqa! [Ihlombe.]
English:
We also appreciate the fact that, because you are very serious about transformation, you commissioned a study by Dr Somadoda Fikeni who demonstrated that indeed there is transformation, especially in soccer. Cricket is trailing behind ...
IsiZulu:
... ibhola lombhoxo liyasikhalisa Ngqongqoshe. Siyafuna ukubona uguquko lwenzeka ngokushesha laphaya kwibhola lombhoxo ngoba akekho umuntu ozohamba ngaphandle kwale nto uhulumeni obusayo athi eyenzeke. Siyokweseka kulokhu ngawo wonke amandla esinawo.
Laphaya-ke emakhaya umfana nje omncane onephupho lokudlala ibhola likanobhutshuzwayo futhi lelo phupho lizofezekiswa yilo Mnyango wezeMidlalo nokuNgcebeleka. Lo mfana omncane iphupho lakhe ukuthi ngelinye ilanga afane no-Lucus Radebe, afane no-Ace Ntsoelengoe, afane noPele, afane noJomo nabanye-ke abadlali abaningi. Lawo maphupho alezo zingane azofezekiswa ngoba sithatha ingqalasizinda siyiyisa ezindaweni zasemakhaya lapho abantu beswele khona futhi lapho kudala baqala ukuswela.
Siyalinanela igalelo lo mnyango lokuthi amaphesenti angama-25 esabelomali sakho azosetshenziswa ukuthuthukisa izinkundla zemidlalo ezikoleni. Nalesi sivumelwano uNgqongqoshe ayenzayo nomnyango wezemfundi sokuthi kuboniswane futhi kucace ukuthi ngalesi sivumelwano sokusebenzisana [memorandum of understanding] esikhona phakathi koMnyango wezeMidlalo nokuNgcebeleka kanye nomnyango wezemfundi ukuze nibonisane ukuthi ubani ozokwenzani, kuphi, kanjani futhi ngasikhathi sini ngenhloso yokuthi kuzuze izingane ezikoleni.
Okunye, siyakunanela ukuthi umnyango wezemfundo usuqalile manje ukusho ukuthi ...
English:
... physical education is a stand-alone subject and teachers are going to be trained to be coaches in certain specific codes.
IsiZulu:
Hhayi ukuthi kuthiwe kuthisha ofundisa isayensi akabelethe nezemidlalo. Cha, othisha mabaqeqeshwe ukuze bakwazi ukufundisa ezemidlalo ukuze bafundise ezemidlalo ngoba bekuqeqeshelwe ukukwenza lokho. Lokhu kuzokwenza ukuthi sikwazi ukuvukuza izwe leli liye phambili kwezemidlalo. Siyalinanela-ke icebo lo mnyango wakho elakhelwe phezu kwezinsika ezintathu ...
English:
... winning nation, because we are a winning nation. We are an active nation. We are going to create an environment that is conducive to thriving sporting and recreational activities.
IsiZulu:
Nokuthi umnyango kaNgqongqoshe unawo umkhuba omuhle wokutusa amakhona ngokukhipha imiklomelo. Kuyakhuthaza lokho. Kwenza abantu benze kahle namhlanje baphinde futhi mazimisele ngokwenza kangcono ngokuzayo. Uyabona nje, imiklomelo uNgqongqoshe akade eyibala la siyayinanela kakhulu. Kodwa futhi siyafisa ukuthi njengoba abantu bebongiwe uNgqongqishe ngokwenza kakhe bakhumbule ukuthi...
English:
... in sport one can never be 100% perfect but one must strive for perfection every time and every day as one grows.
IsiZulu:
Siyambongela u-Peter Thange owathola umklomelo kwi-karati. Siyambongela u-Molefi Oliphant, owayengumongameli we-SA Football Association, othole umklomelo ngenxa yomsebenzi wakhe omuhle. Siyambonga uNoko Motlou ngokuthola umklomelo wokuba owesifazane wonyanka ovelele kwezemidlalo. Siyambongela u-Irvin Khoza, siyamazi sonke, usihlalo we-SA Premier Soccer League, siyafuna ukuthi abuyele esikhundleni sakhe. Siyambongela u-Lucus Sithole kanye noKgothatso Montjane, abathole imklomelo bengabadlali bebhola lomphebezo ... [Ubuwelewele.]
English:
Protect me, Deputy Chairperson!
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON: As you conclude.
IsiZulu:
... bengabadlali bebhola lomphebezo abasebenzisa izihlalo ezinamasondo zabantu abakhubazekile. Siyambonga futhi u-Hashim Amla, ukabuteni we-Proteas. Ngokungena kwakhe siyabona ukuthi siya phambili futhi kukhona la kuyiwa khona. Manje usengudlali ovelele ...
English:
... and we want to say congratulations to him. In conclusion, Deputy Chairperson, I want to say that it is not the size of the dog in the fight that counts, but rather the size of the fight in the dog. Thank you. [Laughter.] [Applause.]
Mr H B GROENEWALD
Ms L L ZWANE
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Mr H B GROENEWALD: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members of the NCOP and guests, sport can make a substantial contribution to the wellbeing of people in developing countries. For a nation it is a cost-effective method to improve public health across populations. Sport matters because there is an increased understanding of the wider contribution sport can make.
It is with pride that the DA congratulates the performance of South African athletes and sports teams at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The Minister also mentioned it, but I also want to mention it on behalf of the DA. The Sevens Springbok rugby team received their first ever gold medal. To date, South Africa has nine gold, seven silver and eight bronze medals, which is a total of 24 medals. The Proteas cricket team won the series in Sri Lanka and put the Proteas back at the top of the cricket world. We are very proud of them.
Participating, volunteering, coaching and organising sport can improve a student’s employability, health, confidence and self-esteem. Local government has a crucial role to play in creating an environment that promotes opportunities for physical activity and active living.
We could learn from the Western Cape, which has recorded ... [Interjections.] Hon Chairperson, I will stop here for a moment. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Hon Groenewald, continue.
Mr H B GROENEWALD: It is all about management. In the Western Cape we can manage; we can fight corruption. In the rest of South Africa we could not do that. That is why the Western Cape is going forward and we always have the opportunity to use the Western Cape as an example of what is happening in South Africa. [Interjections.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Hon Groenewald, please hold it. Yes, hon member?
Ms L C DLAMINI: Thank you very much, hon Chair, on a very serious note, we are really being abused.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Come again?
Ms L C DLAMINI: We as members are being abused with this Western Cape story. It is just too much.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! That is not a point of order.
Mr T C MOTLASHUPING: Hon Deputy Chairperson, on a point of order, I always thought the hon Groenewald is from the North West. Is he prepared to take a question?
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Groenewald, are you prepared to take a question?
Mr H B GROENEWALD: No, my time is limited.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: He is not prepared to take a question. Continue, hon Groenewald.
Mr H B GROENEWALD: Thank you, hon Deputy Chairperson. I will continue by saying that is why the Western Cape and the DA are always inviting you to come and learn. We are here to help you and to see that we are going in the right direction. [Interjections.]
We have impressive achievements with the Mass Participation; Opportunity and access; Development and Growth programme, known as the MOD programme. MOD centres have allowed schools to broaden the range of sport activities they offer, provided quality coaching ... [Inaudible.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Hon Groenewald, please hold it. Your microphone is off.
Mr H B GROENEWALD: Chair, I can talk without the microphone. [Laughter.]
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: You can do that if you wish, but then you must know that it will not be on record.
Mr H B GROENEWALD: No, I will hand in my papers.
The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Continue with the debate.
Mr H B GROENEWALD: Thank you. So, do I have extra time or what is going on now? [Interjections.]
They introduced new sporting codes and activities to communities. In a country dominated by football, rugby, cricket and, to a lesser extent, netball and athletics, other sports codes are often sidelined. By 2016, there will be 16 priority school sports codes. The MOD programme contributes significantly to talent identification. The most gifted athletes are selected for high performance training at a Sharp Centre. The most promising athletes are offered a place at the elite Western Cape Sports School, where they will receive high-level coaching.
A total of 970 learners attended high performance training at Sharp Centres. A feeding programme has been successfully initiated at 101 MOD centres across the Western Cape. All learners participating in centre activities receive a nutrition pack. Skills training and coaching increase their capacity and make them more employable. Many schools have reported better attendance and an increase in the pass rate of the children in the programme. The programme helps to keep children and young people engaged in positive, constructive activities after school hours. The MOD programme has contributed to reducing the risk posed by social ills such as gangsterism, drugs and alcohol abuse, crime, violence and difficult home environments. This can be done.
The National Development Plan has taken the raw material that is South Africa as it emerges from decades of colonialism and inequality and mapped a way forward. By 2030, we could have a country that we could all proudly call home. Every resident is urged to participate. Progress must be much faster. There must be more action and better implementation of national goals.
We must strive to improve the health and wellbeing of the nation by providing mass participation opportunities through active recreation and by maximising access to sport, recreation and physical education in every school in South Africa. We must promote participation in sport and recreation by initiating and implementing target campaigns. To develop a winning nation it is important to improve international sports successes by supporting sports people at all levels of participation.
Strategic objectives aim to achieve the following: to identify and develop talented athletes through the implementation of a structured system; to improve the performance of athletes and coaches by providing them with access to a comprehensive range of support programmes; to develop talented athletes by providing them with opportunities to participate and excel in domestic competitions; to develop elite athletes by providing them with opportunities to excel at international competitions; and to acknowledge the achievement of individuals and teams in the South African sports and recreation sector through the establishment of a recognition system.
Achieving the goal of an active and winning nation is underpinned by an enabling environment with the following strategic objectives: to ensure that South African sport and recreation is supported by adequate and well-maintained facilities; to provide formal sport participation opportunities through an integrated and sustainable club structure - the Minister also mentioned that; to integrate the development of South African sport at provincial and local levels through functional sport councils; to provide athletes with a forum to address their needs; to support and empower South African coaches, administrators and technical officials; to empower the human resource base through the provision of accredited education and training programmes; to ensure that South African sport and recreation benefit from strategic international relations; to secure and efficiently manage financial resources to optimally support sport and recreation; and to capitalise on the impact that broadcasting and sponsorship have on the development of sport and recreation.
The DA would like to see that we maximise access to sport, recreation and physical education in every school in South Africa, as the Minister has also mentioned. The Department of Sport and Recreation, together with the departments of Education must see that there are enough sporting facilities at every newly built school. The promotion of sport and physical education at schools plays an important role in creating motivation for and commitment to lifelong participation.
Evidence exists that sport and physical activity can benefit education. It is acknowledged that sport presents the child at school with life skills in a way that is unsurpassed by other activity. Various initiatives with the private sector could assist in the implementation of sports in school projects. The DA supports the development of sport, which could afford all South Africans an equal opportunity to participate.
Let us stop racism in sport. That drives the people of South Africa apart. I am talking to you, Chairperson. Let us unite as a nation and show the world what nation building is. What the Minister proposes and in so many ways labels as “quotas”, is therefore an illegal way in which to achieve racial transformation. Sport achievers become known the world over, giving the countries they represent an international visibility and reputation not attained in other areas of their social, political and economic life. Personal pride in the achievements of a national sporting team is a powerful incentive in uniting the people of a country.
We should use a part of the budget for putting up flagpoles at schools in South Africa. Using flag and the national anthem at schools and at international matches instils pride and loyalty. Who can forget the pride we saw on our fellow citizens’ faces during the 2010 Fifa World Cup?
I want to quote the late former President Nelson Mandela. It has nothing to do with the ANC. I want you to listen. [Interjections.] So, you are not interested in listening? [Interjections.]
Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. Sport can awaken hope where previously there was only despair.
Hon Chairperson, I have a little time left so I want to read this again and I want you to listen again. [Laughter.]
Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite the world. It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. Sport can awaken hope where previously there was only despair.
I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr W T MADILENG
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Mr H B GROENEWALD
Mr H B GROENEWALD
Mr W T MADILENG (Mpumalanga): Hon Chairperson, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, hon Chief Whip, hon Minister Fikile Mbalula, chairperson and hon members of the portfolio committee, members of the National Council of Provinces, members of the executive council from other provinces, fellow special delegates, distinguished guests, comrades, ladies and gentlemen ...
Sepedi:
...thobela, madume go lena kamoka. Thuto ke lesedi, ebile lesedi ke thuto.
English:
In a healthy body thrives a healthy mind. It is very encouraging to hear words like “all South Africans to unite”, “stop racism”, “nation building”, “uniting the people of the country” and “loyalty” However, my question is this: Are you patriotic? Hon Groenewald, it is also very encouraging to hear you quoting our Comrade Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. It means you support the ANC.
Afrikaans:
Ons waardeer dit. Welkom. Kom tuis.
English:
You are misplaced because that vocabulary features nowhere where you are. Anyway, we would like to thank you.
Sepedi:
Bjale ke rata go bolela mafoko ao a boletšwego ke Mopresidente wa rena wa Afrika Borwa elego Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, Moporesidente yo a hlomphegago wa naga le wa ANC, ge a re tšea dikgato, e ba le khuetšo diphetogong, dira letšatši le lengwe le le lengwe go ba la Mandela. Ke mantšu a gagwe ao.
Mokgatlo wo mogolo wo ke wona wo eteletšego batho pele – le yona DA e hweditše tokologo ka lebaka la wona. Ke ka lebaka leo ka letšatši le bomohlomphegi Groenewald ba tsopola mafoko a moetapele yo mogolo elego Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.
English:
They have tried to separate the hon late President from the ANC but that is impossible. It can never happen.
I am highly honoured to take part in this Debate on Vote 20 - Sport and Recreation. This debate takes place during an important month – the month of uTata uMadiba the revolutionary, the icon of the world and the former leader of the glorious movement, the ANC. Umbutfo webantfu. [TRANSLATION HERE PLEASE.]
This is the month that has seen the entire world honouring the values and teachings of the former leader of the ANC by dedicating 67 minutes of their time to good work for the people of the world, as learnt from the former icon. The ANC’s 53th national conference emphasised the need to implement a comprehensive social security system. It would have to bring together initiatives that would also have to be complemented by efforts that must include the promotion of savings directed to the wellbeing and social security of local artists and sports persons.
It is therefore the task of this department, through the democratically elected government led by the ANC, to also improve the quality of life of its people to maintain their healthy lifestyle by active participation in sport and recreation. The ANC believes that, united in our diversity, we will move our country forward. All of us are aware that all work and no play make Jack a dull boy, but I want to change it because I think this saying excludes our Mamas. I want to change it to “All work and no play make Jack and Jacqueline dull learners”.
isiSwati:
watsintsa bafati watsintsa imbokodvo. Ngifuna kucondzisa loko, uma kungenjalo utativela.
English:
We are once more dealing with issues that the real Congress of the People, which sat in 1955 in Kliptown - not the other Cope; I am talking about the real Congress of the People - enshrined in our revolutionary document, the Freedom Charter. It made the point categorically clear that the colour bar in sport and education shall also be abolished. It is on this basis that we agree with the philosophy, approach and belief of the Minister of Sport and Recreation, hon Minister Fikile Mbalula, when he says that school sport is the bedrock of our entire sport development continuum. It sets a foundation from which great sportspeople can develop their potential.
Hon Fikile Mbalula, I also want to support you by saying that sport can also heal.
Sepedi:
Go na le batho ba bangwe ba tletše pefelo. Ke nagana gore ge ba ka tšea karolo dipapading, ba tla fola moyeng.
English:
It therefore becomes important to make sure that as many South Africans as possible participate in sports and recreation activities, as mandated by the Portfolio Committee on Sport and Recreation. We are looking forward to achieving these objectives. As Mpumalanga province we are implementing a programme called “Siyadlala”, which is funded by a grant from the national Department of Sport and Recreation. Its aim is to develop sport at school level and promote mass participation through sport and recreation. There is a need for a departmental policy to be put in place that will address the issues of providing assistance to talented young people who want to represent the province at provincial, national and international levels of the sporting codes.
The department has identified four schools in our province, Lowveld High in the Ehlanzeni region; Highveld Park High in the Gert Sibande region; Hoërskool Kanonkop in the Ekangala region; and Hoërskool Lydenburg in the Bohlabela region, which are equipped with the necessary sport infrastructure and equipment to serve as virtual academies, in line with the national sport and recreation plan. The department indicated that athletes with potential will be identified through competitions and tournaments and will subsequently be admitted to these academies for further nurturing and development. These athletes will be provided with sports equipments and attire.
The committee welcomes the revival of school sports as it has a positive impact on young people and helps discourage crime, drugs and other social ills. Let me emphasise once more that our people, that is the people of Mpumalanga, are sports-loving people and that this finds expression in the manner in which sports activities are supported in the province.
Sepedi:
Rena ba ANC, ka ge re na le botho le bonolo , a re se ke ra lapa go dira tše botse. Re tlo buna ka lebaka la gona. Ge re sa na le sebaka a re direng botse re bo direle batho bohle, le boMohlomphegi Groenewald. Rena re ka se šitwe ke nare e hlotša ka gore ka mahlo re a iponela gore tše ditawana, ga di na seboka di šitwa ke none e hlotša. Ka sepedi ba re ”Mphiri o tee ga o lle”. “One bangle does not twinkle”. Lena bao le sepelago le dira dihlophanahlophana kua le kua etlang gae le tla kgona go kwa bose le borutho bja ka gae.
English:
In conclusion, attention seekers are always driven by inferiority complexes and they employ the behavioural pattern of a parrot to fight for cheap publicity. In this case, parrot behavioural patterns relate to rigidness or stereotyping at its worst, just as if sanity had been wholly and totally eroded; where morning, day and evening are the same – there is no difference. The New Age of Friday, 25 July 2014, in the column “20 Opinions and Analysis”, Mr Ralph Mathekga, a political analyst and commentator wrote: “It is unfortunate when a minority party resorts to disrupting any policy implementation in the name of exercising checks and balances on the majority party.”
This approach makes a minority party a sore loser; a loser who says that as long as I am not in charge, then nothing will be allowed to progress peacefully. They are assuming that that minority will one day become a majority and then govern, but I think that this is in their wildest dreams. Would they be happy if they are disrupted? Well, as I said, it is just a dream; it will not happen.
Hon Chairperson, allow me to reiterate the hon Minister Fikile Mbalula’s sentiments when he said, “We are a winning nation.” Indeed, we are a winning nation. We will support your call to celebrate the excellence of our sportsmen and sportswomen with no reservations whatsoever; without fear or favour. We will not even consultanyone on this because this is acceptable.
It has never happened before that people appreciated good deeds, but I am impressed that in this House even the opposition is appreciating good deeds. These good deeds are the reservoir of progress that has been initiated and is being led by the ANC until the end of time. Thank you very much.
Ms L MATHYS
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Mt T W MADILENG (Mpumalanga)
Ms L MATHYS: Good evening again, hon members, all protocol is observed. Hon Chair, I did a quick survey this morning at O R Tambo and at Cape Town International Airports. I asked a few workers whether they knew that we had a Department of Sport and Recreation. Interestingly, five were not sure if we had this Ministry, two said they did not know, and eight indicated that we definitely had such a department and they were pretty sure that the Department of Sport and Recreation is responsible for our national sporting teams.
Why am I not surprised? It has become painfully evident that this is a Ministry for the South African elite. Sport for the majority of our people means playing barefooted on a dusty soccer field with soccer balls made of plastic bags. As for recreation, what does recreation mean for most of our people, when they are faced with the daunting possibility of not having a meal for that day? And in all honesty, we have a government that has not even provided toilets, one of the basic fruits of our freedom. We have a government that has not fulfilled a primary duty of just delivering textbooks. I mean, that is like a petrol attendant not being able to pour petrol ... [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Is that a point of order, hon MEC?
Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape): Chair, I wanted to check if the member is prepared to take a question.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Mathys, are you prepared to take a question?
Ms L MATHYS: No, thank you, hon Chair.
Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape): Ubonaka udibanisa izinto kuthi kuxoxwa apha [You seem to be confusing issues.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Please continue, hon Mathys.
Ms L MATHYS: So, as I was saying – being taken off the path again – the government has not fulfilled its primary duty of delivering textbooks and, as I said, that is like a petrol attendant not being able to fill a tank with petrol. [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Please adjust your mike to bring it closer to you.
Ms L MATHYS: Oh, it is always far away. Thank you. So, I am thinking, sport and recreation is way beyond the scope of our government and expecting them to make sport and recreation accessible to all our people is a tall order.
So the EFF outright rejects this Vote because it is prejudiced in its provision of services to all the people of the country. The people do not benefit. Nonetheless, I am going to address some of these elitist issues, just because we can.
The department lacks the resolve to advance youth development in sport. There is always a grand programme to implement. Youth unemployment is out of control. The department has failed to implement – and I use the word “implement” – racially spread programmes that are geared towards meaningful youth development and will contribute to the reduction of the employment crisis. [Interjections.]
Hon member, I used the word “implement”, not “programme”. There is a difference between implementing and always telling us about grand programmes.
The focus cannot and should not always be on football. We would love the department to explain the benefits of hosting the 2014 Fifa World Cup in terms of the development of football in South Africa - that is, besides enriching Sepp Blatter and his Fifa cronies. [Interjections.]
Twenty years into democracy, rural school children are still excluded from participation in decent sport facilities. The department has not diversified the sporting codes in townships or in rural areas. We have programmes to diversify. The sporting codes have not diversified. It is either football or netball and the rest of the money goes to international artists performing at our grand sporting awards.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon member, there is a point of order, Ntate Suka?
Mr L SUKA: Chair, on a point of order: In terms of the terminology, I just want to caution the member because if she refers to Fifa members as Fifa cronies, that is a serious statement internationally, because she then puts South Africa on a pedestal that is not up to scratch. [Interjections.]
An HON MEMBER: That is not a point of order!
Mr L SUKA: That’s fine; I withdraw. Can I move on?
Ms L MATHYS: So, it is offensive to say Fifa cronies with Sepp Blatter, thank you. He is the President of Fifa.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! The point the hon member is making is ... [Interjections.] I hear someone on this side has responded on my behalf and said it was not a point of order. It is a point of order. The hon member is saying that the hon Mathys must be careful not to bring us into disrepute and impugn the dignity of Sepp Blatter or of Fifa.
We will consider what you are saying, hon member, but I am sure that the hon Mathys will be careful in how she refers to international bodies, which are out of the reach of this House. Please continue, hon Mathys.
Ms L MATHYS: Noted, hon Chair. Let me go back. The department has not diversified sporting codes in townships and rural areas. It is netball and football. The rest of the money goes to international artists to perform at sports awards – very grand sports awards. And we almost paid millions of rands to that international artist ... [Interjections.] ... yes, Beyoncé, while our local artists receive peanuts unless they are politically connected. [Interjections.] Millions of this budget is wasted on sports awards ... [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Hon Mathys, please hold on.
Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape): Chair, the hon member is misleading the House. Beyoncé never performed in South Africa. She must stop misleading the House.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Mathys?
Ms L MATHYS: Chair, my comment was we almost paid her. I did not say that we did. [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order, hon members! Hon Mathys says she used the word “almost”. Therefore, the point you are making is that she was not paid millions?
Ms L MATHYS: Yes.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: She has conceded your point, hon Majodina. Please, continue hon Mathys.
Ms L MATHYS: Thank you, hon Chair. While our local artists – and I have an opportunity to say this again – receive peanuts unless they are politically connected, millions of the department’s budget is wasted on the sports awards, the legitimacy of which we are yet to question, hon member, instead of developing concrete comprehensive plans to invest in ... [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Once again, please hold on, hon Mathys.
Ms L MATHYS: Another one? Am I on the objection role today?
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Majodina?
Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape): Hon Chairperson, this is a honourable House. I am rising on a point of order. When the member says ... [Interjections.]
An HON MEMBER: On which Rule?
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! I will be the judge of which Rule. Many of your points of order have been raised in this House without you justifying them in terms of any of the Rules of this House. Continue, hon member.
Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape): Chair, she said earlier on that we nearly paid millions. But now she continues in the same sentence to say local artists are getting peanuts. So she is confirming that millions were paid irrespective of the fact that we have local artists. That is out of order and misleads the House.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon members, I undertake to go over the Hansard carefully and to come back on this matter. Continue, hon Mathys. [Interjections.]
Ms L MATHYS: We demand the implementation of a comprehensive sports development programme which aims to diversify participation across the country, covering all class divisions. Our country is diverse, with a large black population, but sporting codes do not reflect the reality of the country.
Hon Minister, it appears that you are bullied into contradictions by white monopoly capital and minority lobby groups to disregard bold transformation measures. White-dominated sporting codes need urgent transformation. Thank you. [Interjections.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Khawula, please continue the debate. [Interjections.] Order, hon members! Hon Khawula? [Laughter.] Hon Smit? Is this a point of order? [Interjections.] Order, members!
Mr C F BEYERS SMIT: Hon Chairperson, I want to know if it is parliamentary for a member to show another member this. [Laughter.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Hon members, it is not parliamentary to show other members how you will kill them! [Laughter.] Hon Khawula, please continue.
Mr M KHAWULA
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Ms L MATHYS
Mr M KHAWULA: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, colleagues, that is why I was delayed. It was these things ... [Laughter.]
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Khawula, except that there was a time when men told us how much they loved us by saying ... [Laughter.] So there is also the other side. [Laughter.] I am sure you were not transfixed because of that! [Laughter.] Please, continue.
Mr M KHAWULA: Hon Chairperson, that was female versus female. It was not male-female. [Laughter.] Be that as it may, I would like to start by saying, hon Minister, that you came to the department and made the right noise. But after the sports summit, where the National Sports and Recreation Plan was developed, the first thing the department claimed was that it was underfunded. You then promised that you were going to talk to the Lotto. In fact, you were very enthusiastic about it and you said you were going to demand from the Lotto that they fund the sport players. We would like to get an update of the developments on those lines.
The other issue is the inadequacy of the funding model, especially in the provinces. Most of my issues will refer to the provinces. When the transfers from national to the provinces get to the provinces, sports federations are really greatly underfunded. There are instances where a federation in a province will get R30 000 per year to run its sports administration. I would like the department to really look into that, hon Minister.
You cannot tell or expect a federation in a province to produce results and then give it R30 000 to administer its sports and its programmes for the whole year. It is inadequate. The funding model in provinces has to be relooked so that when we hold national federations and those in the provinces accountable, then we hold them accountable on the basis of adequate funding.
The other issue is the transfers that are given to provinces for programmes. What I have noticed, hon Minister, is that you do not have much spending in your first, second or third quarters, but in the fourth quarter, spending is very active.
What happens? That spending is just like fiscal dumping because instead of the programmes for which funding was intended, other things get done. You get workshops, you get hotels, you get food being paid for, you get buses being hired – all the things that are not sports development. Therefore, when funding goes to provinces, national has got to strictly monitor that the money is being used for what it was intended.
The other thing is the school needs that you spoke about. I am not sure if you are aware that registration has been going on nonstop in the provinces, and leagues have not started. You were enthusiastic about developing sport through introducing school leagues. School leagues are not starting because there is a nonstop registration which is hindering progress in starting schools sports.
I also would like to say that the issue of mass participation is cause for concern. It started on a high note and it has gone down. I understand when you talk about professional sports, but I am talking about noncompetitive sports in which communities participate. While funding has increased, the numbers of people participating in the provinces have decreased.
The other issue is the strict monitoring of the municipal infrastructure grant funding. Again, while this is a good thing, it needs to be monitored because municipalities do not have the capacity and skills to do sports grounds. As a result, if it is not strictly monitored, in terms of construction, quality is compromised.
It is a good thing and it has to happen because, strictly speaking, in the communities, especially rural areas, we do not have sports facilities. But it has to be monitored so that what is being designed is really going to help the people in terms of sports development.
Lastly, hon Minister, I would like to say that, in terms of the federations, Boxing SA has done a good thing now. But, what about the maladministration, poor administration, and instability of the past? Those people need to account for their activities of the past.
Finally, I would like to congratulate my homeboy, Mr Alex Skosana, on being elected President of Athletics SA. But I also want to say that there have been other issues that were unbecoming in Athletics SA. They must not be left alone just like that. Those people who are responsible must account. Thank you.
Ms T K MAMPURU / Nvs///tfm\\\ /
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Mr M KHAWULA
Ms T K MAMPURU: Hon Chairperson, hon Deputy Chair person, hon Chief Whip, hon House Chairpersons, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers, hon MECs present today, hon Members of the National Council of Provinces, our guests in the gallery, greetings. Let me thank hon Khawula, truly, in all the debates that we had in this House, he was very progressive. He constructively criticises and at the same time advises.
IsiZulu:
Ngamanye amazwi, uKhawula uhamba nathi; Mntomuhle, siyabonga.
English:
Mr M KHAWULA: Chairperson, on a point of order: The hon member needs to explain what she meant by saying that Khawula is with us. She needs to explain the meaning of that. If she meant that politically - I am a member of the IFP [Laughter] and I will die in the IFP. So, I don’t know what she meant by that.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Point taken. Hon Mampuru the member says that he will die in the IFP.
Ms T K MAMPURU: I know very well that hon Khawula is a member of the IFP. I am referring in terms of ideas and ideologies. Not necessarily that he belongs to the ANC. To hon Mathys, My child, I think you are going to take my advice. Consider modelling as a career [Laughter] because today you showed this House that you are only presenting sponsored ideologies which are lost in the wilderness. Let me get to it. I cannot be a fulfilled citizen of this country if while standing on this podium I cannot express my feelings that “e a itšokotša ANC e a itšokotša.”
To me it is always important to make the world aware that South African democracy was not only achieved by an assegai and a shield; and bloodshed. We had spiritual church leaders who were able to break the chains of apartheid. My grandfather once said ...
Sepedi:
Modulasetulo, ke kgona go bina le go opela, e no ba gore ka Palamenteng, ga se ra dumelelwa go dira seo. ge go be go se bjalo, ke be ke tla go opelela, ka go binela wa kwa bose. E re ke go botše gore mokgalabje yo o kile a reng. O kile a re: “Pitoria, Pitoria ke a ya. Ke a ya ke ile go kgaola melao. Melao, melao ye methata. Melao, melao ya maburu.” A fetša a re: “ Tsebang gore go na le tše dingwe tšeo di tlogo direga ka morago ga ge le humane tokologo” A tšwela pele ka gore: “Glory, glory haleluya”, dula fase mmoloki, ke tlile go go šupetša tsela, tsela yeo e yago ka mošola. Ka mošola go basenyi ba lefase”.
O be a e ra gore ka morago ga ge re hweditše tokologo re tlile go ba le batho bao ba ganago ba re tokologo ye ga se yona eupša ba dutše ka mo gare ga yona ebile ba ipshina ka yona. Sa rena ke go kgotlela, ra tšwela pele.
English:
Definitely, the chains of bondage were broken visibly from 1976 – Soweto uprising. The hon Minister has counted those years for us by saying that from 1936, count 40 years, then, you will see the power of a black man. Then came Tsietsi Mashinini and said that Afrikaans can no longer be the official language.
We appreciate and applaud the Department of Sport and Recreation of South Africa for having achieved so much in just 20 years of democracy. Realistically, South Africa is second to none in hosting major international events; just to mention a few, hosted in 1996, the African Cup of Nations and the World Cup of Golf; 1998, World Cup of Athletics; 2003, President’s Cup; 2005 to 2008, Women’s Cup of Golf; 2006, Paralympic Swimming World Champions – a continuous activity; and 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Sepedi:
Mo ke no tsopola mabothakga ao a laetšago gore South Africa e kgona go ba monggae wa dipapadi tša boditšhabatšhaba.
English:
It is not surprising for the opposition not to praise the efforts made by the ANC-led government their role is to criticise because that is the baseline for their debates. After 10 years of democracy the then President of the country uTata Rolihlahla Madiba said – I am happy that hon Groenewald quoted this because they want to make us aware that whatever the ANC-led government is doing has a background. The background is brought about by our forebearers who worked hard to make sure that we are where we are today. In terms of sports he said: “In a cynical world we have become an inspiration to many. We signal that good can be achieved amongst human beings who are prepared to trust, to believe in the goodness of people”. By the way, he said these words in the joint sitting of Parliament on 10 May 2004.
Sepedi:
“Tšhipu e rile ke lebelo mohlaba wa re ke nabile”.
isiZulu:
Lo mhlaba siwuphethe, owethu.
English:
In Mangaung the ANC resolved on the following: that Municipal Infrastructure Grant must be ring-fenced so as to facilitate investments in sports and recreation infrastructure; sports become compulsory in schools; we focus on indigenous and grassroots sports development over the next 10 years.
When we talk indigenous and grassroots games we refer to diketo, kgati, black mampatile, tsheretshere, mmela and others. The above activities formed the integral part of our society for social cohesion, mental vibrancy and not limited to physical exercise. We cannot allow apartheid ideology to drag us back when we have defeated and dismantled it in 1994. We have a track record of regaining what belongs to us.
Sepedi:
Mo tlhako ya pele e gatilego gona, le ya morago e tlile go gata. Tše kamoka ga tšona re di dira ka lebaka la gore re tšere go baetapele ba rena boNtate Oliver Tambo.
At Mangaung, it was also resolved that all sport facilities must be user friendly for people with disabilities and; special attention be paid to children with disabilities.
We have Sithole Lukas, a professional wheelchair tennis player.
Sepedi:
Re mmepeng. Mohl Tona, re go thekgile.
English:
We have Kgothatso Montjane who has also won the first super series title with doubles in the United States. Minister, we wish to see South Africa in action. Let us consider the following, organised recreation, health and recreation and recreation as a carrier.
Let me explain what we mean by recreation in health. We are talking about recreational physical activity which has the results of reducing obesity and the risk of osteoporosis cancer in its variety. As a career, we are referring the members of this House to read the following, The Fundamentals of Recreation, second edition, by Thomas S Yukic.
Sepedi:
Re le komiti yeo e hlaotšwego, tša rena diatla re di butše re re mošomo ga o tšhabe diatla. Mohl Modulasetulo, ntumelele ke re re le Afrika Borwa re duma go bona ...
English:
... parks and other recreation centres in communities in order, as the Minister has already alluded for the qualified personnel in the field of instruction and recreation management and the list is endless. Let us know that work is supported by recreation - recreation being useful to recharge the battery so that work performance is improved. It may be difficult to separate education from recreation as in the case of recreational mathematics.
Sepedi:
Mohl Tona, re le komiti yeo e hlaotšwego, re go thekgile gomme re re tšwela pele o hlabolle setšhaba sa rena. Mohl Modulasetulo, seeta moditi. Ke a go leboga.
Mr M R WILEY (Western Cape)
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Ms T K MAMPURU
Mr M WILEY (Western Cape): Chairperson, thank you very much for this opportunity this late in the evening. It really is a pleasure to be here; I am standing in for the MEC. I just want to make some opening remarks.
I want to add my congratulations to our national sportspeople for the outstanding job that they have done in the last couple of weeks. We have all heard about how the rugby has done, how the cricket is now back at number one in the world, and especially how our athletes are doing at the Commonwealth Games. It really is outstanding, and some of the remarkable things about what we see in our athletes at the Commonwealth Games when they stand on the podium or the starting blocks are how well conditioned they are and how positive they are. When they lose, they lose with dignity, and when they win, they win with humbleness. That is a hallmark of what it means to be South African that I think we need to foster for forever and a day.
I want to also just mention, Minister Mbalula, that I think you and your department need to be congratulated on the successes that have been achieved by our athletes because without the support structures of the taxpayer’s rand, I am sure that many of them would not have been able achieve the heights that they have, so congratulations for that.
What have these athletes shown to us? They have become role models. They have an influence sphere that we as public representatives would weep to have. A single gold medal and a sport star will fill a stadium. People will pay good money to go and watch these stars. A whole room full of public representatives would have to bus people in and pay them and give them food to come to our meetings. We will spend hundreds if not thousands of rand to travel the world over to go and watch them perform in stadiums around the world. We cannot do that as public representatives. We spend hundreds of rand, sometimes thousands of rand, on buying Manchester United, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs T-shirts and other paraphernalia. We cannot give our T-shirts away. That is our level of influence over society.
Minister, a lot has been said here from this podium today with regard to the healing nature of sport, the bridge-building capacity. However, virtually every speaker that comes here and any other political platform does his or her very best to pick open old wounds and to undo all the good that our sportsmen do on the public stage. Tonight when we go home and watch more South Africans win more medals and watch them fight back tears whilst the national anthem is played and whilst they stare at that beautiful flag, what do you and I see? Do you see a disabled person? Do you see a male or a female? Do you see a person of colour? Or do you see a proud South African? You see a proud South African. When you quote the medals table at the Commonwealth Games or the Olympic Games, do you differentiate between who won what medal? No! We don’t. We say that Josiah Thugwane was a fantastic hero. He was hijacked and shot just before he went to Atlanta and won an Olympic gold medal. It was the most incredible thing to see.
I have taken athletes to the Olympic Games. I have had development athletes at the Olympic Games. I do not worry about the colour of the person. In the Western Cape, we fully embrace transformation in sport, but, Minister, I think it has to be acknowledged that transformation in sport is dependent upon federations. Federations are made up largely of volunteers, people who put hand in their own pocket to take their kids to train, to find the spikes to run on the athletics track, to find the right equipment to enable them to be competitive, whether it is fencing equipment, whether it is darts equipment, or whether it is sticks for traditional games. We have to find the funds for these people, and it is done predominantly through volunteers.
Transformation is a political imperative and, therefore, money has to follow a political imperative. You cannot force volunteers to go to areas where they do not have the funds themselves even for their local people to be able to develop athletes. It is critically important that we in government, and I just want to make a comment with regard to the hon Madileng, who said that the opposition is poor losers. Well, my friend, here in the Western Cape, we govern, and the ANC is the worst possible losers in this province. [Interjections.] They are the worst possible losers. They have had a stated policy for political platforms to make the province ungovernable. So, again, we are not using the analogy of sport and the example spread by our youngsters with their incredible physiques and their incredible determination to get up at 04:00 every morning to train for two hours in a cold pool in order to produce that moment of glory, something that goes on year in and year out. What you see standing on those podiums is four, five, six, seven years ...
Mr W T MADILENG: Chairperson, I would like to find out whether the hon member is prepared to take a question.
Mr M WILEY (Western Cape): Yes, you can ask me a question. I want to see whether you are going to abuse the right.
Mr W T MADILENG: The question I want to ask the hon member is whether he is sure that the statement and the quote he made in reference to me are the direct and correct emphasis in terms of the sentiments and context in which it was said. That is the question.
Mr M WILEY (Western Cape): Chairperson, I think my point is justified. The right to ask your question was abused. In my capacity as the Chief Whip of the Majority in the Western Cape legislature, I am providing the Western Cape government’s response on behalf of the MEC for Cultural Affairs, Sport and Recreation for the Budget Vote of 2014-15.
The National Development Plan, NDP, which is being dubbed as the country’s governance blueprint, categorically states:
The National Development Plan is a plan for the country to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030 through uniting South Africans, unleashing the energies of its citizens, growing an inclusive economy, building capabilities, enhancing the capability of the state and leaders working together to solve complex problems.
On behalf of the MEC for Cultural Affairs, Sport and Recreation, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, I would like to say that we support the National Development Plan in its objectives. It is also said that it is not meant to be a document that is to be shelved and buried after the initial hype. It is, like our Constitution, a living document that will be a guide for this country for the next 16 years, by shaping government’s priorities and influencing the ways in which budgets are allocated. The Department of Sport and Recreation is most probably the only department that can boast about addressing most of the NDP’s goals, and that should be a tribute to both sides of the political equation. If we are to address poverty, raise rural incomes, broaden access to employment, reduce crime, improve community environments, and achieve social cohesion, then we need to fix what is broken in South Africa, and working with this department will be extremely important.
The Minister talked about school sport. We fully embrace school sport. My colleague from the North West Province talked about the very successful Mass Participation, Opportunity and Access, Development and Growth programme, MOD, and I will not expand on that any further. He also touched on another critically important point, and this is where the National Development Plan aspect with regard to transversal co-operation is going to have to play a critical role. That is the development of the curriculum with regard to physical education. The Minister did allude to the fact that the Department of Basic Education is training a lot of educators towards physical education. This training is wholly inadequate. A couple of days’ exposure towards how to develop a youngster physically is inadequate, given it normally takes between four and six years to get either a diploma or a degree in physical education.
Minister, I really would appeal that your department work very closely with the Department of Basic Education with regard to physical education. Physical education is not just climbing ropes as in your teenage years. Physical education is developing your motor skills right from the very earliest ages. The early childhood development stage, from the age of four to six, is your key area of development as far as your physical motor skills development is concerned. I would urge that we spend a lot more time in that regard.
The number that the Minister had talked about is that – if I heard him correctly – almost 62 000 people were given access to participate in sport and recreation through direct initiatives and projects launched by the Department of Sport and Recreation in the past three financial years. This figure is way too low. If we are going to have to make a meaningful impact on transformation and the development of our youth, we are going to have to turn over numbers well in excess of that which were quoted. We have 50 million South Africans, the majority of whom are under 39 years of age. So, we need to do better because we are a young country. The 2011 census revealed that 5,6 million South Africans are under the age of four, whilst 4,8 million children are aged five to nine. Remember what I told you about motor skills development? It can only come through structured curriculum during the school hours and not optional after school activities. Close to 4,6 million are between the ages of 10 and 14. This means that over half the population is made up of young people of school-going age. This is the age to target in terms of providing access to sport.
In the Western Cape, we work hard to broaden the points of access to sport and sporting opportunities. I have already mentioned the MOD centres, and I won’t repeat that. The Western Cape government, in pursuit of building lasting public-private partnerships for the benefit of the people of the Western Cape, more so young people, has done very well in the past two years. Just the other day, MEC Mbombo bid farewell to the Western Cape football team, which was jetting off to Shandong, a province in China, where they took part to represent not only the province but also South Africa. We have had other exchanges with the province of Shandong in China, including a football cup in Weifang, which is one of the cities in Shandong.
We have the Golden Games which targets the over-60 males and females as part of government’s efforts towards healthy aging. These games are championed by the Department of Sport and Recreation in partnership with the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport and other provincial departments. The sporting codes include soccer, athletics, brisk walk, duck walk, passing the ball, rugby throw, jukskei, and goal shooting. I would really urge that when you get a chance, especially seeing some of us are almost of the age to participate, when the Golden Games does participate here in the Western Cape – just ask the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport where the next one is – go and have a look at the enthusiasm, the motivation, and the absolute joy that those old people have in participating in these Golden Games. It really is worth the effort to go there.
It is by no means an accident that the Western Cape is the reigning champion for the last several years ... Chairperson, thank you very much. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Nksz P MAJODINA (UMPHATHISWA WEPHONDO LASEMPUMA KOLONI) /Mia
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Mr M WILEY (WESTERN CAPE)
Mr M WILEY
IsiXhosa:
Nksz P MAJODINA (UMPHATHISWA WEPHONDO LASEMPUMA KOLONI): Sihlalo weBhunga leSizwe lamaPhondo, Sekela Sihlalo kunye nabaBhexeshi abaziiNtloko abakhoyo, malungu abekekileyo ale Ndlu, uMphathiswa ohloniphekileyo uMbalula, uJola kaQengaba, sihlalo wekomiti, ndivumeleni ngale njikalanga ndazise iindwendwe zikaMphathiswa eziphaya kwelaa qonga liphezulu, ndinibulise ndikwazisa imibuliso esuka kwiphondo leengqwele, lezithwalandwe kuba silapha namhlanje size kunika izibhambathiso nokungqina ukuba ngokwenene uMphankomo uwuthe thaca umcimbi phambi kwethu. Kaloku isizwe esimanyeneyo sisizwe esidlamkileyo, isizwe esidlamkileyo sisizwe esidlalayo. Thina ke simi ngelo gunya.
English:
Sport and recreation are catalysts for communal development and social change.
IsiXhosa:
Ezemidlalo njengenqwelo ehambayo ekumanyeni isizwe, isithathe isibhekise phambili, uxolo kunye nemvisiswano, sithi ke inguqu asizi kuyicenga mntwini. Asikhathali nokuba uyakhabalaza siza kuyenza yehle ngomqala, ngokuba njengokuba sikule meko, zange sizibeke kuyo. Namhlanje kukho abakwaziyo ukuza kuma kweli qonga basixelele ukuba azikho iindawo zokudlala kodwa sifumene isizwe esingenazo iindawo zokudlala. Senze onke amatiletile, kwaye sisaqhuba nangoku, ukuba uMzantsi Afrika mawube neendawo zokudlala esingazange sizakhelwe ngurhulumente wangaphambili. Abantu bafika apha baze kwakha amaxhaka kule ndawo [Kwaqhwatywa.] Sihlalo weKomiti osuka eMpuma Koloni, Bawo uMbona, ndikubonile Bawo uLimba.
Ingwe ke idla ngamabala. Apha ke kuza kohluka amakhwenkwe emadodeni, ngoba amakhwenkwe atya undonci, amadoda atya isibindi. [Uwelewele.] Ndivumele ke ndiphuhlise le ntetho yam ngolu hlobo: xa besithetha ngombhoxo, iCraven Week, indawo yesibini neyesithathu iye kwikhaya leengqwele iMpuma Koloni, iBhoda nePhondo laseMpuma Koloni lazithathe kunjalo nje zingaxoxi kuba silikhaya leengqwele. Xa ujonga icandelo labangaphantsi kweminyaka eli-18 kwakule tumente yeCraven Week ebibanjelwe eMetele, abafana abaqeqeshiweyo beMpuma Koloni baphume kwindawo yokuqala kulo lonke elaseMzantsi Afrika. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Eli phondo ndisuka kulo liyaziwa ukuba yiMecca kwezamanqindi. Inqindi sizalwa nalo. Inqindi lilifa leMveli eliligugu nenkcubeko yethu. Mandikhumbuze le Ndlu yeBhunga leSizwe lamaPhondo ukuba ngale mini yokuzalwa kukuTata uRolihlahla, uDalibhunga kaMandela, kaMthikrakra, kaNkosi uMphakanyiswa, siye saba namawele kwiimbethi-manqindi kwihlabathi. Esi ibe sesona sipho sifanelekileyo ngexesha elifanelekileyo kumntu ofanelekileyo, owayeyimbethi-manqindi yena kuqala uRolihlahla. Sifuze into ebisakuphila.
UMphathiswa uthethile ngoZolani Tete apha. Akalalisanga nje umJapani ngophotho koko umlalise umJapani eJapani, into engazange yenzeke kwimbali yoMzantsi Afrika. [Kwaqhwatywa.] Ude wanikwa imbasa yobukroti ngokuthi abethele umJapani kowabo eJapani. Kaloku wondliwe, wafakwa isicakathi, womelela.
Kukho uLwandile kaSityatha othe wabetha owasePhilipine wambulela amasaka, wafumana intshinga yehlabathi. Andimelanga mntu apha, ndimele iphondo leengqwele. Le Glasgow kuthethwa ngayo apho, yiva ke Lawundini ndikubalisele. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
English:
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! Is that a point of order, Mr Matebus?
Afrikaans:
Mnr M A MATEBUS: Voorsitter, ek wil net uitvind of dit parlementêre taalgebruik is om na ’n mens as “lawundini” te verwys? [Gelag.] Ek sal liewers nie die Afrikaanse vertaling van “lawundini” gee nie. [Gelag.] [Chairperson, I would like to know whether it is parliamentary to refer to a person as “lawundini”? [Laughter.] I would rather not say what it means in Afrikaans. [Laughter.]]
English:
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon MEC, please withdraw the word “lawundini”.
IsiXhosa:
Nksz P MAJODINA: Hayi! Igama lesiXhosa elithi lawundini lithetha ukuba mfondini. Akukho nto ingafanelekanga kwiNdlu yasePalamente, sisiXhosa ukuthi lawundini xa usithi mfondini.
English:
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Matebus, you and I are not Xhosa. Let me take the time and get advice on this one. If it is true that “lawundini” means “mfondini”, then it is not parliamentary. If it is, we will also come back to you. Please continue, hon MEC.
IsiXhosa:
Nksz P MAJODINA: Phaya kulaa Glasgow kuthethwa ngayo, iimbethi-manqindi ezili-10 ezimele uMzantsi Afrika, ezintlanu kuzo zisuka eMpuma Koloni. Kwezi zintlanu, ezintathu zifumene iimbasa. Abo ke nguThulani Mbenge, Simphiwe Lusizi kunye no-Ayabonga Sonjica. Khumbulani ke, lilo lodwa eli phondo eliye laveza igqiyazana eliye lathatha intshinga yehlabathi, uNoni kaThenge. Ndiyaqonda ukuba akukho mntu unokuze ame esidlangalaleni xa kusithwa kuza iMpuma Koloni ngenqindi.
Kwaphaya eGlasgow, uSiyabulela Mabulu, ongumdlali wejudo, ngowaseMpuma Koloni. Sinamagqiyazana mabini, awadanisa ke ahlaba ngedolo phantsi. Abuye nembasa yegolide, ezesilivere ezimbini nezeebronzi ezintlanu. Yonke le nto ngumcimbi nje weeveki ezimbini. BekungoMgqibelo, ndilapha eKapa, ngoba mna ndilawula lonke, ndinguMphathiswa wePhondo ongenamida. [Uwele-wele.] Nalapha ndiphethe.
Apha ndifike ndaza kundulula iZitsiba-bhokhwe ezingamantombazana – women Springbok. Kwela qela belihamba apha lisiya eFrance, i-10 lisuka kwiBhoda, isi-6 sisuka eMpuma Koloni. Ishumi elinesithandathu lelam, ngokuqinisekileyo, qwaba, sisangqa. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Sihlalo ohloniphekileyo, uMphathiswa uJola, ohloniphekileyo uMbalula, usincedisile kakhulu ngesibonelelo esiyi-conditional grant, kwaye siyabulela silela phondo kuba siyakwazi ukuphuhlisa ezimidlalo.
Imali ebekelwe bucala ejongene ncakasana nezemidlalo zizigidi ezili-R174. Kanti nazi izinto ezilandelayo: phaya kumcimbi ojongene nezikolo nezemidlalo, siyaqinisekisa ukuba igotywa isemanzi khon’ ukuze ingophoki yakuba midala. Yiyo loo nto siqinise phaya esikolweni ngoba ...
English:
... sport contributes to cognitive development.
IsiXhosa:
Ukuba ujonga umcimbi wezemidlalo, sijonge into yokuba kukho amabala ezemidlalo asezidolophini ezingqongwe ziilali ezingakwaziyo ukufikelela kuwo. Sithi loo nto iza kuba yeyayizolo. Siza kungena kuloo mabala, nokuba umntu uyathanda okanye akathandi. Loo mabala ayingomabala akhe. Ngamabala aseMzantsi Afrika akwizikolo zaseMzantsi Afrika. Sele siqalile ke ngalo projekthi. Phaya eQonce, eDale College, sifaka zonke izikolo zaseQonce, zaseBhisho nezakwaTyutyu, yonke loo nto. Siyifaka kwesa sikolo, sesethu.
Inguqu awukhe uthathe amanzi neswekile uwadibanise wenze unovatala uthi yinguqu. Inguqu kufuneka uyiphile, uyihambe, uyenze uyihlohle apha emntwini ongafuni ingene. [uwele-wele.] Sijonge izikolo ezingamashumi asibhozo esiza kuziqeqesha siqinisekise ukuba abantwana abakhubazekileyo mabangadlaliswa imidlalo yabo bodwa ekoneni, mabadityaniswe apha kwabanye abantwana.
Ngenxa yezemidlalo nolonwabo, ubuthandazwe buyakhula, kangangokuba zosixhenxe iimpawu endizibona kule Ndlu sithi mazibonakale xa kudlalwa ngamaxesha onke khon’ ukuze abantwana bakhule bezingca. Sihlalo weNdlu namalungu, imithambo ke yinto ebaluleke kakhulu, ngoba isizwe, ukuze singamsokolisi ohloniphekileyo uMotsoaledi kufuneka ibe sisizwe esingaguliyo. Sisoloko sikhala apha sikhala ngamachiza [drugs] angekhoyo, xa ugulela ntoni? [Kwahlekwa.]
Sithi ke ngamaxesha onke uTata obethetha apha uMbhexeshi oyiNtloko waseNtshona Koloni, thina siphethe intshinga. Le midlalo ebizwa ngokuthi zii-Golden Games iza kukhuselwa yiMpuma Koloni unyaka ngulo. Sithi abazintshinga, siphumelele kulo nyaka uphelileyo, nikhona, ningayanga kukha swekile.
Ndize kumaziko obuchwepheshe namaqumrhu okuqeqesha abantu khon’ ukuze bagqwese kwezemidlalo. Siza kuba namaziko oqeqesho ezemidlalo asibhozo. Ngomso lo siza kusungula elinye iziko loqeqesho kwezemidlalo phaya e-Alfred Nzo kwindawo kwisikolo esikhethekileyo iNolitha ngoba sifuna into yokuba la maziko abe phaya emaphandleni.
Ukhenketho kwezemidlalo lubonakalisile ukuba lunegalelo elikhulu xa kufikelelwa kuqoqosho lwesizwe. Thina ke sinemidlalo ngemidlalo. Umdlalo wamahashe ubuzwa kuthi, kanti kukho nohambo olubizwa ngokuba yiLegends’ Marathon olusuka eBhisho lusiya eMonti esasikhe saluhamba. Ngoku siphinda indlela kuba sayihamba siqhankqalaza ngoku siyihamba sisakha isizwe ngokutsha. Ithi ke loo nto, ngamaxesha onke siza kuzikhusela iipolisi zalo rhulumente ukhokelwa nguKhongolose, kuba kaloku thina singamatsha-ntliziyo ezemidlalo engenacalucalulo ngokobuhlanga. Asinakujika sibe ngamagwala. Igwala kuloyise ngoba kukho ipelepele kulonina.
Mandiyichaze ke into yokuba thina sinequmrhu elicacileyo elinolawulo olungenachaphaza elibizwa ngokuba yi-Eastern Cape Sports Confederation, eliqhuba kakuhle kangangaokuba neencwadi zalo zicwalile noMphicothi-zincwadi uyazivuma. Asiphelelanga nje apho. Sigqiba kutyikitya isivumelwano neqela lebhola ekhatywayo iChippa United, iChilli Boys, eza kuba seMpuma Koloni iminyaka emithathu. Xa ndigqitha ...
USIHLALO WEBHUNGA LESIZWE LAMAPHONDO: Mphathiswa wePhondo, ...
Nksz P MAJODISA (UMPHATHISWA WEPHONDO LASEMPUMA KOLONI): Mama ...
USIHLALO WEBHUNGA LESIZWE LAMAPHONDO: Yiya ngakhona.
Nksz P MAJODISA (UMPHATHISWA WEPHONDO LASEMPUMA KOLONI): Mandigqibezele ngelithi sinabo ubudlelwane kunye neLower Saxony phaya eJamani. NgoLwesihlanu ndihambisa abantwana ababini abaza kuhlala phaya besiya kuqeqesho lwezemidlalo unyaka wonke ngenxa yokuba ubunye namazwe ngamazwe [international solidarity] esabuphila kuKhongolose asisayi kubulahla kunye nezihlobo zethu kuba sikhululekile. Ndiyabulela. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
Mr D M STOCK
Ms P MAJODINA (Eastern Cape)
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Mr D M STOCK: The Chairperson of the NCOP, the Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, the Chief Whip of the NCOP, MECs present here today, hon members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen in the gallery, let me start by appreciating the opportunity to participate in the debate on Budget Vote 20 of the Department of Sport and Recreation.
I would also like to clarify a few sound bites that were made by the two hon members from the DA, hon Groenewald and hon Wiley, respectively. There is actually nothing to say about their speeches because they were mainly complementing what the Minister said when he opened the debate on the Budget Vote. I would also like to take this opportunity to clarify something for the hon members from the DA. We have been continuously clarifying for them and making the point that South Africa is a unitary state, not a federal state. The issues of democracy and basic human rights are of priority.
I think the hon members in this House are not listening. I am taking it on myself to request them and school them that listening is an important skill. When they come to participate in the debate, it is important for them to always listen. We are continuously making this point because the Western Cape as a province is not South Africa and South Africa is not the Western Cape. The ruling party in this country is the ANC, and we are also leading the Western Cape. Our national Department of Sport and Recreation is also making provision for our people in the Western Cape and the young people who are also participating in the different sporting codes. It is important, hon members, to make that plea to the Minister. As part of our department’s programme of action, let us also be inclusive of the Western Cape so that other hon members of the DA can appreciate the fact that this country is a unitary state.
Hon member from the EFF, Leigh-Anne Mathys, I do not know who you were representing, because we have consistently made that point in the Select Committee on Education and Recreation. Since the hon member is forever absent, without any apology, at committee level, the majority of us in that committee had the opportunity to deliberate when the presentation was made to us by the department. We expressed our views at the committee level. The hon member missed an important opportunity to express her views in that regard.
Ms L MATHYS: Hon Chair, I rise on a point of order. I would like you to rule on the comments about my absence and not submitting apologies. That is an issue that should be raised with the Whippery of the EFF and not here. You have no proof of this - that apologies were not issued.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! I cannot rule on that matter, hon Mathys, because you submitted your apologies through the Whippery and it is only the Whippery who can stand up here and tell us you were away with or without permission. In that regard, perhaps the right thing to do is not to dwell on this matter. It is for us to check and come back to the Council and clarify the matter.
Mr D STOCK: The hon member has missed an opportunity to express her view on the annual performance plan of the department, strategic plans of the department and all of that. We, as the majority in that committee, had an opportunity to interact with the department. We came here to participate in this Budget Vote today. It is of critical importance to mention that what the hon member presented here is a total misrepresentation of the collective wisdom of that particular committee. Much as we cannot take away the right of the hon member to participate in the debate, because it is within her rights and covered in the Rules of the House, it is incorrect for the hon member to come here and create the impression that the views she expressed are the overall views of the committee. I thought I must just clarify that statement.
The President of the Republic, hon Jacob Zuma, in his state of the nation address, highlighted key priority areas for the department. Among others, the President alluded to the following: Bafana Bafana’s performance; support for netball; social cohesion; sports development; and high performance. Earlier on the Minister spoke about transformation. I would like to take this opportunity to fully agree with the hon Minister when he said that transformation had to take place from the ground up and it had to start at school level. Transformation, as the Minister has already indicated, is a very painful exercise. We have seen how some of the hon members, when we speak to them about transformation, think we are playing the race card here. We are very serious about the issue of transformation. As part of the priorities of the ANC-led government, we are committed to making sure that sport is transformed in the country.
An appropriate transformation approach would involve a change in direction at all levels within the different sporting organisations, a change of not only of how it works and how it is structured, but how our people think, interact, participate and perform. The National Development Plan recognises that sport plays an important role in promoting wellness and social cohesion. It treats sports as a crosscutting issue with related proposals in the chapters on education, health and nation-building, thus encouraging sport and physical education in the sport sector.
Five days ago, I posted a topic on Facebook and I received many comments from a number of young people across the sector. I would like to just highlight one comment, which I received from one of the young people of the Northern Cape province, in the area of Batlharos, by the name of Lesego Seleka. I would like to quote the comment:
Setswana:
Ke tsaya tšhono e go leboga puso ya ANC ka go re agela sekolo sa manobonobo mo motseng wa rona ka gonne re tla kgona go ithuta gore re tle re kgone go isa Aforikaborwa kwa pele. Puso ya tlhaolele e paletswe ke go agela batsadi ba rona dikolo. Ka jalo, batsadi ba rona ba tlhokile go tsena dikolo. Re ka itumela fa puso e e eteletsweng pele ke ANC e ka re agela lebala le re tla kgonang go tshameka kgwele ya dinao mo go lona gore re tle re itapolose mme re kgone go bontsha bokgoni jwa rona.
English:
In the context of what this young person was trying to say, he was appreciating the fact that the ANC-led government had built a school in the rural community. In as much as they appreciate the school being built by government there, they are calling for the ANC-led government to make provision for a sports field so that they will be able to display their talent. Within the context of what Lesego raised, I think it is in line with the priorities of the ANC-led government and the programme of action of the Department of Sports.
Since the signing of the agreement between the Department of Sport and Recreation and the Department of Basic Education, there are still a number of structural challenges that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. To name but a few, one of those challenges I know for a fact is that the Department of Sport and Recreation has been very consistent in calling to have physical education delinked from life orientation. It is a point that the Minister has reflected on. In our engagement with the department, they have also assured us that they intend to set aside 25% of their budget, which is approximately R400 million, for school sports development.
In conclusion, let me take this opportunity to give advice to hon Mathys. She must start to take her parliamentary responsibilities seriously, and she must start to learn and read the rules of the House. When the hon Chief Whip of the Majority Party, hon Sizani, was addressing the press conference yesterday, after a successful ANC Caucus lekgotla, he made a plea to all ANC Members of Parliament to be tolerant and patient with EFF members, not because they have something to offer or that they are special, but precisely because we still have to give them time to learn the rules.
Ms L MATHYS: Hon Chairperson, I rise on a point of order. The hon member is making comments, once again, about me and issues that do not involve the debate that we are having. I do not think that it is parliamentary.
The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: That is noted, madam.
Mr D STOCK: Hon Chair, my last bit of advice to the hon member is that she must actually familiarise herself with the rules of the House.
In conclusion, as a select committee, we would like to commend the department for its efforts to ensure that the youth of this country finally get practical recognition by fully participating in the different sporting codes at a young age.
We support the Budget Vote of the Department of Sport and Recreation and we are of the view that the budget will improve the lives of ordinary people. I thank you. [Applause.]
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION (Mr F A Mbalula)
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Mr D M STOCK
The MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION: Hon Chairperson, I think the EFF is a get-together party of overzealous, excited and misdirected people. [Laughter.] It is a nice party that is going to fizzle out in a very short space of time. [Interjections.]. They should understand that to pursue a struggle and revolution is not a dinner party. They must also understand that being in Parliament does not mean that your ideas are going to be informed by how you dress, whether in an overall or a cap that does not clearly define what you represent. It is about content and ideas. That is what this House is about. It is a House of rules, dignity and integrity ... [Applause.] ... not just misdirected ideas.
We must never retreat from correcting them and telling them the truth because they have the potential to misinform the entire nation. For an hon member to come here and speak about issues that she does not understand means she is giving a complete misinterpretation of the present situation. Where she comes from and what she says is nothing but sounding slogans and insurrectionary phrase-mongering, which is not going to take us any further. [Applause.] Let us inform you about the content of the revolution that is pursued by the ANC, the political party of your great-grandfathers, who founded the Freedom Charter, which you proclaim as the document you follow. You do not follow it. Instead, you follow your own undefined anger of not knowing where you are heading.
Firstly, let us tell you about what the ANC seeks to do about sports. Sport is about nation-building and social cohesion. The ANC understands correctly how to achieve that. You cannot achieve social cohesion in sports and the levelling of a playing field without emphasising the development of sports, and that is what sport is all about. That is what we articulate in our agenda.
Secondly, we must understand that sport is about equal youth development. We are not dealing with bricks and mortar; we are dealing with human beings. [Applause.]. That is why it is important that when you deal with human beings you must understand that you have to acknowledge excellence and say thank you to somebody. It is very important to show that we appreciate what they are doing for the nation.
To the DA and everybody, transformation is not about race and racism. It is about achieving equity and access and addressing the disparities of the past. We are fully aware that we cannot achieve transformation without development, but you are locking us down on perpetual development without affirming those who have the capabilities and the talent. You do not want us to exercise the rights of the people to play the sport. You want people to be developing players until they retire. It does not work like that. People must develop, and at a particular stage - somewhere, somehow - they must emerge. And that is not defined by race but by demographics and access; and it is about equity. You are not going to achieve that if you do not emphasise these particular principles.
We are not talking about colour-coding, coffee-cream arrangements where a few blacks must actually emerge and the rest must not. You proclaim that black people do not know rugby, so they cannot succeed. Who said black people cannot swim? They can swim. It is not true that white people were born with parts in their bodies that enable them to swim like fish. [Interjections.] [Applause.] It is the mentality of people who suffer from learned helplessness. All of us are God’s creation and we can swim. The question is: Do we all have swimming pools? No! That is the fundamental issue about transformation. Create a swimming pool to enable me to swim, and I will swim. That is what is fundamental. Swimming and becoming an achiever in swimming does not start when you are a 17–year-old; it starts when you are 6 years old. But you must first have a swimming pool next to you, then a trainer and a coach. [Interjections.]
What is happening in this country is that your child and my child have access, but the poorest of the poor do not. That is why there is uneven development. But you want to tell me that I must be happy that we are transformed because you can afford to take your child to the advantaged schools and only 20 schools produce for the Springboks in the country. How can you then think that we have arrived and we must allow everything to be the way it is? That is not the country we pursue! We are pursuing a country where we realise a democratic society and where everybody lives equally.
You are looting and vandalising the idea of Nelson Mandela on a daily basis. Nelson Mandela did not talk about perpetual inequality. He said, let us use sports to unite. Let us not use sports to suppress and depress people and basically push people into the doldrums of poverty and inequality. He said use sports to unite and to reconcile and ensure that you make the playing field even. That is what transformation is all about. Your child can afford to be where other children cannot be. Unfortunately, the majority, which is the poor, is on the periphery. They depend on this government.
This government has competing priorities. [Applause.] This government, led by President Zuma - of whom, when you wake up every morning, whether you are in Pretoria or anywhere else, you dream and say Zuma must give you your daily bread - found these things in this order. It is on the path of transforming the nation to achieving equity in this country. The fact of the matter is that this government is faced with the challenge of competing priorities. If it were up to us, we would spend R10 billion on sports, but we cannot because we have inherited a legacy of deprivation and underdevelopment. [Applause.] [Interjections.] That is why we are at the stage where we are.
You come here and speak as if our country has always had equity. It has not, my friend. This Western Cape is not an isolated column; it is in a democratic South Africa. Therefore, in this particular province, the so-called province that is led by the DA, the ravages of inequality run deep. Walk with us in this journey, but do not become hypocrites. This is the time. There will never be another one. That is why we say that we are now going with everything we have to actually make this country an even better place to live in, not for us but for many generations to come.
These achievements that you see today, these chants that you shout and speak about from this podium as if we do not love these people - no! We are not talking about race here; we are celebrating the achievements of our athletes. We made them known to you through the sports awards programme, which you insult today. You organise sports awards here in the Western Cape to the isolation of others. [Interjections.]. But we, on the other hand, organise sports awards for everybody in South Africa. And that is not what sports awards are about. That is what is fundamental. But let me tell you that that is not the beginning and the end - the alpha and omega of our programme - it is just part of our programme of excellence. I want to rest my case by saying that ...
IsiXhosa:
... izinja zikhonkotha ehambayo; emileyo ziyayichamela ... [Uwele-wele.]
Debate concluded.
The Council adjourned at 21:49.
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