Hansard: NCOP: Annual Address By The Deputy President Of The Republic Of South Africa To The National Council Of Provinces – Together Making Service Delivery work For Our People

House: National Council of Provinces

Date of Meeting: 17 Apr 2015

Summary

No summary available.

---

Minutes

UNREVISED HANSARD

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES

17 APRIL 2015

PAGE: 1

 

 

 

 

FRIDAY, 17 APRIL 2015

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES

_______

 

 

The Council met at the Bridgton Sport Ground, Oudtshoorn, Eden District Municipality in Western Cape at 09:06.

 

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

 

 

 

 

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT

 

 

Start of Day

 

 

 

 

ANNUAL ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES – TOGETHER MAKING SERVICE DELIVERY WORK FOR OUR PEOPLE

 

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT (Mr R J TAU): Chairperson of the NCOP, Ms Thandi Modise; Ministers and Deputy Ministers; Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP; members of the NCOP; Amakhosi from the House of Traditional Leaders who are here; representatives of provincial and local government; distinguished guests; and ladies and gentlemen, it is, indeed, a singular honour and a privilege to join you among the people of our country in this special sitting of the NCOP in Oudtshoorn.

 

This is democracy at work. This is what we envisaged when we crafted our Constitution, a constitution that declares that we shall have a constitutional state which is underpinned by democratic principles.

 

That, in itself, means that the doors of our Parliament will be open and, from time to time, we shall want to take our Parliament to the people, the very people who matter most, those who elected their representatives to go to represent them and make the laws of our country. You are, indeed, a clear indication by your presence here that democracy is at work. Democracy is alive, and you are the true embodiment of our democratic dispensation. I would like to thank you for welcoming me here to this place. [Applause.]

 

Sixty years ago, a call went out to the people of our country. The call was made at a time when our country was deeply divided along racial lines. The majority of our people were not free. They were living under the yoke of oppression. Oppression and exploitation were at the order of the day.

 

White supremacy was the ideology of the then illegitimate government. Our people did not have any human rights. However, a call was made that said, and I quote:

Let us speak of freedom ... Let us speak of the wide land, and the narrow strips on which we toil ... Let us speak of the good things we make, and the bad conditions of our work ... Let us speak of the light that comes with learning, and the ways we are kept in darkness ... Let us speak of laws, and government, and rights ... Let us speak together of freedom.

 

These words inspired a new generation of South Africans who took them so seriously that they took the struggle for freedom, justice, equality and human rights to another level. They unleashed a commitment and the innovation of a cohort of men and women who have made an indelible contribution to the struggle to free all of us.

 

We speak here of those people who heeded this call that was made 60 years ago, of men and women like Nelson Mandela, Albert Luthuli, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Albertina Sisulu, Helen Joseph, Joe Slovo and, indeed, many others.

 

As we meet here in Oudtshoorn, convened by the NCOP to hear the views and concerns of the people of our country, we are reminded of this call to convene the Congress of the People that drafted our Freedom Charter. I say so because this wonderful Taking Parliament to the People programme reminds us of the campaign that led up to the adoption of the Freedom Charter, the 60th anniversary of whichwe are commemorating this year.

 

After the South African Congress Alliance accepted the proposal by Z K Matthews that a congress of the people be convened, circulars went out to townships and villages across the length and the breadth of our country.

 

People were asked how they would set about seeking a good life for themselves and their children. They were asked to imagine a South Africa of the future, to imagine the type of South Africa they would like their children and their grandchildren to live in, a South Africa that would be proud to be part of the family of nations.

 

A cross-section of ordinary South Africans who loved peace, who loved freedom and who loved their country came together at local, regional and provincial congresses of the people that were held right across the country.

 

As former President Nelson Mandela recalls in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, demands–

 

... came on serviettes, on paper torn from exercise books, on scraps of foolscap, on the back of our own leaflets ... It was humbling to see how the suggestions of ordinary people were often far ahead of the leaders ... The most commonly cited demand was for one-man, one-vote. There was a recognition that the country belongs to all those who have made it their home.

 

This campaign culminated in-

 

… a meeting of elected representatives of all races, coming together from every town and village, every farm and factory, every mine and kraal, every street and suburb, in the whole land”.

 

The same could be said of this special session of the NCOP. You who are here today have come from far afield to ponder on matters of the state that affect your daily lives. You are here because you love your country, you love your people, and you want this country to move forward. We thank you for being here. [Applause.]

 

It is special because it is being held – this session of the NCOP – amongst the people. As public representatives who represent you, as you elected us in the last election, we are nothing without the people whose needs and interests we seek to advance through our public service.

 

We are nothing without you. You have made us what we are. We are part of you. [Applause.] S, we say thank you to everyone from the Klein Karoo and beyond who made their way to this beautiful place today to show that they want to move South Africa forward.

 

We say thank you to everyone who has come here to prove that our democracy is indeed alive and vibrant and that it is driven by the citizens of our own country. Here, as in Kliptown in 1955, “all will speak together, freely, as equals”, as you have been doing in the past few days.

 

Today, many of the demands of the people recorded in the Freedom Charter have been realised. Many more are in the process of being realised. We have not yet reached our destination. Yes, we still have much more work to do. Most important among these demands is the assertion that the people shall govern and that- “no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of all the people”.

 

Since 1994, we have remade our country. We have refashioned the institutions of the state, ensuring that the views of our people are heard, ensuring that they are understood, and ensuring that our people are effectively represented.

 

Our democracy is anchored in the understanding that the state is an instrument through which the people of our country may pursue their shared vision. We want every South African to be an active participant in our democratic dispensation.

 

We want to create a nation of citizens who care for each other, respect one another and share a deep love for and a deep relationship with their country.

 

We want a nation that is proud of its heritage, its symbols, its flag and its diversity. We want a nation that is proud of its heritage, proud of its symbols, proud of its national anthem, proud of its flag and, more importantly, proud of its diversity. We want a nation that also understands its past, celebrates its present and enthusiastically and actively builds its future.

 

Parliament is central to this effort. Not only does it represent the wishes of the people, but it has the responsibility of involving the people in making the decisions that will affect their lives and their future. Parliament must therefore position itself as an activist Parliament, an activist Parliament that is rooted in the common struggles of ordinary citizens.

 

It must be present in community struggles; it must reflect the aspirations of our people. It must ensure that the work of government is attuned to grassroots concerns and aspirations. Through this institution, we must facilitate public involvement, public access, as well as consultation.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, the programme that the NCOP has undertaken this week reminds us that we have achieved much of what the Congress of the People envisaged in 1955. But it reminds us too that there is much that still needs to be done.

 

As we have heard this week, too many of our children still live in darkness. Too many of our people still toil on narrow strips of land. Too many of our people are still struggling to achieve a better life for themselves and their children.

 

We have done much to ensure that the people shall govern and that all national groups shall have equal rights. We have put in place the mechanisms to ensure that all shall be equal before the law and that all shall enjoy equal rights.

 

There is, however, still a lot of work that we need to do to ensure that the people share in the country’s wealth, that the land is shared among those who work it, and that there is work and security for our people.

 

After 20 years of democracy, yes, we have achieved a great deal in addressing the needs of the poor and laying a foundation for greater growth and prosperity. Significant progress has been made in many critical areas such as the provision of housing, the provision of electricity, the reticulation of water, sanitation and infrastructure.

 

We have also made great progress in reducing mother-and-child mortality and in providing access to basic education, but we know that even in this area, we still face many challenges. When it comes to water reticulation and when it comes to sanitation, there are families that still struggle to have proper sanitation. Many families still share one toilet amongst 10 families. This is not right. It is something that we need to address and correct. [Applause.]

 

We know that many of our people are still unemployed. Our President, his Cabinet and the national leadership of this country are busy at work to see how best the many South Africans who are out of work can find work; and indeed the government is determined to make sure that work for all our people will be provided in the next five years. This is something that we shall do. [Applause.]

 

As we have heard this week, there is much more that still needs to be done, also in the area of service delivery provision. We need to focus more attention on service delivery, particularly at the local government level. Too many people live in poverty. There is much inequality in our country. Yes, the rate of unemployment is not acceptable.

 

Our education system is not producing the outcomes required to address the challenges of a modern economy. Many public services are falling short of what our people expect and need. In this regard, we are determined to move with urgency and determination to address all these issues.

 

We will struggle, we will work hard, we will do everything that we can to realise the vision of the Freedom Charter. The Freedom Charter remains our lodestar. The Freedom Charter remains our ideological guide. The Freedom Charter still leads the way to our giving our people a better life.

 

As we celebrate 60 years of the Freedom Charter, we are renewing, reviving, redoubling our efforts to make sure that the ideals, the vision, and the objectives of the Freedom Charter are realised.

 

In many respects, the National Development Plan, NDP, is also a key and direct response to the challenges that we face. The NDP provides a framework for the actions that we need to take over the next 15 years to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality, to create work and opportunities for all.

 

The implementation of the National Development Plan has begun. The national Cabinet has started the process of implementing the National Development Plan in earnest. The plans that are being structured by the national departments are pivoted around the National Development Plan which, in many ways, takes the Freedom Charter as its guide.

 

In his state of the nation address in February, President Jacob Zuma identified nine priorities to advance inclusive economic growth.

 

Key amongst these is the revitalisation of South African industry. Through government incentives for manufacturing, through greater beneficiation of our mineral resources, through local procurement, and through reducing the administrative burden on business, we will be able to increase investment in the productive sector of our economy.

 

Another priority action is the revitalisation of agriculture, as well as agroprocessing. This would have a significant impact in a region like this one where there is both great potential and great need.

 

In agriculture, there is substantial opportunity to open up new export markets, create employment and uplift our communities in a demonstrable way. But we need to ensure that people have access to land, we need to provide them with opportunities to acquire skills and experience, and we need to resolve the antagonistic relationships that are prevalent in many of our farming areas.

 

What has become clear from the interactions of the last few days is that we need to improve the provision of services to our communities. We need better planning and co-ordination across departments and between all spheres of government. We need better, more efficient, and more responsive local government. We will get the local government that you deserve. We will get better local government. [Applause.] This we will deliver.

 

President Zuma has made it clear that at local-government level, we must go back to basics. We must focus local government on delivering services to our people. [Applause.] We must make sure that our representatives at local-government level are the type of representatives who are committed to serving our people, not serving themselves. [Applause.]

 

We also need to go back to the Back to Basics programme, to make sure that we restore energy and that we restore capability to our struggling municipalities so that they can best serve our people.

 

Consistent with the principles of the Freedom Charter, this programme puts the citizens at the centre of effective service delivery, good governance and sound financial management. It calls for substantive community involvement - regular ward report-backs by councillors, greater engagement with civil society and prompt feedback on petitions and complaints that are made by the communities of our country.

 

If there is one thing that has emerged from the interactions of the last few days, it is that the people of this country are not prepared to be passive recipients of government’s generosity. They want to be involved, engaged and consulted on an ongoing basis. [Applause.] They are asking government to enable them, to empower them and to support them. They want to improve their own lives.

 

The Freedom Charter says that there shall be peace and friendship. It envisages a South Africa at peace with the nations of the world, in which the rights and freedoms of all the people who live in this country are protected. The attacks that we have witnessed in the past few days on foreign nationals and which have taken place in many parts of our country, are an affront to the aspirations of our forebears who drafted our Freedom Charter. [Applause.]

 

As President Zuma said in the NA yesterday, these attacks are a violation not only of the rights of the individuals who are affected but also of the values and principles that define our democracy.

 

We must condemn, in no uncertain terms, such behaviour without hesitation. It is not acceptable that any one of us as South Africans can go out and attack people from other countries because they come from other countries. [Applause.] It cannot be acceptable. It dehumanises us as South Africans. As we seek to dehumanise them, we are dehumanising ourselves.

 

These people also have the same human rights that we have. They are also human beings like we are. [Applause.] These attacks must stop with immediate effect. We must act decisively to end such violence and work to ensure that it does not happen again in this country. In Mandela’s South Africa, in Oliver Tambo’s South Africa, in Walter Sisulu’s South Africa, this must not continue to happen. [Applause.]

 

Those who perpetrate such violence and looting must face the full might of the law. At the same time, we must engage with the communities in which these crimes are taking place. Where there are concerns, yes, we must address those concerns. Where there is conflict, we must find peaceful solutions.

 

We are children of peace; we are people who love peace, and we must make sure that we act in a peaceful manner at all times. We must build communities that are cohesive, communities that are inclusive.

 

As public representatives, we must be at the forefront of such efforts. All leaders in our country are called upon to join this effort of making sure that all of us, as South Africans, respect one another, that we respect foreign nationals, and that we live up to the ideals of our Freedom Charter.

 

Let me once again commend the NCOP for taking Parliament to the people, for the people are the government. We are their servants. The National Development Plan reminds us that—

 

... government begins in the home, grows into the community, expands towards the city, flares toward the province, and engulfs the entire land.

 

We are 15 years from realising the National Development Plan: Vision for 2030. It is a vision that depends on the passion and hard work of every South African.

 

To achieve this vision calls for courageous and visionary leadership across all sectors of society and I hope that a year from now, as a result of this week’s activities, we will be able to see an improvement in the lives of the people we have visited here.

 

I hope that a year from now, hopefully when we come back to this place, we will hear reports that, yes, since the last visit, the lives of our people here in Oudtshoorn have improved. [Applause.] I surely hope so. We are here not just to meet and greet, but to achieve better communities and a better country.

 

Allow me to conclude with words of the late Guinean President, Ahmed Sékou Touré, when he said:

 

To take part in the African revolution it is not enough to write a revolutionary song: you must fashion the revolution with the people. And if you fashion it with the people, the songs will come by themselves.

 

They will not be forced on the people. The people will sing the songs themselves.

 

I wish to thank you for this opportunity to stand before you, as we are all involved and all engaged in this wonderful effort, a great opportunity that we have been given by our forebears.

 

Those who have come before us have given all of us a great and rare opportunity of building the South African nation. They have given us the opportunity to move our country forward. Let us all join in in moving South Africa forward. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

 

 

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP

 

 

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT

 

 

 

 

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP; Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, hon Cyril Ramaphosa; the representatives of the nine provinces, the premiers; the Speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Legislature; the Speaker of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature; members of the NCOP and the provincial legislatures; Minister of Energy, Ms Joemat-Petterson; Provincial Chairperson of the South African Local Government Association, Salga; executive Mayor and Speaker of the Eden District; councillors; the people of Western Cape and the people of South Africa, we have had a very interesting time in this district.

 

Let me start off by thanking the Deputy President for addressing us this morning and his continued support for the programmes of the NCOP. I also want to thank the Premier of the Western Cape, in her absence, for ensuring that the provincial leadership of the Western Cape participated and gave us all the support we needed to ensure that this programme of the NCOP is successful. [Applause.]

 

It has been an important week in the life of the Eden District. We thank the district, the mayor, the Speaker, the councillors who have taken time, not only to walk about with us, but also for being there, when called upon, to give responses.

 

District mayor, it will also be remiss of me not to point out that we, as the NCOP, have notice that there are members and mayors who have not made themselves available at all to participate in this programme.

 

It is important for us to point that out, because the NCOP is the only structure of government that links local government, provincial government and the national executive. We are representatives of the provinces, we are nominated by the provinces and we host organised local government.

 

Mr M A MATEBUS: Chairperson.

 

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr R J TAU): Is that a point of order?

 

Mr M A MATEBUS: Chairperson, it is a point of clarity.

 

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr R J Tau): Can I get your point of order?

 

Mr M A MATEBUS: It is a point of clarity. The people in the gallery ...

 

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr R J Tau): No, hold it. There is no such thing; it is either a point of order or privilege. We don’t have a point of clarity.

 

Mr M A MATEBUS: Deputy Chairperson, on a point of order: Are the people in the gallery allowed to clap hands?

 

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr R J Tau): Can I make a ruling on that point of order? Members of the public, I think it is correct. I will carry that point, precisely because of the fact that this is a formal sitting of the NCOP and ordinarily we would not expect members of the gallery, which would be the general citizenry, to participate.

 

However, even the President, when he opened, said that it is an extraordinary sitting of the NCOP. So I would appeal that the public is not active participants, but let’s not be so rigid as to not allow our people to appreciate the extent to which we are engaging. [Applause.]

 

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: We want to thank the people of Eden and civic leaders

 

Afrikaans:

Ons is baie dankbaar dat u tyd gemaak het om saam met ons te praat om dinge uit te sorteer en om vir ons te sê wat die kwelling is. Ons wil vir u sê dat dit nie die eerste en laaste keer is dat die NRVP hier is nie.

 

English:

We will make sure that we follow up on all the issues you have brought to our attention.

 

The NCOP is required by the Constitution to represent the provinces, and part of our core function is to ensure that we facilitate public participation. We must not only facilitate public participation; we are required to go out and be part of public education on all matters of public interest.

 

We are driven by the ideal to ensuring a better life for all our people across the country. Since 2002, this programme, Taking Parliament to the People, has been the vehicle to reach out to, to learn from and to listen to of the people and to speak out on their behalf.

 

We will also ensure, when we go back to Parliament, our legislatures and our municipalities, that we can remember the concerns of South Africans. Taking Parliament to the People is not just about spending a week away from home; it is about influencing the policies and legislation of South Africa.

 

In March we were in the Eden District. We visited different sites and held our public meetings. We have to say we came across some very well-run public facilities like clinics and schools.

 

We must also acknowledge that we have come across some that really need help. They need good management and need government to come to the party and add to the resources so that the management can do their best, as they are trying to do.

 

We have also come across instances where institutions are not run well at all. So we have come across a mixed bag of services that are being delivered to our people.

 

We want to make sure that government gets all the information — the whole bag, the good and the bad - on what we picked up, starting from when we sent the technical teams to the pre-visits and these activities, this week. We want to share the good stories that the Eden District has for us, and, as government, we want to learn from the bad examples.

 

We must mention the plight of the communities, especially the people of Groot Brak. We must give speedy and better attention, specifically to the people of Groot Brak. There are issues of housing, sanitation, the continued ...

 

Mr M A MATEBUS: Deputy Chairperson, on a point of order: Someone called me a kwedien [young child] and I am not a kwedien [young child]. I want you to ask him to withdraw that.

 

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr R J Tau): Repeat, please.

 

Mr M A MATEBUS: Someone called me a kwedien here [young child]. I feel that this guy is insulting me.

 

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr R J Tau): Who was that? [Interjections.]

 

Mr M A MATEBUS: This one. [Interjections.]

 

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr R J Tau): Take your seat, hon Matebus. Hon members, especially members of the public in the gallery, let me put it this way: Refrain from engaging Members of Parliament, MPs, because this is a formal sitting.

 

This comment was made by somebody who is not a member and who is not part of the formal sitting. May we please refrain from doing that? Let us just afford the members the necessary respect that they deserve.

 

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: We are concerned about the quality of water and the adequate reserves of water for the people across the district of Eden. We are concerned about the number and quality of sanitation facilities across the district. We have also listened to members of the public who are arguing for a radical shift in the existing inequitable service delivery patterns, citing endemic practices of corruption, nepotism and irregularities in the supply-chain management and tender adjudication.

 

We want to ensure that Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Cogta, and the relevant committees of Parliament will assist in resolving this matter. We are also sure that the members of the provincial legislature will make themselves available in order to ensure that these allegations are all followed up and that our people get the response they need.

 

We are concerned about the allocation of RDP houses. It is a concern that the Western Cape shares with other provinces – the tendency to give houses to younger and female members of society when the list is long and other people have been on the list for longer. We think that matter must be followed up so that we do not continue to see our people languishing.

 

We are also concerned about the issues raised by members of the public about, firstly, the resources available to members of the police services; secondly, the use of the available resources to ensure that crime is curbed; and thirdly, the personal or interpersonal relations between members of the police services and the people who are supposed to be their first clients, the people in the streets.

 

We have been assured by the provincial Minister, Mr Plato, that those matters will be taken cognisance of. We have also been assured that the national Minister will take cognisance of it and ensure that people are listened to when they bring their matters to us.

 

We also heard from different communities, especially the Khoisan people, that issues related to land restitution have not been dealt with. There are issues in connection with local government, human settlement, basic education, early childhood development, agriculture, labour, land reform, youth and energy. Those are the issues that the people of Eden brought to us.

 

Deputy President, we are very grateful that the Deputy Ministers who came have made commitments on behalf of their Ministers and their departments. We want to make sure that those are followed up and that service across the board is delivered to all the citizens of the country.

 

We want to say to the people of Eden who have raised issues around energy that after we interacted with the Minister of Energy, she said that she intends to have a mini summit on energy in the Western Cape and, therefore, your issues will be taken up at that summit. [Applause.]

 

We are concerned about governance, especially in Oudtshoorn. We are concerned about the running of the municipality. On behalf of the people of Oudtshoorn and the people of this district, we want to say that stringent measures need to be taken quickly to regulate the governance issues in Oudtshoorn municipality. [Applause.]

 

We are also concerned about the issues concerning the children in Knysna. We are losing our children after school because there are no dedicated footpaths for children. They are not safe. Accidents are taking our children. Those are the things we think we must be siezed with.

 

We want to assure the public and government that we will follow up on everything and that we will make sure that every little thing that we heard about is attended to, including what one woman spoke to us about.

 

The woman said she did not feel safe when there was a knock on her door. She said that she called the police and was told that she was not dead yet and that she should stop bothering them. That talks to the insecurity of the people of South Africa.

 

Lastly, as the NCOP, we want to join in the call that foreign nationals cannot be killed in our country and cannot be maltreated. It cannot continue. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

 

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr R J Tau): May I just advise speakers for the sake of time to use the two allocated chairs here when you are the next speaker or very close to being the next speaker in order to ensure a smooth running of the process.

 

 

 

Dr I H MEYER

 

 

 

 

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP

 

 

 

 

Dr I H MEYER (Western Cape: MEC - Finance): Programme directors; the Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, the hon Mr Tau; His Excellency, the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa; our Chairperson of the NCOP, the hon Ms Thandi Modise; Speaker of the Western Cape provincial legislature, the hon Ms Fernandez; the Speaker of the Eastern Cape provincial legislature, Ms Kiviet; the executive Mayor of the Eden District Municipality, Mr Van der Westhuizen; all other MECs present today; members and chairpersons of the various select committees of the NCOP; our members of the various provincial legislatures; executive mayors and deputy mayors; Speakers; councillors; community leaders; our Khoisan leaders; members of the media; ladies and gentlemen; and very important, all the citizens of the Eden region, good morning and thank you for this opportunity to address this special session of the NCOP.

 

Firstly, I want to thank the Deputy President and the Chairperson of the NCOP for their call for calm and peace in South Africa, and to respect our fellow friends from the African continent. We want peace and we must have peace, and I want to support their call that we bring peace to these areas with our fellow Africans, because we are citizens of the African continent.

 

Programme directors, during my opening address I referred to the comments made by the hon Chairperson of the NCOP, Ms Modise, when she addressed the audience at Thembalethu on 7 March 2015. She challenged and encouraged the people of the Eden district to come forward as there was a need to see whether the government and the municipalities are doing justice to service delivery in respect of projects and whether the organs of state were able to fully address the people’s needs.

 

The Chairperson of the NCOP further highlighted the need for an assessment of whether leaders are in fact serving their own interests through corrupt means. She further advised that local people must try and obtain full ownership of their respective municipalities, urging them to come forward with their suggestions and complaints about what she termed the abuse of positional authority and power.

 

I am thankful that during this week the people of Eden came to this room to tell us their stories and it is in this spirit that the Western Cape government approached this week’s proceedings. We did so because we realised that the citizens of the Western Cape deserved a capable, accountable and transparent state, and that it was in our collective interest – national, provincial, local, public entities and different community organisations – and our collective duty to provide citizens with the best services.

 

Hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, I would also like to thank you because during this week the political temperature and political climate almost derailed the NCOP’s proceedings, but because of your leadership this didn’t happen.

 

I want to thank you, Deputy Chair, because you have displayed outstanding leadership during this week. [Applause.] We just witnessed your leadership again this morning.

 

During the 2013-14 financial year, an external programme evaluation of all agricultural land reform projects was undertaken by the Department of Land Reform and the said evaluation revealed a 62% success rate of all land reform projects that the department had supported.

 

For this year, our target is to increase successful land reform from 62% to 70%. The evaluation criteria used to assess whether land reform projects are successful, are the following.

 

Firstly, do managers of land reform projects keep financial records?

 

Secondly, does the enterprise turnover allow for reinvestment into that business so that it can generate profits for all?

 

Thirdly, are these projects tax compliant; and fourthly, does the business comply with labour law requirements?

 

 

Fifthly, does the business have business plans for farming operations; and lastly, is there a secure market for the produce?

 

During the same period, a total of 1 345 households were supported through the suitcase programme – the household food production programme to enhance food production for security.

 

During this session, one of the members of the public complained about a specific land reform project. I am thankful that one of the members of the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Agriculture, Ms Schafer, the Mayor of the Eden Municipality and I, then paid a visit to that particular project. I want to thank the members of the public because what we saw there is not what we want.

 

Furthermore, a number of projects in Eden were also supported with access to formal markets through the department’s market access programme, particularly in Upper Kloof, which supplies its fruit to the export market.

 

The programme director, the Deputy President, as well as the Chairperson of the NCOP, made reference to the issue of the water shortage in the Eden area. Therefore, the Western Cape government has allocated an amount of R2,1 million towards a set of interventions aimed at increasing this region’s water supply.

 

The provincial government, the Department of Local Government and Agriculture, the Provincial Treasury and the national government are supporting assistance, through relief measures, in Zoar, the most water stressed area in this region.

 

Zoar is part of the Kannaland Local Municipality. These interventions include providing boreholes in Zoar and the repairs of associated bulk infrastructure in Zoar.

 

As part of this strategy to increase the water supply, water from the nearby Jongensland Dam will be pumped to Zoar. In line with our philosophy of, Better together, the Western Cape government is in consultation with the national Department of Water and Sanitation with regard to the long-term interventions for this region.

 

In the same spirit, we are working together with the local agricultural sector to have water supplies made available for this district at no cost.

 

The Western Cape government is committed to creating an enabling environment for young people in order to develop constructive, affirmative and sustainable relationships. I want to thank members of Eden and members of the public in general who came here during these sessions to speak about their desires for youth empowerment.

 

 

Afrikaans:

Ek wil graag al die inwoners van die Eden distrik bedank wat die nood en behoeftes van jonger persone in hierdie breë gemeenskap aangespreek het. Daarom is die Weskaap-regering se jeug ontwikkelingstrategie ook daarop gemik om werklike jeug bemagtigingsprojekte na hierdie streek toe te bring.

 

Daarom was ek gister, saam met Minister Albert Fritz, die Minister van Maatskaplike Ontwikkeling, asook die Burgermeester van George munisipaliteit, in George om die eerste jeug kafee in die landelike gebiede in Eden van stapel te stuur. Die breë oogmerk van hierdie jeug kafee is om geleenthede vir die jeug te gee sodat dit ’n platform vir die werklike bemagtiging van die jeug kan wees.

 

Dit is ook vir my aangenaam om vandag hier af te kondig dat nadat ons die jeug kafee in George geopen het, het ons besluit om ook ’n jeug kafee na die mense van Oudtshoorn te bring. [Applous.] Die gedagte is dat ons vanjaar R12 miljoen vir die jeug kafees hier in die Weskaap beskikbaar sal stel.

 

English:

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr R J Tau): Hon Meyer, unfortunately your time has expired.

 

Dr I H MEYER (Western Cape: MEC – Finance): Thank you very much, hon Deputy Chair, I respect your chairpersonship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr M QOBOSHIYANE

 

 

 

Mr I MEYER

 

 

 

 

IsiXhosa:

Mnu M QOBOSHIYANE (Eastern Cape): Sihlalo weBhunga leSizwe lamaPhondo, Sekela Sihlalo, Sekela Mongameli welizwe loMzantsi Afrika, ohloniphekileyo uBawo uCyril Ramaphosa, ingqanga neentsiba zayo, izisele zenyathi nezombinza, umlisela nomthinjana welizwe lakowethu, iinkosi ezilapha namafanankosi, siyanibulisa ngale ntsasa. [Uwele-wele.]

 

English:

The year 1994 marked the beginning of a journey towards reclaiming human dignity for all in South Africa, the oppressed people in particular.

 

The resilience of our people knocked out the beast of apartheid and colonialism, making way for millions of our people to vote for the government of their choice, saying never again shall our beautiful land be viewed as the skunk of the world.

 

Our own province, the Eastern Cape, with 6,5 million citizens, shed its homeland label, constituted in the then Transkei and Ciskei, and the so-called Republic administration.

 

This marked the end of an era of societal reconstruction towards ubuntu and placed a premium on respect for human life, for dignity and for the recognition of past injustices. 1994 ushered in a new era that conscientised us about the need for human interdependency, and placed social and economic justice on our developmental agenda and uppermost in our discourse.

 

The year 2014 marked an important point in this journey. It mirrored a critical reflection on and recommitment to a future of a better life for all. We transcended the shame of institutionalised divisions and the demon of racism. As this government we delivered peace and development.

The national fiscus responded to all citizens without skewed racial patterns of demarcation.

 

Before the dawn of freedom and democracy, we spent nights and decades in foreign lands where we regrouped and planned our liberation struggle. We were guests of Africa, buried in hero cemeteries and saluted by Africa. Our reciprocity needs to show human compassion and human solidarity. [Applause.]

 

Their warmth, love, support and comradeship helped us to attain this freedom that we enjoy today. Our freedom is their freedom, for they said that until South Africa is free, Africa will never be free. We responded by saying, “Mayibuye i-Africa!”

 

Why are we so violent towards our brothers and sisters, their children and their livelihood? As a province, we are of the view that attacks on foreign nationals are criminal offences and must not be tolerated in South Africa. [Applause.]

 

Law enforcement agencies must find those responsible for these attacks so that they face the full might of the law which governs our constitutional democracy. Sir, we reiterate that no-one must make reckless statements and actions inciting violence. Negative perceptions of foreign nationals are using resources meant for South Africans are also invalid.

 

The year 2015 also marks 60 years of the founding of the United Nations, UN, where our country has, throughout the years, deployed many of our citizens to hoist the flag of this global premier political institution, shaping its character and programmes.

 

People have been governing our province and our political democracy has matured through their contribution and support.

 

Traditional leadership in the province continues to see growth, and our own contribution and support is well realised. Within traditional leadership in the province, we continue to see the growth of women in leadership positions and we call on all our people of the province to continue to work with them in discharging their responsibilities, which include development.

 

Traditional leaders continue to provide counsel and guidance to many of our rural communities, including helping us to reduce the deaths of initiates, or abakhwetha, during the last season. We hope to achieve a zero death rate soon by ensuring that ...

 

IsiXhosa:

 ... oonyana babantu baya bephila, babuye bephilile.

 

English:

Yesterday, one of our female judges in the province of the Eastern Cape, Judge Nambitha Dambuza, was appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal by the Judicial Service Commission, JSC. We congratulate her as she takes up her responsibilities and wish her well in serving the people of South Africa.

 

Indeed, things have changed. [Applause.] The participation of minority groups, people living with disabilities, youth and traditional leaders in the local-government spheres of government shows a high degree of public participation in democracy.

 

As a provincial government, we continue to implement the decisions and resolutions we make in developmental engagements with the people of the province through participatory democracy.

 

The completion of infrastructure upgrades at health centres like Dora Nginza and Frere hospitals, and the continuation of work at hospitals like St Patrick’s in Mbizana, St Elizabeth’s in Lusikisiki, Khotsong in Matatiele, Mthatha General in King Sabata Dalindyebo, Sipetu in Ntabankulu, and Frontier in Queenstown responds to the issues that they have raised with us.

 

We are improving the services we give to our people, transforming the attitude of public servants and extending operating hours at those health facilities, clinics in particular.

 

The increase in investment in rural infrastructure will help us to improve agriculture and the rural economy; create jobs through rural enterprise development hubs; develop human settlements, road infrastructure and social development; and provide bursaries to needy and deserving children.

 

IsiXhosa:

Nokuba ngumntwana wehlwempu uyaxhamla njengokuba sithetha.

 

English:

Today, my Premier hon Phumulo Musualle and the members of the executive council are in Sarah Baartman District Municipality, close by, interacting with communities, local municipalities as well as various stakeholders in the executive council, exco, outreach.

 

Furthermore, we have met with the Chamber of Mines about the development programmes that they want to introduce in the labour-sending areas of the province. Equally, we have met with people of the province who ply their trade in Gauteng, about their role in the development agenda of the province of the Eastern Cape.

 

When we meet in such forums, part of what we must discuss is changing the methods of financial resource allocations in this country.

 

The issue we are bringing to this forum for consideration is the method of resource allocation. Currently, population figures are used to determine budget amounts allocated to provinces and municipalities. As a province, we propose that in order to address the issue of the large number of people migrating to big metros, we must consider developmental needs such as infrastructure backlogs, unemployment and poverty when allocating budgets.

 

Though we cannot deny global urbanisation, we believe that it has to be guided and planned as part of the development we need to see. The majority of our people moving into urban areas come from rural areas seeking opportunities and we think investing more resources in the rural economy, economic infrastructure and skills development will help those communities.

 

Rural community residents would then participate in their own livelihood in the comfort of their communities without stressing about shelter and transport outside their community.

 

We can address the issues of housing, access to water and electricity backlogs in areas around urban settlements. When we do this, we must start by empowering local companies to have all the skills and capabilities we need so that our money circulates within the communities, unless there are rare skills which local firms do not have.

 

In the province, we are also saying that specifications developed for goods and services must not be outside of what the provincial economy offers. Let’s work together to ensure that local companies benefit from public-sector procurement and budgets so that we create jobs locally.

 

The Public Finance Management Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act make provision for us to make procurements using methods and alternatives to tendering through prudent procurement policies. I think that attracting investment to our two best-performing industrial development zones, IDZs, as a province; improving the transport system; reaping rewards from agricultural investment; ensuring a quality health-care system; and ensuring social cohesion, is what should occupy our time as government.

 

We will continue to give support to young people whose parents cannot afford to pay for their education. We will give them the skills and education to provide for their families in order to develop our own province.

 

It was our former ANC President, Oliver Tambo, who taught us that-

 

It is our responsibility to break down barriers of division and create a country where there will be neither whites nor blacks, just South Africans, free and united in diversity.

 

Though not yet complete, we know diversity and we enjoy rivulets of diversity as we move closer to its full manifestation. We call on all South Africans from rural areas, urban suburbs and farming communities to march together towards our destiny.

 

We urge professionals, young people, working people, elders, students, academics, civil society and traditional leaders to defeat efforts aimed at creating dichotomy cleavages in our society. [Time expired.]

 

Mr B KOMPHELA

 

 

Mr M QOBOSHIYANE (Eastern Cape)

 

 

 

 

Sesotho:

Mong B KOMPHELA (Free State MEC - Police, Roads and Transport): Ke a leboha Motsamaisi wa dipuisano. Ke lebohe haholo le Motlatsa Moporesidente le maloko kaofela ao eleng barumuwa hotswa diprofensing tsa bona. Ke lebohe le baeti ba rona ba tlileng kwano mona, Matona le Batlatsi ba Matona ba teng kwano kajeno, batsamaisi ba Matlo a ketsamolao a diprofense ka ho fapana, mmoho le ba dimmasepala.

 

English

Hon Chair, 20 years of a democratic Parliament has been a turning point in our country because since Taking Parliament to the People, people speak for themselves; people suggest things for themselves; and people own the running of the government on daily basis. Therefore people feel proud that the government is theirs and that they therefore govern.

 

We as the Free State will never register our absence in any matters of the NCOP. [Applause.] We will always be there. The NCOP speaks on behalf of the Free State people. It speaks for the Free State people. It brings some of the things that we, in the Free State legislature, are not able to reach. Therefore, they are a conduit for us to be able to create a better life for our people.

 

Hon Chair, the lives of the people in Qwaqwa have changed; the lives of the people in Botshabelo have changed. When you get to those towns, you can see that there is no more dust in the streets. There is paving, there is a better life, there are better houses and there is water in the houses. People say they, too, are part of this gesture of bringing back the dignity of our people, because they are the people who are benefiting from that. [Applause.]

 

Hon Chair, investment in education is the priority of our government and of the ANC, and we are doing very well in that terrain. Our government has committed itself to making sure that we are able to give bursaries to learners so that we invest in them. Tomorrow they must be able to come back.

 

Chair, today I can announce to this House that the first 20 student doctors are back home. Zibuyile Inkomo, zibuyele ekhaya. [Applause.]

 

They are going to go to the villages of Qwaqwa, the villages of Thaba Nchu, the villages of anywhere. We have invested in 8 000 children, 400 in Cuba to study to be doctors. We have put our investment in everything that we think is a critical element to create a better life, and it is beginning to come back. Watch this space to if, in no time, the Free State will no longer be a province that is just ticking over. [Applause.]

 

Chair, our commitment to education is so strong. My Comrade MEC P Lesufi, last year you snatched position one from us, but I’m happy to tell the people that although you have taken our position one, you have not broken our record. We still hold the record although you are number one. [Applause.]

 

I’m sure that this year we will be in a position to go back to you as a friend, as a neighbour, and say: “Give us what belongs to us because we are the champions of South Africa.”

 

Hon Chair, in fighting crime and corruption in the Free State, we have diagnosed the tendency that the attack on foreign nationals started with the land invasions. When we abruptly stop people from invading the land, they divert from to attacking the foreign nationals who have the shops.

 

However, I can confidently tell you that we are dealing with that ruthlessly, like a dog eating a bone, because it is a crime. It is a crime! [Applause.] People say the MEC for Police is heavy-handed with people. We are heavy-handed with those who commit crime and we will kiss those who don’t commit crime. To those who invade a piece of land –Woza uzobona eFreistata. Go and see what we do. Dit is die dans van die reën [Applause.] We are jiving there.

 

Hon Chair, to show our commitment in fighting crime and corruption, for three consecutive years, our police station in Thabong in Welkom has been the best police station in the country. We will remain like that forever and ever, amen. [Applause.]

 

Hon Chair, the implementation of our crime prevention strategy has yielded results. We have seen a downward trend in crime in our province. We have seen Operation Penya Tsotsi. We have an operation called Operation Penya Tsotsi. When you squeeze a criminal, you will only hear them shouting that we are there squeezing a criminal.

 

Sesotho

Ha re e Penya Tsotsi ena o tla utlwa seboko sa yona hore re penya tsotsi. [Mahofi.]

 

Hon Chair, at the border we had many problems of stock theft, but that has gone down by 8,3%. Our cattle are the bank of our people. If they lose their cattle that means the bank is gone so we are jealously guarding our borders so that people must not take what doesn’t belong to them.

 

Hon Chair, in regard to the trio of crimes of violence against women and children and elderly persons, substance abuse and gangsterism, we have also seen a trend of a 5,1% drop. I have seen justice in our province, where people who have raped and murdered were sentenced to prison terms of 166 years.

 

We don’t believe that people who rape and murder do so because of poverty. We grew up in poverty with nothing but water to drink, but we have never raped adults. [Applause.]

 

What kind of hunger is it that makes somebody rape rather than to go and ask for food? So, we are dealing with the rapists. We are dealing with those who rape children, and we are dealing with them accordingly. We are making sure that our case is a winnable case, and 166 years is a good sentence for those who do such horrendous crime. [Applause.]

 

Hon Chair, we are going to raise our concern about parole for those who have committed crimes like murder and rape, because they rape children who are six years old. The next thing they are there to ask for parole, while the life of that child has gone down the drain.

 

Here is the criminal sitting in front of a parole board crying foul and that he will never do that again; but the life of the child will never come back. We want to mitigate that. [Applause.]

 

We want to make an input as the Free State and say that justice must be mindful of two things: the murder of women and children and rape. Please help us not to negotiate a parole for such people. [Applause.]

 

Hon Chair, we are happy that although crime was very stubborn in the province, I can announce too, Ntate Lesufi, that we are the number-one safest province in the country. Come to the Free State and it is free of crime. Crime is not at as high a level as it was.

 

In the Free State province, when somebody has killed a farmer or somebody staying on a farm, our record time is four hours and then we have that person.

 

We would not be able to sleep when somebody has lost his life and a criminal is running all over the place and we can’t get him. We get him in four-hour period and it is a recorded time that we are reaching. [Applause.]

 

It is a commitment to Operation Penya Tsotsi. So these criminals say they have rights, but I say that no criminal has a stronger right than an ordinary citizen. If we have to trample on the rights of the criminals, let us walk over the rights of the criminals and respect the rights of the law-abiding citizens of this country.

 

Chair, there is what we call, imot’ entshontsh’imali, the cash heist. We have dealt with this and it has gone down by 56%. People think that they can go to the ATM, go to the Coin Security, and take money that doesn’t belong to them. The last incident was the one where we dealt with 20 people. We dealt with four of them.

 

Sesotho:

E ne ekare re ba peitile ka doom, ba robetse sa dikolobe moo tseleng. [Ditsheho.]

 

English:

That was because they had gone to hijack a Coin Security man. The informer informed us that at six o’clock they would be there. At six o’clock, they found us there and the confrontation lasted for one hour. None of the police was injured; but the criminals were like people who were doomed on the street. [Ditsheho.]

 

We didn’t regret killing them like that. We didn’t regret killing criminals who are hell-bent on eliminating the lives of those who protect others. We linked them to 18 cash-in-transit heists. I don’t know, however, whether they have gone to heaven or to hell. Thank you very much, Chair. [Applause.] [Time expired.]

 

 

 

Mr J LONDT

 

 

 

MR B KOMPHELA MEC

 

 

 

 

Mr J LONDT: Deputy Chairperson …

 

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! I’m advised that I need to advise speakers about their time when they are left with a minute. I hope I won’t be interrupting your speech, hon Londt. Okay, you may continue.

 

Mr J J LONDT: Deputy Chairperson; His Excellency the Deputy President; the Chairperson of the NCOP; Ministers and Deputy Ministers present; hon members; mayors and deputy mayors; councillors ...

 

Afrikaans:

... en die belangrikste, die mense van Eden, al die pad van Plettenbergbaai tot in Slangrivier, De Rust, Dysselsdorp, Oudtshoorn, en al die pad met die R62 tot in Kannaland, welkom en goeiemiddag.

 

English:

When we were informed that Taking Parliament to the People will take place in the Western Cape, and specifically in Eden District, I was really excited about the prospect. This is what the original idea of Taking Parliament to the People was about — to let the ordinary people in our country interact with the Parliamentarians.

 

Afrikaans:

Die eerste rooi ligte het egter begin flikker toe ek hoor ons kom Oudtshoorn toe. Oudtshoorn is ’n lieflike dorp. Hier is wonderlike mense en soveel potensiaal in hierdie dorp. Ek self was gebore hier – nou nie so lank terug soos van die ander mense nie, maar ek is heel onlangs hier in hierdie dorp gebore!

 

Die rede vir my bekommernis oor Oudtshoorn as basis vir die heel eerste Taking Parliament to the People van die Vyfde Parlement is die politieke onstabiliteit wat ons in hierdie dorp het.

 

Sedert 2013, het die ANC en sy koalisievennote blatant die Grondwet geïgnoreer en blatant die kiesers in hierdie dorp geïgnoreer. Die Ouditeur-generaal het na die politieke onstabiliteit in Oudtshoorn verwys en die NRVP is net so bekommerd oor die situasie.

 

English:

In this town we have a municipality that the voters do not have any confidence in. The national Minister of Co-Operative Governance, Cogta, and the provincial Minister of Cogta are also very worried about the political situation in Oudtshoorn.

 

What we need to do as the NCOP is to put pressure on these departments to do the necessary oversight in Oudtshoorn and make sure that the will of the people is adhered to.

 

Afrikaans:

In Augustus 2013, het die mense van Oudtshoorn hard en duidelik gesê hulle soek nie meer die ANC en hul koalisievennote hier nie, maar tot vandag toe is die ANC en hulle twee bedmaatjies besig om die kiesers in hierdie dorp te ignoreer. Hulle is besig om net voort te gaan en vas te klou aan die mag.

 

English:

The ANC in this town decided no, we do not respect the voters, we do not care about the Constitution, we do not care that the voters in this town do not want us. They went ahead and basically said, “We are going to use the money of the people in this town, money that should go towards service delivery, money that should go towards fixing the water works plant that currently has water flowing into the Olifants River.”

 

They are using that money to fight court case after court case to try to stay in power and they are losing court case after court case, wasting the money of the people in this town to stay in power when they are not allowed to stay in power because the voters said, “Go away, we do not want you. Go and sit in the opposition benches”.

 

Afrikaans:

Die ANC is besig om die demokrasie in hierdie dorp te verkrag. Reg? Die ANC luister nie na wat aangaan nie. Moet nie vir een oomblik dink die plaaslike ANC, streeks-ANC, provinsiale of nasionale ANC weet nie wat hier aangaan nie. Hulle weet wat hier aangaan!

 

Die mense hier het self vir die provinsiale leier van die ANC weggejaag uit hierdie dorp uit. [Tussenwerpsels.] Al wat moet gebeur is dat die ANC vir hul lede in hierdie dorp moet sê hulle is nie in die meerderheid nie en hulle moet bedank. Dis al wat moet gebeur ... [Tussenwerpsels.] [Applous.] ... maar dit word nie gedoen nie, en wat die kiesers in hierdie dorp en in Suid-Afrika moet vra is: hoekom is die ANC bereid om met ’n minderheid vas te klou aan die mag wat hulle nie toekom nie? [Tussenwerpsels.]

 

Die eerbare ding sal wees dat die lede van die burgermeesterskomitee, die burgermeester en almal bedank, en dat daar ’n verkiesing in hierdie raad plaasvind. [Tussenwerpsels.] [Applous.] Dit sal die eerbare ding wees.

 

Ek is egter bekommerd dat die eerbare ding nie gedoen gaan word nie, want as jou nommer een nie wys hoe om eerbaar op te tree nie, hoe gaan die mense laer af enigiemand wys hoe om eerbaar op te tree? [Applous.] [Tussenwerpsels.]

 

English:

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: No, no, hon members!

 

Mr J J LONDT: During Taking Parliament to the People you can see that money flows into town.

 

Afrikaans:

Hierdie tydelike hupstoot in die ekonomie is goed vir ’n dorp.

 

English: It contributes to the creation of jobs and it helps to improve the lives of the ordinary citizens.

 

More than R10 million rand of taxpayer’s money was spent on this Taking Parliament to the People, which is a good thing. It is a good thing that we have go out to the people and listen to what they have to say.

 

My question, however, to the community of Oudtshoorn is: How much of that money did you see being spent here? If you go outside you will see that the transport which is being used to transport the officials and the Members of Parliament, MPs, they are not from here.

 

Afrikaans:

Ons sien nie ’n CG-, CBS-, CAW- of ’n CBL-nommerplaat nie. Dis nommerplate wat sê Ooskaap of Kaapstad, en die vervoer kom nie hier van Oudtshoorn se mense nie. Gaan vra waarom dit nie so is nie. Reg?

 

My vraag is ook: kon hierdie geld nie beter gespandeer gewees het nie nie? Hoekom word die sessies met die Ministers nie in die sale gehou waar ons, jaar in en jaar uit, moet sit en ons vergaderings hou nie? Dit sou baie goedkoper gewees het — ons gaan na die sale wat ons almal dwarsdeur die jaar moet gebruik, en ons gaan praat daar met ons Ministers.

 

Hoekom is plaaslike vervoer nie gebruik nie? Hoekom kan ons nie ’n bietjie minder uitspattig wees en van die miljoene wat spandeer word eerder na die kiesers toe bring en gee vir die mense van die dorp nie?

 

English:

Today, members of the ANC will spend most of their speaking time discrediting the DA-run Western Cape government and municipalities.

 

The hon Qoboshiyane of the Eastern Cape is the MEC for rural development. A lot of things can be said about the DA-run government, but I want to ask if any of the ANC speakers would turn around to him and say, “Listen, why should you not consider paying the workers in the Eastern Cape on the tea farms that have allegedly not being paid since the election? It’s not about just bashing one province. It’s about looking after all the provinces, learning what is good and taking that out.

 

Talking about learning what is good, if the ANC members are honest, many of the MPs were very impressed with what they saw in the Garden route and in Eden. Many said this is actually a very good study tour that they can take back to our provinces and our municipalities.

 

We must be honest - South Africa has a tragic past and there is a huge inequality in every single municipality across the country.

 

Afrikaans:

Dit is as gevolg van hierdie groot ongelykhede ...

 

English:

... that the Western Cape government spent 76% of its budget on previously disadvantaged areas.

 

Afrikaans:

Ons sê dit nie net nie, ons doen dit.

 

English:

That is something that we can also take to the rest of South Africa. In 2016, voters of South Africa will again have a choice as to where they want to take this country. They can either choose a party that has shown that it only cares for itself, a party that will use taxpayers’ money.

 

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Mr R J Tau): Hon member, your time has expired.

 

Mr J J LONDT: Thank you.

 

 

 

Mr C J DE BEER

 

 

 

 

Mr J LONDT

 

 

 

Mr C J De BEER: Hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP; His Excellency, Deputy President Ramaphosa; hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers; hon MECs; hon members; representatives of the SA Local Government Association, Salga; and members of the public, who are very important to us; 2015 is the year in which we must roll up our sleeves and hold our heads high as we observe 60 years of the Freedom Charter and Unity in Action to Advance Economic Freedom.

 

The vision of the founding mothers and fathers of our movement was confirmed by the people of South Africa who gave birth to the clauses of the Freedom Charter, at the Congress of the People held in Kliptown in 1955.

 

We reconfirm that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black or white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on the will of the people.

 

We celebrate 103 years of the ANC.

 

Afrikaans:

Ons herbevestig ons belofte om ’n verenigde, demokratiese, nie-rassige, nie-seksistiese en vooruitstrewende Suid-Afrika te bou. Ons moet rassisme en alle verwante onverdraagsaamhede in Suid-Afrika uitroei, insluitend xenophobie. Ons het almal ’n plekkie onder die son.

 

Op 27 April 2015 herdenk ons die 21ste jaar van ons demokratiese regering. Ons, as die ANC, gee om vir die mense. Dis ’n boodskap wat Suid-Afrika vandag duidelik moet hoor. Ons sê dit sedert 1912 toe die ANC gestig is. Dit loop soos ’n goue draad deur die geskeidenis vanaf 1912, en dit sal so bly.

 

Hierdie omgee is verder uitgebeeld in die lewe van oud-President Nelson Mandela. Dit is sy nalatenskap.

 

English:

That is his legacy. Yes, we must listen to the people. We must listen, we must think, and we must act. We must do something.

 

Afrikaans:

Ons moet iets doen. Die neem van die Parlement na die mense is die flagskip projek van die NRVP, en herbevestig daardeur die demokratiese prossesse.

 

Sedert Maandag het ons na die mense in Eden distrik geluister – na hulle uitdagings. Ja, hier is goeie stories ook. Ons gee erkenning daaraan, maar hier is ook uitdagings as dit kom by onderwys, klinieke, polisiestasies, behuising, water, sanitasie, munisipale regering, ekonomiese ontwikkeling, landbou, grondhervorming, en energie.

 

Ons mense soek toegang tot die ekonomie. Ons mense soek toegang tot grond vir landbou doeleindes. Daar is ’n nasionale program genaamd Rural Development, oftewel, Landelike Hervorming, wat in die provinsie geimplimenteer moet word.

 

Ek dink ook dit sal ’n baie goeie ding wees as die polisie imbizos hou in die Eden distrik, want hulle het geld in hul begroting daarvoor.

 

English:

The issues raised are captured in the priorities set by the ANC-led government in the National Development Plan, NDP. This is the roadmap to 2030.

 

The reality is that South Africa faces a difficult period ahead as a result of the weak global outlook and its domestic constraints to economic growth. Infrastructure investment for economic development and social programmes is prioritised to support those citizens most in need. Those priorities also include those of you living in the Eden district.

 

Afrikaans:

Die President het ’n 9-punt plan onthul om ekonomiese groei te bevorder en werk te skep. Ek verwys kortliks daarna: oplossings vir die energie uitdaging; die herlewing van landbou in die landou verwerkingswaardeketting; die bevordering en verdeling van toevoeging van waarde tot ons minerale rykdom; die implimentering van die aksieplan om groter impak te maak op industriële beleid; die aanmoediging van belegging deur die privaat sector; beter hantering van konflik in die werksplek; die ontsluiting van die potensiaal van klein-, medium- en mikro-ondernemings, ko-operasies, township- en landelike ondernemings; staatshervorming en die bevordering van die rol van maatskapye in staatsbesit; infrastruktuur vir inligtingskommunikasie tegnologie, water, sanitasie en die vervoer infrastruktuur; en, laastens, Operasie Phakisa wat gemik is op die ontwikkeling van die oseaanekonomie.

 

U het ook ’n kuslyn — ‘n pragtige kuslyn — in u distrik.

 

English:

The Estimates of National Expenditure for the 2015-15 financial year is R1,35 trillion. The division of revenue referred to more than R1,22 trillion to be divided between the national, provincial and local spheres of government.

 

These allocations come from the national government – the National Treasury – to provinces, including the Western Cape. National policy addressing the priorities set must be followed and implemented with the allocated funding from the national fiscus.

 

The Western Cape provincial government – and it is good to have these figures because you didn’t hear this story since Monday – received R38,241 billion for the 2015-16 financial year, which is R2,6 billion more than the previous financial year.

 

The conditional grant allocation for 2015-16 comes to R10,5 billion and the total transfers from National Treasury to the Western Cape Provincial Government is R40,74 billion. Deputy Chairperson, this must find expression in the outcomes at community level.

 

National Treasury also allocated the following ring-fenced allocations for infrastructure: R24,8 billion for the Comprehensive Agriculture Support Programme, Casp; R4,9 million to repair schools infrastructure; R5,1 million to repair housing infrastructure; and R104,4 million for provincial road maintenance.

 

When we go to local government in the Western Cape, we find that there municipalities received R3,5 billion as equitable share. Conditional grants total R3,548 billion, while indirect grant allocations for local government total R3,907 billion.

 

This is how the national government is financially assisting the Western Cape. You, as the public, must ask the question: What part of this money is allocated to the town where I live through the municipal budget, and to what extent is the municipality’s Integrated Development Plan, IDP, being addressed?

 

Referring to local government, these allocations must be captured in the municipal budget as revenue coming in, but also as expenditure going out to address the priorities.

 

Integrated Development Plans have to have integrity; they have to speak to the municipal budget and vice versa. The IDPs and municipal budgets have to be communicated in draft format to and with communities by the municipal councillor, assisted by the technical staff of that municipality. This also applies to the final format.

 

Afrikaans:

Die Munisipale Finansiële Bestuurswet is baie duidelik hieroor, asook oor die rol en verantwoordelikhede van die burgemeester en die munisipale bestuurder.

 

Skoon finansiële oudits is die doelwit vir alle munisipaliteite. Dit is deel van die Back to Basics-program, daar resultate op grondvlak moet daarmee gepaard gaan.

 

English:

We want performance. The Back to Basics program from the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs...

 

Afrikaans:

... is daar om munisipaliteite, insluitend Oudtshoorn, te help om hul funksionering te verbeter. Die NRVP sal toesien dat dit uitgevoer word.

 

Wat dringend moet verbeter is die kommunikasie tussen munisipaliteite en hul gemeenskappe, raadslede en wykskomitees in die gemeenskappe op ’n kwartaalikse basis. Van die wyke is klein. Elke raadslid kan maar elke dag net ’n draai deur sy of haar wyk ry en kyk waar die water lek, watter straatligte nie brand nie, waar die vullis nie verwyder word nie, waar daar slaggate is. Dit is mos nie so moeilik nie.

 

Gereelde terugvoer oor sake wat aanhangig gemaak is deur gemeenskappe moet gereeld aangespreek word. Die raadslid, die Lid van die Provinsiale Wetgewer, LVP, die Lid van die Parlement moet as ’n span saamwerk om die gemeenskappe tot diens te wees, met die hulp van die parlementêre kiesafdelingskantoor.

 

Water in Suid-Afrika is ‘n skaars hulpbron. Dis nie net die geval in Kannaland nie, maar oral in Suid-Afrika. As jy met die N1 van Kaapstad na Messina toe ry — alles wes van die N1 —is dit daardie deel van die land waar die water skaars is, want dit reën meer aan die oostekant van Suid-Afrika.

 

English:

Nine million rand will be allocated to drill more boreholes in the Kannaland area. This was announced during the week. But water supply must be seriously managed. We give you the example of Port Nolloth in the Richtersveld. That is where I live. My house is there. We manage the shortage of water and the ... [Time expired.]

 

 

 

 

Mr A LESUFI

 

 

 

 

Mr C J DE BEER

 

 

 

 

Mr A LESUFI (Gauteng): Hon Deputy Chairperson; the Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Thandi Modise; hon Deputy President, the hon Cyril Ramaphosa; Ministers and Deputy Ministers present here; all representatives of our people; fellow South Africans; we will never be free until the poor are free. They deserve our support, they deserve our dignity and we must declare war on poverty.

 

It is only those that thrive in meeting our people once in five years during elections who would question the credibility of our taking Parliament to our people. It is only those who do not respect the vote of our people who will question the cost of this sitting rather than the outcome of it. [Applause.]

 

It is only those who disrespect the business of all South Africans who will identify who benefited from projects rather than whether those projects benefit all South Africans. [Applause.]

 

We are one, we remain one and we will forever be one, regardless of those who derive political pleasure from separating South Africans on the basis of the colour of their skin. [Applause.]

 

The colour of the skin of any South African must not count, but it must be the intellectual capabilities of South Africans that must count. When we render services, we must render services to all South Africans. We must not render services on the basis of the voting power or the colour of the skin. [Applause.] Those who want to render services on the basis of the voting power must know that those days are not only diminishing, but they are coming to an end.

 

We represent a state that cares for all South Africans, a state that will serve all South Africans and that will take care of the needs of all South Africans. It must not be where you are born that determines your destiny, but it must be the opportunities granted by this government that should shape your destiny. [Applause.]

 

As we look back on the journey we have travelled since 1994, we can do so with pride that we have made meaningful progress in giving practical meaning to the words of the father of our nation former President Nelson Mandela who said, and I quote:

 

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

 

We stand here, proud, as Gauteng, that indeed we serve our people, regardless of where they are, who they are and what is in their bank accounts. We serve our people in order to ensure that those who take advantage of the plight of the poor must know that we are ready for them. [Interjections.]

 

If you illegally invade land in Gauteng, we will deal with you harshly. If you take advantage of the plight of the poor with political claims you must know that we are equal to the task. [Interjections.] If you take advantage of those whom are in pain because you believe that you can convert their pain into votes; you must know that we are equal to that task too.

 

Where we stand, we believe that slowly but surely we are changing the lives of ordinary South Africans so that they can be proud to be part of a better life for all.

 

The size of the economy in Gauteng stands at over R1 trillion. We have just concluded our strategic outlook of Gauteng and divided Gauteng according to the five economic hubs that will benefit our people.

 

We are putting it simply that a new Gauteng is coming to ensure that our people do not stay far away from their workplaces. A new Gauteng is developing to ensure that we will build houses next to where our people work. A new Gauteng is developing to ensure that all the houses that belong to our people are given to them as quickly as possible.

 

We are proud, indeed, that we know we will never defeat poverty without giving our people education. We are of the strongest view that all our children, especially the generation that is in our schooling environment, must not know social grants because they must be equipped with the minds that will ensure that their minds are their social grants. [Applause.]

 

We are ensuring that the children who are currently in our schooling environment must be equipped with minds so that they do not have to wait for Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP, houses but must buy their own houses. [Applause.]

 

We are ensuring that the children who are in our system are taught how to be innovative and that they are taught how to be entrepreneurs. This is so that when they are given forms to apply for jobs, where the form asks: “What is your salary?” they must reply: “We are not being payed a salary, but we pay salaries.” [Applause.] That is the kind of the future that we want to build for our own children.

 

It is in our province that we are ensuring that chalk, the chalkboard and the duster are declared history. In this province it is one learner, one tablet; one teacher, one tablet; and one classroom one interactive board so that our children can compete with the best in the world. [Applause.]

 

We want our children to be equal to those children who can be seen or be found in other parts of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Brics. If the Free State still wants to compete with us as Gauteng, they must know that Gauteng has left the country and is now competing with the best in the world. [Applause.]

 

Our fight against HIV/Aids has taken on a strategic posture, where we have already tested almost 8 million people. We are introducing what is called eHealth in Gauteng. Gone will be the days when our people had to wait for 15 minutes to get a file.

 

In Gauteng, you give us your ID number in each and every clinic and in each and every hospital we will have your file electronically available and you will not have to wait long to get all these things.

 

We are restoring the dignity of our people and we want to thank those who have given us all the necessary support. Our mission is simple: Build the economy, create jobs and ensure that our people are given accommodation so that we can liberate them.

 

As I conclude, I want to join the Deputy President of our country in making this important statement.

 

We join the world in the utter condemnation of the barbaric attacks against foreign nationals, who have chosen our country as their home. We wish to remind our people that it was Tata Madiba’s wish that we should build a rainbow nation that is at peace with itself and the world.

 

We politely request that the killings stop. Let us embrace one another as brothers and sisters, let us realise that without one another, we are incomplete and we cannot be the best without each other.

 

Those who want to come to Gauteng for investment the doors are open, we are trading in Gauteng and you can join us. Thank you so much. [Applause.]

 

 

 

 

 

Cllr C NEETHLING

 

 

 

 

 

Mr A LESUFI

 

 

 

Cllr C NEETHLING (Salga): Chairperson of the NCOP; hon Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa; hon Premiers and MECs; hon speakers and members of the provincial legislatures; hon members of the NCOP; hon executive Mayor of Eden District Municipality as well as mayors of the municipalities in Eden; my fellow councillors; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the collective leadership of Salga, it gives me great pleasure to address this House at the successful conclusion of another programme of Taking Parliament to the People.

 

This programme has once again enabled the NCOP to broaden public participation by communities that would ordinarily find it difficult to have direct access to Parliament.

 

As an institution charged with the responsibility of harmonising interests of the national, provincial and local spheres, we congratulate the NCOP for creating this platform for our people to interface with the public representatives from all the spheres of government. The NCOP is a critical vehicle for enhancing co-operative governance and fostering intergovernmental relations. Therefore, this programme is key to this approach.

 

Intergovernmental relations are at the heart of service delivery. As the only constitutional structure that brings together the three spheres of government, the NCOP is best placed to ensure that all spheres of government work together in a seamless and integrated manner to deliver services to our people.

 

Indeed, the aim of our co-operative governance system is to ensure that we provide and come across the communities as one coherent government. As we celebrate 15 years of democratic local government, we need to acknowledge the remarkable increase for communities in the access to basic services, such as water, sanitation, waste removal and electricity.

 

Through the provision of these basic amenities that were denied to the majority of our people under apartheid, we have made strides in building a more cohesive and inclusive society. We also need to take cognisance of the challenges that our communities continue to face as highlighted during this week.

 

During this week, we have listened to the people of the Eden District Municipality and we have heard the challenges that they face. The challenges raised by the people of Eden District Municipality have highlighted the importance of co-ordination in the service delivery value chain, and in the execution of the government programmes.

 

Water and housing challenges that were highlighted during this week remain critical areas where co-ordinated policy and implementation is needed from all spheres of government.

 

This once again highlights the importance of the municipal Integrated Development Plans, IDPs, as the cornerstone of integrated planning and service delivery in our country. Meaningful and effective participation in the IDP processes of municipalities, and the alignment of all government plans with that of the IDP as well as collaboration in its execution, by national and provincial government, will indeed give effect to the theme of this debate: Together Making Service Delivery Work for our People.

 

In this way we will be collectively responding to the developmental challenges of our country through municipal space, and this can result in far more effective use of limited resources. The NCOP has a critical role to play in this regard; in overseeing that the strategic plans of the departments find expression in the municipal IDPs.

 

In this way, the NCOP will be fulfilling its oversight function through ensuring that service delivery plans and budgets of provincial and national sector departments are developed in a manner that reflects plans per metropolitan and district municipality.

 

In regard to the Back to Basics programme, the Salga National Members Assembly held in March 2015 endorsed the Back to Basics approach and deliberated on the key themes and objectives of the Back to Basics programme in order to agree on how best to fast-track its implementation and its institutionalisation in our member municipalities.

 

I am happy to confirm that all the pillars of the Back to Basics approach are aligned to our strategic goals for the period up to 2017.

 

The support that Salga will provide to municipalities in terms of Back to Basics includes the following: establishing baselines for municipalities, in order to ensure that they fulfil their roles as service authorities with respect to water, sanitation and electricity; developing and implement a strategy for service delivery support for municipalities based on differentiation; assisting with improving oversight and accountability, in particular to strengthen the International Merchant Purchase Authorization Card, Impac, and audit committees through the Municipal Audit Support Programme; and lastly, initiating an annual survey of the state of the sector in terms of clean administration, fraud and corruption.

 

The Salga National Members Assembly also saw the launch of the Salga Centre for Leadership and Governance. This centre will drive a development agenda through active reflection and leadership programmes, targeting elected local government leaders and senior managers. These programmes will focus on enhancing leadership and governance capabilities to drive professionalism and excellence in a dynamic and complex municipal environment.

 

As far as the withholding of the equitable share is concerned, while acknowledging the vital role that local government has in executing its constitutional mandate as reflected in the focus of the Back to Basics approach, the action by National Treasury to withhold the equitable share allocation to a number of municipalities undermines the intergovernmental efforts to assist municipalities in dealing with a vast array of challenges.

 

While we acknowledge and appreciate the strategic role played by Eskom in the national economy, and therefore support the current national-led drive aimed at addressing the underlying structural, systemic and operational sustainability of Eskom, this should not be done in a way that undermines our co-operative governance system and service-delivery value chain.

 

The equitable share, being an unconditional grant, enables municipalities to provide free, basic services to poor households and enable municipalities with limited own resources to afford basic administrative and governance capacity to perform core municipal functions. To withhold this transfer will only negatively impact on the poorest of the poor.

 

It must also be noted that among the just less than 60 municipalities, whose equitable share has been withheld, are those that Cogta has deemed to be highly dependent on government grants, or not financially viable, and others that are currently under section 139 interventions.

 

This action will therefore undermine the intergovernmental efforts already in place to address the challenges experienced by these municipalities.

 

Municipalities themselves are currently owed substantial amounts for services such as water, sanitation, electricity, waste management, as well as rates and taxes. Approximately, R5,4 billion of this debt is owed by government departments.

 

The process undertaken in addressing these set amounts has not yielded results timeously. As the collective government, we cannot allow the poorest of the poor to suffer, when there are intergovernmental measures ... [Time Expired.]

 

 

 

 

Mr M KHAWULA

 

 

 

 

CLLR C NEETHLING

 

 

 

Mr M KHAWULA: Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Chairperson of the NCOP and His Excellency the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, in keeping with its mandate of representing the provinces to ensure that provincial interests are taken into account in the national sphere of decision-making, the NCOP provides the national forum for public debate of important issues affecting provinces and ensures that local government concerns are represented at the highest level.

 

Amongst other things, that is what the NCOP came here for in our preliminary visits to the municipalities of Eden district and the City of Cape Town. This is what we have been doing since Monday 13 April 2015.

 

People of the Western Cape, to a large degree, raised their concerns about how service is either not being effective or not happening at all in the areas of huge shortages of clean water, piped water and drinkable water, especially to the poorest of the poor.

 

There are concerns about high levels of unemployment especially amongst the youth of this province and our country; the slow pace of economic reform; the snail’s pace of land reform; inconsistencies in the delivery of health services, education, housing and other social services; poor policing and harassment of communities by some rotten police officers

 

In our consultation processes the people also raised other worrying issues such as the high levels of corruption in government, concerns about racialism and favouritism in the allocation of resources and the usurping of processes and powers by some government officials.

 

In short, community members raised a plethora of issues which are detrimental to making service delivery work.

 

Service delivery suffers in some cases, not because there is shortage or no availability of funds and resources, but because those who are positioned to deliver services are too self-centred, they are uncaring, they are not impartial and are party political; they just do not care or they are still too busy serving their own interests and the interests of their families and friends before the interest of the communities.

 

These are unacceptable tendencies which need to be dealt with harshly in government circles.

 

Hon Chairperson, Taking Parliament to the People is meant for communities to meet closely with their elected representatives so that they can raise their issues on the spot.

 

At times our sessions here were partly tainted by political contestations. When two bulls are fighting, it is the grass that suffers a lot. When politicians are fighting, people are denied quality services.

 

It is important that our politicians realise that when you are elected to government you cease to represent your party, but you become part of government for all the people of South Africa irrespective of political affiliation or ideology.

 

You control the country’s resources on behalf of South Africans, not on behalf of your family and friends. The country’s resources and finances belong to the people of South Africa. They do not belong to those who are in power or their friends and families.

 

When people are denied the services which they should be getting from government, it is not important which level of government and which political party is in charge that is failing to give the people the service —it is government.

 

The continued war between the government structures is not helping anyone. It is communities that are becoming losers at the end of the day. The NCOP is better placed, Chairperson to coordinate the beginning of healthy working relationships in the different provinces between national, provincial and local government.

 

The IFP says, “Let us begin to work together as the different government levels for the benefit of our communities.”

 

 

 

 

Mr S DHLOMO (KwaZulu-Natal)

 

 

Mr KHAWULA (IFP)

 

 

 

Mr S DHLOMO (KwaZulu-Natal):Hon Chairperson of this session, hon Chair of the NCOP, hon Deputy President, all my colleagues and the members of the public present, we warmly embrace the opportunity given to us to have this debate.

 

KwaZulu-Natal, KZN, is proud to have developed and adopted Operation Sukuma Sakhe as a vehicle to deal with social ills, diseases and, most importantly, as a conduit for development. Operation Sukuma Sakhe provides us with structures and mechanisms to promote the co-ordination and integration efforts of all spheres of government.

 

We have engaged effectively with our communities through Operation Sukuma Sakhe war rooms and currently the province with 822 wards has 822 war rooms, of which we can confidently say 617 are functioning very well.

 

IsiZulu:

Saba nentokozo nokujabula mhla Iphini likaMongameli uBaba uRamaphosa efika ngonyaka odlule ecela uNdunankulu wethu ukuthi makaye esifundazweni saseMpumalanga ayoveza ukuthi yini le Operation Sukuma Sakhe kuzo zonke izifundazwe ezazibiziwe laphaya.

 

English:

Indeed, this was echoing the endorsement of the project by the former Deputy President and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/ AIDS, Unaids, when they launched the Sukuma Sakhe booklet that got the recognition to be used as a blueprint for other provinces in the country.

 

For the economic development of our communities we fully embraced and adopted the Operation Phakisa and Oceans Economy Lab, the approach that was launched by our President Jacob Zuma. We have henceforth developed and conducted our own poverty eradication lab as well as the lab on the development of Makhathini.

 

Chairperson, through our premier we remain fully committed and resolute in our dedication to our vision and the goals and targets set by the National Development Plan, NDP. We have further strengthened our alignment with the National Development Plan.

 

The provincial department of public works, as our implementing agent, has over the past year — just one year — completed 49 schools, 13 hospitals and 16 clinics. The overall infrastructure spend in our province across the budget votes of the 16 provincial development sits at R10,6 billion.

 

As a response to the cost-cutting measures in our province, the Public Works has renovated the derelict workshop shed to develop the state of the art conference facility at the eThekwini region that is now available to government departments. This will drastically reduce our reliance on hired facilities.

 

The decision already taken that the commonwealth games will be hosted in our country, in our city, in 2022 is obviously a vote of confidence in our ability, our country, our province and our city to host an event of that magnitude.

 

The confidence that has been shown in our country and our province by the world on health tourism is unparalleled. It is because of confidence our leadership that over the past years, in 2010, 2012 and 2014, we have seen our Presidents and Deputy Presidents giving opening addresses or closing speeches at Aids conferences.

 

It is no surprise, therefore, that the next Aids conference will take place on our shores where 24 thousand delegates will be in our country in 2016 and also in our province.

 

The current instability in the province of KwaZulu–Natal, primarily at eThekwini, needs a special mention. The root causes of this can be trace to the uneven economic opportunities and business rivalries between foreign nationals and South Africans. Part of it is related to the competition for access to resources particularly housing and services.

 

We need to record, however, that the situation has enabled the opportunistic and criminal elements to cause more instability. Differences of opinion cannot allow people to want to kill, loot or destroy other people’s properties. It is important, however to mention that since the situation started two weeks ago, both provincial and local governments have fully got their hands on it.

 

On the second day of this outbreak of instability, MEC Mchunu, the MEC for community safety and liaison and Councillor Nxumalo, the Mayor of eThekwini visited the hot spot of Isipingo. The premier subsequently appointed the three MECs, MEC Mchunu, MEC Thusi and MEC Dhlomo to deal with the challenges that we face.

 

The national government has over the past week sent three Ministers; Minister Nhleko, Minister Mahlobo and Minister Gigaba. They are almost residents now of KwaZulu-Natal eThekwini and they have supported us in many ways.

 

Various stakeholders, including the diplomatic corps, religious, traditional, business and community safety structures have participated in many programmes, including community dialogues that are currently running, to deal with the challenges.

 

From these community dialogues we get results that show many South Africans do not want foreign nationals to be killed. They do not want foreign nationals’ possessions to be looted. They want them back in their areas.

 

With the assistance of the police we are working very hard to reintegrate the displaced foreign nationals into the communities. The Department of Home Affairs is assisting those without proper documentation and those that want to return to their countries.

 

IsiZulu:

Kukhona imifanekiso egcwele izinkundla zokuxhumana, iningi layo ayilona iqiniso ngokwenzekayo. NjengoNgqongqoshe Wezempilo kulesiya sifundazwe, ngike ngahambela zonke izibhedlela, namakhaza ahulumeni, cha, impela abekho abantu abalimele ngaleya ndlela ekhonjiswa kuleya mifanekiso. Abekho abantu abashiswe ngomlilo njengoba kuveziwe kuleya mifanekiso. Le mifanekiso isuka ezigamekweni ezenzeka kwamanye amazwe omhlaba, isetshenziselwa ukwehlisa isithunzi sezwe lethu nohulumeni wethu.

 

English:

We call upon all our people of the world to work to achieve peace and stability in our communities. We thank the President for releasing a team of three Ministers to assist us in our effort to normalise the situation.

 

The Ministers also joined the premier yesterday in leading a successful march, which we called, Africa Unite. We want therefore to advise abantu bala Oudsthoorn ne Western Cape [people of Oudsthoorn in Western Cape] that all the eight provinces are governed by the ANC have taken advantage of the programme.

 

This programe was initiated by President Fidel Castro and President Nelson Mandela. It identified poor children from all communities and sent them to Cuba to train as doctors.

 

KwaZulu-Natal has 822 of those medical students training there. If people of Oudsthoorn one day you dream of having doctors coming from the very poor communities, you now know that the ANC has the ability to do just that. It is happening in all other provinces except the Western Cape. Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Y C VAWDA.

 

 

 

 

Mr S DLOMO (KwaZulu-Natal)

 

 

 

 

Dr Y C VAWDA: Allow me first and foremost to acknowledge the presence of our Supreme Force, irrespective of whatever our perceptions might be. I greet you all with As-saalamu-alai-kum.

 

Deputy Chair, hon members, hon MECs present and, most importantly, visitors in the gallery, friends, South Africans and countrymen, the Constitution has elaborated extensively on the issues relating to service delivery.

 

Everyone has dignity and the right to have their dignity respect and protected. Everyone has the right to have access to health care, to social security, to adequate housing and many other things. These are but a few references from a Constitution that is not only a source of pride for the people of this great country, but was also once a source of hope for many when first adopted in 1994.

 

Failure by government to deliver on many of these rights to so many people in over 20 years is a sad indictment indeed. I want to say to the hon Deputy President — who has just left us I’m afraid — that the failures of the delivery of services by inept local governments contribute to the rising oppression of the poor.

 

Civil unrest is growing daily in South Africa as service delivery protest, as labour unrest, as xenophobia and as an unacceptably high rate of crime.

 

Overriding this situation is the huge socioeconomic disparity in the country; and allow me at this point to quote none other than Kahlil Gibran who said that the guilty is often the victim of the injured. I repeat — the guilty is often the victim of the injured.

 

This country is a country divided in two, cut in two; on the one side the rich and on the other side the poor. The poor are almost always strongly policed by the security forces which is reminiscent of a bygone era.

 

The spirit of humanity is being stifled in the so-called name of development. To continue down this road of disparity is to invite spiraling civil unrest.

 

On one side of this country are areas strongly built of stone and steel, brightly lit with tarred streets, a well-fed town, easygoing, with a belly always full of good things.

 

On the other side is the world of the poor without space, where people live almost on top of each other and their houses are built almost on top of each other. They are hungry, starved of bread, of meat, of shoes, of coal, of light, of water and of sanitation. The people who live here are born here and die here. It seems it matters little to the authorities where they live and how they die.

 

This inhumane treatment and the failures to provide basic services is the oppression of the poor. The oppressed man not treated as a human being cannot then be expected to behave according to what is regarded as acceptable norms.

 

The victims of this inhumanity bear their scars and their chains and it is this that makes their evidence irrefutable. If this makes us ashamed then shame as Karl Marx said is a revolutionary sentiment.

 

We need to make the necessary legislative changes that will bring about meaningful change in the lives of the people of this country. Extreme conditions of adversity give rise to extreme outcomes.

 

Unless action is taken now, that which is called service delivery protest today will become the service delivery revolution of tomorrow. That which is called labour unrest today will become the workers insurrection of tomorrow. That which is called xenophobia today will spiral into the ethnic violence and the ethnic cleansing of tomorrow.

 

What then is the solution? As already stated extreme conditions require extreme measures. Begin by raising salaries as a matter of urgency. The legislation regarding the minimum wage should be promulgated as soon as possible; in fact, it is long overdue and indeed we should begin to introduce the words “maximum salaries” into the vocabulary of debate. [Applause.]

 

Land should be made available to people. South Africa must be the only country in the world where more land is allocated to the conservation of wild animals than for the wellbeing of the poor. There is sufficient unutilised and underutilised land available in the country to deliver on this mandate of the Freedom Charter. Land will restore dignity and provide people with untold opportunities to develop economically.

 

Service delivery will grow alongside the economic development of people. Education is a priority in the economic freedom of the people. The celebration of matric is from a bygone era. Graduation from tertiary and technical study allows young people to take their place in the socioeconomic systems of the country. Education at this level should be provided free to all students.

 

Funding must come from nationalisation of strategic resources. This issue unnecessarily excites emotions. Many countries, both developed and developing, have nationalised some or other of their strategic assets and these countries include the United States, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Italy, Germany and many others.

 

A few simple measures to improve the socioeconomic conditions of people can contribute immensely and meaningfully to service delivery.

 

Deputy Chair, I wish to acknowledge Jean Paul Sartre as well as Fanon in the inspiration of this rendition. Thank you sir. [Time expired.]

 

 

 

Ms R MHAULE (Mpumalanga)

 

 

 

 

Dr Y C VAWDA

 

 

 

 

Ms R MHAULE (Mpumalanga): Hon Deputy Chair and Chairperson of the NCOP; the Deputy President; Ministers and Deputy Ministers; Members of the Executive Council, MECs, representing their provinces here; hon members of the NCOP; mayors and councillors; leadership of the SA Local Government Association, Salga; and traditional leadership, I want to congratulate the NCOP on taking Parliament to the people, for exercising the true democracy which was envisaged by the ANC before it came to power.

 

We also want to congratulate the people of the Eden District Municipality and Oudtshoorn Municipality, in particular, for being given this opportunity to participate and to communicate with the people whom they elected, who are representing them in government so that they can personally voice their problems in order for them to be addressed.

 

I want to say that representing the Mpumalanga government we appreciate the work that is done by the NCOP. It came to our province and all the issues the people mentioned during the visit by the NCOP were addressed by government. [Applause.] If we go back to Mpumalanga and check the register and all the things that were registered on the days you visited, you will see that they were all implemented.

 

We didn’t stop there. In the past two weeks our legislature went to the people of Emalahleni and listened to the people’s needs. As government, we were there with them when they visited all the communities and we came back and implemented what our people requested.

 

We want to say that this is your government, the government of the people by the people. That is why it is not just a story. It is not something that we say; it is something that we do. Even if we did not make it, we always come back to people to say that we were able to achieve this but were unable to achieve that, and we tell them the way forward.

 

We are not just people who are talking, but we are the doers of what we say. Our hon premier in our province encouraged us not to always hold our meetings in the boardroom. We visit our municipalities; we hold executive council meetings in the municipalities and talk to our people after our meetings so that we are able to engage with them.

 

I want to join the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and others who spoke before me and outrightly condemned the violence that seems to be directed towards foreign nationals who live with us in this beautiful country. We are shocked and bewildered by this kind of behaviour which in its own nature is very un-South African.

 

We are living in challenging times which are characterised by uncertainty and volatile socioeconomic and geopolitical conditions. These conditions sometimes require us to demonstrate astute and visionary leadership which will carry us through good and bad times.

 

Many South Africans, in our provincial governments, are battling with the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment, and we have declared war against these problems. When we work together with our communities throughout South Africa, we will indeed win. As we were able to beat apartheid, we can join together to beat these triple challenges.

 

Despite challenges experienced in many areas, we have made significant progress in implementing programmes aimed at improving the quality of life of the vulnerable sectors of our society, regardless of race or creed, as envisioned in the National Development Plan, NDP, 2013.

 

We have implemented policies to ensure that women, children, elderly people and people with disabilities continue to enjoy the protection of the law against abuse. We will continue to monitor, and where necessary, strengthen our capacity to deal with this issue which has become a scourge in our society.

 

Our province has seen tremendous improvement in access to education, health care and economic development to ensure that we reverse the marginalisation and social exclusion of our people. More and more of our people in the province have access to clean water, sanitation, and electricity.

 

The share of Mpumalanga’s population living below the poverty line decreased since 1994 to date. It was at 51,1% and now we are at 36,2%. This is a remarkable improvement which has, in most parts, been sustained through our social network.

 

Job creation has been a serious challenge, but between 2008 and 2014, we were able to create 86 710 jobs. We believe that moving forward and working with our people we will move South Africa forward. Thank you.

 

 

 

 

Ms T WANA

 

 

 

 

Ms R MHAULE (Mpumalanga)

 

 

 

 

Ms T WANA: Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Thandi Modise, the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, hon Ramaphosa, and all members of the NCOP, ...

 

IsiXhosa:

... bantu bakuthi neenkosi zethu ndiyanibulisa. Into endinokuyithetha apha, Sekela Mongameli, kukuba kunzima apha kuba umntwana ubeleke unina. Mandikhe ndiqale kule ndawo yalo tata ebesuka apha. Apha e-Oudtshoorn niyayazi ukuba ingqokelela yenkazathi ayihambi ngokweemfuno zomnikazi mzi. Le nto ibithethwa apha ngulo mlungu we-DA ibikukusityisa ityhefu yokubulala iimpuku i-rattex. Thina iinjongo zethu ibikukuza apha kweli phondo laseNtshona Koloni.

 

English:

This year, we are celebrating 60 years of the Freedom Charter which was consolidated and adopted in 1955 in Kliptown, which, even in this hour, is still relevant.

 

IsiXhosa:

Sihlalo, masivumelane siyile Ndlu ukuba intsalela okanye intshela yocalucalulo ithe gca kweli phondo. Ingcinezelo icace gca kweli phondo. ifana nekati nekati emhlophe ehlungwini.[Kwaqhwatywa.] Kunjalo nje ke asizi kuyiyeka loo nto; siza kungqalo ngqo kuyo sixele inja izijula ethanjeni.

 

Le meko yalapha, Sekela Mongameli, kuvele kwaba buhlungu kakhulu kule veki. Sifike apha ngecawe. Le meko yalapha ivele yandikhumbuza amaqhawe ebesilwela le nkululeko. Ucalucalulo olwalushushu kakhulu ngelo xesha lwabangela abahloniphekileyo ootata uMadiba ukuba bawajike amagama abazali babo babangooDavid Motsamai, ngenxa yengcinezelo ababephila kuyo.

 

English:

The ANC has a clear document called, Ready to Govern. This document indicates our policies and also provides for the landless to have access to land because of the dispossession caused by the apartheid. This document says everybody must have a secure place to live in and they must have land.

 

IsiXhosa:

Yilento ke urhulumente esakhela izindlu nokuba asinantsebenzo. Uthi ngoku ungakhange uye eGoli okanye emgodini suka urhulumente we-ANC athi ngena nantsi indlu, nasi nesitshixo sayo. [Kwaqhwatywa.] Masiyikhuze!

 

English:

The same document identifies conditions of farm workers during apartheid and the abuse and exploitation by their own bosses. The resolution in this document is clear; it says that workers must be granted secure and decent housing and that workers must be given secure land rights.

 

IsiXhosa:

Ndiyayiva ke le ithethwayo ngathi besize kukhankasela urhulumente wasekhaya. Hayi, amasi aselangeni, umphokoqo unexhala! Unyaka mnye, ngulo uzayo! Musani ukungxama! Masiyikhuze le nto yenziwa ngamafama amhlophe, zinkosi. Bantu bakuthi, le nto yenziwa ngamafama amhlophe ifuna ukukhuzwa. Anento yokuthi xa abantu bakuthi bephelelwe ngamandla omzimba, bangakwazi ukusebenza babagxothe, bababeke ngaphaya kwamasango abo. Masiyikhuze le nto kweli phondo laseNtshona Koloni ngoba aba bantu basebenzile, babe negalelo kuqoqosho lweziqu zala mafama nolwelizwe.

 

English:

All of this reminds me of our own president, Oliver Tambo, when he was in exile he wrote a letter to a special committee against apartheid, on 29 July 1980, and I quote:

 

We consider ourselves particularly fortunate that we have the Freedom Charter as a statement of objectives to which the majority of our people adhere. That very fact imposes upon us the obligation to educate in the spirit of the Charter even the younger generations who were not there when it was freely available.

           

 

IsiXhosa:

Le nto ke, Sihlalo, indikhumbuza le mibuthwana mincinane. Mayikhuzwe le nto, Sekela Mongameli, yabantu bezi ovarolo kuba kaloku ngokwasengqondweni i-ovarolo ikwenza usebenze. [Kwaqhwatywa.] I-ovarolo yenzelwe ukuba usebenze. Mabayeke ukuhlukumeza imifanekiso yethu eqingqiweyo.

 

English:

Those statues belong to us, irrespective of our colour. They are our history. We are proud of our history; because the ANC is a disciplined force of the left, we can allow ourselves to sit at the same table as our oppressors. [Interjections.]

 

About the Freedom Charter, I want to remind us about this letter that was written by OR Tambo, so that the people, the community of the Western Cape, should not be apologetic when they are demanding their rights, and their security of Premier Zille. As a result ...

 

IsiXhosa:

... akekho apha ngoba ...

 

English:

... she has no capacity. She is not in this very august House because she is aware that she has no capacity to rule. I am appealing...

 

IsiXhosa:

... ngenxa yegazi looMandela nooTambo, ndiyanicela bantu baseNtshona Koloni phumani emlanjeni waseBhabhiloni apho nilila khona iinyembezi.[Uwele-wele.] Phakamani ngawo lo mzuzu nikhangele umbutho oza kuthi xa niwuvotele ujongane neemfuno zenu.

 

English:

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon member.

 

IsiXhosa:

Ngexesha ebesilapha bekubuhlungu, abantu abadala besixelela ukuba xa besiya kwagqirha apha e-Oudtshoorn kufuneka, Somlomo waseMpuma Koloni nawe Mntungwa, bamise apha ... [Kwaphela ixesha.] [Kwaqhwatywa.]

 

 

 

 

 

Mr L B GAEHLER

 

 

 

 

Ms T WANA

 

 

 

 

English:

Mr L B GAEHLER: Hon Chairperson, hon Deputy President, hon members and ladies and gentlemen, we support the Deputy President in his clarion call in condemning the violence against foreigners.

 

We have been here for over a week and we have noted a few things. Some members of the community in this area complain about not receiving services from councillors. We therefore suggest that there be a regulation for proportional representation councillors so that they can service people.

 

IsiXhosa:

Sihlalo, zininzi izinto eziyingxaki apha. Abantu bakhala ngooceba abangabancediyo. Ngoko ke sithi, okokuqala, makubekho umthetho okhoyo ingakumbi kooceba abangabameli ukuze bakwazi ukongamela.

 

Okwesibini, esi sithili sisithili esihlupheke kakhulu.

 

English:

There is a high unemployment rate.

 

IsiXhosa:

Kukho ingxaki yokusebenzisa gwenxa utywala, ...

 

 

English:

... alcohol and drug abuse.

 

IsiXhosa:

Kukho iingxaki zamaqela emigulukudu. Kubekho ingxaki enkulu kakhulu, Sekela Mongameli, endingenakho ukuyilibala yabantwana abangayiyo esikolweni. Ngoku uzibuza umbuzo wokuba ngubani na owamkela imali yabo yesibonelelo sabantwana, kuba ukhona lo uyamkelayo. Sihleli iveki yonke apha sibona abantwana abangayiyo esikolweni, kodwa bamele ukuba basesikolweni. Ayikho apha kuphela le ngxaki.

 

Izolo besiye eKannaland, sambuza uceba ukuba kutheni abantwana bengayi esikolweni; waphendula ngelithi kuyanetha. Ndimangele ke ukuba ingaba xa kunetha abantwana abayi kusini na esikolweni, Sekela Mongameli. Le ngxaki ke ifuna ukuba iSebe loPhuhliso lwezeNtlalo lingenelele, incede abantu balapha.

 

Okwesithathu, apha kufuneka kubekho iiprojekthi zokunceda abantu. Into enkulu apha ngumlo phakathi kwala maqela mabini oopolitiko, i-ANC kunye ne-DA. Abantu abahluphekayo balityelwe, Sekela Mongameli. Urhulumente ngurhulumente wabantu, ngoko ke kuyafuneka ukuba kubekho indlela yokuba kubekho iiprojekthi zokulima kuba ngummandla wezolimo lo.

 

English:

You’ll be surprised ...

 

IsiXhosa:

... ukuba abantu balapha abalimi. Azikho iiprojekthi ezinceda abantu apha.

 

English:

So, through you, hon Chairperson, I request that ...

 

IsiXhosa:

... urhulumente kazwelonke nowaseNtshona Koloni bahlale phantsi bakhe bajonge iimfuno zabantu. Kunzima apha; kunxilwa emini. Nam ndiphantse ndabanjwa inkunzi apha edolophini, ndiye kucheba iinwele. Ezi nwele zethu zimnyama kunzima ukuzicheba. Ndifumene indawo yokucheba iinwele zafika ezi ntwana zaxhwithane ngamabhozo phaya, mntwana kaQhoboshiyane. Ndabona ukuba kufuneka ndixhathise kuba kuza kuba nzima apha.

 

Le nto yamaqela emigulukudu kuyafuneka ukuba urhulumente ayishukuxe.

 

English:

You need to address this problem here; you cannot have a country where people are controlled by gangsters. You cannot. The national and provincial governments need to come together for the sake of the people. This is very important. We are 20 years into our democracy. We cannot have this situation. Here you get young girls ...

 

IsiXhosa:

... bamithi, bayanxila ...

 

English:

... during the day. So, these are things that the government needs to address, and these two spheres of government, the national and provincial government, need to work together to solve this problem because next year we will come here ...

 

IsiXhosa:

... kube kungekho nto iqhubekayo.

 

English:

You need projects here,

 

IsiXhosa:

... eziza kunceda abantu. Okokugqibela ke, bantu bakuthi, ...

 

English:

... next year, you will be given an opportunity...

 

IsiXhosa:

... nihambe niye kuvota. Sifakeni nathi siyi-UDM ukuze sinincedise.

 

 

 

 

Mr M SAMBATHA

 

 

 

Mr L B GAEHLER

 

 

IsiXhosa:

Mnu M SAMBATHA (Mntla Ntshona): Sihlalo ohloniphekileyo, asiyiyo i-ANC okanye i-DA ezenza ukuba abantu bakuthi baziselwe iinkonzo ngokwebala labo okanye ngokuba nenantoni esandleni. Leyo yenziwa nje yinto enye ebizwa ngokuba lucalu-calulo okanye ukunika abantu iinkonzo kuba ubacalu-calula ngokobohlanga okanye ngokomgangatho.

 

English:

It is not a war of the ANC or of the DA; it is the institution of racism in the Western Cape being kept alive by a governing party whose interest is not to dismantle it because it helps them to survive.

 

Hon Chair and the Deputy President, as the North West we appreciate the work of the NCOP. Just last week the report and recommendations of the previous visit of the NCOP to our province were circulated to us. All of us in the province, including the municipalities and the MECs, are ensuring that we comply with the recommendations of the report as a way to ensure that the work of the NCOP is effective and efficient.

 

In ensuring that our province deals with issues of service delivery, let me start with this reference that today, as we enter the second more radical phase of our democratic transition, as we begin to implement a programme to economically empower the working class and the poor, the forces of imperialism internationally and within the country have embarked on a co-ordinated campaign of destabilisation.

 

They have been joined by some former comrade’s intent on dividing the movement and the people. Some of these elements have become the willing collaborators of those who are anti the ANC alliance and democratic majority.

 

Yet others, the new tendency, are trying to sell the idea that economic transformation means empowering them to become the exploiters of the masses and thus wearing the shoes of those who exploited our people during the colonial and apartheid era — exchanging white capitalists for black capitalists and white exploiters for black exploiters.

 

All over the masses suffer from economic exploitation and its effects such as class inequality, unemployment and poverty; that is what they mean.

 

In remembering Comrade Chris Hani as part of celebrating the freedom month, he must be seen as more than a struggle icon. His example must become the template against which other comrades measure themselves. His example must be emulated by our revolutionary youth as they study and analyse the current conditions of the struggle and take resolute and militant actions to advance the second more radical economic transformation of our country — a transition rooted in the Freedom Charter, which is a transition in the revolutionary tradition of Chris Hani.

 

Correctly, and by the will of the people expressed since 1994, the democratic government celebrates this month, April, as a freedom month. Coincidentally this month, according to the DA’s delivery record, is the commemoration of the outlawed Group Areas Act, Act 41 of 1950.

 

This is the Act that was passed by the apartheid government. This is the Act to which the DA provincial government is subjecting the African majority and Blacks, in particular, when it comes to ownership and occupation of the land.

 

Though they claim to be the best province, with experience in the Western Cape communities we can today stand and say shame on the fact and the results. It is not the result of a coalition that the Western Cape government sometimes refers to the children from other provinces coming to Western Cape as being refugees or have pseudo passport and identity card because of claims of fearing high levels of violence.

 

The most unfortunate situation is that this province, the Western Cape, we are told is the best amongst all South African provinces. This proves that the Western Cape still has many unresolved challenges particularly with regard to race, class and apartheid delivery boundaries.

 

Voters and communities should never be blackmailed by the DA or by any political party, and no party should ever conclude that the people voting for that party approve of racism, that people voting for the other party approve of segregation. To be called refugees or expected to have to move around with additional identity cards which no other provinces had except the Western Cape, cannot be used as a basis to blackmail voters.

 

That you voted for us, therefore, meant that you approve of our racism. That cannot be allowed.

 

Our province, as North West, in the process of Taking Parliament to the People has many programmes. The legislature has the Ore bone rego-bone programme, the government has Bua le Puso; there is Setsokotsane and Saamtrek.

 

In conclusion, DA, so that I save you time, let me share with the sitting a quote, from Karl Marx, relevant to service delivery. This was written by Karl Marx in 1835 under the title, Reflections of a Young Man on the Choice of a Profession. He says, and I quote:

 

If we have chosen the position in life in which we can most of all work for mankind, no burdens can bow us down, because they are sacrifices for the benefit of all; then we shall experience no petty, limited, selfish joy, but our happiness will belong to millions, our deeds will live on quietly but perpetually at work, and over our ashes will be shed the hot tears of noble people.

 

With those few words we thank the NCOP for extending the invitation to the province, thank you. [Applause.]

 

 

 

 

Mr J W W JULIUS

 

 

 

 

Mr M SAMBATHA

 

 

 

Mr J W W JULIUS: Hon Deputy President, hon Chairperson of the NCOP, members of the NCOP, the Western Cape provincial executive, the Western Cape Provincial Parliament ...

 

Afrikaans:

 ... ... en die belangrikste mense, die mense van die Eden-munisipaliteit, ’n spesiale welkom aan u almal.

 

English:

Hon Wana, your racist stunts never cease to amaze me. You should build rather than destroy relations. You should speak facts and not fiction from a racist mind. You mentioned our leader. You know that our leader in the Western Cape Helen Zille is retiring from her position as a leader. [Interjections.]

 

She is stepping down and she has governed well. She is a great leader. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for your leader in the ANC, with 700 corruption charges hanging over his head right now. [Interjections.]

 

Afrikaans:

Die DA was in hierdie week trots om die ANC ...

 

English:

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Is that a point of order? Hon Julius, I have a point of order from the floor.

 

Mr S G MTHIMUNYE: Hon Chairperson, on a point of order: There are no charges hanging over the President. That is misleading. [Interjections.]

 

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Julius, will you concede to that, that at this point in time there are no charges hanging over the President.

 

Mr J W W JULIUS: There are charges hanging over the President. The DA won the court case. Thank you, Chairperson.

 

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Julius, the DA won the court case to have access to the documents. It is in the public domain that the DA is weighing up its options. As we speak there are no charges against the President.

 

Mr J W W JULIUS: Allegations, Chairperson — I withdraw — there are over 700 allegations are hanging over his head as we speak.

 

Ms C LABUSCHAGNE: Hon Chair, on a point order: Rule 30, freedom of speech. Any person is allowed to have a freedom of speech and ... [Interjections.]

 

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order members! I want to hear the hon member on the floor, please proceed.

 

Ms C LABUSCHAGNE: Chair, Rule 30 states that every person in this House has freedom of speech. This is an opinion and I do not think that the Chair should get into a discussion with the speaker. We should allow the Rule to be dealt with. Thank you.

 

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Labuschagne, I am going to make a ruling on this matter. There is a matter which has come before the courts this week, which matter Parliament is going to contest. As we speak, the Rules of Parliament apply and I make the ruling, and I accept, hon Julius, that you have withdrawn whatever you said.

 

Afrikaans:

Mnr J W W JULIUS: Die DA was vandeesweek trots om die ANC te verwelkom in ’n provinsie waar hulle eintlik kan leer hoe om te regeer en hoe om effektief te regeer. [Tussenwerpsels.]

 

English:

The NCOP mandate is to listen and engage with the people of Eden. We are then expected to go back and recommend how national, provincial and your local government should co-operate to deliver on the promises made to you.

 

Afrikaans:

In sterk kontras met hierdie mandaat, kom speel die ANC goedkoop politiek, en die Adjunkminister in die Presidensie misbruik sy posisie. [Tussenwerpsels.] In plaas van antwoorde te verskaf, kom werf hy stemme vir volgende jaar, 2016, se verkiesing,. [Tussenwerpsels.] Dis niks! Dit is maar net een van die vele voorbeelde ... [Tussenwerpsels.]

 

English:

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order!

 

Afrikaans:

Mnr J W W JULIUS: ... wat bewys dat die ANC jou geld misbruik in ’n magspel waar hulle hulself bevoordeel met geld wat bestem is om gewone Suid-Afrikaners se lewens – jou lewe – te verbeter. [Tussenwerpsels.] Die ANC kan vandag sê wat hulle wil.

 

English:

The DA’s track record of clean governance, service delivery, social justice and job opportunities speaks for itself. [Applause.]

 

Afrikaans:

Sê wat julle wil!

 

English:

Since the DA took over in the Eden District Municipality, it has received three consecutive unqualified audits.

 

Afrikaans:

Dit is ’n bewys van goeie bestuur.

 

English:

Even with the fast-growing population, access to sanitation, housing, electricity and refuse removal have relatively stabilised to what is like fluctuations. I do not even want to mention the youth cafes. These are facts, hon Chairperson. [Interjections.]

 

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon Julius, just wait.

 

Members in the gallery, members in the gallery! This is a sitting of the NCOP. You were informed that the Rules of the sitting of the NCOP apply. You will not drown out the speaker at the podium. You will not participate, other than being spectators, or disrupt this sitting.

 

Mr J W W JULIUS: Thank you Chair. On Wednesday, Deputy Minister Masuku told the people that the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, works with agencies in the Western Cape’s ANC municipalities.

 

Afrikaans:

Die waarheid, agb Voorsitter en die mense van die Eden-distrik, is dat die Nasionale Jeugontwikkelingsagentskap, NJOA, immorele, korrupte, geldsuigende parasiete is wat hul werkers beloon met hoë salarisse wat miljoene rande per jaar kos.

 

Jul geld word gebruik om hulle in poste te hou met min tot geen uitkomste van werksgeleenthede vir die mense van Suid-Afrika, die Weskaap, of selfs plaaslik, vir u, die jeug van Oudtshoorn en die Eden-distrik.

 

English:

The same can be said for the ANC in Oudtshoorn, your position in the Western Cape and the ANC national government, hon Ministers ...

 

Afrikaans:

ministers, adjunkministers, en andere, het ’n hele klomp beloftes gemaak gedurende hierdie week. Die DA sal verseker dat hierdie ministers hulle beloftes gaan hou. Ons sal seker maak daarvan. [Tussenwerpsels.] Niemand gaan weer hier kom beloftes maak om stemme te werf en dan weghardloop nie. [Tussenwerpsels.]

 

English:

The ANC came to Oudtshoorn and kept quiet about the biggest crisis affecting our country today — our energy crisis — because of municipalities owing R3,6 billion to Eskom. All these 20 municipalities belong to the ANC. Let us go there for Taking Parliament to the People. I thank you Chairperson. [Time Expired.]

Mr S SOKHATSHA (MEC Northern Cape)

 

 

 

Mr J W W JULIUS

 

 

 

 

Mr S SOKATSHA (MEC Northern Cape): Hon Chairperson of the NCOP; His Excellency the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa; hon members from the provinces; our members of the NCOP; our Ministers who are here; the representative from SA Local Government Association, Salga; and our councillors present …

 

Afrikaans:

… daar is een dag in my lewe wat ek nooit sal vergeet nie. Dit is 27 April 1994. Daardie dag het seker gemaak ons menswaardigheid as die mense van Suid-Afrika was teruggebring. Ons is vandag mense. Ons word vandag soos mense behandel. Daar is geen onderdrukking nie, maar ek wil dit noem: as die ANC-regering sal ons dit nooit toelaat dat die mense van Oudtshoorn en Eden verder onderdruk word nie.

 

Eergister toe ek hier sit het die mense vir ons gesê rassisme is nog lewendig in die Wes-Kaap. Ons kom vandag na u toe as die regering wat gelei word deur die ANC om vir julle te sê ons het ’n plan vir julle op die tafel. Ons wil seker maak ons gaan vorentoe met julle en ons wil seker maak ons verbeter jul lewens.

 

Ons, as die regering van die Noord-Kaap, wil sê ons is baie bly oor hierdie program van die NRVP. Ek kan nie verstaan hoe ’n party hier kom staan en sê hy verstaan nie wat is die doel van hierdie program nie. Dis omdat hulle nie weet wat dit is om saam met ons mense te regeer nie, en om tussen ons mense te regeer nie. Hierdie program bring ons nader aan ons mense.

 

In die Noord-Kaap het ons dieselfde program. In ons program ontmoet die Kabinet ons mense. Ons is op ’n daaglikse basis tussen ons mense, want ons glo ons moet nie net in kantore sit en besluite neem namens ons mense nie; ons moet afkom en luister na wat ons mense sê en doen wat ons mense sê.

 

Die lede van die DA verstaan nie wat aangaan nie. Voor 1994 kon jy nooit so baie mense in een saal bymekaar bring nie. Hulle verstaan dit nie. As jy mense so bymekaar gebring het, dan moet jy weet vir hulle was dit onwettig.

 

Ons, as die ANC-geleide regering, sê ons het ’n plan vir julle in Oudtshoorn; ons het ’n plan vir julle in Eden-distrik munisipaliteit.

 

Ek kan nie die lid, agb Julius, wat hier gestaan het, verstaan nie. Vir my klink hy soos ’n persoon wat ’n leerling bestuurlisensie het en nog skool toe moet gaan. Hy het nie ’n idee wat in die regering aangaan nie.

 

Die ANC sê ons het ’n plan vir Eden. Dis hoekom ons die Nasionale Ontwikkelingsplan, NOP, daargestel het, want ons sê ons wil jul lewens verbeter, want ons het ’n plan vir julle.

 

Ons kom nie hier om ‘n gedruis te kom maak nie.

 

IsiXhosa:

Asoze sime apha sibe sisenza ingxolo. Thina sinalo icebo kuba sifuna ukuphucula impilo yenu. Ngoko ke bahlali bakaMasipala weSithili sase-Eden sifuna ukunikhupha kobu bugxwayiba nihleli kubo. Ukuba nisakhumbula, inkulumbuso yephondo laseNtshona Koloni yabiza abantu baseMpuma Koloni abahlala kwela phondo ngokuba ziimbacu. Sinalo ibali esingalibalisa nathi siliphondo laseMntla Ntshona ...

 

English:

… where the national government has supported us, where we have a good story to tell. I can quote one of our good stories — there are many — but I want to tell you one good story. The issue of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome has been alive in our province, in a town called De Aar.

 

As we are speaking, owing to the plans that ANC-led government have in that province, foetal alcohol syndrome in De Aar in the Northern Cape has dropped by 30%. It is a good story that we can tell. [Applause.]

 

Due to the programmes of the ANC, we are going out to our communities, we are teaching them because we want to build strong communities, and we want to raise children who can cope with the issues of the country and those of the world.

 

We are saying the issue of pregnant women abusing alcohol is a problem. Alcohol kills the brain and the mind of the child at a very early stage.

 

IsiXhosa:

Thina ke sinenkolo yokuba umntu okhulelelweyo akabusebenzisi utywala kuba bubulala ingqondo yomntwana. Okwesibini, sili phondo laseMntla Ntshona sihamba sixelela abantu ukuba ukuncancisa ibele kokona kutya kuphucukileyo. Siyangqinelana nentetho kaSekela Mongameli ethi, singabantu balapha kule ngingqi yase-Oudtshoon, masiyekeni ukuhlasela abantakwethu abasuka kumazwe angaphandle kuba ngela xesha nathi sasigxothwa ngurhulumente wengcinezelo, sasibalekela kulaa mazwe abo kwaye samkelwe.

 

Isintu ke sithi, umntu olindwendwe uyabukwa; umntu olindwendwe kufuneka umamkele. Kuloko sisithi ...

 

Afrikaans:

Ons sê vir ons mense, kom ons los dit om die mense van die buiteland aan te val; want daardie jare toe die regering van onderdrukking ons gejaag het en ons in die tronk gesit, het ons na die lande toe gehardloop, en het die mense ons ontvang en vir ons ’n goeie lewe gegee.

 

Weereens wil ek vir u sê: die ANC-geleide regering het ’n plan vir u. Ons wil saam met julle werk. Moet julle nie laat mislei deur ’n klein regerinkie wat regeer volgens jou kleur nie. Ons in die ANC sê almal is gelyk, en ons het ’n beter lewe vir julle. Baie dankie.

 

Mr M FRANSMAN

 

 

 

 

Mr S SOKATSHA (Northern Cape.)

 

 

 

 

Mr M FRANSMAN (Western Cape): Hon Deputy President, hon Chairperson of the NCOP, Deputy Chairperson, members of the Cabinet, as well as members of the legislatures ...

 

Afrikaans:

... en die belangrikste, die gewone persone wat vandag hier byeengekom het van regoor die Suid-Kaap ...

 

English:

… let me first of all say that one cannot think about Oudtshoorn, you cannot think about the Southern Cape, you can’t enter this place, unless you think of a hero of our struggle, an icon, a former Member of Parliament, MP, Comrade Reggie Oliphant, who fought in this area for many years so that our people could have equality, justice and freedom.

 

I also immediately think about the newspaper Saamstaan because it was Saamstaan that brought white, African and coloured people together. It was Saamstaan and the community here that made sure that there is no Bonguletu and no Bridgeton and that we are all one. That’s what we have experienced in the 1980s here. Therefore, the question is: What becomes the challenges?

 

Hon Deputy President, you are entering a region where there are approximately 600 000 people in this particular district. You are experiencing an environment where 25% of the people in this particular area are, in fact, earning above R3 000 per month.

 

More than 50% of the people in this district, more than 300 000 working-class people earn less than R800 per month. That’s the reality of skewed development, but we have just heard ...

 

Afrikaans:

... alles is so wonderlik in hierdie gebied.

 

English:

Hence, the Western Cape has a challenge and you cannot be boastful about the Western Cape. The Western Cape has a challenge and you cannot talk about it as being the best. The best as opposed to what?

 

The challenge is to deal with the issues of inequality, poverty and unemployment as it comes and rears its ugly head.

 

Afrikaans:

Ons het alles vandag gehoor en in die week het kwessies na vore gekom.

 

English:

We are of the view that what members who came to visit this region are experiencing here is what we call institutionalised forms of racism. Let me actually define what institutionalised racism is. The definition is the following, and I quote:

 

It is a system of inequality based on race. It occurs in institutions such as government bodies, private business corporations

 

And it is, in fact, a differential strategy for access to goods, services and opportunities in society. Therefore, what we must ask is: After 20-plus years into our young democracy, are there currently institutionalised forms of racism in the Western Cape?

 

When you look at the budget allocation in this region, that question must be asked. Hon Deputy President, you are one of the key founders and writers of our Constitution in the build-up to its adoption, and the question is: Have the founders of our Constitution ever thought that there will be a governance institution in the postapartheid environment that would want to use race as a dividing factor when it comes to allocation of resources?

 

Now, let me put the charge. Not so long ago, hon Deputy President, you spoke in the NA and you made the remark that people are still feeling unwelcome in the Western Cape at times. The Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille responded, “Show me the evidence”.

 

Let me show you the evidence, Deputy President. Less than a week after you made that pronouncement, there was an official cartoon in the Western Cape government buildings. It had a white man with a long beard, who looked like an Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging, AWB, type of person on the one side of the cartoon. On the other side was a black man, small in size.

 

This was in the official government buildings, put up by the MEC of Public Works and Transport. There was a big drainage pipe stretching from the white man’s head that was fitted to the head of the black man that was empty. And it was pumping knowledge. The heading was, Knowledge Transfer. That is the type of racism that the people are experiencing here.

 

The second issue is the budget. In fact, let’s take the provincial government. Let me give the facts and not my impression. Eight of the 11 heads of department, 21 years into our democracy, are still coming from the white community. [Interjections.] Furthermore, 7 of the 11 members of the Cabinet in the Western Cape, in fact, also come from the white community.

 

Therefore, George Municipality is following suit. Therefore, the Eden District Municipality is following suit. If you look at the management structures in this district municipality, it is largely still white.

 

The question is: Is there an institutionalised form of racism within the Western Cape government? What you are seeing is a filtering-down of an ethos of that behaviour and of those values.

 

The George Municipality has a budget of R1,5 billion. If you look at the procurement spend for broad-based black economic empowerment, BBBEE, if you look at the procurement spend for coloured and black empowerment, then you see that less than 10% is allocated to broad-based black economic empowerment. That is the reality of our people here. [Interjections.]

 

In fact, if one deals with the issue of ... And I want to say to the national government and, in fact, it’s going to be important for the NCOP to address this issue ...

 

Afrikaans:

Wanneer daar ’n volstruisprobleem uitbreek ...

 

English:

 ... then national government pumps more than R200 million in here. Go and follow the actual spending of that money. To the DA, I want to say ...

 

 

Afrikaans:

... ek het van agb lid Londt van Oudtshoorn gehoor; nou kom ons praat oor Oudtshoorn.

 

English:

In the years 2008 to 2013, the DA was in government in Oudtshoorn. And what happened here was disaster, after disaster, after disaster. [Interjections.] No one else was in government; the DA was in government. Before 2009, the ANC Western Cape government had to put them under administration because they were messing up.

 

The issue of the current situation in Oudtshoorn today ... I am putting a ... [Time expired] [Applause.]

 

 

 

THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC.

 

 

 

 

Mr M FRANSMAN

 

 

 

 

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Chairperson of the NCOP, the Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, Minister Joemat-Pettersson, MECs who are here from provinces, Members of the NCOP, I would like to thank you for allowing me to be part of this debate.

 

My participation at this NCOP hearing has been a rare privilege, particularly because it is being held outside Cape Town. I would therefore like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to respond briefly, once again.

 

I would like to thank you and congratulate you, Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, for leading this process of having the NCOP public hearings here. This clearly shows great leadership, particularly as you have thought it wise to embark on an unprecedented process of taking Parliament to the people.

 

The money that is spent on getting the NCOP to hold its meetings in places like Oudtshoorn is money well spent. [Applause.] Those who might argue that it is a waste of money have to reflect on the phrase that democracy is priceless.

 

You cannot place a value or money on democracy. [Applause.] You cannot buy democracy. This for me has been democracy at work; you therefore cannot price it. If you cannot put a price on something, do not complain about what it is worth.

 

It has certainly been a pleasure for me to see and hear how our provinces have been trying to compete with each other on issues such as pass rates, education and so forth. I am neither going to take sides with the Free State, nor the North West, nor Gauteng provinces. We just say: Let the competition go on, as long as our children pass and they get the best education.

 

My fervent wish, however, is that provinces and local government should use the NCOP as a network of best practice; a network where we share experiences, where we share best practice and where we are able to tell one another how best we are doing in one area or another.

 

The NCOP was set up to enhance co-operative governance and to make sure that the levels of government in our country do not work against each other, but work with each other. [Interjections.] They should not work in different directions.

 

The experience that we have had is that we have got a number of our provinces working in a particular direction, and one province charting its own path in a different direction. The NCOP was set up to make sure that we all work together in a co-operative way, without competing with each other. This is what co-operative governance is all about.

 

I applaud our provinces for being responsive to the challenges that our people face and that our country faces. Many of our provinces have crafted and launched specific programmes and campaigns, responding to the needs of our people on the ground.

 

Many of them have crafted those programmes in a way where those programmes complement what the national government is doing in implementing the National Development Plan, NDP. In some of the provinces, for instance in KwaZulu-Natal, they have crafted a campaign programme which is called Sukuma Sakhe, meaning Stand up, let us build together. This is a fantastic programme that has been showcased to other provinces.

 

Other provinces have had the opportunity to look introspectively on what KwaZulu-Natal is doing through this programme in terms of service delivery and in dealing with HIV, teenage pregnancies, alcoholism, even with gangsterism and crime.

 

KwaZulu-Natal has really beaten a path which I would like to invite other provinces to look at. It is through Sukuma Sakhe that they have shown that you can build communities. You can deal with the challenges that our communities are facing by getting people to work together.

 

The North West has also crafted its own programme and they called it Saamtrek. Another one is called Setsokotsane, meaning Whirlwind, where they get people to work together going around the province. That too is a campaign that is bearing fruit.

 

Gauteng has also come up with a programme called Ntirisano, Let us work together. The Mpumalanga Province similarly also has a programme, and the Northern Cape as well. I invite all our provinces to use the NCOP as a network for best practice so that we come here and listen to what other provinces are doing. [Applause.]

 

Some of the most successful countries in the world have tended to use best practice, looking at what other people are doing, copying what is best that they are doing and rejecting the worst part. That way they have been able to move forward. In South Africa, if we were to use that type of approach to our development, we would go far.

 

Our President went to Malaysia and saw what the Malaysians are doing in terms of achieving big fast results. He brought them here and said: Come and show us how you are able to achieve unbelievable success when you tackle national projects.

 

That is what started – our process of looking closely at the blue economy, also known as the oceans economy. We have been looking at what we can do with health. Through this process, we are beginning to move South Africa forward. [Applause.] We move our country forward by learning from others – by learning from the best. This is how we continue to develop our country.

 

I have found the impact that the NCOP process of Taking Parliament to the People programme most impressive. [Applause.] I found it most impressive as I have heard how - after going to Mpumalanga and when leaving Mpumalanga – the Mpumalanga Province started the implementation process to make sure that what our people had raised is addressed.

 

Similarly, today that we are here, a number of challenges and problems have been raised. Some of those have touched on real issues that our people are grappling with: the water shortage; issues of service delivery; allocation of infrastructure development; racism in schools as raised by the ordinary people of this area; and a lack of racial harmony.

 

Our people have said there is no racial harmony here in this area and indeed in this province. This is a serious indictment against our leaders here in this province. It is a serious indictment that our leaders of national government, our leaders at the provincial level and at local government level need to pay attention to.

 

Let me say that this is not a matter that we need to be playing politics with. [Interjections.] This is not a matter where we need to be calling other people refugees or whatever. [Applause.] This is a serious matter. It has to do with the values of our nation. [Interjections.] It has to do with who we are as South Africans.

 

Our people here have raised concerns, such as areas where white people stay seem to be better resourced than areas where black people stay, including the mishandling of resources and facilities. [Interjections.] There are issues, such as a lack of transformation in the police service, and so forth. All these matters have to deal with our ethos as people.

 

I raised these advisedly because these matters, having been raised, mean that we must do something about them. We cannot just say that the people of Eden and Oudtshoorn have raised all these matters, oh, that is very nice, and we write a report and shelve it. What this means is that there must be action after these hearings here. [Applause.] There must be action!

 

We, the leaders at local government level, at a provincial level and at a national level, need to take steps. We need to act to make sure that there is racial harmony in the Western Cape. [Interjections.] We must take steps to make sure that our people live in harmony.

 

The country is engulfed now in this xenophobia problem. The President is leading from the front. The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal is leading from the front. He was leading a march yesterday because all of us, South Africans, are against xenophobia. All of us, South Africans, do not approve of what is being done.

 

What I want to say is: We want to see leadership here in this province, where the leaders of government in this province should be seen leading the charge against racism. [Applause.] They must be marching in the streets, saying no to racism. They must be taking up the struggle against racism and saying, “Not in our province!” [Interjections.]

 

We want to see leadership on the issue that is being raised by our people. That is where leadership is required. Helen Zille must be seen leading the charge. She must not only be heard saying that people from the Eastern Cape are refugees. [Interjections.] She must be seen taking the leadership, saying: No, no and no to racism! That is what we want to hear from Helen Zille. [Applause.]

 

On the other issues that have been raised by our people, are issues that we can correct as we have done so in other provinces where the NCOP went. I would say that, following this plenary of the NCOP here - this special meeting – we now need to sit down as representatives of the local government, provincial government and indeed the national government and ask: What is it that we can do to improve the lives of the people of Eden and Oudtshoorn?

 

We need to sit down and ask: What steps are we going to take; and what time frames are we going to put in place? This is what President Zuma will expect and I therefore charge that the work must start now! [Interjections.] [Applause.] It must start now! We must go and address the needs, complaints and problems that our people have raised. We must leave no stone unturned!

 

We must work for our people because we are the servants of these people who are gathered here. We were elected to serve them. We must serve them and make sure that their aspirations, their complaints and problems are addressed.

 

I would like to end by saying: Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to be part of this plenary. It has been the best NCOP meeting I have attended. So, thank you very much indeed. [Applause.]

 

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Thank you very much, hon Deputy President. [Interjections.] Order! Hon members, before I adjourn this sitting, I would like to request you to remain standing until the procession has left this Chamber.

 

Debate concluded.

 

The Council adjourned at 12:31 

 

 

 

 

---