THURSDAY, 21 JUNE 2007 __

                PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
                                ____

The House met at 14:10.

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS – see col 000.

                  WELCOMING OF YOUTH TO PARLIAMENT

The SPEAKER: Can we ask for silence, even in the gallery? I imagine we have many members of the youth who are attending the Youth Parliament, and I would like to welcome them. [Applause.]

            DEEPENING YOUTH PARTICIPATION THROUGH SERVICE

                        (Debate on Youth Day)

The MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS: Madam Speaker, hon members, Chairperson of the National Youth Commission and other commissioners present, participants in the Youth Parliament who are on the gallery, ladies and gentlemen, I know that some of us are speaking here not as young but as youth veterans. I would like therefore to welcome some in this House who will be participating in this debate for the last time as members of the youth, as they are in the category of those aged 18 to 35. You are not lost; you are welcome in the veterans’ category like some of us.

Today we are able to express our concerns and our fears and ambitions because those before us sacrificed their own lives in order for us to attain freedom and the liberties that come with it. It is for this reason that every year during the month of June, and in particular on 16 June, we spend some time reflecting on the heroic deeds of the youth of 1976 and those who followed them, because their contribution has given birth to a democratic, nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous South Africa.

As we commemorate the generation of 16 June, we are asking ourselves a range of questions that relate to what the legacy would be of post- liberation youth. This question has been answered in some way and will continue to be answered by ourselves and those of you particularly in the gallery and somewhere in our country.

In 1994, the young people were among those who took part in the first democratic elections that our country held. These young people were also part of the first cohort that went into the legislatures and Parliament. It is these young people who were instrumental in setting up the policy and legislative process that finally created a platform for youth policy and institutions that support youth development, such as the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission. It is therefore clear that these cohorts of young people, who included the generation of 1976 and after, laid the foundation from which we are working today.

What is of interest though is that central to these processes of developing policy frameworks and legislation, the young people asserted their right that nothing should happen without them but with them. They also made sure that, as young people, they asserted their right that they would be at the centre of their own development.

As our country evolves into its future, the youth generation of today faces different challenges that are consistent with the environment in which they live. Some of these relate to the ever-changing needs of our economy as well as the global economy. Such changes require a different set of skills while at the same time still requiring the old ones.

The burden of disease that affects our society today also impacts on young people in a particular way. Population migration internally and internationally, particularly within our region, also imposes certain challenges among our youth. The challenge of youth unemployment is another matter of concern. The challenge of drug and substance abuse is also worth mentioning as another threat that impacts negatively on the development of young people of today. While I have mentioned a few of the challenges that young people of today face, it is also interesting that we must not forget that our youth are also and should be critical players in defining our future as a country.

If one takes a look at the journey we have travelled since 1994, we can see the interventions that have been made in particular by the public sector in addressing some of the challenges that affect young people in our society, such as in education and health as well as in introducing institutions that seek to support the participation of youth in the economy.

The advocacy role played by the National Youth Commission has enabled us to remain conscious of the challenges that young people face on a daily basis. In continuing with this advocacy and monitoring role, recently the National Youth Commission has been engaged in a process of policy reviews so that they can better understand whether the current youth policies and programmes address the concerns that the youth of today face.

It is my hope that this process which has sought to engage a number of youth formations in our country will result in the strengthening and affirmation of existing policies where necessary or maybe new proposals that can assist us in addressing youth development challenges that our country faces today.

We are all aware that challenges that face our young people cannot be addressed by interventions of government alone, but they also require a range of stakeholders in our society, among which is the private sector. It is therefore encouraging to note the report, which will be made public soon, which has been commissioned by the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and which has looked at the investment that the private sector is making in youth development.

This report reflects the various interventions that a number of private sector companies have or might have made in the investment on issues that affect young people. Some of these will be found in the corporate social investment of these companies. These investments would in the main be in the areas of education, social development and health.

A few companies, however, have also invested, albeit minimally, in enterprise development. Some of them have also enrolled young people in their internships and learnership programmes that have in some way created a platform for some of these young people to gain employment within these companies while some of them have been absorbed in other companies.

Interestingly, the report indicates that a number of these interventions by the private sector have actually never been designed with the specific target of young people in mind. They were actually made for particular purposes, if I were to call them a feel-good action by the private sector in order to promote their own brands or even have in their conscience that they have done something in their communities where they live. What clearly can be said is that these interventions have been incidental rather than targeted.

NgesiZulu, singasho nje ukuthi intsha ifana nocilo ezishaya endukwini. Uthi ungaqondanga ukumdubula ngesihlilingi kodwa kuphazame-ke nje. Into efana nokuthi ithi inyoni izidlulela itshe lizitholele yona. Kunjalo-ke nalokhu okwenziwa yizinkampani eziningi ngalezi zinhlelo ezinazo ngentsha. Azizenzanga ngoba ziqonde ukuthi zibhekane nezinkinga zentsha, kuyenzeka nje ngokuphazama okuthile ukuthi zibhekane nezinkinga zentsha. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)

[In isiZulu, we can say that it is just like killing a bird without having had any intention to do so. The same applies to what most companies are doing as far as youth empowerment programmes are concerned. They were not designed to address youth problems per se; it is purely coincidental that they end up addressing those problems.]

This report clearly identifies the gaps that exist in the interventions both in the private and the public sector. If one accepts therefore that among the challenges that young people face, as I have said earlier, is the challenge of economic exclusion, we need to identify in detail the nature of the constraints, and their underlying causes, that young people face in this regard. We also need to examine the gaps that are there in existing programmes of government as well as the private sector.

In my view, today’s discussion in the National Assembly and also afterwards in the Youth Parliament will, among others, propose certain solutions that have a possibility of drawing young people into the economic mainstream of our country.

Allow me to make some proposals which I think may actually help us to go a step further. I must say that they are not new, some of them; they have actually been raised by others before. Firstly, I would hasten to say, we should continue to work at mechanisms that will improve the chances of young people to be absorbed in formal employment. In this regard, one applauds the work that has been done by the Office of the Deputy President and the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition in finding placement for unemployed graduates within the public sector as well as in the private sector.

The work that has been done in improving the quality of education by our Department of Education, particularly at the foundation phase, and the investment in the further education and training colleges will also go a long way in preparing young people for better absorption into employment.

We also need to create a possibility for active participation by our young people in growing this very economy. This can happen in a variety of ways, within the existing public sector programmes such as the small and medium enterprises and co-operatives within the Department of Trade and Industry.

What we also need, in my view, is to actually create a supportive environment for entrepreneurs, particularly young entrepreneurs. I am pleased that the Umsobomvu Youth Fund has been actively working in this area by, among others, supporting young people financially, linking them up with service providers of young people who can assist them in the development of their businesses and financial management as well as legal work.

I must share with hon members that I was fortunate that yesterday I participated in the fourth national young entrepreneurs’ conference and exhibition that is being held in Durban, where I saw young people exhibiting goods that they have manufactured and the services that they render, ranging from construction to enterprise support.

You can see this Y plastic product. It’s actually manufactured by Simelakhona Trading, a company of young people who are 26 years of age from A417 Umlazi Township in KwaZulu-Natal. These young people, when they tell their story, say that when they could not find employment, they started to work as vendors selling tomatoes on the streets.

They actually asked their neighbour to allow them to connect electricity so that they could continue working at night, but when it was raining their hands were wet and they were actually afraid that if they tried to pull out the plug, they could endanger not only themselves but also the owner of the house who had been so good to them. So they decided to take a plastic “amasi” container and cut it into a y-shape and punch three holes into it and see whether they couldn’t use it to pull out the plug rather than touching it. They said it worked.

They decided to play around with the idea, approached the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, and today they have started a manufacturing company where they produce this product and they have intellectual property rights on it. This is one of the examples which can be multiplied.

There is also a company which is called Izibuko Multimedia and some of our government departments are now clients of this company of young people, where they do the branding and also other media solutions for our people. Another one – how can I forget - is the young contractors who can now be employed to do plumbing and paint work and many other maintenance jobs and improvements at homes. This is just an indication that if we give young people a chance and give them the necessary support, they can actually become the growers of our economy.

I therefore trust that as we undertake this work on youth development, we continuously need to look at the capacities that young people have, and acknowledge that sometimes they will make mistakes but it is not for us to say that they have failed; we need to encourage them to do even better. So, as we deepen our dialogue, we need to do so in the context of the challenges that face young people today and ask ourselves: What will the legacy be of young people who have been born into democracy? I thank you. [Applause.]

Ms T V TOBIAS: Madam Speaker, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, today I participate for the very last time in the June 16 debate while still being a youth. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the giant youth movement, the African National Congress Youth League, for the guidance it provided to me for the past 22 years.

On this occasion of the 31st anniversary of June 16, young people from all walks of life are gathered in this Parliament to commemorate the commitment of the 1970s generation of youth and their predecessors’ contribution to the liberation struggle. All generations of youth committed themselves in the liberation struggle and the 1976 generation was but one generation which took over the baton from the other generation to the current generation, which I had the privilege to belong to.

These generations of youth are always put to a litmus test to rise to the occasion to address challenges of their lifetime and many have stood the test of time and were victorious in their endeavours. Therefore, the current generation is faced with totally different challenges - their role is of a developmental approach, as they will have to raise their interest within a democratic setting and theirs is not to fight for freedom but to jealously guard the gains of freedom and ensure that what their former leaders fought for is sustained.

Madam Speaker, please allow me to quote Professor Paulo Freire in one of his books titled Pedagogy of the Oppressed:

The radical committed to human liberation, does not become the prisoner of a ``circle of certainty’’ within which he also imprisons reality. On the contrary, the more radical he is, the more fully he enters into reality so that, knowing it better, he can better transform it. He is not afraid to confront, to listen, to see the world unveiled. He is not afraid to meet the people or to enter into dialogue with them. He does not consider himself the proprietor of history or of all men, or the liberator of the oppressed; but he does commit himself, within history, to fight at their side. He further states:

However, the oppressed, who have adapted to the structure of domination in which they are immersed, and have become resigned to it, are inhibited from waging the struggle for freedom so long as they feel incapable of running the risks it requires.

This analogy made by Paulo Freire, explains in our context that young people are not docile recipients of freedom, but are active participants in the transformation agenda of a developmental state and they will continue to raise sharply issues of their interest with the radical temperament inherent in their body politic. It therefore becomes important to recognise that their struggle translates into a system that will recognise the social ills that created less capacity among black people to provide the skills that the job market demands and address this with an education system that will open doors of learning to the poor and marginalised by providing a comprehensive plan and free and compulsory education.

In the same vein, we need to recognise skills that are not being employed on the part of the youth, who are blocked from participating in the job market as vacancies available overlook the youth and prohibit them from gaining experience, because experienced candidates are sought, especially by private companies whose intention is to obscure the current skills base available by creating the impression that the majority of skilled people are white and look down on black skilled youth. Therefore, government should continue to have a deliberate bias towards them, as this role cannot be shifted to the private sector since the market without government regulation is unreliable.

Madam Speaker, I know that when I make this statement I run the risk of being booed by people who were never affected by Bantu Education and the possible response might be that we dwell too much on the past. But a Sesotho proverb says:

Setjhaba se sa tsebeng nalane ya sona se a timela. [A nation that forgets its history does so at its peril.]

And we as youth need to know the revolutionary evolution of our struggle to be able to pave the way forward and it is this historic context that we call on for youth development.

Moving forward into the future, the ANC-led government has introduced programmes to address these challenges as part of the National Youth Service programmes such as the MSDS that has been introduced by the Department of Defence to address such challenges of skills shortages and unemployment. As this is not adequate to deal with 40% unemployed youth, it is therefore important for government to adopt the Integrated Youth Development Strategy which was adopted at the national youth policy convention and the fast-tracking of the resolution to merge the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission, which is a call we have been making in previous years. We also need to ensure that while the country is building its skills base the current generation of youth is not subjected to being abused but is moved towards representing the working class better.

However, the dichotomy presented by both these two institutions has not yielded the best results to challenges that present themselves today. Therefore, an integrated approach does not only allow for government intervention but also allows the private sector and state-owned enterprises to play their role. In the same vein, youth also have a responsibility to commit themselves to producing the best results that will qualify them to access tertiary education and subsequent placement in the job market to sustain the momentum of the country’s economic growth. We also need to implement the integrate development strategy to ensure that while the country is building its skills base young people are taken into consideration.

Youth should also be creative enough not to expect handouts but to create their own destiny and move from a dehumanising perception to that of pride and self-sustenance. They should have a sense of belonging and build the nationhood that will make them proud South Africans who will not see government as a force to oppose but as a force to be reckoned with, to rebuild the moral system that the apartheid system eroded; that made our masses see government as an object to hate and treat with disrespect. These memories are still fresh in their mind, hence it will take time before institutions such as the police service and the army will be respected.

I therefore salute all generations and detachments of youth for the sterling work they did and continue to do to ensure that ours is a just society that embraces the principles of a united, nonracial, nonsexist and democratic society, where there is a better life for all and all are equal before the law. I am also proud to have belonged to the 1980s generation that took over the baton from the 1970s generation. I thank you, Madam Speaker. [Applause.]

Mr M M SWATHE: Madam Speaker, this year’s 16 June celebrations marked the 31st anniversary of the historic 1976 youth uprisings. Yet, the youth of today are still in want and wondering about their future. The 1976 youth had a vision of a democratic South Africa where there is hope, equality, quality education and opportunities for all.

The sad turn of history is that 70% of the youth – about four million – are unemployed, poor and unskilled. Another major problem that threatens the youth and skill acquisition is the negative use of the affirmative action policy. This policy was supposed to address the imbalance created by the apartheid regime and not to divide our current youth based on race.

Our view as the DA is that morality, virtue, strength and character have to be instilled in young people and are expected as a social norm of society as they grow up. As a people, we need to be clear about what we value and teach those values to the youth. Service is one way of achieving that.

However, the drive to engage youth in service programmes must be grounded in a broader framework that reflects a consistent, solid, moral and ethical structure. It would be too easy for a service learning programme to become a substitute for employment and to lose sight of the whole purpose of service as a social civic duty.

An emphasis on service would encourage young people to think of the public good and the broader community before thinking of themselves. Unfortunately, we are living in a society that values the pursuit of self- interest over the trades. Youth must stop dwelling in the past and contribute towards a better future.

The examples that many of us, including political and community leaders, set for young people are not positive. The Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission are given a mandate to develop and promote interests of the youth. We are concerned that the National Youth Commission uses millions of rands to fund events, whereas millions of young people are unemployed and poor. This money could have been used for job creation and something of great values to the youth. These bodies are not effective and not visible at all. In addition, we have fathers who don’t pay maintenance; parents who don’t spend time with their kids; gangsters as role models and teachers who abuse their students. All of this creates an environment hostile to young people from which they have little hope of escaping repeating the pattern with their own children.

Re le ba DA, re re mananeo a tšwelopele ya baswa a swanetše go hlomphiwa le go tšwetšwapele. Tšhelete yeo mmušo o e šomišago go tšweleletša mananeo a baswa e swanetše go lekolwa gore e šoma eng. National Youth Commission le Umsobomvu Fund di swanetše go rwala maikarabelo go hlokego ya mešomo. Mekgatlo ye e swanetše go bona gore baswa ba kgatha tema ekonoming ya naga. Kgolo ya ekonomi e swanetše go laetša mohola go baswa. Ge se sa bonagale, go itaetša gabotse gore ba ikhola ka dithoto le mahumo a setšhaba.

Re le ba DA, re re taba ya go ikhola e swanetše go bonwa e le bosinyi gomme bao ba amegago ba swanetše go otlwa ka molao. Gape re re baswa ba dinageng- magae ke baswa ba Afrika Borwa le gore ba swanetšwe ke tše kaone. Re dira boipiletšo go mmušo go lekola lenaneo la go thuša baswa bao ba sa šomego la Basic Income Grant ka kgwedi. Tšhelete yeo e tla thuša gore baswa ba kgone go nyaka mešomo, ba bule dikgwebo-potlana le go romela mangwalo a di-CV go boramešomo.

DA e bona taba ye e tla thuša dikolo le dipapadi le go hola baswa ge e ka šomišwa. Tšhomišo ya boraditegniki le boramahlale bao ba tlogetšego mošomo e swanetše go thuša go abela baswa bokgoni. Re bona ba Umsombomvu Youth Fund le National Youth Commission ba sa lebelele taba yeo gabotse ka ge e tla be a thuša setšhaba go hloma dikgwebo.

Re bona taba ya go hlabolla mabokgoni a mešomo mebasepaleng ya Kgalagadi, go la Kapa-Leboa e šoma gomme re rata gore ba Umsobomvu Youth Fund le National Youth Commission ba tšeye malebiša gomme ba bule Youth Skills Development Centres dinageng-magae. Se se ka thuša go fediša mekhukhu ditoropong le go hlola mešomo ya matsogo gomme baswa ba kgona go ka itirela mešomo. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[We as the DA say that youth development programmes should be valued and developed. It should be determined how the funds allocated for youth development programmes are used. The National Youth Commission and the Umsobomvu Fund should be held responsible for unemployment in the country. These structures should ensure that the youth are playing a role in the country’s economy. Economic growth should be of importance to the youth. If this does not happen, this will be a clear indication that they are enriching themselves through the public’s assets and wealth.

As the DA, we say self-enrichment is a crime and those involved must be punished. We also say that youth from rural areas are South African citizens and therefore deserve the best. We make a plea to government to check the Basic Income Grant, which is meant for unemployed youth on a monthly basis. That money will help the youth to seek jobs, open small businesses as well as sending CVs to employers.

According to the DA, if used, this will help schools, sports and the youth will also benefit. The use of retired technicians and scientists should help in transferring skills to the youth. We think that the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission are not paying attention to this, and this would help youth start businesses.

We think that skills development in the Kgalagadi Municipalities, in the Northern Cape, does work and we therefore urge the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission to emulate that by opening Youth Skills Development centres in rural areas. This will help eradicate informal settlements in cities as well as create skill-orientated jobs and the youth will be able to be self-employed.]

In order for service programmes to have any moral worth, it should not be presented as a substitute for employment but as something to do while you are looking for a job. Used properly, service programme can be a valuable way of re-integrating the youth into society by making it possible for them to regain a sense of pride, self-respect and dignity through service to others.

Gresham’s Law tells us that low values tend to drive out high values and unless we set an example and insist on high standards of conduct from our youth we will soon be living in a society that has no concept of higher values at all. How will today’s youth raise their own children if they do not have some frame of reference that speaks to values other than the pursuit of self-interest?

Re rata go dira boipiletšo go baswa ba lehono gore ba emelele, ba kgathe tema mo ekonoming ya naga; ba se lebelele batho ba bangwe gore ba tla ba direla. [We would like to appeal to the youth to stand up, play a role in the country’s economy and not look to other people to act on their behalf.]

This is the right time for young people to take the initiative to come up with programmes that are going to develop the youth. We request the government also to ensure that the National Youth Commission and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund do help young people to develop economically.

We believe, as the DA, that young people should be given priority because young people are the leaders of tomorrow and we must ensure that those young people participate in the economy. It is very sad to hear that about four million young people are unemployed, and we really ask ourselves: Where are we going as young people of this country?

We need to give young people a chance to take advantage of growing our economy. Our economy is growing but it doesn’t help our young people. So, we need government to help these young people to participate actively in our economy. Thank you very much. [Interjections.] [Applause.]

Ms S P LEBENYA: Madam Speaker, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, I can hardly believe it was one year ago that I participated in the Youth Parliament, and now I stand here making my maiden speech. [Applause].

As a young person, I stand not only for dreams, but for ambitions and aspirations. I believe that this is the true living message conveyed to us by the heroes of 16 June 1976. The chief aspiration at that time was freedom from oppression, and many of those who bravely took that journey did not live to see a free South Africa. We remain to enjoy their efforts.

We remember and honour the youth of 1976 because they taught us that it is possible for young people to stand up and confront the challenges facing them. We remember them because they left us a legacy of bravery and determination in the face of what appeared to be impossible odds.

The South African youth of today enjoy the fruits of political liberation, but face the challenges of a diverse and growing young population at a time when a large number of them are living in poverty and in families stricken by HIV and Aids, unemployment and crime.

Considerable numbers of our young people are growing up in a climate of uncertainty and fear. Their prospects for healthy development are dramatically compromised by HIV and Aids and other preventable diseases. Their formative years are under threat, and that is why today I want to call upon government to establish a dedicated Ministry for Youth.

South Africa, as we all know, is a study in contrast and complexity. We in the IFP are pragmatists who believe in the virtues of self-help and self- reliance. That is why we have always promoted workable solutions to all challenges, from liberation to HIV and Aids. Our actions and responses have always been consistent with core pragmatism and the evidence about what really works.

We believe in deliberate strategies to promote the ideal of healthy youth. We believe in young people’s own capacity to reduce their risky behaviour that threatens their wellbeing. This is not about a deliberate killjoy approach to self-sacrifice. It is about personal responsibility. It is about morality and good citizenship.

I believe that we can increase the likelihood of our young people growing up as healthy, caring and capable adults by providing opportunities for the development of skills and positive experiences.

Our families, our communities and our congregations can provide for our youth the essential nutrients required to thrive in life. The crucial ingredients are supportive healthy families and communities. We need effective safe schools, efficient social networks, caring adults and welcoming community organisations that provide other educational opportunities as well as the fun time that we all need and deserve as young people.

It was once said: “Some men see things as they are and say, ‘why?’; I dream things that never were and say, ‘why not?’” I thank you.

Mr G T MADIKIZA: Madam Speaker, hon members, 31 years ago, young people marched against the oppressive and purposely disempowering system of Bantu Education. They sought to oppose the propaganda and the deliberate misinformation of an education system that insisted that they should buy into the idea of their own inferiority and willingly accept a life of legalised slavery. They realised that they had to voice their opposition to this attack upon their dignity and their future.

With nothing but the courage of their conviction, they took to the streets to face the guns and armoured vehicles of the previous regime. The outcome was bloody, as had been the case in Sharpeville nearly two decades earlier. In Soweto, 15 000 students took to the streets and afterwards 28 of them had been shot dead. It was a predictable resort to violence and brutality by the oppressor, and yet the youth of 1976 understood the dangers and still chose a brave course of action. Their message was clear: “We will not be dictated to and we will not submit silently.” Today, 31 years later, a great many of us are able to celebrate the fruits of courage of the generation of 1976.

Kungoko ke sinoluvo lokuba ulutsha maluthathe inxaxheba kwezopolitiko kunye nezoqoqosho lweli lizwe, ngoba lungabazali neenkokeli zangomso. Kungenzeka ke oku, ngokolwethu uluvo, xa urhulumente, ebambisene noogxa bakhe, eluncedisa ulutsha. Siphakamisa ukuba enye into enokuqhubela phambili ukuthatha inxaxheba kolutsha kuqoqosho kukuba kubekho isebe elijongene nemicimbi yolutsha, … (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)

[That is why we are of the opinion that the youth should participate in politics and the economy of this country, because they are parents and leaders of tomorrow. We believe this can happen if the government works together with all relevant stakeholders. We propose that, one other method of developing youth participation in this aspect would be the establishment of a youth affairs department …]

… not an obscure subsection in a department or somewhere in the Presidency.

Siyalivuma lona ilinge likarhulumente lokuqwalasela lo mba, ngakumbi xa linokungakhethi zibi namaphela emasini.

Kolwalo icala, nalo ulutsha siyalukhuthaza ukuba lube noxanduva, luqale ngokwazi ukuba le nto bayicula mihla, yamalungelo, itshatile; umyeni wayo yindoda apha ekuthiwa luxanduva. Umzekelo, umntwana unelungelo lokufunda, kodwa unoxanduva lokuba azimisele, afunde aphumelele, ukuze kubonakale inkqubela.

Isizathu sokuba ndigxininise kuxanduva kukuba zininzi iingxaki kule mihla siphila kuyo ezijongene nolutsha, ezifana nempilo. Xa sivayo, ngabo kanye amaxhoba eNtsholongwane kaGawulayo noGawulayo.

Ngokubhekisele kwimfundo nengqesho, amanani abantu abatsha abangaqeshwanga ukuze babe nokuthabatha inxaxheba kuhlumo lwelizwe lelona lixhomileyo. Siyambongoza ke ngoko urhulumente nabalingane bakhe kwezoshishino ukuba bawunike ingqwalasela lo mba. Enkosi. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.) [We would appreciate the government’s efforts to consider this matter, especially if it would not split hairs about it.

We also encourage the youth to take the responsibility, and begin to know that the rights that they always talk about are married and their husband is called responsibility. For example, a child has a right to education, but he or she has a responsibility to be committed and learn to pass in order to see progress.

The reason to emphasise responsibility is that there are many problems that the youth are facing today, such as health. From what we hear, they are the biggest victims of HIV and Aids.

With regard to education and employment, there is an extremely high rate of unemployment among the youth that should be taking part in developing this country. We request the government and its relevant partners in the private sector to consider this economic issue. Thank you. [Applause.]]

Mr L W GREYLING: Madam Speaker, seeing that, like hon Tobias, this is the last year of me being able to categorise myself as being part of the youth, let me take this opportunity to salute all the youth of this country.

It is clear that South Africa’s youth are being asked to grapple with enormous challenges. Youth unemployment, for instance, stands at a staggering 70%, while child abuse and HIV/Aids are forcing our youth to take on challenges way before their time. Many children in South Africa are unfortunately not given the opportunity to simply be children. Too many are having to assume the role of parents and look after their siblings, and too many are forced onto the streets through abuse, where their trauma is compounded by an uncaring society.

Although the youth have many challenges to face, the ID believes that they are also at the forefront of transforming South Africa. It is the youth that hold the seeds of a new value system that does not contain the past tragic divisions of our country.

I believe that the youth should be seen as not only our future, but in fact our present. They are not only our leaders of tomorrow, but in fact are leaders of today. They - or should I say we? - are occupying positions of leadership in many different fields and are forging ahead in creating a new South Africa we all dream of. It is time to give the youth the true recognition they deserve and ensure that their vision informs our new society. As a young parliamentarian, I will continue to fight for that even after I am no longer a member of the youth. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mr H B CUPIDO: Madam Speaker, though I am not part of the youth anymore, I didn’t ask my colleagues their age, but I might be the youngest in my party and that is why I am speaking on behalf of my party today.

The ACDP would like to remind the House that 30 years ago the youth stood up against the inadequacies pertaining to educational instruction. It was not only that Afrikaans had to be used on an equal basis with English as a language of instruction in secondary schools, but the whole system of Bantu Education was characterised by separate schools, separate universities, poor facilities, overcrowded classrooms and inadequately trained teachers.

These conditions resemble the current conditions our children are exposed to in schools today. The irony is that we have equal rights. Children are educated in their home languages; they have the right to tertiary education in the institutions of their choice. However, the conditions in which they are taught are still a concern for us. Overcrowding and poor facilities are elements that cause a lack of concentration, coupled with the fact that teachers do not have the relevant skills or training, which is a recipe for disaster.

Deepening youth participation in services starts at home, but there is more room to grow at school level. Schools should ultimately be linked with government in order to benefit the youth. This can only be created once we have moved away from dwelling on the past.

Though we commemorate the events of 16 June 1976 and the turn of the tide in the battle against apartheid, we also have to deal with the new generation and plan for their future. We cannot blame the inadequacies of the new South Africa on the apartheid legacy any longer.

Essentially, Youth Day should have been to commit government and society to taking the youth and their plight seriously and to doing everything in our power to ensure that this important sector is never ignored or brutalised again. Sadly, some of us have let the youth down in many ways.

The government is also responsible for the violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and exposure to gangsterism that the youth are faced with on a daily basis. The question of the HIV/Aids pandemic could have been addressed much more strongly in order to prevent our young people from facing death on a daily basis. The ACDP would like to say to the youth: Be strong, be courageous, face the challenges of life and God will bless you. Thank you. [Applause.]

Mnr P J GROENEWALD: Mevrou die Speaker, dit is met teleurstelling dat ek vanmiddag hier geluister het na die twee agb sprekers van die ANC. As ’n mens geluister het na die toesprake van dié twee lede dan is dit baie duidelik dat die regerende ANC-party die jeug net sien as synde die swart jeug in Suid-Afrika. As u mooi geluister het na daardie twee sprekers, sal u verstaan hoekom ek dit sê. Hulle het net gepraat van die jeug in die struggle.

Niemand kan die blanke jeug daar buite kwalik neem, dat as hulle vanmiddag na hierdie debat geluister het, hulle sou dink dat hulle tweedeklasburgers in Suid-Afrika is nie. Daar word twee keer teen hulle gediskrimineer. In die eerste plek word daar in die werksplek teen hulle gediskrimineer as gevolg van regstellende aksie. As hulle entrepreneurs wil word en ’n bydrae tot die ekonomie van Suid-Afrika wil lewer en hulle gaan na finansiële instellings toe, dan word daar ’n tweede keer teen hulle gediskrimineer as gevolg van regstellende aksie.

Aan die regerende ANC wil ek sê: U kan nie ’n voorheen benadeelde groep bevoordeel deur ’n nuwe benadeelde groep onder die blanke jeug te skep nie. Dit is nie billik nie. Dit is nie regverdig nie. As ons sê dat ons aan die jeug diens wil lewer, het dit tyd geword dat die ANC ’n in-diepte gesprek met hulle gaan voer.

Die Nasionale Jeugkommissie lewer nie eens diens aan die blanke jeug nie. [Tussenwerpsels.] Die bewyse is daar. U kan maar gaan kyk na die notules van die Nasionale Jeugkommissie. Ek daag die agb lede uit: Bring vir ons enige projek wat die Nasionale Jeugkommissie geloods het ter bevordering van die blanke jeug in Suid-Afrika.

Dit het tyd geword dat die ANC indringend gaan sit en gaan kyk dat hulle ophou met regstellende aksie. Dit sal die grootste diens wees wat hulle aan die totale jeug van Suid-Afrika kan lewer. Dit sluit in die swart jeug, die blanke jeug, die bruin jeug, die Indiërjeug – noem dit wat u wil, want dan praat ons van die jeug van Suid-Afrika. Ek dank u. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)

[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Madam Speaker, it was with disappointment that I listened to the two hon speakers of the ANC this afternoon. If one listened to the speeches of these two members it is very clear that the ruling ANC- party sees only the black youth as being the youth in South Africa. If you listened carefully to those two speakers, you will understand why I say this. They only spoke about the youth involved in the struggle.

Nobody can hold it against the white youth out there, if they listened to this debate this afternoon, for thinking that they are second class citizens in South Africa. They are discriminated against twice. Firstly, they are discriminated against in the workplace as a result of affirmative action. If they want to become entrepreneurs and make a contribution to the economy of South Africa and they approach financial institutions they are discriminated against a second time as a result of affirmative action.

I want to say the following to the ruling ANC: You cannot favour a previously disadvantaged group by creating a new disadvantaged group amongst white youths. That is not just. That is not fair. If we say that we want to deliver services to the youth, then the time has come for the ANC to have an in-depth discussion with them.

The National Youth Commission does not even deliver a service to the white youth. [Interjections]. The evidence is there. You can have a look at the minutes of the National Youth Commission. I challenge the hon members: Show us any project the National Youth Commission has launched for the promotion of the white youth in South Africa.

The time has come for the ANC to have an incisive look at when they will stop with affirmative action. It will be the biggest service that they can render to all the youth in South Africa. That includes black youth, white youth, coloured youth and Indian youth - call it what you want, because only then will we be talking about the youth of South Africa. I thank you. [Applause]]

Ms M M MDLALOSE: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Year after year the Youth Month celebrations focus on the historical events of June 16. The tragic events of that day are valuable to us.

Izehlakalo ezinjalo zisifundisile ukuthi silibone ikusasa. Ukubona kanye ukubona kabili. [Such events have taught us how to prepare for the future. Once bitten, twice shy.]

Historical events, good and bad, are valuable tools to empower the people and determine what values and practices to exclude or include as straws to weave a future identity for themselves as individuals and as a nation. This vision dictates what we must do today, as we lay foundations of what the future citizens and our country are going to be among the community of the nations of the world of the time.

As the current weavers of the unique South Africa of the future, let us do it in style to ensure an empowered citizenry, where there will be no Soweto of June 16; where there will be no Khutsong, Matatiele and no half month protests by civil servants, which in turn has also affected the youth of today, affected our economy and crippled the health system.

According to the World Youth Report 2005, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa have the largest number of young people living below the poverty line, and these regions are home to the largest concentration of undernourished youth.

Forty-eight per cent of unemployed South Africans are youth. This indeed is an issue of great concern, which requires government, business and civil society to work together to tackle the problem.

Programmes such as Asgisa and Umsobomvu have to take great strides in ensuring that the youth, who are the future of this country, are effectively supported in their entrepreneurship initiatives. Greater intervention is needed to provide the youth with entrepreneurship skills.

Young people are increasingly being identified as a target group in mainly poverty reduction strategies. Government needs to create concise programmes that will allow for the channelling of graduates to where there are skills shortages.

Akungaze kusetshenziswe ukugodlwa kwamandla ngaphambi kokuba uhulumeni abe nodlebe nozwelo maqondana nezidingo zentsha nezabantu. Asakhe, sisize intsha yethu. Siyabonga. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)

[Government should not wait until there is dissatisfaction before listening and showing sympathy concerning the needs of youth and people in general. Let us be proactive and help our youth. Thank you. [Applause.]]

Rre B E PULE: Ke a go leboga Mmusakgotla. A ke latlhele tlhware legonnyana mo setlhogong se se reng baša ba nne le seabe mo go tseneletseng mo dilong tse di ba amang.

Re na le puo ya Setswana e e reng, tlogatloga e tloga gale, modisa wa kgomo o tswa natso sakeng. Seane se, se raya gore motho o tshwanetse go simologa le go simolola go dira mo dilong tsotlhe tse di amang botshelo jwa gagwe a sale mo bošeng.

Baša ba rona ba tshwanetse go nna le seabe ka tiro, e seng go bua fela. Re tshwanetse gore jaaka bagolo re atametse bana ba rona mo mererong, mme go tswa foo ba tshware ka diatla.

Motswana o ne a feditse mafoko fa a re, magogorwana rokela banneng e tle e re setsiba se tlala ba se go thuse. Baša ba rona ba diiwa ke go emela dilo di dirwa, ba be ba bona diphoso mo go se se dirilweng. A ba dire re bone, morogo wa bone ga kitla re o tlhopa ditlhokwa, re tla ba gakolola ka lorato.

Le rona bagolo ba re tshwanetseng go rotloetsa bana go dira, re tshwanetse go nna sekai jaaka Thamaga-ya-BoJesu e bua e re: A lesedi la lona le phatsime fa pele ga batho, gore ba tle ba bone ditiro tsa lona tse di molemo.

Baša ba bone seo mo go rona re le bagolo, e seng jalo re tla tshwana le makakauwe. Lekakauwe le ya kwa le be le re ngwana wa lona a tlhamalale fa lona le tsamaela kwa thoko. A rona bagolo re nne sekai se se ntseng jalo. A go nna le seabe ga baša go tlhakane le boikarabelo jo bo tseneletseng.

Mo re ka gakololang baša fela gore ba seka ba nna le seabe mo teng, ke mo nnotaging. Ke gona fela re ka ba gakololang gore, lemphorwana la bojalwa ga le fofe. Ke a leboga. [Legofi.] (Translation of Setswana speech follows.)

[Mr B E PULE: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to make a contribution to this discussion in which youth are encouraged to take part intensively in things that affect them.

There is a saying in Setswana that the earliest bird catches the fattest worm. This proverb means that it pays to be early in doing things that matter. Our youth should not only speak but they should also be actively involved. We should, as parents, introduce our children to issues and support them while they are on their own.

Motswana concluded this issue by saying: If you do not sow in spring you will not reap in autumn. Our youths are lazy, given the fact that they wait for everything to be done and then start criticizing. We should encourage them to work as we will not criticize their work, but we will instead advise them sincerely.

As parents we have to encourage our children to work, as it is said in the Bible: Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds.

Children should learn this from us parents; if not so, we will be like a crab. A crab moves sideways while it instructs its child to move straight while it gives support. Let us be such an example to them. The active participation of the youth should also come with responsibility.

Our advice to the youth is that they should refrain from alcohol. We can also advise them that drinking irresponsibly will not help them to progress in life. Thank you. [Applause.]]

Mr M R MOHLALOGA: Madam Speaker, hon members, guests and participants in the Youth Parliament, as opposed to hon Tobias, I’ve got anxieties about crossing the age line. So, I won’t blow my cover in that regard, up until I’ve had a conversation with the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, perhaps there is something we can do about my ID. Well, hon Khumalo is not correct.

To all that the hon Swathe has said we can only say: “Ag shame! It’s a pity!” On Saturday, 16 June, our country celebrated one of the important days in the evolution of the history of our struggle against apartheid.

This epoch-making day 31 years ago marked a turning point in the determination of our youth to fight the demon of apartheid and injustice. As we commemorate the 31st anniversary of June 16, we recall the bravery and the sacrifices of our youth who had to perish in pursuance of our people’s yearning for freedom and democracy.

These young women and men had nothing to offer but their blood to their country, tears to their families and loved ones, and sweat in their determination to fight against apartheid. Many of our youth had to die and perish, linger in jail and be separated from their loved ones, in order for us to be free.

They died not knowing what it meant to be a free South African. Their families and children continue to ponder how life would have been with them in their midst. They have a sense of permanent loss, a sense of grief, a void in their hearts that cannot be filled.

As the ANC, we will continue to be guided by the vision, the will and desires of these fallen heroes and heroines. As we celebrated Youth Day, we were also commemorating the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Steve Biko, a student leader, a youth leader, a revolutionary intellectual and a hero for our people; and I’m sure we will have a moment to commemorate his death in a befitting manner in September, which is the month in which he was assassinated. May his soul and many others rest in peace, their spirits live on, and their deeds continue to inspire us.

This day reminds us of the role young people played throughout the history of mankind and continue to play. They are the lifeblood of every nation; they are the brick and mortar of every society.

The sustenance or defeat, reproduction or creation of any social organisation depends on the political and social mobilisation and moulding of the youth. Even the most backward and retrogressive regimes relied on young people. Hitler relied on young people to build a Nazi state whose orientation was murder and genocide in pursuance of a purified Germany. On the other hand, the progressive forces like the Bolsheviks relied on the important role of young people in the defeat of the Tsarist regime and the construction of a new society.

Here at home, the colonial and apartheid regimes introduced compulsory military training for white youth to defend the apartheid system. They invested a great deal in the education of the white youth to produce the intellectual capital necessary for the sustenance and reproduction of the apartheid system.

On the other hand, the youth under the leadership of the ANC mobilised themselves for the noble goal, that is, the liberation of our people. Consequently, young people swelled the ranks of the ANC Youth League over successive generations; young people swelled the ranks of MK, they swarmed in our streets in acts of defiance and militancy, coming face to face with the apartheid killing machine.

If anything, the most defining feature of South African society at that time was the battle between the white youth, who sought to perpetuate the demon of apartheid, and the black youth, who sought to liberate our country and its people, both black and white. We are here today because we honour these youth, without whom there would not be freedom and democracy to talk about.

The challenge, therefore, for today’s youth is to define their role in the political, social and economic life of this country. To this end, I would like to congratulate the National Youth Commission on launching the National Youth Dialogue. I think that it is an important platform, through which a national consensus can be built around the future of this country amongst young people.

I suppose some of the issues that hon Groenewald raised around the issue of white youth, could be dealt with through that particular platform. These are not new issues; hon Dr Mulder also raised them during the state of the nation debate in 2005. So, I suppose that the National Youth Commission would arrange a conversation that takes into account some of the issues to check where we actually agree and where we disagree. Do we have a shared destiny and how do we reach that particular destiny?

We are a very opportune generation, because whilst we are concerned about the future we are also participants in the acts of its creation, thus we can make that future in our own image. We are often told never to cross a bridge until we come to it, but we know this world is led and owned by men and women who have “crossed bridges” in their imagination, far ahead of the crowd. We have to ask ourselves as this current generation of youth whether our ancestors are resting or turning in their graves, whether we are giving them confidence that we care about the future of this country and its people. We have to earn our stripes in defending our democracy, building a caring society, a society where, in the words of President Mbeki, in reference to the Sepedi expression that says:

Mma o tlile, tlala o nyele. Sepedi ga se rogane, se a reta. [There is no
child that can go hungry when the mother is there. The Sepedi language
does not swear but praises.]

Just in case there was a low point in the translation, what that means is that children cannot go hungry when the mother is there. It is an expression that praises our mothers. So that’s what Sepedi does …

Sepedi ga se rogane, se a reta. [The Sepedi language does not swear, but praises]

To this extent, in the past eleven years we have made tremendous strides with regard to youth development. We have created institutional mechanisms through the Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission to respond to the challenges of youth development.

No matter the challenges these institutions face, they continue to provide the necessary leadership to millions of our youth. In fact, a review of government youth development programmes suggests that there’s been progressively greater commitment to youth development since 1994.

As government, we have made strides in making sure that we invest in skills, entrepreneurship development, learnerships, the Expanded Public Works Programme and so on. Having achieved all of these and more, the challenge that we face is economic participation. In this regard, we have to deliberately integrate youth into the mainstream of our economy.

As we meet here today Umsobomvu, together with the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, are hosting a Youth Entrepreneurship Conference, intended to develop programmes to create and massify young entrepreneurs. I hope, Comrade Ben Martins, as they cross the class line, they will not lose their status as the motive forces of the national democratic revolution.

The issue of increased youth employment is a matter that we will have to deal with with vigour and the private sector has an important role to play in this regard. We call on big companies to ensure that their procurement should benefit youth co-operatives and enterprises. This will lead to economic growth and increased employment. We call on the BEE Charter Councils to accommodate youth representation and make sure that the implementation of those charters addresses the issue of youth economic participation.

It is important not to pigeonhole the issue of youth development to be the purview of provincial and national governments or, at the very least, the role of Umsobomvu and the Youth Commission. The role of the local sphere of government cannot be overemphasised. We would like to persuade municipalities to establish youth units in their organisations.

The Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National Youth Commission have launched a National Youth Service Programme targeting mainly unemployed youth who will emerge out of this programme with skills that can open opportunities for them.

Finally, as young people, therefore, we must see beyond the ordinary and build this country, hand it over to our children in a much more improved condition than we found it. The future is ours, let’s build it now.

Ke tšhaba baditi. [Legofsi.] [I conclude.] [Applause.]]

Mr M T LIKOTSI: Madam Speaker, the patience of the youth in this country is running out and this matter should be treated as a matter of urgency in order to put our House in order. The youth of our country want to participate in the socioeconomic development of their country and have patiently waited for us to implement the much talked about transformation, but transformation takes a long time.

To honour the fallen heroes and heroines of June 16 … [Interjections.]

An HON MEMBER: … 1976 sabotage. [Laughter.]

The SPEAKER: We can’t allow sabotage. Can the sound engineers please help.

Mr M T LIKOTSI: Madam Speaker, let me start again. [Laughter.] The patience of the youth has run out and as a matter of urgency we must put our House in order. The youth of our country want to participate in the socioeconomic development of their country and have patiently waited for us to implement the much talked about transformation, but transformation takes a long time.

To honour the fallen heroes and heroines of 16 June 1976, the youth that revolutionised our liberation struggle, the PAC wishes to say to our youth what I said in my address at the rally of the Soweto student uprising organised by the Pan-Africanist Youth Congress, Payco, on June 16 at site C

• some of them are sitting up there. Our youth must stand up and wage an economic and land distribution revolution for the creation of jobs and the eradication of poverty. This time it will be a different type of revolution brought about by all the people of our country without any element of discrimination - Mr Groenewald.

The PAC wants to state very clearly that our economy is in the hands of big capital, which is unfortunately dominated by foreigners. BEE, and now often BBBEE, seems not to be a solution. Our land, the primary source of wealth, is in the hands of the same foreigners. Land restitution, as legislated, moves at a snail’s pace. What the youth must know is that whilst we experience problems on the issue of land distribution, large tracts of our land are being bought day and night by foreigners. In plain language, we are moving one step forward and ten steps backwards.

This is exactly where you should come in and ignite this special type of revolution to stop the sale of our land to foreigners and demand an equitable distribution of wealth and land. To all peace-loving Africans in our country, this is a dream that all of us must realise for lasting peace and stability in our country. This is our clarion call. Join us and let us fight neo-colonialism to the end - or let it perish. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mr R B BHOOLA: Madam Speaker, into our second era of democracy, the MF considers the South Africa that we are leaving to our youth to handle in the next decade as serious and a responsibility to ensure that the devilish horrors of poverty and crime are contained by then. We need to open up opportunities for our youth to take on the challenges that South Africa may develop.

But while they are children, let’s work hard to protect them from cruel adult masters who kidnap them into child labour and trafficking. Let’s rescue them from the evil of poverty that paves the way to a life of drugs, crime and abuse. We need to cradle our children in the celebration of sport, recreation, arts and culture that shall allow them to enjoy their childhood and celebrate being South African.

However, let our children be educated about our past and the childhoods stolen by the apartheid regime. Let us teach our children how to live a free life and how to look after South Africa when we no longer can. When we leave this legacy of a developing democracy, let us leave with the insurance that our children will take South Africa to even greater heights. The MF salutes all our little comrades and calls for the department to invite a huge participation in the many projects we have on the way to stabilising South Africa.

Madam Speaker, the future belongs to those who have a dream. The MF has no doubt whatsoever that the youth of 1976 had a dream and could undoubtedly live with losing a good fight but could never have lived without fighting it. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mr A J NYAMBI: Madam Speaker and hon members, it’s an honour for one to be afforded such an opportunity to participate in this debate. My speech is dedicated to all the heroes and heroines who were and still are able to respond to challenges in fighting to make sure that a better life is realised for all.

I felt that it would be proper to quote a philosopher. Let me borrow from Leo C Rosten’s words when he said, and I quote:

I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made a difference that you lived at all.

As we debate and celebrate the heroes and heroines who made the supreme sacrifice on 16 June 1976, we must always bear in mind that we carry a heavy responsibility to ensure that what they sacrificed for is achieved in totality.

Youth Month is being celebrated in a democratic, nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous South Africa. We are debating today because the students and the youth of our country turned the tide of history and our revolution forever. Today we are able to remember the significance of those years and the lessons that can take us forward as a country to deal with the current challenges. Their sacrifices will forever be remembered by all peace and freedom-loving people of our country. We remember and reflect on the countless selfless sacrifices that they made so that today we enjoy the fruits of freedom they laid their lives down for.

Our recent study tour visit to Sweden has made me realise that even though there are programmes in place to champion youth interest, it still remains a must that the government in our country maximises its championing programmes that will ensure that no skill required by a competitive modern economy is absent or in short supply. It has been proved that it is not the duty of government alone to deal with the issue of skills. The private sector can also play a crucial role when it comes to skills development. The private sector must channel their funds to universities through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and work closely with institutions in guiding the disbursement of funds to needy students while at the same time ensuring that they are channelled to studies that will produce scarce skills in our country.

Transformation has to do with much more than demographics. It has to do with mindset and attitudes. The question is how to transform an institution so that it can take account of the impact of the modern economy. The working together of the Departments of Education, Labour, Arts and Culture, Science and Technology can take us a long way in championing skills development in our country, as we have seen.

The lessons that we have learned, if we reflect on the contribution of the youth, are dedication, sacrifice, commitment and discipline. When we celebrate and debate 16 June 1976, we also remember the contribution of all the generations of our youth in the struggle for revolution as the youth of our country has always been at the forefront.

South Africa has been fortunate to have had outstanding and revolutionary youth during each historical epoch in its history. From the 1944 youth generation, which formed the ANC Youth League, we speak of Mziwakhe Lembede, O R Tambo, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and others, up until the first recruits of uMkhonto weSizwe combatants who participated in the Wankie-Sipolilo campaign as part of the Luthuli detachment which played an important role. The youth were central in the struggle for national revolution.

After that you had the 1976 Soweto youth generation which produced martyrs and struggle icons like Solomon Mahlangu, Barney Molokoane and countless others who took the struggle to unparallelled levels. This is the detachment that O R Tambo called the June 16 Detachment.

The thread was not broken as the young lions of the 1980s took the struggle to other levels. The militancy of the youth was once more cemented and evident through their brave and heroic actions. The youth of our country were here to strike another blow in the face of apartheid when they played a central role in the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994, when they voted the ANC into power with an overwhelming majority. Since then, the youth of the country have been integrally involved in the reconstruction and development of the country from the ashes and the legacy of apartheid.

June 16 has left a huge legacy for the youth today. Whilst benefiting from the opportunities of democracy, they too have a revolutionary task to build a forever-vigilant society that is combat-ready to defend the gains of the revolution, consolidate democracy and build sustainable communities. My message is that the challenges that face young people today are not insurmountable. History has proved that there have been even greater challenges that were faced by the youth before. The youth can tackle these challenges and overcome them if we are united and there is unity of purpose.

In dealing with challenges that face the youth, remember the inspiring words of Moses Kotane in a statement to the youth of South Africa in 1968. This great revolutionary was a real African organic intellectual who towered above many in the political landscape of this country. This great leader had this to say to the youth, and I quote:

At this hour of destiny, your country and your people need you. The future of South Africa is yours and it will be what you make of it. On the other hand, a people, a country, a movement that does not value its youth does not deserve its future.

[Applause.] Such words should always be a reminder to maximise dedication, sacrifice and discipline in all endeavours to advance the interest of young people as the youth generation of 1976 did.

When we honour and salute the great sacrifices that the youth of the country made for the liberation of our country, I am sure that you will agree with me that the greatest honour and respect you can show to that youth generation as we are celebrating today, is to ensure that we redouble our efforts in addressing the challenges that face the youth of our country.

In conclusion, transformation in relation to all endeavours that have to do with the emancipation of the youth can better be understood in what was once said by Paulo Freire, and I quote:

Transformation is only valid if it is carried out with the people, not for them. Liberation is like childbirth, and a painful one. The person who emerges is a new person: no longer either oppressor or oppressed, but a person in the process of achieving freedom.

I thank you. [Applause.]

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: Chairperson, greetings to the delegation of the Youth Parliament and condolences to those who have lost their youth. We have an obligation to respond with a sense of urgency, mission and purpose, as well as comprehensively, to the urgent needs of the youth.

The challenge of social cohesion requires that we pursue with added zeal the social and economic inclusion of the youth, especially those who live with disability, young women, rural youth and unemployed youth in general.

We must succeed to increase social and economic opportunities for the youth. The question of course is: What if we did nothing? What if we were to let the youth’s socio-economic marginalisation persist and there was no intervention from either the government or the private sector or both?

The youth are our cornerstone and the foundation of our future. To invest in them is synonymous with investing in the future. However, I must hasten to say that to build this future requires that the youth must participate and be active in the process. To that extent, youth development and youth mobilisation must go hand in hand. They reinforce each other and they are two sides of the same coin. They have a dialectical relationship.

It is for that reason that the hon Madikiza was correct that to address the needs of the youth requires a strategic partnership between the youth, government, the private sector and civil society in general.

The hon Swathe’s tirade against the National Youth Commission, Umsobomvu Youth Fund and affirmative action was predicable. His predecessors delivered the same speeches and we can already predict that for the next ten years we will prepare the same responses to the same speeches. [Laughter.]

The entire speech isn’t worth responding to, save to say, sir: To refuse to forget the past doesn’t mean the same thing as dwelling in it; actually, it is your party that still dwells in the past. Ask the hon Seremane how many votes he got at your federal congress. [Laughter.] Then tell me who is dwelling in the past.

The National Youth Commission does not deliver projects, hon Groenewald. The hon member would do well to reread the legislation establishing the National Youth Commission before making patently incorrect remarks about, or having false expectations of, the National Youth Commission. Sir, the disadvantage suffered by the white youth as a result of affirmative action is more of a perception or a mere misconception than reality. Actually, it is propaganda meant to mobilise the white youth to fear the future. It belongs in the same category as “swart gevaar” or as Nazi propaganda.

The problem with all those who attack affirmative action is that they all – without exception – equate merit with being white and lack of merit with being black. [Applause.] Nobody suggested that we put into positions people who do not deserve it simply because they are black. It would be wrong to select the hon Swathe for the Springboks as he will prove a very mediocre Springbok player, or to select the hon Groenewald for Bafana Bafana. [Laughter.] [Applause.] To correct the past does not mean that you are dwelling in it.

Mr P J GROENEWALD: Agbare Voorsitter … [Hon Chairperson] … is the hon speaker prepared to take a question?

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: I am finishing just now, I will take the question.

Mr P J GROENEWALD: You are still young, you can take it.

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: I will finish just now, sir. The youth of our country are capable of … [Interjections.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms C-S Botha): Hon member, before you continue, may I ask the gallery not to participate in the debate. I know it is very exciting but it is something that is here for the older people down at the bottom. Don’t clap your hands but just enjoy yourselves. Please continue.

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: The youth of our country are capable even today of producing heroes and heroines. I have faith in the youth, in their capacity to grasp and summarise the situation today and produce new heroic feats of the struggle.

It is therefore important that we reflect seriously on the matter of deepening youth participation through service, to mobilise the youth, to deepen their participation, to raise their patriotism and love for their country. Glory to the roaring youth of our country. Madam Chair, I can take the question now. [Applause.]

Mr P J GROENEWALD: Chairperson, I would like to ask the hon Deputy Minister: If Bafana Bafana start selecting people like me, don’t you think they have a better chance of winning? [Laughter.]

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFIRS: Hon Groenewald, what does your own conscience say to you? Thank you very much. [Laughter.] [Applause.]

Debate concluded.

              IMPROVEMENT IN MATRIC RESULTS IN TSHWANE

                        (Member’s Statement)

Mr R S NTULI (ANC): Our parliamentary constituency office has just compiled a preliminary assessment of the performance of the 2006 matric class in Atteridgeville. This is what we found, among other things: From a dismal average matric performance of 48% in 1995 we have progressed to an 81% average pass rate in 2006. Five public schools, with Bokgoni Comprehensive School leading the pack with a 100% pass rate, performed even better than the private school in the vicinity. We commend the sound foundation the feeder primary schools provided to the matric class of 2006. This dispels the myth that good performances are limited to private schools and ex-model C schools only.

This quantitative and qualitative improvement is a result of the continuous involvement in and motivation of our schools by the PCO, ANC councillors, the Mayor of Tshwane, the Gauteng MEC for education as well as community stakeholders.

We are fully aware that we can still do better and we continue to strive for excellence in education and therefore appeal for continuous support from all relevant stakeholders. Thank you.

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms C-S Botha): We’ve had a request that the youth must please go back to their commissions, but do it as quietly as possible, thank you. Enjoy yourselves. REMARKS BY ANC YOUTH LEAGUE PRESIDENT

                        (Member’s Statement)

Moulana M R SAYEDALI-SHAH (DA): Madam Chairperson, the remarks made by the President of the ANC Youth League, Mr Fikile Mbalula, at the Wits Great Hall about Indians at the University of KwaZulu-Natal during the June 1976 memorial lecture are indeed a cause for great concern.

He reportedly said:

Transformation of higher learning institutions has turned the university into nothing but Bombay.

When you get into that institution you can think it’s an exclusive university of Indians only.

This goes against the facts. Only about 31% of students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal are Indian. What is strange about that? In terms of demographic reality, most South Africans of Indian origin live in KwaZulu- Natal. These statements attributed to him are racist and xenophobic. It’s that plain and simple. It does great damage to the project of nation- building, so I call upon all peace-loving South Africans to treat his remarks with the contempt they deserve. The DA also calls on all South Africans of Indian origin, especially the youth, to dismiss his nonsensical remarks and to remain ever-patriotic and dedicated to the project of making our country a better place for all. By the way, the silence of the ANC government in this regard is deafening. I wish that the Deputy Minister standing here cynically in her arrogance … Thank you. [Time expired.]

                  RULING BY CHAIRPERSON ON 19 JUNE

                        (Member’s Statement)

Mr J H VAN DER MERWE (IFP): Chairperson, I wish to refer to a ruling by the Chairperson on Tuesday, 19 June 2007, that it was not unparliamentary for a member to point at other members of Parliament and then use unparliamentary words. Deputy Minister Johnny de Lange pointed at opposition members, saying they are all racist. The Chairperson did not regard that as unparliamentary.

On the strength of the ruling I then pointed at members of the ANC, saying they were idiots. The Chairperson did not rule that as unparliamentary. I thought about this ruling and I am sure, with respect, that the ruling was wrong. I therefore suggested that the presiding officers look at this ruling and hopefully change it so that in future insults of this nature cannot be levelled at other members. Also, although my statement was not ruled as unparliamentary, I believe it was unparliamentary. I therefore withdraw my statement that members of the ANC are idiots and I apologise to the ANC for saying that.

                    INTRODUCTION OF SOCIAL GRANT

                        (Member’s Statement)

Mr D M DLALI (ANC): Chairperson, there should be appreciation for what the ANC government is doing to make sure that no family goes to bed without food in their home and no learner goes to school without food, in that the ANC-led government has implemented social grants after its election in 1994 and has integrated old-age pensions for all South Africans, irrespective of colour or race. The previous racist government discriminated against old- age pensioners with some getting their pension on a quarterly basis while those who were supporting the then government were getting their pension on a monthly basis.

After the introduction of the social grant by the ANC government poor people’s lives were improved and life was better for everybody, but there is still more to be done. Food security is key to this. The Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs must take the lead on food security, in particular. They should focus on rural areas and also improve infrastructure in order for the economy to grow. Agriculture is the key to food security and the eradication of poverty, thereby creating a better life for all the citizens of our country. The social grants, as referred to above, are not necessarily sustainable, although they are helping to better the lives of our people. Therefore I repeat that agriculture should be the focus area in all respects, so that the poorest of the poor are able to sustain themselves and not depend on government handouts. [Time expired.]

              CONCERN ABOUT VIOLENCE AIMED AT CHILDREN

                        (Member’s Statement)

Ms S N SIGCAU (UDM): Chairperson, the UDM expresses its deep concern about the ongoing phenomenon of violence aimed at children. On 19 June in the Cape High Court sentence proceedings were under way in the final chapter in the long and agonising saga of baby Jordan Lee Norton.

At this very moment a Western Cape community is searching frantically for a girl by the name of Michaela who recently went missing. She is but one of nearly a thousand South African children that go missing every single year, like the young girls whose bodies were discovered a few days ago in Limpopo where it is now feared that a serial killer is on the loose.

This scourge against our children is a taint on democracy. It mocks everything that we stand for. It undermines the promise of a better life that is the abiding election mandate of government. We call upon government to reconsider the fate of the specialised family and child units within the SAPS. Somehow we need to find new and special ways of dealing with this crime and rooting it out. Thank you.

                   POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN SPORT

                        (Member’s Statement)

Dr P W A MULDER (VF PLUS): Voorsitter, tydens die debat oor die Wysigingswet op Sport en Ontspanning het die Minister en die Adjunkminister die versekering gegee dat hulle nie glo aan kwotas in sport nie. Die wet sal nie politieke inmenging tot gevolg hê nie.

Die VF Plus het tydens die debat gewaarsku dat die wet daartoe gaan lei dat Suid-Afrika in botsing gaan kom met internasionale sportkonvensies. Verskeie artikels in die Olimpiese Handves verbied uitdruklik enige politieke inmenging in sport. Daardie kodes bepaal dat slegs die beste sportmanne en-vroue vir elke span gekies moet word, dat meriete moet geld en dat regeringsinmenging in sport teëgestaan moet word. Daar is verskeie internasionale voorbeelde waar internasionale sportliggame opgetree het en lande geskors het waar die regering in sport ingemeng het.

Die VF Plus het reeds by verskeie geleenthede hom uitgespreek ten gunste van meer geld en groter erns met die ontwikkeling van sport om dit vir almal toeganklik te maak. Die regering kan en moet hierin ’n rol speel. Dit beteken egter nie die regstreekse inmenging van die regering met die kies van internasionale spanne nie.

As die regering egter die standpunte steun wat Woensdag in die Portefeuljekomitee oor Sport gestel is, naamlik dat spanne wat nie na die sin van die ANC saamgestel is nie, nie die land sal verlaat nie en dat die wet teen hulle gebruik sal word, oortree Suid-Afrika die internasionale sportkonvensies en sal daar teen die land opgetree word. Sulke uitsprake mag goeie ANC-partypolitieke propaganda wees, maar is gevaarlik en baie sleg vir Suid-Afrika se beeld in internasionale sport. Ek dank u. (Translation of Afrikaans member’s statement follows.)

[Dr P W A MULDER (FF PLUS): Chairperson, during the debate on the Sport and Recreation Amendment Act, the Minister and the Deputy Minister gave us the assurance that they did not believe in having quotas in sport. Political interference will not be a consequence of this Act.

During the debate the FF Plus had warned that the Act would result in South Africa acting contrary to international sporting conventions. Several articles in the Olympic Charter expressly forbid any political interference in sport. Those codes stipulate that only the best sportsmen and –women should be selected for each team, that the principle of merit should apply and that government interference in sport should be opposed. There are various international examples where international sporting bodies have acted and suspended countries, where their governments had interfered in sport.

The FF Plus has on several occasions declared itself to be in favour of more money being given to sports development and it being treated more seriously in order to make it accessible to everybody. The government can and must play a role here. This, however, does not mean that the government can interfere directly in the selection of international teams.

If, however, the government supports the standpoints that were adopted on Wednesday in the Portfolio Committee on Sport, namely that teams not composed to the liking of the ANC will not leave the country and that the Act will be used against them, South Africa will be contravening international sporting conventions and action will be taken against this country. Such utterances may be good ANC party-political propaganda, but are dangerous and very bad for the image of South Africa in international sport. I thank you.]

                  MALELANE COMMUNITY RECEIVES LAND

                        (Member’s Statement) Ms K R MAGAU (ANC)): Madam Chairperson, this week the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs, Comrade Lulama Xingwana, handed over to the Malelane community the largest parcel of land resulting from South Africa’s land restitution process. It is estimated that more than 10 000 people will benefit from the land, the value of which is estimated at more than R1 billion.

We commend the ANC-led South African government on its unwavering efforts to realise the goal of a better life for all. The ANC would also like to commend the white farmers who agreed to sell their land to ensure the success of the restitution process. Theirs is a patriotic act that will help us to ensure lasting peace and stability in our country.

We call upon all sectors in our country to work towards people-centred and people-driven developments, to pursue the goal of deracialising the ownership of resources in our country. Thank you. [Applause.]

                STANDARD OF LIVING OF PUBLIC SERVANTS

                        (Member’s Statement)

Ms M M MDLALOSE (Nadeco): Madam Chairperson, as we are seated here in the National Assembly, we all are products of individuals who were passionate about their chosen career paths. We are products of dedicated teachers.

The foundation and passion of an individual’s chosen career path is set in place and enhanced as early as primary school. It is teachers who provide parents with the support structure to mould the moral calibre of a child.

The standard of living for public servants, ranging from doctors, accountants, teachers and nurses, has declined markedly over the past decade. The decline in the standard of living is one of the reasons for the loss of skills through the ongoing brain drain. The brain drain will continue if all that is being offered are fringe benefits.

Some of us, as we sit here in the National Assembly, have had firsthand experience of being disgruntled public servants, unable to make ends meet. The consumer price index is a measure of the cost of various necessities to a theoretical average family each month. It is not a measure of poverty or the inequalities that currently exist in our country.

In April last year Nehawu conducted an extensive survey of the real cost of living for South African workers and found that food prices have risen by 18% over the year, transport by 13% and schools by 12% … The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms C-S Botha): Order! Hon member, I regret your speaking time has expired.

Ms M M MDLALOSE: Workers do not want an unending strike. Let’s be sympathetic.

            ASSISTANCE OF VULNERABLE CHILDREN with GRANTS

                        (Member’s Statement)

Ms S RAJBALLY (MF): Madam Chair, according to Statistics SA, over 63% of our black African children live in homes with a monthly income of less than R800. A total of 64% of our white children are said to come from homes with a monthly income of R6000.

It is also claimed that children under 14 years of age come from households that are better off financially than older children. We are here, firstly, to acknowledge that 8 million children benefit from social grants and 400 000 from the foster care grant. At present we have 12 million beneficiaries of social grants.

We, however, call for the revision of the cut-off age for the child grants to be extended to 18 years. This certainly will address the imbalance of the household income and rescue our children-in-need from poverty. We also call on the Department of Social Development to consider a meeting with the Departments of Education and Health in order to expand children’s access to free basic health care and extending no-fee schools, as well as the nutrition programme to secondary schools.

We further feel that we should consider equalising the qualifying age for pensions to 60 years for both sexes and call for the pension allocation to be raised to a minimum of R1 200 per month, which has been the call of the MF all the time. Thank you very much, Chair.

                    LAND CLAIMS IN GRAAFF-REINET

                        (Member’s Statement)

Mr E W TRENT (DA): Chair, I’m very happy that the Minister is in the House this afternoon. I trust that she will listen to what I have to say. After 13 years and despite repeated appeals to the government, 186 poor people in Graaff-Reinet cannot get the Department of Land Affairs and Forestry to pay out their land claims. They are owed an amount of R12 million, and all the Minister has to do, metaphorically speaking, is just sign the cheque. That, however, seems to be beyond this administration and it’s the poor that are suffering as a result.

Briefly, the claim was lodged in 1994. For seven years nothing happened. In 2001 the department told them that the claims had to be researched. Twice in 2004 they were told that the claims list was still being prepared. Twice they were told that the Minister was about to approve the claim and twice in 2005 they were told that payment was pending. Today, 13 years later, nothing has happened.

They are still poor; they still have received no compensation from the state; their experience of the ANC government is of a cold, inefficient and uncaring administration - where’s Batho Pele? – that does not have any concern for their problems.

Once again, on behalf of those 186 poor people in Graaff-Reinet, I would like to appeal to the Minister not to ignore the plight of these ordinary people. Don’t let their plight once again fall on deaf ears.

Chair, they have been to lawyers; they have tried everything to get this money, and it simply doesn’t come. [Time expired.]

                 LACK OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT TRAINEES

                        (Member’s Statement)

Mr B L MASHILE (ANC): Chairperson, our country has a skills shortage with respect to the built environment professions. The current training programme at universities of technology requires that trainees undergo theoretical training for four semesters and two semesters of experiential training. The experiential training should be undertaken under the supervision of a qualified mentor.

These universities have a huge backlog of built environment trainees, who require experiential training in order to complete their studies. We believe that the current rise in infrastructure investment presents good opportunities for these trainees to acquire this valuable experiential training and therefore ease the skills shortage within the built environment professions.

We call upon the SA Association of Consulting Engineers, the SA Black Technical and Allied Careers Organisation and the SA Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors in the built environment to patriotically and proactively provide these trainees with the opportunity to complete their studies. It is in the best interest of the country and the industry that we develop these skills for the future. I thank you.

                         HIGH BANKING COSTS

                        (Member’s Statement)

Mr H J BEKKER (IFP): Madam Chair, the IFP welcomes the result of a study into international banking costs, which has revealed that South Africans are paying more than double the global average in banking charges. The results have confirmed what we have known for a long time and that is that banks in South Africa are overcharging on banking costs. Furthermore, we reject the banks’ reaction that the study’s findings by Cap Gemini are not relevant to South Africa’s situation.

This has once again highlighted the fact that there is a lack of healthy competition both locally and internationally in the banking sector. We also believe that banks are colluding in keeping banking costs at exorbitant levels. The IFP therefore applauds the investigation by the Competition Commission and the Jali Commission into South Africa’s banking charges and we hope that the findings will ultimately signal good news for South African consumers. I thank you.

                          LOW-COST HOUSING

                        (Member’s Statement)

Mr D C MABENA (ANC): Madam Chairperson, the ANC notes with appreciation the commitment demonstrated by the financial sector to the delivery of low-cost and affordable housing in the country. As we all should know, housing in general and shelter in particular remains one of the critical challenges of our government, not only if we are to eradicate poverty but also to realise the objective of creating sustainable communities and hence a better life for all.

In this regard, the national Department of Housing has, in collaboration with Absa Bank, launched a series of housing construction projects in the form of public-private partnerships. The first of these sites of delivery is the Olievenhout Project in Tshwane, where the first 200 of 5 480 houses were handed over to the Minister of Housing recently.

In terms of the agreement for this public-private partnership, Absa undertook to make land available for the development of the project and developed bonded houses, whilst the city of Tshwane was to develop the low- cost houses. Given the historical legacy of homelessness which continues to blight the landscapes of our towns and cities, the significant pace with which the first phase of this housing project was accomplished, is indeed commendable.

As the ANC we are bound to acknowledge that this project reflects the vision of integrated human settlements which our President spoke of earlier this year. [Time expired.]

              RECOGNITION OF DIVERSITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

                        (Member’s Statement)

Mnr S E OPPERMAN (DA): Voorsitter, dit is ’n mite om voor te gee dat die Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap een groot roereier is. My gemeenskap het ’n spesifieke verlede, erfenis en fondament wat niemand ongedaan kan maak nie. Dit beteken nie dat ons nie deel van die groter Suid-Afrikaanse legkaart is nie. Dit sou in elk geval ’n simpel prent wees as elke deel van dié legkaart identies sou wees.

Ons erfenis wat versteek lê in die religieuse, historiese, antropologiese, linguistieke en geografiese sal herontdek word en dit sal betekenis gee aan wie ons is en aan ons Godgegewe roeping in ons land en op ons kontinent. Die sterwende son, die wintersonstilstand, kan vanaand 21 Junie besigtig word vanaf die Maggia of die sterwende sontuig of ander antieke klipobservatoriums dwarsoor Suider-Afrika. Dit was deel van die kosmologies georiënteerde godsdiens van die Khoena. Dit is die godsdienstige naam van Hottentotte.

Toe die President van die Demokratiese Republiek van die Kongo ons onlangs toegespreek het in Frans en sy toespraak afsluit in Engels, het ek met ’n skok besef dat ons op die kontinent gelaat is met ’n lingua franca wat ons in ’n groot mate afgesny het van ’n belangrike deel van ons eie verlede, wortels en fondamente; selfs die afkorting “Nepad” is Engels, terwyl “Renaissance” weer ’n Franse woord is. Diversiteit moet gekoester word, want dit bly ’n belangrike onderdeel van ons land se leuse: Xe E:/Xarra //Ke. Ek dank u. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.) [Mr S E OPPERMAN (DA): Chairperson, it is a myth to pretend that the South African society is one big scrambled egg. My community has a specific past, heritage and foundation, which nobody can undo. This does not mean that we are not part of the greater South African jigsaw puzzle. It would in any event make a silly picture if all parts of the puzzle were identical.

Our heritage, which lies embedded in religious, historical, anthropological, linguistic and geographic realities, will be rediscovered, and it will give meaning to who we are and to our God-given calling in this country and on our continent. The dying sun, the winter solstice, can be observed tonight, 21 June, from the Maggia or the dying sun craft or other antique stone observatories all over Southern Africa. These were part of the cosmologically-oriented religion of the Khoena. That is the religious designation of the Hottentots.

When the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo addressed us recently in French and concluded his speech in English, I realised with shock that we are left on this continent with a lingua franca which to a large extent has severed us from an important part of our own past, our roots and foundations. Even the abbreviation “Nepad” is English, while “Renaissance” is a French word. Diversity must be cherished, because it remains an important part of our motto: /Xe E:/Xarra // Ke. [Diverse peoples united.] I thank you. [Applause.]] RIVONIA TRIAL RECORDS

                        (Member’s Statement)

Mr M H MATLALA (ANC): Chairperson, the ANC, together with our people, continues to work tirelessly for the preservation, promotion and revitalisation of our national cultural heritage so that it would be accessible to all of humanity. Our efforts have been rewarded by the international community, Unesco, by inscribing South Africa’s Rivonia trial records among the eight items of documentary heritage that were added by the UN Memory of the World Register to help to preserve them for posterity.

The Director-General of Unesco, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, said on Tuesday that they have approved the latest inscription after they were recommended by the international advisory committee of the Memory of the World Programme during a meeting in Pretoria last week. The programme was launched in 1992 to preserve and promote documentary heritage of global significance, much of which is in danger. The 38 items of documentary heritage of exceptional value bring the number of inscriptions since 1997 to 158.

The ANC will continue to encourage the dipping into cultural treasures of humanity by all South Africans through open and free exchange of books. I thank you.

              IMPROVEMENT IN MATRIC RESULTS IN TSHWANE
                  MALELANE COMMUNITY RECEIVES LAND
                    LAND CLAIMS IN GRAAFF-REINET

                        (Minister’s Response)

The MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS: I want to agree with the hon member that, indeed, our matric results are improving year by year. Even in my own constituency, in Atteridgeville, ten years ago, the pass rate was very low, but today it is also in the 80% average. I believe that this is because of the investment that the ANC government has made in education and also about the biggest slice of our national budget; and also in terms of resources, skills and other inputs such as social welfare for the poor and for children, as the hon Dlali has already mentioned.

I also want to say that on agriculture, we are rolling out food security and we have just adopted a campaign that we call ILima – Letsima, where we are saying that all the fallow land, especially in our rural former homelands, must be cultivated, to ensure that we produce enough food, and increase food production in order to fight hunger and poverty. This will be done by ensuring that those poor and rural communities are given implements, inputs and also that we fast-track land redistribution.

Yes, hon member, restitution is moving very fast. On Wednesday I distributed over 30 000 hectares of land from Tenbosch; prime agricultural land with sugar cane, bananas, guavas and so on. We believe that our people will benefit from that. There has been a strategic partnership that has been formed with TSV and the local commercial white farmers. Indeed, there is a lot of goodwill. Many farmers are now supporting the restitution programme of government. They are coming forward and offering their land for restitution.

I also want to warn or advise hon Groenewald that we are not grabbing this land for free. Indeed, we paid over R1,1 billion for one land claim in Mpumalanga on Wednesday. I also want to advise Mr Groenewald again, to warn his friends or drop-in-the-ocean constituency that those that don’t want to comply and support government’s restitution programme, we are going to expropriate the land. We will do it within the law. Our Restitution Act and our Constitution allow us to expropriate in order to redress the imbalances and injustices of the past.

To Mr Trent … [Interjections.] … yes, I cannot answer to an unnamed, unidentified land claim. We have said that we will finalise most of our land claims by the year 2008. Give me all the information and wait, we will process it, but I cannot talk about an unknown and unlabelled claim that has just been raised here for television coverage. I also want to say to Mr Trent, I never voted for an apartheid government that removed our people illegally from their ancestral land. [Applause.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms C-S Botha): Hon Shabangu?

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: Hlala phantsi, ndim omdala. [Sit down, I’m the older of the two of us.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms C-S Botha): Ladies first.

              CONCERN ABOUT VIOLENCE AIMED AT CHILDREN

                        (Minister’s Response)

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF SAFETY AND SECURITY: Ladies first! Hon Chair, I want to respond to the question raised by the hon member from the UDM. Hon Chair, the issue of children cannot be compromised. We cannot allow any individual in our country or society to abuse children. Therefore, hon member, the role of the police will always be to make sure that those who abuse children are arrested. They don’t belong in society.

I have said it before that they are not civilised and are not human enough to be part of our communities. So we will make sure that at all times, if there are those who trample on the rights of children, they don’t belong in communities. But that on its own cannot be achieved by the police alone, it requires that we all participate. Especially we as parents need to defend our children. When I say our children, I am not referring to biological children. I am referring to all children. We as parents must defend and protect children at all times. It will take all of us coming together and defending our children and exposing perpetrators of abuse against them.

On the issue of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Units, may I bring to your attention the fact that those units have not been disbanded. We said it and we will say it all the time. In the past, in the whole country, we used to have 26 units. Now we have over a hundred units, precisely because the need on the ground is much bigger than it was. So that expertise has been decentralised so that they are able to attend to the people, but are closer to them in providing that service. We will continue to train people in that area, to ensure that they reach out to all communities.

Currently, with our restructuring, those FCS services have been decentralised to accounting stations which are responsible for fewer stations, unlike in the past. So that service will never be dismantled or disbanded in our country. It will always be there, because the need and the respect which needs to be given to children and their dignity lies with that unit in making sure that they are recognised and that their dignity is protected at all times. I thank you. [Applause.] ASSISTANCE OF VULNERABLE CHILDREN WITH GRANTS INTRODUCTION OF SOCIAL GRANT POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN SPORT

                        (Minister’s Response)

The MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: Chair, I want to quickly respond to two things. I think I do agree with utat’uDlali [Mr Dlali] regarding what he said about how Social Development is assisting …

… abantwana abahlelelekileyo ngokubanika izibonelelo zikarhulumente ukuze bakwazi ukuphila kakuhle [… by providing vulnerable children with grants so that they can lead normal lives.]

Even MaMkhize [hon Rajbally] addressed that issue of poverty-stricken children.

Urhulumente okhokelwa ngumbutho we-ANC ungumama kanti ukwangutata kwaba bantwana. Kuthiwa umama okanye utata ufikile, ngoko ke indlala igwetyiwe. Andifuni kuyibeka ngoluya hlobo luthi: [The ANC-led government is both a mother and a father to these children. You will hear them saying, the mother or the father has arrived; Therefore, hunger has been dealt with. I do not want to put it in a manner that says:]

Mme o tlile, tlala … [the mother has arrived, therefore hunger …]

… Andizi kuyigqibezela ke, ngoba iyandoyikisa. Luluphi ulwimi? SisiPedi? Oo, kulungile! Kodwa ke ithi: Umama ufikile, indlala igwetyiwe. Mandiyibeke ngolo hlobo. Okanye ndidlule? Kulungile. [… I won’t complete it, because it scares me. Which language is it? Sepedi? OK! But it actually means that the mother has arrived, therefore hunger has been dealt with. Let me put it that way. Or should I pass on? OK.]

Regarding the second issue, we are heeding the call for access to no-fee schools and health care. That is happening with regard to … izinto zezibonelelo zabantwana kunye nezinye izibonelelo zikarhulumente, MaMkhize [… issues like children’s and other social grants, MaMkhize [hon Rajbally]]. We will definitely pass the information on to the Minister regarding the other call that you have made.

The last thing I want to say is that I am not sure why Members of Parliament, particularly of the FF Plus and other smaller parties, are getting so worried and concerned about things which we have discussed here in Parliament. The National Sport and Recreation Bill was discussed. We agreed that the Minister must have powers to intervene. So this nonsense of “political” …

… endingaziyo ukuba baluthatha phi na ooDonald Lee … [… I do not know where the likes of Donald Lee gets that idea …]

… really makes one wonder what their agenda is. We have trust and confidence in the Minister of Sport and Recreation and we believe that, with the powers that he has been given to make sure that there is transformation … [Interjections.]

Mr T D LEE: [Inaudible.]

The MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: Hon Lee has said he is going to arrest me.

Ek sal jou in ’n donker tronk smyt. [I will throw you into a dark jail.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms C-S Botha): Hon Minister!

The MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES: Sorry, I have to stop there. We have confidence in the Minister of Sport and Recreation, and we have confidence that what the sports administrators will do is to protect that national asset in our country, which is sport, and make sure that sport is accessible to all the young people of South Africa. Thank you.

                          NOTICES OF MOTION Ms C DUDLEY: Chairperson, on behalf of the ACDP, I give notice that I shall move:

That the House-

(1) notes with concern the documents in possession of the ACDP that raise serious questions with regard to whether the alleged loss of millions of rand in the Fidentia debacle could have been prevented, had action been taken sooner;

(2) acknowledges that, should the funds not be recovered by the curators and if there is evidence that the state was in fact negligent in not acting sooner, the state may be held liable for compensation; and

(3) calls on -

    (a)      the Financial Services Board to further report to
          Parliament on the Fidentia matter, and;


    (b)      the Minister of Finance to identify regulatory gaps in
          licensing, monitoring and enforcement in the financial
          sector, and to consider collective action to provide income
          support to the widows and orphans who may be left destitute.

I thank you.

                          WORLD REFUGEE DAY

                         (Draft Resolution)

Mrs M M MAUNYE: Chairperson, on behalf of the Acting Chief Whip of the Majority Party, I move without notice:

That the House –

 1) notes that 20 June is observed by  the  world  community  as  World
    Refugee Day;


 2) further notes that the  Charter  of  the  United  Nations  and  the
    Universal Declaration of Human Rights approved on 10 December  1948
    by the General Assembly have  affirmed  the  principle  that  human
    beings  shall  enjoy  fundamental  rights  and   freedoms   without
    discrimination;



 3) recalls that the United Nations High Commissioner for  Refugees  is
    charged with the  task  of  supervising  international  conventions
    providing for the protection of refugees;


 4) recognises that the effective co-ordination of  measures  taken  to
    deal with this problem will depend upon the co-operation of  states
    with the High Commissioner;



 5) further recognises that today people do not just  flee  persecution
    and war but also  injustice,  exclusion,  environmental  pressures,
    competition for  scarce  resources  and  all  the  miserable  human
    consequences of dysfunctional states;



 6) believes that the task facing the international community  in  this
    new environment is to find ways to unlock the potential of refugees
    to assist them to regain control over their lives; and


 7) urges the international  community  to  observe  the  international
    instruments aimed at improving the conditions of refugees.

Agreed to.

    EXTENSION OF DEADLINE FOR AD HOC COMMITTEE TO REPORT TO HOUSE

                         (Draft Resolution)

Mr R P Z VAN DEN HEEVER: Chairperson, I move the first motion as it appears on the Order Paper in the name of the Acting Chief Whip of the Majority Party, as follows:

That, with reference to the resolution adopted by the House on 21 September 2006 to establish an ad hoc committee to review state institutions supporting constitutional democracy and the Public Service Commission as listed in Chapters 9 and 10 of the Constitution, respectively, the deadline for the committee to report to the House be extended from 30 June to 31 July 2007.

Agreed to.

         AMENDMENT TO SCHEDULE TO JOINT RULES OF PARLIAMENT

                         (Draft Resolution)

Mr R P Z VAN DEN HEEVER: Chairperson, I move the second motion on the Order Paper in the name of the Acting Chief Whip of the Majority Party, as follows:

That the House, having regard to the resolution adopted by the National Council of Provinces on 13 June 2007, amends item 8(f) of the Schedule to the Joint Rules of Parliament, relating to gifts and hospitality, to read as follows:

1. (f) Gifts and hospitality: i) A description and the value and source of a gift with a value in excess of R1 500; ii) a description and the value of gifts from a single source which cumulatively exceed the value of R1 500 in any calendar year; and

    iii) hospitality intended as a gift in kind.
   

Agreed to.

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr K O Bapela): Can we just suspend the House whilst they are fixing the microphone. You can sit down. You don’t have to go very far, but you can use the chair for the speakers. We can now proceed because we have our sound back. We apologise for that. We are still experiencing sound problems, therefore the House will be suspended for a few minutes.

Business suspended at 16:08 and resumed at 16:14.

        HOUSING CONSUMERS PROTECTION MEASURES AMENDMENT BILL

                       (Second Reading debate)

Mr D C MABENA: Chairperson, hon Ministers present and hon members, as the portfolio committee collective, we are expressing our unanimous support for the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Amendment Bill, as amended, in the absence of our chairperson who unfortunately is out of the country on official business. The Bill seeks to rectify certain interpretation and implementation problems which have been encountered since the promulgation of the Housing Consumers Protection Measures Act of 1998. The essential issues addressed in the Bill deal with the clarification of the scope of the application of the Act; making provision for the enrolment of homes with the National Homebuilders Registration Council after construction has commenced; extending the warranty scheme provided for in the Act and an appeal’s procedure against decisions taken by the National Homebuilders Registration Council.

During our deliberations we were cordial and acted in the spirit of our mandate as legislators. The fundamental issue was our objective to ensure compliance and uniformity in relation to the provisions in the Bill.

The Bill endeavours to provide better protection to all vulnerable groups exercising their right to housing and/or entering the residential market by ensuring that the structural quality of houses is of the highest order.

This Bill aims to address one of the key objectives of the comprehensive plan for the development of human settlements, namely enhancing efficiency and capacity for housing delivery, as adopted by our government.

Amongst others, the following institutions participated in the process: The NHBRC, the Banking Association of South Africa, all major banks, the national Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, the Department of Agriculture and Land Affairs, provincial and local governments, the nine provincial housing departments, Salga, the Master Builders Association, the Building Industry Federation of South Africa and Cosatu.

As the portfolio committee we are particularly pleased with the spirited and constructive participation that was displayed by all political parties in the committee, resulting in the kind of consensus we continue to seek in discharging our constitutional obligations. It is this direction in which we hope to advance as we confront the enormous challenges in the delivery of housing in general in our country. I thank you.

Bill read a second time.

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr K O Bapela): Order! The Bill will be sent to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence.

We will now take the third to eighth Orders together. These are the reports of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, as they appear on the Order Paper.

CONSIDERATION OF SEVENTH REPORT OF STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

CONSIDERATION OF EIGHTH REPORT OF STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS - NATIONAL ELECTRONIC MEDIA INSTITUTE OF SOUTH AFRICA (NEMISA)

CONSIDERATION OF NINTH REPORT OF STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS - NATIONAL SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

CONSIDERATION OF TENTH REPORT OF STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS - INDEPENDENT COMPLAINTS DIRECTORATE

CONSIDERATION OF ELEVENTH REPORT OF STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS - NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

CONSIDERATION OF TWELFTH REPORT OF STANDING COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS - SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE (SAPS)

Mr N T GODI: Chairperson, comrades and hon members, I present here on behalf of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, six reports for adoption by the House. These reports are: The seventh report -the Department of Agriculture; the eighth report – the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa; the ninth report - National Social Development; the tenth report - the Independent Complaints Directorate; the eleventh report – the National Development Agency; and the twelfth report - the SA Police Service. Scopa remains unhappy with the unsatisfactory levels of financial administration and management in a great number of our departments and public entities. There are cross-cutting concerns that are in all these reports which negate acceptable benchmarks as laid down in law and National Treasury regulations. These relate to noncompliance with laws and regulations, inadequate policies and procedures, lack of capacity in terms of skilled personnel and high vacancy rates and poor management of departmental assets.

All these problems point to poor leadership of departments and public entities. They point to a lack of proper and sustained monitoring and supervision by management and failure to construct an operational environment with adequate guides and capacity.

We wish to restate and re-emphasise Scopa’s displeasure with officials whose running of public affairs is negatively affecting service delivery. To illustrate the above points, comrades and hon members, in the Department of Agriculture it is noted that there were a lack of policies and procedures to ensure effective management of revenue resulting in several deficiencies being identified and also in the Auditor-General being unable to reliably decide on the accuracy and fair presentation of the majority of the balances disclosed in the financial statements due to a lack of the requisite expertise, proper accounting and data management systems.

Scopa recommends in this particular regard, amongst other things, that the accounting officer reports to Parliament within 60 days of the adoption of this report on progress made to address these deficiencies.

In relation to the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa, it is noted, amongst other things, that Nemisa’s finance staff do not possess the necessary Generally Recognised Accounting Practice- GRAP - and/or Generally Accepted Accounting Practice- GAAP knowledge to facilitate accounting and disclosure as required in terms of GRAP and GAAP.

There are also instances of noncompliance with laws and regulations as well as with adequate policies and procedure with regard to supply chain management, Treasury regulations and international accounting standards. Amongst other things, we also recommend that the accounting officer report to Parliament within 60 days of the adoption of this report on progress made to remedy these deficiencies.

If we check the National Social Development, the Independent Complaints Directorate, the National Development Agency and the SA Police Service, the same issues play themselves out in varying degrees of severity. This cannot be acceptable and Parliament in its oversight function is correct in demanding answers and corrections.

I believe that my colleagues will deal in much more detail with the reports as presented. I must pronounce my sincerest appreciation and gratitude to Scopa members for their hard work and attention to detail. This year was extremely packed but we have, as a collective, risen to the challenge and we have every intention of raising the bar further, quickening the pace and adding to the load. Our unity of purpose has made Scopa what it is in Parliament and in the eyes of the nation. Well done, colleagues. Let’s keep it up. Forward ever, backwards never.

The same appreciation should go to our hard-working and ever willing secretariat. They are a valuable asset to the committee and a vital cog in our work. From our side there will be no let up, no equivocation, no shirking of responsibility. From our side there are no two ways about it, state resources must be managed effectively and utilised efficiently to deliver the services that the people rightly deserve. I thank you.

Mr T R MOFOKENG: Chairperson, I am honoured to stand on this podium to support my chairperson’s sentiments. Here we are talking about the work of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts having an impact on service delivery. I think what should be noted here is that we are not only dealing with money as it concerns accounts. The work of Scopa is not merely about ensuring proper financial management in government departments and public entities.

Scopa oversight is important to service delivery. This should be emphasised, and that is why we are now interacting with the portfolio committee to make sure that we follow the President’s January statement. Scopa seeks to ensure improved service delivery by focusing on those areas of poor financial management that are compromising the effective use of millions of rands voted annually in Parliament to the various departments for them to provide service delivery.

By reviewing more than 260 annual reports every year and by holding public hearings nearly every week that Parliament is in session, Scopa examines the financial management performance of departments and entities.

By examining the following key elements of effective financial management we can assess the ability of departments to manage their finances and conclude whether they are at an adequate enough level of financial management to provide a proper environment for effective delivery. The elements we look pertain to proper control. Without proper control funds and other assets are not protected or resources properly controlled; without control there is no certainty that programmes, as departmental objectives, will be achieved or be sustainable.

Nearly every report of Scopa over the past few years has made recommendations about the improvement of internal controls and I am glad to tell you the reports of the Auditor–General indicate that government departments have been showing steady progress in establishing proper controls.

Scopa also examines the quality of financial management information, in other words whether management information shows any availability, is reliable and is used by departments to get the best out of their resources. Without good management information the director–general is like a blind man. It would be very difficult to make government more businesslike if stronger financial information is not well integrated into day-to-day management. Progress has also been made in this area, but Scopa will keep monitoring it.

The last financial management focus area that Scopa examines is strategic planning and how it is linked to resources. Setting strategic targets as objectives and ensuring that these are achieved enables departments to provide the service delivery they have been established for. Scopa has found that a high number of strategic plans exist but that they are not always sufficiently linked to resources. Strategic planning also goes hand- in-hand with proper budgeting.

Reporting to Parliament on performance will become more and more important as Parliament improves its oversight on service delivery performance and we shall make it an order of the day.

The annual report promises to become the main accountability mechanism in the hands of the legislature. Scopa, therefore, seeks to ensure the improvement of financial management systems that will enable government to provide a quality public service.

Consequently, I want to state that we would not be effective without the assistance of an independent Auditor-General and welcome the improved legal framework established by the Public Audit Act that enables the Auditor- General to do his or her work even better.

As stated previously, the work of Scopa - I want to stress that - the work of Scopa is not merely about financial savings but about ensuring improved service delivery. This is critical because in the private sector bad service results in more business for competitors or market failure. In the Public Service, however, there is simply no alternative.

I am told that Scopa members have a poor reputation with senior public servants as we are seen as too aggressive. I am glad to say that it is not said that the ANC or the opposition is singled out but that we are all tarred with the same brush. That is true. It is a true reflection because as Scopa we generally work as a team to ensure proper use of the limited public funds.

What concerns me is that accounting officers seem to fail to realise that we are questioning them about audit reports which reflect weaknesses and sometimes incompetence or mismanagement which they, as the accounting officers, are responsible and accountable for.

Scopa produces reports that are objective, enabling evidence-based judgements on the performance of government functions. Scopa is about agreeing on measures to improve future performance, not about hauling persons in front of it merely to answer for what has been done or not done.

Issues raised by the Auditor-General during the 2006-07 financial year on the Department of Agriculture, National Social Development the SA Police Service and the National Development Agency, were as follows: With regard to the Department of Agriculture, in the 2005-06 financial year, the department received an unqualified opinion - you must really understand that was wonderful - however, there were a number of emphases of matter. Even if that documentation or that statement is unqualified, matters will be emphasised where we find mismanagement.

They were raised by the Auditor-General and on that basis Scopa decided to call the department to account for some of those issues. Amongst other issues that were raised by the Auditor-General were: Lack of policies and procedure to ensure effective management of revenue and insufficient control over phytosanitary certificates – which are being cancelled by export companies.

Secondly, reconciliation for revenue deposited against certificates and licence issues was not done throughout the year. This was due to an inadequate database of import and export licences and certificates and inadequate issue registers being kept and resulted in the collection of revenue not being properly monitored and controlled.

In the previous two years, the financial statements of the Department of Agriculture were unqualified and there was also emphasis of matter on fixed assets during 2004-05.

Coming to the national Department of Social Development, the department received an unqualified audit report with matters of emphasis in the 2005- 06 financial year. Issues that were emphasised related to the Division of Revenue Act of 2005 and noncompliance with the Non-Profit Organisation Act of 1997 - that Act is Act 71. Other issues raised centred on the lack of procedure and mechanisms to safeguard records.

Thirdly, coming to the National Development Agency, a qualified audit opinion was issued to the National Development Agency in the 2005-06 financial year. The following were issues that led to the qualification: Misappropriation of funds, poor control over NDA projects and funds committed to projects could not be substantiated.

Fourthly, coming to the Independent Complaints Directorate, it received an audit disclaimer and now it has become worse. According to the transactions of the accounts, if one has passed the qualification one gets to the disclaimer then to the emphasis of matter, then this proves that one’s books are not in order, they are in tatters. This is what is shown in the ICD in the 2005-06 financial year.

Amongst other matters that were raised by the Auditor-General in the year under review was noncompliance. If, as an accounting officer, you show noncompliance that means that you do not really worry about Treasury regulations and the Public Finance Management Act. [Time expired.] Thank you very much.

Mr E W TRENT: Chairperson, It’s very quiet here this afternoon but of course this is a very dignified debate. I am going to approach it from a slightly different angle to my two former colleagues. First of all, let me say that we are discussing only six reports this afternoon. All six of them are as a result of the public hearings and I am going to come back to those.

Two of the reports relate directly or indirectly to safety and security, two relate to social development and the National Development Agency, which assesses projects aimed at reducing poverty, and the remaining two reports deal with very diverse issues such as agriculture and the electronic media.

I am sure all hon members have read these reports diligently and also read the Auditors-General reports. I am not going to bore you with telling you how many emphasis of matter there were and how many disclaimers and so on. That is important but I would like to do it slightly differently.

I am going to talk more about what we heard from the people, from the likes of Mr Selebi and others, what they actually told us and then we can come back and assess in a couple of months’ time what he has done.

I am going to just share with you the responses of the Independent Complaints Directorate, the SA Police Service and then make a few comments on auditing of performance information, which was dealt with briefly by Mr Mofokeng.

The ICD must ensure that the public is protected from police excesses and that abuse, corruption and fraud committed by SAPS members is dealt with swiftly.

While we acknowledge that the job of the police is stressful and the public must feel assured that they are protected against the actions of that small minority of policemen and women who abuse their authority - that we accept

• in order to do this we need the ICD. The ICD is underresourced in terms of severe staff shortages, as well as the inability to pay salaries at the level of other departments. As of January 2007, the ICD was 305 members short. This is based on a 535 members’ requirement for its operations. That is the situation that you find in the ICD.

Let me tell you what they say, and I am going to quote from their documents. One of the challenges is to get skilled investigators and people who are supposed to investigate misdemeanours by the police. Remember the police are trained investigators themselves. You need somebody that is really skilled to be able to catch an offender. You are talking about people who understand what it is to tamper with the evidence at a crime scene, while you are there to train persons to be effective investigators. This takes a minimum of two years. What happens is that you need highly qualified investigators, but the minute they are qualified they are poached back by the SAPS. Therefore, they have this turnover of staff. They are also hopelessly underfunded.

I am going to throw out something and I am really glad that hon Smuts is here because I don’t see anybody from the other side. I wonder whether we should not seriously consider converting the ICD into a Chapter 9 Institution so that they are truly independent and their staff does not fall under the Public Service. Then they could, perhaps, attract the quality of people that we need in order for them to deliver on their mandate. I just put that there for debate and consideration.

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts has recommended that the accounting officer must ensure that there is continuous engagement with Treasury and the Department of the Public Service and Administration. They really need to engage in order to get more money in the meantime so that they can actually deliver on their mandate.

I want to move from the watchdog to the watched. We have had a very robust and frank interaction with the Commissioner and he gave us certain assurances and that he takes note and responds to the ANC’s advice. I want to give you some of these assurances because I want you to note that he is now at level two. He has all risk management, and all assistance in place and now has to manage them properly and we have to deal with him very briefly in terms of vehicle management, which is a very important matter, firearm control and case dockets. If I have time I will go onto the forensic audit.

However, let me start off with vehicle management. Mr Selebi assured us that he has enough vehicles. He said he has 35 000 vehicles and 120 000 police officers on duty. They work for three shifts, 40 000 for eight hours. He said he has more than enough vehicles and there should never be detectives and police that don’t have vehicles. Therefore, when you phone the police station next time and ask them to send somebody out, if they say that they don’t have a vehicle then you must tell them that you know that Mr Selebi said they have vehicles. I think we need to just take note of that.

He also said – and this is very positive and very important – that they were going to put tracking devices into all the vehicles and this would be starting in April, which is two months ago, and that they would be able to track and see exactly where they are. That is wonderful. Now we have to look for the New Year’s Audit Report to see whether these things have been done.

In respect of firearm control of the police, he told me that most police stations now have safes, and that they have circulated and trained the people in terms of the procedures that have to be followed when they hand in firearms.

The station commanders who carry the responsibility for these inspections are going to be prosecuted if they do not comply with these regulations, which is also good news. I am very happy that Mr Selebi is taking notice of the things that have been raised by the Auditor-General and, I am sure, by Scopa.

With regard to case dockets, he said that crime administration has improved to the point that a docket is now issued every 21 days. Dockets are now put electronically into a computer so that there is always a copy, so that they cannot get lost. So, he does not believe that they are sold, but anyway he says they do get lost.

He also told us that they are training 2 000 staff members to administer the whole crime detection system. In other words, to see to it that the workload of detectives is evenly placed and that when cases that are being investigated have been withdrawn, they know about them. So, they hope that will increase the efficiency of the SAPS and the way that detectives are deployed and used. We welcome all this.

The challenge now is: is he going to deliver on those promises? That is where Scopa must now do its work. We must now start to follow up and find out whether Mr Selebi is going to deliver or not.

I would like to conclude by saying that this whole question of performance information is very critical. Mr Selebi says that Cabinet will not allow him to give the Auditor-General the crime statistics before they have had a look at them. He is not going to deal with ad hoc things. He wants a law to make sure that he does it.

I just want to tell Mr Selebi that the Treasury regulations actually force him to comply with that and that he must give his statistics audit because if statistics are not audited, who knows whether they are correct or incorrect. [Time expired.] Thank you. [Applause.]

Mr H J BEKKER: Chairperson, I will stand here now to make up for the other time when I did not stand up, more particularly when you entered on a previous occasion. So, I hope we are forgiven for that.

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr K O Bapela): You definitely are.

Mr H J BEKKER: Thank you, Chairperson. I am not going to dwell on what the previous speakers have said. It is a fairly conclusive report and all the members are absolutely in full agreement with that.

This is one of the fantastic things about Scopa. I think you have a dedicated group of people here working towards that and much of the credit must go to our Chairperson. I think he has achieved quite a lot by bringing a group which is quite versatile, with different opinions and I can safely say from the opposition benches that we are working together as a dedicated team. Therefore, this is part of the success of Scopa as it is at the moment.

The Scopa reports on the Department of Agriculture, National Electronic Media Institute, National Social Development, Independent Complaints Directorate, National Development Agency and SA Police Service, yet again, bring into sharp contrast and focus the inability of many state institutions to comply fully with public finance laws and regulations.

The Public Finance Management Act was created specifically to improve state financial administration, but now, some nine years after its creation, the Act is still not being properly implemented and is perhaps – I am saying perhaps – not really taken seriously by reporting and accounting officers.

By way of example, Scopa reports also highlighted lack of proper internal controls, inappropriate accounting transactions, lack of performance and weaknesses in financial administration.

I am the very first person to admit that the previous Auditor-General, as well as the present one, have given the assurance that the limit is going to be lifted every year for the different departments. This is how we see that things are going to happen in future.

Reporting and accounting officers will simply have to know that the easy days are gone and that there will be much greater emphasis on these aspects. Forgive me for not repeating what the other people have said and that we rather dwell on this particular aspect with the glaring weaknesses that have been identified by the Auditor-General with regard to these specific items.

With this in mind, I just want to say that the IFP supports these reports and that we will support them and vote for them if it is deemed necessary. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mr G T MADIKIZA: Chairperson, hon members, the Auditor-General has identified serious deficiencies in the management of the Department of Agriculture as well as major procedural gaps with regard to the record- keeping for the agriculture debt account. This situation creates the possibility for fraudulent activities and effectively undermines any effort at proper management of these financial matters. Consequently, the committee has recommended that the accounting officer pay specific attention to these issues and report back on progress within 60 days of the adoption of this report.

With regard to Nemisa, the finance staff lacks the basic accounting skills associated with the Generally Accepted Municipal Accounting Practice and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. There are also concomitant gaps in governance arrangements that lead to non-compliance with laws and regulations. This can be ascribed to blatant negligence by the department.

As far as the Department of Social Development is concerned, the year that ended in March 2006 yielded an unqualified opinion from the Auditor- General. However, it is disconcerting that 90% of the R54 billion in conditional grants transferred to provinces were not spent as required. This has a direct impact on poverty alleviation.

There are also questions surrounding financing policy for nonprofit organisations, the safekeeping of records as well as control weaknesses in the social security pension system. The latter is particularly concerning since these are high-risk weaknesses, according to the Auditor-General. The ICD seems to be a continuous source of management and noncompliance issues. In terms of both administration and policy management, it is uncertain whether the ICD is actually meeting its basic mandates or not. Drastic action is required here.

The Auditor-General has reported that the National Development Agency has been the victim of a significant misappropriation of funds, to the tune of R8,77 million, in the year ended March 2006. Perpetrators have been identified and a criminal case has been laid. However, the committee recommends that the accounting officer ensures that the Asset Forfeiture Unit should be involved to recover the taxpayers’ funds and also pursue disciplinary action against all officials implicated. As with the aforementioned case, the lack of proper controls is a cause for concern as it directly affects poverty eradication.

The SAPS received an unqualified audit opinion from the Auditor-General but certain concerns remain. The inadequate control and monitoring of vehicles and firearms in the SAPS are not new problems. One would think that SAPS management has had ample time to resolve these problems.

With regard to vehicles, it means that emergencies cannot be attended to timeously whilst the lack of control over firearms is the height of irony for the authority that is responsible for enforcing the Firearms Control Act. There are also concerns regarding the supply chain management as well as the dockets and case administration system.

The UDM supports the recommendations of each of the Scopa reports tabled here and urges the responsible accounting officers to urgently address the concerns raised and report back to Parliament speedily. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Mr T J BONHOMME: Hon Chairperson, hon members of the House, today I would like to remind the House that Scopa does not review the financial management performance of departments and entities in order to determine compliance with the framework that Parliament has put in place, but carries out all this vigorous scrutiny because there is a relationship, a link, between service delivery and sound financial management.

In the rigorous assessment of the financial administration in the public sector, Scopa categorises the annual report into A, B and C. In C are the reports that Scopa is generally satisfied with so there is no need to call the department or its entities to a hearing.

Today, Scopa is tabling in the House the category A reports where departments and their entities were called into a hearing. Scopa would like the House to note that it is far from being satisfied with the general position regarding public sector finance management, especially taking into accounts that some of these departments appear before the committee each and every year.

If one considers the key elements of effective financial management, one can assess the ability of a department to manage its finances and therefore its ability to deliver on its mandate on a daily basis. We are able to conclude whether the department is at the elementary level of financial management or has progressed into stronger effective financial management and resources utilisation. The key element of financial management is a proper control environment.

Without proper controls and associated practices, there will a lack of sustainable practices of financial management. Assets may not be adequately protected or integrating their financial and nonfinancial systems, practices and procedures. The aim is to provide information that can be used to manage resources and take decisions with caution, and in an efficient and economical manner.

This information provides a basis for developing performance indicators, cost and quality measures and monitoring performance, to ensure that the intended results are being achieved and to demonstrate accountability.

We still come across too many instances where management information is of poor quality. Then, surprisingly, we also come across instances where it seems as if the management is not using information that is available.

To ensure that there is progress, we request the accounting officers to provide Parliament with progress reports on all category A reports and report back to Scopa within 60 days after tabling the report.

I must say that when I was deployed to Scopa I did not know what I was going into. But I must say that it was fortunate for me that I was deployed to Scopa with a dedicated group of people. I must say that our chairperson was outstanding and our group leaders have been outstanding.

So, I want to thank them for what has rubbed off them onto to me, for the professional manner in which they deal with things, and for the way they do so with passion. Thank you.

Mr S N SWART: Chairperson, it is disgraceful that a department such as Agriculture and the IDC receive disclaimer reports from the Auditor- General. The ACDP, however, wholeheartedly supports the Scopa resolution that these and other delinquent departments must provide Parliament with progress reports within 60 days. In the case of this department it is to ensure that it is properly staffed with qualified employees and that the necessary systems are implemented to ensure that these departments comply with benchmark accounting standards.

Last year the SAPS received an unqualified report and the AG highlighted problems pointed out by previous speakers such as inadequate control over police vehicles. That was particularly in after-hours situations, which resulted in vehicles not being available to respond to emergencies. This is particularly deplorable as the public often complains about the police’s response time in emergencies. We note from the report that the SAPS is to provide Scopa with a progress report on implementation of a tracking system to monitor vehicles.

A further issue that is continually raised is the inadequate control of firearms resulting in firearms being lost, stolen or robbed from personnel. Quarterly progress reports on how to provide safe and control systems should be implemented in this regard.

Our further concern relates to weaknesses identified in criminal investigations, with the AG reporting inefficient management and control of investigations and appropriate docket allocation at provincial level. Clearly, these issues impact upon the police’s ability to effectively investigate crime and to ensure successful prosecutions.

In response to the question concerning quotas, the answer is unequivocally that Scopa is watching the SAPS and other departments very carefully. The ACDP therefore supports Scopa’s recommendations and supports its reports. We commend hon Themba Godi and Scopa on its extensive and in-depth engagements with various departments and institutions that received unfavourable Auditor-General’s report. Thank you.

Mr B E PULE: Chairperson, during the rigorous assessment of financial administration in government departments and their public entities, it became very clear that all is not well in certain departments.

Scopa engaged almost all government departments, 90% of whose reports were either qualified, disclaimed, emphasis of matter and so on. Of course, Chairperson, I am being very economical with a percentage of these reports.

It was further apparent, to the amazement of Scopa, that more often than not officials pay themselves performance bonuses when the performance of a government department leaves much to be desired. The reports under discussion, that is the 9th to the 12th Reports of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, are no exception to this practice. Non-compliance with the Public Finance Management Act, the Division of Revenue Act, the Generally Accepted Accounting Practice – GAAP – and Generally Recognised Accounting Practice – GRAP – are the order of the day in government departments and entities.

Lack of policies and procedures, purported lack of capacity and skills, lack of internal control, no IT systems in place, proper keeping of asset registers and all other governance issues, such as tardiness of accounting by accounting officers – all these will make one shudder to the very marrow of one’s bones.

A case in point was the National Development Agency – NDA – where an amount of R8,7 million was misappropriated during the period of 3 December 2004 to 31 May 2006. Scopa will ensure that this matter is vigorously pursued through the Asset Forfeiture Unit so that funds are brought back to the NDA’s account. This money is supposed to be used to alleviate poverty which is rampant in our society.

Finally, Scopa congratulates all those government departments and entities that have diligently carried out their mandates to give service to the people of South Africa. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Mr R B BHOOLA: Chairperson, South Africa has realised the seriousness of corruption in our systems and we have seen all departments putting in place mechanisms to smoke out culprits. We are especially interested in the 11th Report of Scopa on the National Development Agency of June 2007. The MF is especially pleased that criminal charges have been laid against the perpetrators of misappropriated funds in the NDA. We also note that the management of the faculties of various sectors are easily misguided into mismanagement and that it is transparency, oversight and accountability that serve to cater for correction.

With reference to the 12th Report of Scopa, the MF expresses its concern over the evident mismanagement of vehicles, firearms and supply chain mismanagement in the SA Police Service. We are pleased to hear that it has been addressed in certain areas but we also request regular reports to keep us informed on progress. The MF supports the reports. [Applause.]

Mr D M GUMEDE: Chairperson, hon members, one of the most basic powers of Parliament is the control of the public purse. No state money may be spent without Parliament’s approval. No department should spend money without that approval.

The money voted by Parliament is for particular purposes and according to specific programmes that are informed by specified strategic objectives. These funds have to be spent in a specific period, in a specific way and according to specific rules.

The stewardship of the funds is the competence of the executive. Parliament is the referee as to how that money is spent. The executive has to deliver certain goals that derive from political programmes for known deliverables. Delivery has to be efficient, economical and effective. There has to be value for money.

The accounting officer is the director-general, who is responsible for stewardship of all resources, capacities and assets within his or her area of competence. The National Treasury sets the rules for management of state resources and Parliament uses these rules, the PFMA, annual reports and information from different sources, to oversee executive actions.

However, in setting these rules, the pace of transformation in administration should be in line with improvements in the available expertise and competence of resources in departments. It is of no use to change systems where there is no money and there is no one to implement them.

We have noted that there are a number of non-compliance issues that result from the fact that sometimes National Treasury raises the bar without checking the required adjustments of capacities in departments to implement these changes. A closer liaison between the National Treasury, departments and the Office of the Auditor-General may assist in managing this matter better.

For effective oversight, government has to be transparent, accountable and answerable to the public, largely through Parliament. Sometimes oversight requires that hearings be held and in this regard it is very important to have a record of what has been said in a place like Parliament, and quite often recording equipment is not in optimal working order. This is a matter of serious concern when resolutions have to be formulated and we find that there are no transcripts recording accounts of the accounting officers. We propose that Parliament should update its recording equipment and sound system and develop back-up systems in all committee rooms.

With regard to government and its entities, funded vacant posts have been a major problem in a number of departments and this often poses problems in management, and financial management in particular. There are a number of reasons that have been advanced for this problem but we believe that if managed better departments can reduce their vacancies in shorter periods than is the case at present, especially where we are dealing with skills that are not scarce.

Allow me, Chairperson, to thank the Office of the Auditor-General for increasingly expanding the area of performance audits. That is value for money. This area has made our job much more meaningful, effective and interesting and indeed has expanded horizons. It has increased transparency and has exposed issues that otherwise would not have been exposed.

However, serious questions still have to be asked in some areas of procurement management in a number of departments and entities - non- compliance with rules and regulations which seem not to be hard to comply with. From where we sit, when some departments appear before us, it is inescapable sometimes to find oneself asking whether the type of stewardship they have is the best available in the market for the salaries we command. Are some accounting officers exercising due care in their stewardship of state resources and finances? Although this is predominantly the position, it is our concern that in a few cases this is not the case.

Together, let us strive for a better South Africa by managing South Africa better and using its resources better. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Debate concluded. The ACTING CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Chairperson, I move:

That the Reports be adopted.

Motion agreed to.

Reports accordingly adopted.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION – PROVINCIAL OVERSIGHT VISIT TO SCHOOLS IN NORTH WEST AND LIMPOPO PROVINCES CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION - CONSIDERATION OF ANNUAL REPORT 2005/06 OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, DATED 19 SEPTEMBER 2006

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION - VISIT TO OUDTSHOORN AS PART OF THE PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY ON 14 SEPTEMBER 2006

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION - CONFERENCE ON TRANSFORMATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN AFRICA

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION -STUDY TOUR TO MAURITIUS

Prof S M MAYATULA: Thank you, Chair, and hon members. I must thank my portfolio committee members for allowing me to present all these reports. I’m not going to bore you with the details; I will just whet your appetite so that you read some of these reports.

I’ll start with the reports to the provinces. From 31 July to 4 August, we had two teams, one visiting Limpopo and another one visiting North West. If one goes through these reports one can get a real feel as to what is happening in the schools, because we have reflected on achievements and even challenges, and we’ve ended up with recommendations.

Those who come from these two provinces, that is, North West and Limpopo, I’d really recommend to them to read this report that is in the Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports of 22 March 2007.

Let me cross over to the second report, which was our visit to Oudtshoorn. That was during the People’s Assembly. We managed to visit three schools there in one day. Some of our recommendations have already been implemented. We were excited by one businessman, who is sponsoring a farm school.

If I can go back to North West, for example, we appreciated the new model of farm schools where different farm schools have been brought together and are run as one school. All the resources have been brought into that school.

If I take you to the next report, which relates to the annual report of the department, again there we have referred to some of the issues. I’m not going to go into that.

We did attend a conference on Transformation of Higher Education. We want to thank Parliament for allowing us to do that. We got exposure to what the people out there are saying about our education.

I’ll cross over now to the visit to Mauritius. Mauritius is an interesting country, it is a small country, and it is an island. It is 50km from one tip to the other. The education system there is based on the British system and even their examinations are set in Britain.

What was interesting there is that the education in Mauritius is free from primary to tertiary, but if you look at the report, you’ll find that it is also not free. Not free in the sense that, for example, if you go to a Mauritius University it is free only for A-level students. If you go to primary schools, you’ll find that they have dual systems; dual systems in the sense that teachers teach and are paid by the government. But in the same school, in the afternoon, the teachers are paid by parents. So, parents are also paying for education in Mauritius.

So, you end up not being sure whether that system is free or not. It is only Grades 3-5 where teachers are not allowed to teach privately. Let me end there, Chair.

There was no debate.

The ACTING CHIEF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Chairperson, I move:

That the Reports in Orders No 9 to 11 be adopted and the Reports in orders No 12 and 13 be noted.

Motion agreed to.

Report on Provincial Oversight Visit to schools in North West and Limpopo Provinces accordingly adopted.

Report on Annual Report 2005/06 of the Department of Education, dated 19 September 2006 accordingly adopted.

Report on Visit to Oudtshoorn as Part of the People’s Assembly on 14 September 2006 accordingly adopted.

Report on Conference on Transformation of Higher Education in Africa accordingly noted.

Report on Study Tour to Mauritius accordingly noted.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF JOINT MONITORING COMMITTEE ON IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND STATUS OF WOMEN – VOTE 1: THE PRESIDENCY

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF JOINT MONITORING COMMITTEE ON IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND STATUS OF WOMEN - APPROPRIATION BILL

Ms M R MORUTOA: Chairperson and hon members, in support of the report of Vote No 1 in the Presidency, the Joint Monitoring Committee on the Improvement of the Quality of Life and Status of Women, having considered the Appropriation Bill and the associated Budget Votes, reports that it has concluded its deliberations thereon. This year, as in previous years, the JMC has focused its attention on three issues: poverty, gender-based violence and gender and development. I am not going to deliberate so much on the report of the SA Police Service on rape that shows that by the year 2005-06 a total of 54 926 rapes would be reported. This gives an average of more than 150 reported rapes per day, and as you know, some of the reports that we got from the provinces, when we went there, were quite ridiculous.

Although the economy of the country continued to grow at a robust pace of 4,9% last year, the Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, noted that more work needed to be done. Despite this massive growth in the economy, Statistics SA’s Labour Force Survey of September 2006 found that the female unemployment rate was 31,7% compared to 22,6% for men.

From the committee’s perspective on the Expanded Public Works Programme, it is more interested in the innovative social sector of public works programme activity in the areas of home and community based care. The Budget Vote is disappointingly reticent about this area of the department’s work.

The strategic overview acknowledges that the Expanded Public Works Programme is meant to become the government’s leader in the creation of job opportunities especially for unemployed women, but states only that the department has established partnerships with state-owned enterprises and other spheres of government to scale up expanded public works interventions. It does not mention partnerships within its own sphere of government, such as with the Departments of Social Development, Education and Health, which bear responsibility for the social sector on the Expanded Public Works Programme.

We need to highlight that the number of programmes under Vote 1 for the Presidency has decreased from six in 2006-07 to three in 2007-08. This decrease resulted in less information being made available to Parliament and the public. The extent of the paper work on this Vote has decreased from 16 to 13 pages.

The Office on the Status of Women was previously a separate subprogramme under Programme 5, with R3,77 million for 2006-07 and R3,96 million projected for the current financial year.

For 2007-08, the Office on the Status of Women falls under Programme 3, since the office does not have a separate budget line and is thus not seen as a distinct subprogramme; instead, it is included in the subprogramme gender, disability and children.

The Vote states that the role of this subprogramme is to work with focal points in the offices of premiers, mayors and departments to bring certain issues into the mainstream, including bringing the rights of women, children and people with disabilities into governance processes.

I’m going to go on to talk about the recommendation that we have, since in South Africa we have dealt with the eight declarations of Millennium Development Goals, and I’m also going to talk about the recommendations that the JMC has made.

One of them is that the Presidency should provide detailed information on the gender outputs and an indication of outputs that the gender, disability and children’s unit intends delivering at the non-municipal and district municipality levels.

The second one is an indication of the activities the gender, disability and children’s unit can provide to achieve a systematic change in processes and government operations and a response as to the progress of the gender manual, the review of gender structures and focal points, and the implementation of focal points. The JMC appeals to this august House to adopt this report. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mrs D VAN DER WALT: Agb Voorsitter en kollegas, die verslag wat ek vandag voorlees is … [Hon Chairperson and colleagues, the report I shall read out to you today is …]

… on behalf of hon Janet Semple who cannot be here today. South Africa is rightly proud of its gender machinery and the structures put in place to effect gender equality. It is therefore disturbing to note that the number of programmes under Vote No 1: The Presidency, has decreased from six in 2006-07 to three in 2007-08. This might be to affect greater efficiency, but it has also resulted in less information being available for scrutiny by Parliament and the public. The DA would like to know why this has been done.

For example, the Office on the Status of Women –OSW- was previously a separate subprogramme under programme five, policy co-ordination. It had an allocation of, as it was mentioned, R3,77 million for 2006-07 and R3,96 million projected for 2007-08.

The 2006 Vote stated that the role of the subprogramme was to facilitate the development of a national gender policy framework and to co-ordinate activities in the areas of gender equity and equality. The Vote included one three-line sentence on recent outputs of the OSW. It also included some definite outputs and measures or indicators relating to the development of gender structures and focal points and an agreed set of implementation indicators.

In the 2007-08 Vote, the OSW falls under programme three, executive co- ordination. The office does not have a separate budget line and therefore cannot be seen as a distinct subprogramme. Instead it is included in the subprogramme of Gender, Disability and Children – GDC. The role of the subprogramme is to work with focal points in the offices of premiers, mayors and departments, and I quote:

… to bring certain issues into the mainstream, including bringing the rights of women, children and people with disabilities into governance processes, co-ordinating GDC activities and overseeing GDC work in government.

I apologise for the lengthy quotes from the Joint Management Committee Report but this illustrates that there is no longer any distinction between activities in the three key areas, apart from listing the different days and campaigns which are celebrated. There is no mention of the gender manual, the review of gender structures and focal points and the implementation indicators which were commitments in the previous year’s budget.

Gender, children and disability are all important groups which deserve individual attention. The JMC does not believe that any purpose is served by lumping them all together in a single grouping of vulnerable subgroups. Indeed, it can be argued that women are not primarily vulnerable. All three groups in the South African context are deserving of individual special attention and individual special budget programmes that can be measured in terms of outputs.

Concern was also raised by the JMC with regard to the type of activities listed under outputs. Special days like National Women’s Day and campaigns like 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children are fine for raising awareness, but the OSW and gender focal points need to do more in respect of systemic change and government operations.

I hope that my colleagues on the JMC will raise issues around gender mainstreaming in the Appropriation Bill which I do not have time to cover. The DA supports the adoption of the report. I thank you.

Ms C N Z ZIKALALA: Chairperson, the IFP agrees with the committees reports on the Presidency and the Appropriation Bill and wishes to highlight just a few of its more important findings.

Firstly, we must echo the committee’s concern at the shortage of crucial information in this year’s Budget documents. In many instances, we were not able to compare issues we raised last year with progress and achievement on them via the documents. We were, of course, able to turn to other sources of information. But because of time constraints between budgets and annual reports of departments, this was not always desirable.

We are also concerned about the apparent contradictions between some of the figures provided to us. For instance, the figures for work opportunities created by the Extended Public Works Programme differed from those presented by the Department of Public Works and the Minister of Finance. The IFP wishes to argue that committees be provided with the most complete information available and that the information be accurate. The committee can only execute its mandate properly if this shortcoming is rectified immediately.

Secondly, the quality of life of women and their status will only improve if the Justice department makes a concerted effort on maintenance and domestic violence. Again, we have to raise concern that these two fundamental issues are not covered more fully in the department’s budget. We are aware of some successes on these issues but what we really need to know is what targets and outcomes have been set by the department for the financial year so that we can measure progress next year. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Ms B T NGCOBO: Hon Speaker and hon members, I am going to be addressing the area of gender mainstreaming. We are all aware that gender mainstreaming is a process and it needs a budget as well. In simple terms, gender mainstreaming refers to incorporating equal opportunities for men and women into all legislation, policies and programmes in any area and at all levels. It is a strategy for making the concerns of men and women an integral part of design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit.

Gender mainstreaming involves mobilising all general policies and measures specifically for the purpose of achieving gender equality by openly and actively taking into account, at planning stages, their possible effects on respective situations of men and women, and here the bias is on women. While recognising the identities of men and women, there must be some willingness to establish a balanced distribution of responsibilities between both.

The promotion of equality must not be confused with the simple objective of balancing statistics. It is a promotion for long-lasting changes in roles, institutional practices, the organisation of work and time, personal development and independence. But it also concerns men and the whole of society in which it can encourage progress and be a token for a democracy and diversity.

Portfolio committees of this Parliament have a major role to play in interrogating those institutions reporting to them on the visibility of women in their structures and the roles women play, the budget that they have put in place to ensure that women do get to higher positions, particularly in domains that have been the realm of men, such as science and technology, minerals and energy and others. Now is the time to begin to change gear and begin seriously to address the issues of masculinity as part of the gender discourse and we have to begin to empower men as they have also been chained in gender stereotypes, myths and patriarchy.

Let’s work with progressive men so that we are able to change the gender stereotypes. Let’s empower our children from birth to kindergarten and beyond. Morrell and Ritcher published a study in 2005 through the eyes of children on the way they perceived their fathers. There were varying responses – the good, the bad and the ugly.

We achieved democracy through the efforts of our forebears. Gender mainstreaming will be a norm and a way of life for our children and grandchildren. Vote No 1 needs to look into the area of ensuring that gender mainstreaming becomes a reality so that women of South Africa really enjoy the democracy that we have. I thank you. [Applause.]

Ms S RAJBALLY: Madam Speaker, with poverty alleviation and transformation at the top of the South African agenda, we would expect prioritising the needs and addressing challenges faced by vulnerable groups to be a primary focus. Programme 3 of the Presidency Budget Vote shows that the Office on the Status of Women, Children and Disabled Persons received the second smallest allocation and no real increase.

Even though it is not a service-delivery department, the MF feels that this office plays a critical role in co-ordinating, monitoring and evaluating the mainstreaming of gender, disability and children’s issues concerning policies and programmes of government departments.

It has been established that 100 million children globally and approximately 170 000 South African children are inducted into child labour from as young as five years. In all of this, the Office on the Status of Women, Children and Disabled Persons has a pivotal role to play.

In view of the second report and with specific reference to the horrific statistics on rape in South Africa, the MF calls for the definition of rape to include males as victims of rape. From this, we may gather the important role oversight plays in the reality of South Africa. The MF supports both the reports of the Joint Monitoring Committee on Improvement of Quality of Life and Status of Women. I thank you, Madam.

Mr R D PIETERSE: Voorsitter, dankie dat ek … [Tussenwerpsels.] Ek wil dankie sê dat ek toegelaat word om aan hierdie gespreksdebat te kan deelneem. [Chairperson, thank you that I … [Interjections.] I want to say thank you for the fact that I am being allowed the opportunity to participate in this debate.]

Hon Speaker, as I rise in support of this report, please allow me to raise two matters of concern from this report. Men, old and young, and their location in the area covered by this report, are seen and accepted generally as heads of households. Generally, we are also accepted as leaders wherever we find ourselves.

As men, we are accepted as heads of households even when we are not the breadwinners or not working at all. We are accepted as leaders of various forums, yet our conduct and behaviour is contrary to what is generally expected of us. Too often we are seen, and sometimes rightfully so, as molesters, killers, rapists, murderers, and I can go on and on.

We as men are and must be the glue that keeps the families together, protects them, loves them and cares for them. We are quiet, very quiet, hon Danny Oliphant, when other men do these wrong things, very often in our presence or sometimes when these things are reported to us. I think it is about time that we stand up and say, “not in my name”. I think it is about time that men who are not guilty of such things do something about that.

We need to report these matters to the relevant authorities and testify when these matters come to court. We need to expose the few cruel men who do these wrong things in our name. We need to bridge the gap. Mr Lee, we need to bridge this political gap that might exist between us and agree that, regarding matters of this nature, politics must not and will not divide us.

Secondly and lastly, I just want to quickly touch on the role of the media. Very often the media portrays us as people who do not have all our senses. They are led by tabloids. On a daily basis, one can particularly see that the print media covers death and destruction. Very often, in the centre of that are men. What are we doing about that?

I think it is about time, and maybe I should just throw down a challenge that the month of August, which is regarded as Women’s Month, should see us good men – that we claim to be – getting together to do something to protect our wives, mothers, children and daughters. [Interjections.] We need to say to the media: Stop being just tabloids. Please talk about the positive things that good men are doing. All of us can do something about this.

Let me repeat what I said much earlier: Next to every good man is a better woman. We can do something about this if we stand up now and stand together. Let’s make sure that this report is not another report that will gather dust. Those of us who claim to be good men, particularly from Parliament, can start doing something about it. The ANC supports this report. I thank you. [Applause.]

The ACTING CHIF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Madam Speaker, we move:

That the Reports be adopted.

Motion agreed to.

Reports accordingly adopted.

    CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON JUSTICE AND
 CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT – PROVISIONAL SUSPENSION FROM OFFICE OF
                     MAGISTRATE MR I X MASIMINI

Ms F I CHOHAN: Madam Speaker, members, I promise not to be too long, seeing that our numbers are dwindling at this ghostly hour. This is a report on the provisional suspension from office of Magistrate I X Masimini.

The portfolio committee, having considered the report which was tabled by the Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development in terms of section 13(b), reports to the House as follows. The portfolio committee notes that Mr Masimini had on 24 November 2006 been convicted on a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. He was also charged for a statement that he made when he applied for appointment to the regional court Bench. He failed to disclose his criminal status and circumstances during the interview by the Magistrates Commission.

The Magistrates Commission has found him guilty on three counts of misconduct, in the sense that he used foul and/or injudicious language in court. Accordingly, we recommend that the National Assembly resolves to confirm the provisional suspension of Mr Masimini in terms of section 13(iii)(c) of the Magistrates Act of 1993. I thank you for your time. [Applause.]

Question put: That the recommendation of the Committee be adopted, namely that the provisional suspension from Office of Magistrate Mr I X Masimini be confirmed.

Question agreed to.

Provisional suspension from Office of Mr Masimini accordingly confirmed.

The ACTING CHIF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Madam Speaker, we move:

That the seventeenth Order stands over.

Agreed to.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - STUDY TOUR TO SASOLBURG AND SECUNDA

CONSIDERATION OF REPORT OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - STUDY TOUR TO ENGEN REFINERY

Mr E N N NGCOBO: Madam Speaker, hon members, as you know, our country is at its highest peak of a booming economy in many decades. This has expressed itself as a big challenge in the acquisition of technical skills and skilled personnel such as engineers, artisans, boilermakers, fitters, accountants etc. We are bidding for the 2011 Square Kilometre Array project alongside Australia in the world shortlist of competitors. That is another challenge in terms of skills acquisition.

In view of the above-mentioned challenges on skills shortage in the field of science and technology, our portfolio committee decided to accept an invitation to pay a study visit to Sasol and Engen. In Sasol we visited the two plants in Sasolburg and Secunda last year. After we had held discussions with them and after they had shown us around, we found that they were also facing this big challenge in terms of artisans. They said to us that they had had a programme which used to train fitters and turners but that programme had since dissolved because of a lack of funding from the side of government. Therefore they said they were struggling with these skills. They appealed to the committee that, if possible, something should be done.

After we had visited Sasol we were again invited to Engen and a similar appeal was presented. Our fact-finding mission resulted therefore in us, in turn, inviting these two companies to Parliament where we sought to address the problem in a holistic and systematic fashion. When we convened in Parliament, Engen had brought along their consulting company which had done an intensive study on the impact of the skills shortage regarding the 2010 World Cup and beyond. One of their recommendations was that a strategy should be established to ensure that there will be retention of the skills required for 2010 and even beyond this period.

Secondly, they also recommended that, since there are about 140 big projects that are aimed at partly meeting the requirements of 2010 but also partly the requirements of the countries in Southern Africa such as Mozambique and Botswana etc, they felt that these are 140 projects that are also going to give rise to some small projects that again will put pressure on skills acquisition. Therefore they recommended that a strategy must be established whereby the government will probably prioritise some of these projects, because they felt that if these matters are not prioritised and if a brilliant strategy is not adopted, we are going to lose the fruits of 2010 in that we will have to import skills, and such skills are usually exorbitant in cost.

Also, after a project has been completed those skills are not retained, they disappear. As a result they felt that one of the strategies that should be adopted for 2010 and beyond is to retain these skills by trying to establish some local programmes to have people trained within the country.

Thirdly, they also came with an idea of a model that the Canadians have adopted whereby they reorientate those people with skills that are not socioeconomically required, such as arts or biblical skills. They said that people with these skills could be reorientated, because it is easy to train a person who already has a university education and to reorientate that person into, say, any other field, including the field of science.

They felt that, since the Canadians have done this very successfully therefore that is probably one of the strategies that we can also apply in South Africa to address the scarce skills because, within the black community, we have a number of graduates – many thousands. It’s just that they were trained in skills that are not very useful in the economy. If those skills can be reorientated into science we can have a very big pool of innovation and technology that is lying unused.

It is therefore quite satisfying to highlight at this juncture that the Department of Science and Technology has developed a 10-year plan which is currently in the process of being tabled before Cabinet for approval. This plan incorporates a variety of well thought-out programmes, which include, amongst others, a well-co-ordinated programme linking up relevant stakeholders such as the National Research Foundation, universities, Department of Education, Youth into Science Strategy, just to mention a few of these – with a view to addressing the technical skills shortage, especially within the historically disadvantaged South Africans but also with a view to initiating a science system that is financially viable and self-sustaining, in other words where science is going to have a direct impact on commercial business.

Therefore we feel, as the Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology, that addressing the issue of skills and what we shared with these two companies are very important aspects for South Africa in tackling some of the problems of 2010 and beyond. I would therefore appeal to this Parliament and the House to adopt these two reports of the portfolio committee study tour on Sasol and Engen. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

There was no debate. The ACTING CHIF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Speaker, we move:

That the Reports be adopted.

Motion agreed to. Reports accordingly adopted.

CONSIDERATION OF REQUEST FOR APPROVAL BY PARLIAMENT, IN TERMS OF SECTION 231(2) OF THE CONSTITUTION - PROTOCOL ON POLICY AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR NEPAD (NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT) ICT BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA

Mr G G OLIPHANT: Speaker, the Nepad protocol is an international agreement entered into by various African countries for the construction and maintenance of the submarine cable for a broadband infrastructure network in the Eastern and Southern Africa. This is a flagship project under the African Union with the following primary objectives: To eradicate poverty, to place countries on a path of sustainable growth and development, to halt the marginalisation of Africa in the global process, to accelerate the empowerment of women and to reduce the cost to communicate.

International agreements by their very nature cannot be amended but need to be ratified as they are. Hence today we request Parliament to approve the Protocol on Policy and Regulatory Framework for Nepad ICT Broadband Infrastructure for Eastern and Southern Africa.

The portfolio committee met on Tuesday, 19 June 2007, to deliberate on this matter and decided, amongst other things, to have a post-ratification process where affected parties and stakeholders will be invited to make inputs and assess progress on this matter.

The committee was also mindful of the uncertainty within the industry about the Nepad cable in particular. The committee also engaged the services of the parliamentary legal services regarding the matter and we are advised that the protocol will have a minimal impact on our national legislation, that is the Electronic Communications Act. To quote Adv Jenkins, “I do not foresee substantial amendments to the said Act from the plain reading of the protocol at this stage.”

Seven out of the 13 contracting parties need to ratify the protocol before it enters into force and South Africa is one of them. We therefore recommend that Parliament ratifies this protocol. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

Thank you very much. [Applause.]

There was no debate.

Protocol on Policy and Regulatory Framework for Nepad (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) ICT Broadband Infrastructure for Eastern and Southern Africa approved. (Democratic Alliance dissenting).

               ADJOURNMENT OF HOUSE FOR WINTER RECESS

The SPEAKER: Before we conclude the business for the day, I would just like to say one or two things, hon members, the first of which is that, of course, we have come to the end of a difficult session. I want to promise you that when you come back the sound system will be up and running. [Applause.] Unfortunately, it couldn’t be fixed while we are around; it can only be fixed when we are gone. They would have enough days that they can use to work in the Chamber. That’s the first thing I would like to promise you.

Hon members, regrettably, this weekend some of the hon members will be going away to accompany one of the hon members who has sat with us for some years in this House, the hon Prince Zulu. We will be accompanying him to his final resting place with great sadness. I did know him because many years ago, when I had a constituency office in Mandeni, I came across him. The lasting impression I personally have of him is that he was a gentleman. He indeed was a gentleman. It’s good for a person to be with you and to leave you with a solid, positive impression like that.

Hon members, many people don’t think so, but you and I know that you work very hard. [Applause.] Hon members work very hard and I therefore really wish you well when you go to your families, your home bases, and have a very well-deserved rest! Thank you very much. [Applause.] That finally concludes the business for the day and the House is …

The ACTING CHIF WHIP OF THE MAJORITY PARTY: Madam Speaker, just before you adjourn the House, on behalf of members, I would like to convey the same wishes to yourself and the other presiding officers. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

The SPEAKER: Thank you, hon Acting Chief Whip. The House is adjourned.

The House adjourned at 17:51. ____

            ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

The Speaker and the Chairperson

1. Bills passed by Houses– to be submitted to President for assent

(1)     Bills passed by National Council of Provinces on 21 June 2007:


     (a)     Appropriation Bill [B 2 – 2007] (National Assembly – sec
         77)


     (b)     Taxation Laws Amendment Bill [B 18 – 2007] (National
         Assembly – sec 77)


     (c)     Taxation Laws Second Amendment Bill [B 19 – 2007] (National
         Assembly – sec 75)


     (d)     Municipal Fiscal Powers and Functions Bill [B 9B– 2007]
         (National Assembly – sec 75)


     (e)     Pension Funds Amendment Bill [B 11B – 2007 (Reprint)]
         (National Assembly – sec 75)

TABLINGS National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

1. The Minister of Finance

(a)     Proclamation No R.12 published in Government Gazette No 29921
     dated 1 June 2007: Fixing a date on which section 147(1) of the
     Revenue Laws Amendment Act, 2003 (Act No 45 of 2003), shall come
     into operation.

(b)     Government Notice No 467 published in Government Gazette No
     29913 dated 1 June 2007: Definition of “Retirement Annuity Fund”
     in section 1 of the Income Tax Act, 1962 (Act No 58 of 1962).

(c)     Government Notice No 472 published in Government Gazette No
     29913 dated 1 June 2007: Proviso to paragraph 9(3) of the Fourth
     Schedule to the Income Tax Act, 1962 (Act No 58 of 1962).

1. The Minister for Justice and Constitutional Development (a) Proclamation No R.7 published in Government Gazette No 29831 dated 25 April 2007: Referral of matters to existing Special Investigating Unit and Special Tribunal, in terms of the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act, 1996 (Act No 74 of 1996).

(b)     Proclamation No R.10 published in Government Gazette No 29831
    dated 25 April 2007: Extension of the period of operation of
    sections 51 and 52, in terms of the Criminal Law Amendment Act,
    1997 (Act No 1