WEDNESDAY, 1 JULY 2009 __

          PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
                                ____

The Council met at 14:03.

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS – see col 000.

                         APPROPRIATION BILL

                           (Policy debate)

Vote No 13 - Education:

The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Chairperson, members, guests, the different MECs that are here, the leadership of different political organisations, ladies and gentlemen, I’ll be speaking on behalf of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training. Chair, I would like to thank you again for giving us an opportunity as the Education department to come here to give our budget speech today. The Minister of Higher Education and Training and I have agreed to share our Budget Votes because he is remaining in Cabinet to represent us.

Today, I speak to present to you, hon members, the collective thoughts and ideas on how we intend to reposition the education sector to meet our desired mandate of providing quality education for all. Over the weekend an intensive two-day review process of the education landscape was held jointly with MECs from provinces and the senior leadership of the department, as part of our broad strategic positioning of the department as we prepare to embark on a new road as the Ministry of Basic Education. We also had an opportunity to review, critique and analyse our responsibilities. I can report that we all jointly agree that our point of departure is that indeed our sector requires us to work differently to achieve different outcomes. We agree that we cannot continue working the same way and expect different outcomes.

I don’t think there is doubt in anyone’s mind that indeed our education system has achieved much. We can report - and proudly report - that much progress has been made in moving the system away from the precepts of apartheid education. Under this government, more children attend school and more attend without the burden of school fees. More children participate in school nutrition programmes and in an expanded curriculum. More teachers and principals are exposed to in-service development than ever before. And more provision has been made to improve the infrastructure of schooling, especially in rural and poor areas.

But we also are convinced that massive challenges still remain for those who are very committed. The theme of my speech today is: “Together - achieving quality education and access for all”. In presenting this budget I therefore draw on the manifesto of the ruling party, as informed by its resolutions from its Polokwane conference, the Medium-Term Strategic Framework and the President’s state of the nation address.

In the past 15 years of democratic rule there have been significant challenges and these are even testified to by independent analysts. A recent report by the South African Child Gauge has noted that we have achieved universal primary education in line with the medium-term development goal. We have also achieved gender parity in education. More children, as I have said, are staying in school until matric. It is estimated that about 85% of children now receive 12 years of education. We are, therefore, taking steps informed by this very basic and sound foundation.

But, again, if we are to make true the instructions of the President that teachers are to be in class and on time, and learners are to be in class studying, a number of things have to be put right. The approach that we are taking this year is informed also by the belief that together we can do more and that we need to make education a societal matter.

One of the professors who was commissioned by my predecessor to look at the challenges of education found that throughout the country, in every province in which the committee had been, from government officials to unionists and teachers, there were the strongest expressions of concern, often in very passionate terms, about an indisputable challenge in education and that it needed to be resolved. But this does not mean that there are no pockets of excellence in the system. The problem is that you cannot improve a whole system on the basis of exceptions. Exceptions or normality or functionality should be a major part of your education system and not an exception. Some of the challenges that confront us relate to issues like accountability.

We also noted with concern over the weekend that one of the weakest factors affecting our system is that accountability in the system is very limited in scope and very uneven. The accountability system is weak because of a pervasive culture of resistance to strong measures of accountability within schools, and not only amongst teachers, but throughout the entire system.

So, we are convinced that if we have to change our education system, there must be consequences for every action in the system. Everybody has to account for the work that they do - teachers have to be on time, learners have to be studying. Everyone has to make sure that when the teacher is in class on time, everything is in place for that teacher to work effectively.

We are also committing ourselves to addressing issues like the curriculum. We are getting lots of reports that there are challenges with regard to our curriculum. I have set up a committee which, starting from July until September, will be looking at all the issues which have been raised about our curriculum, making sure that, come 2010, we have addressed all the issues that have been raised by communities.

There are issues regarding resources which we hope that our budget will address. Historically, there are well-resourced schools and provinces that are better able to support the education system and produce better educational outcomes. This is a major challenge. Despite the fact that we say this government has invested acceptable levels of resources in education, their proper utilisation sometimes continues to be a challenge and we need to find a way of ensuring that there is value for money in terms of all the resources invested by government.

I have referred to the curriculum and have also committed our government to looking at all the different challenges which have been raised with us around the curriculum. We have also identified issues of systematic challenges in our system where, in addition to accountability, there is a general culture of dysfunctionality which also plagues our schools: books not arriving on time, desks not being available, and overcrowding in classrooms. And, again, we are committed to confronting that with our colleagues.

I quickly want to run through the figures before my time runs out because yesterday I had a very bad experience when I ran out of time and couldn’t finish. So, I want to deal with the figures now to make sure that I don’t run out of time and can focus on the figures that we have indeed been given.

As regards the budget allocations for the financial year 2009-10, I can record with appreciation that the overall budget has increased by R2,4 billion, rising from R18,5 billion last year to R21,2 billion. Additional funds have been received this year for the following priorities. For higher education – as I said, I am speaking for both basic education and higher education – we have been given about R480 million.

For school nutrition we have received R577 million and, again, we are excited about this, because it will enable us to extend our school nutrition programme to the poorest of the poor at high school level. In the past we could provide food to primary schools only, but now with this increase in budget we are able to start introducing a school nutrition programme at high school level.

As the department is working on separating further education and training, FET, colleges from basic schools, we have been given R5 million to start a process of capitalising our technical schools to compensate for the loss of the FET colleges or the training that would have been done through the FET colleges. So, we have been given R5 million.

Again, the department has also been given an additional R6 million this year to prepare for the establishment of the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit, Needu. We are very excited about this because, again, the unit will enable us to detect or to monitor and evaluate our system on an ongoing basis. Earlier in my speech I said that we were also aware that there were systemic collapses or problems in the system, and through Needu we are confident that, at an early stage, we will be alerted to challenges and confront them. So, we have been given R6 million this year, which will increase in the outer years, to enable us to start with the work.

The department has been allocated an additional R63 million for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, NSFAS. I know the Minister of Higher Education and Training is very excited about this. He is very passionate that poor children not be excluded from higher education because they cannot afford it. So, again, we have been given this money to increase this budget.

We have been given R443 million for the mass literacy campaign. This will assist us in what we have always committed ourselves to as the education sector: that when we come into government we want to break the back of illiteracy, which we have inherited from the past. This money is going to enable us to address our mass literacy programmes.

We have been given R5 million for systemic evaluation programmes and for the further development of information management systems. Again, Chair, you would agree with me that it is very important in education to have a very sound information system which will help us not only to track our learners, but also to have the necessary information at hand.

Some of the existing programmes in the budget deserve special mention. One of these is, as I said, the National School Nutrition Programme, which in addition to feeding 7,4 million children, will be able to feed more children in high school. Our budget for the National School Nutrition Programme has increased to R2,3 billion through which we give conditional grants to provinces. We monitor these quite tightly and work very closely with provinces to make sure that every child who deserves to eat at school is able to eat on a daily basis.

We have been given R177 million, which will be used by provinces to provide relevant life-skills programmes in all schools. We are of the view that the decline in infections amongst young people, reported by the Department of Health, has been made possible by this life-skills programme. We are very excited about receiving this money and are committed to working with our children on questions of lifestyles, sexuality, and HIV and Aids. We are, though, quite concerned about the increasing numbers of teenage pregnancies in our schools, and we hope that through this fund we will begin to develop a programme to address this.

There is also the threat that as a country we are losing a number of teachers. So, we are quite excited that, again this year, we have been given R700 million to support 9 000 young people who are training to be teachers. This bursary has helped a lot in making sure that we can stabilise our demand for recruits in education.

I am pleased to record that, together with the teacher unions and other stakeholders, we have launched what we call the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign, of which a major part relates to the non-negotiables for different components of the system. For teachers, this involves being in class, on time and teaching, while learners have committed to focusing on learning, to respecting their teachers, and to doing their work.

Departmental officials have been made to make commitments, and they have promised to visit schools regularly and to provide them with support. We have also received pledges from parents who have volunteered to ensure that they play their part and make sure that there is oversight and monitoring of everybody in doing their work.

We believe that these non-negotiables require two pillars of support. The first of these is Needu, which we have spoken about, that will help us to evaluate and develop the system on an ongoing basis. This also relates to effective leadership in our schools. I don’t want to go into examples of different forms …

Your time thing is intimidating me. It was better in the House because there was no clock facing you. [Laughter.] So, let me go back, Chair, because this watch is really intimidating me.

These non-negotiables require two pillars of support. The first of these is Needu, which will evaluate all parts of the system to unearth constraints and problems in ensuring quality education. The other pillar is that of effective school leadership, a key component of the system.

All the evidence, locally and internationally, shows that a good school has a good principal. You will have heard that the President has committed himself to meeting school principals. The message is a crucial one in the transformation and development of education, and the department will do all it can to support this meeting. The meeting has been scheduled for 7 August 2009 in KwaZulu-Natal.

One key area of focus will be the rural schools and poor schools in our country. We will be working not just on infrastructure but on all different support mechanisms we think necessary. Infrastructure in rural and poor areas remains a challenge, and we will be looking at innovative funding approaches to ensure that we deliver decent schools in the shortest possible time.

We have seen how the country, with the 2010 preparations, has been able to deliver stadiums. We are going to persuade the government to do the same thing with school infrastructure: to use the same approach, look for fresh money – wherever they got the money from for the stadiums – and put it into education if we are all to say that indeed education is a priority.

All these examples of priorities and the rest are elaborated on in the strategic plan. We urge members to note the work we will be doing in regard to the recapitalisation of our technical schools and different work …

I can see that my time is up. So, let me stop myself, Chair. Thanks.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Do you want to finish up?

The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: I do.

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: You have 10 minutes at the end. I am going to take a few minutes from that to allow you to finish. You can finish up now. We will subtract time from the 10 minutes at the end.

The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Oh, but you’ve already said it would be subtracted, so maybe replace it.

Infrastructure remains a challenge and we are looking at innovative ways of making sure that we can develop it, and these are examples of the work that we are doing.

In closing, let me say these are just a few areas of our priorities and the rest of the areas are elaborated on in our strategic plan. I urge members to note the work we are doing in regard to the recapitalisation of technical schools following a successful – similar – process with regard to FET colleges.

I must conclude by assuring the House that I will be keeping an eye on the provision of education for learners with special needs. I am concerned that we still have too many children out of school, especially from poor families, owing to some or other disability or special need. We are compelled to respond to this. I recall that my theme for the day emphasises access for all, and until the last child has been brought into school, we shall not rest.

I want to take this opportunity to thank my head of department – I guess he’s here - my members of staff, my colleagues and in particular Deputy Minister Surty, and I also want to indicate that we are losing one of the most valuable members of staff in the department, Mr Philip Benade, who is retiring. He was the chief financial officer. He has, I am told, for years enabled the department to get very clean audits. I want the House to join us in wishing him a very restful period. I thank you, Chair. [Applause.]

Mr M J R DE VILLIERS: Agb Voorsitter, dit is my nooienstoespraak en ek sal so ver as moontlik onkontroversieel bly. [Hon Chairperson, this is my maiden speech and as far as possible I will remain uncontroversial.]

Hon Chairperson, Minister Motshekga and members of the NCOP, education is the backbone of the strength, wealth, growth and sustainability of a country. If this sector, in a country, is well structured, with the promise of a quality outcome for learners and students in all of our learning institutions, certainly we can have a competitive response and outcome with regard to skills and employment opportunities in South Africa and elsewhere in the world.

The Basic Education department has framed five principles in the 2009 budget, and they are as follows: protecting the poor; sustaining employment growth and expanding training opportunities; building capacity for long- term growth through investment in infrastructure; promoting competitiveness; and maintaining a sustainable debt level. The DA can agree with these principles.

However, we must bear in mind that value for money in the context of the economic meltdown is the most important factor. The answer to this is efficiency in all our deliverables in education, which play an important role in our success and achieving our goals. Education must be our single largest investment in government. But we must make sure, from the start, that an effective delivery outcome is reached.

The following things are planned: 3 500 practitioners in early childhood development with a level 4 education; the increase of no-fee schools to 60% of the total number of schools; the expansion of the nutrition feeding scheme to secondary schools; and the increase of Grade Rs in public schools. This is all well and good, but the question remains …

… sal die kwantiteit van dienslewering die gewenste uitkoms lewer, of moet ons nie liewer seker maak dat die hulpbronne en fasiliteite tot ons beskikking eerder tot maksimale effektiwiteit ontwikkel word nie? Ons het reeds die afgelope vier jaar ‘n teleurstellende verslag ontvang dat die prestasie vir lees— en syfervaardighede van leerders in graad 1 tot 3 onder die 40%-standaard is. Daar is definitief ‘n probleem met ons onderwysstelsel wat ook ons opleidingskolleges en universiteite nadelig beïnvloed. Die effektiwiteit van onderwys en opleiding bring dus die volgende vrae na vore: Eerstens, hoe verseker ons dat die ruggraat van ons land versterk word? Tweedens, waar staan die voorskoolse kind se ontwikkeling binne die basiese onderwys en opleiding? Derdens, wat is die kwaliteit van die grondslagfase ten opsigte van die primêre, sekondêre en tersiêre ontwikkeling van die stelsel? Vierdens, watter rol speel die geengeldskolestelsel in gehalte onderwys? Vyfdens, om watter redes lewer die voormalige model C-skole beter resultate as die publieke skole?

Sesdens, watter rol speel die morele waardes en standaarde van gemeenskappe ten opsigte van die gehalte van leerders en hul dissipline in skole, ensovoorts?

Die antwoord hierop is dat die gemeenskap, ouers, kinders en die skool, ‘n holistiese benadering moet volg om beter gehalte te kan lewer. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)

[… will the quantity of service delivery have the desired outcome or should we not rather ensure that the resources and facilities at our disposal are developed to maximal effectiveness? For the past four years we have already received a disappointing report that Grades 1 to 3 perform under the 40% standard in reading and numeracy tests. There is definitely a problem with our education system, which also has a detrimental effect on our training colleges and universities. The effectiveness of education and training, therefore, begs the following questions: Firstly, how do we ensure that the backbone of our country will be strengthened? Secondly, where does this leave the development of the pre- school child in relation to basic education and training? Thirdly, what quality does the foundation phase contribute to the primary, secondary and tertiary development of the system? Fourthly, what role does the no-fee school system play in quality education? Fifthly, what are the reasons for former model C schools producing better results than public schools?

Sixthly, what role does the moral values and standards of communities play with regard to the calibre of learners and their discipline at school, and so forth?

The answer to these questions is that the community, parents, children and the school should follow a holistic approach in order to improve the quality.]

The report says the Dinaledi schools comprise 7% of the total number of schools and contributed 24% to the 62 000 high-level mathematics matric results in 2008. If this is true, we certainly have a successful method of training for mathematics in all our learning institutions. We have to use it more to improve mathematics results. The problem in education lies in the fact that learners don’t need to know tables — that is minus, plus, division and multiplication — off by heart any more. We have diverted from basic education and placed too much emphasis on the wrong things in education. Numeracy and literacy are very important in early childhood development and foundation-phase education. It is not about the quantity of teachers and learners we have in our schools, but how well the foundation phase is managed.

The dropout rate is still unacceptably high. We must find out what the reason is for learners dropping out. Only the dropout learners and their parents can give responsible answers to this situation. Then we can try to solve the dropout rate in our schools. We must address this problem as soon as possible and with urgency. If every learner manages the basic principles of learning and training, fewer learners will drop out, there will be better results in the foundation phase, and primary and secondary schools and colleges and universities will get better quality students. We will get quality workers in all sectors of the economy, and then we will obtain all the principles set for the nation. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Ms M W MAKGATE: Modulasetulo, Letona la lefapha, Maloko a Palamente a a leng fa … [Chairperson, Minister of the department, Members of Parliament present …] on 29 March 1996 Nelson Mandela said, and I quote:

On its establishment, South Africa’s first democratic government faced daunting challenges in the education sector. The lack of proper educational facilities and resources, along with apartheid’s devastating effect on our social fabric had created a crisis in education and training of immense proportions. The problem required a new multifaceted approach to co-ordinate the efforts of different sectors of society, within an overall framework for fundamental change.

The inequality of education funding during the apartheid era was shocking. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s 2009 report indicates that certain whites-only schools received 20 times more per learner than the poorest black schools for personnel and nonpersonnel as well as for capital needs.

It is against this background that the ANC firmly supports the budget in the knowledge that it seeks to redress the glaring imbalances of the past and ensure a fundamental change, from early childhood development, EDC, to higher education and training.

In this regard, the expansion of the early childhood development programme should be geared towards ensuring universal access to Grade R and doubling the number of 0 to 4-year-old children by 2014, as identified in the 2009 state of the nation address.

It is commendable that the department has allocated financial resources in the 2009-10 financial year to increase the number of five-year-old learners enrolled in publicly funded Grade R classes in public primary schools and community-based early childhood development sites, from the current 839 to 1 023 by January 2010.

In addition, the findings of a study of the Grade R sector, which was conducted in 2008, should be used to give guidance on how to strengthen national, provincial and district capacity to achieve the 2010 target of universal Grade R enrolment.

However, for the success of early childhood development provisioning, it is absolutely significant for the department to pay particular attention to improving the quality of programmes offered at this level and to employ properly qualified practitioners with the appropriate skills.

All early childhood development funding must also reach the centres on time. A well-resourced and functional ECD sector is essential in improving the quality of the education system and it contributes to ensuring readiness for formal schooling.

In May 2002, a special session of the United Nations General Assembly on children committed itself to a time-bound set of specific goals for children and young people known as the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, in terms of which member states pledged to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger by reducing by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day.

In meeting the MDGs, South Africa has introduced many strategies, one of which is the National School Nutrition Programme. In this regard, the key objectives of the National School Nutrition Programme should be fully realised. These objectives include creating access to nutritious meals for learners from the poorest communities, counteracting short-term hunger and nutrient deprivation, and ensuring enhanced learning capacity. Subsequently, a total of 6 280 489 learners in 18 279 schools were fed an adequate meal in 2008, and a total of 6 503 school food gardens were planted and sustained.

However, the reorientation of the school nutrition programme from its historical grade level focus towards an explicit affirmation as an antipoverty measure is the greatest challenge. To achieve this will require sound policy implementation regarding the identification of the main beneficiaries.

This represents the intersection of schools funding norms and the school nutrition programme, and suggests that the future of both programmes is intertwined. Furthermore, communities need to be given a greater stake in the delivery of healthy food through sustainable school food gardens. This does not only enhance the budgetary value achieved by the delivery of the school nutrition programme, but builds nutrition-conscious communities whose outcomes stretch far beyond the programme confines of the school nutrition programme.

The immediate expansion of no-fee schools to 60% in the current year, as per the ANC Polokwane resolution, is significant in freeing parents from the responsibility of paying school fees, thereby contributing to poverty alleviation.

South Africa’s adult population reflects the disparities of the education policies prior to democracy. This makes the role of adult basic education and training very important as a means to enable full participation in the new democracy and to deliver the improvements sought in the economic transformation of South Africa.

A history of low investment in adult basic education and training and heavy reliance on nongovernmental organisations has left a legacy of low confidence in the system to provide sustained high-quality programmes. Furthermore, strong links between training and employment, particularly through flexible qualifications pathways, provide a structure for adult learners to see progression ahead.

In this regard, South Africa’s qualifications framework permits the recognition of training experienced in a wide variety of settings for conventional qualifications. I will just skip the other matters.

It is criminal for institutions of higher education to return monies designated to assist students when there is a growing outcry for assistance, because many young people from poor families face financial constraints in furthering their studies.

We are happy to announce that government assistance through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme is expected to rise at an average annual rate of 16,6% over the medium term. The increase is in line with our objective of promoting student access to higher education. An important provision in the Act was the establishment of democratically elected governing bodies.

However, it is regrettable to note that some of the school governing bodies, SGBs, are not working properly because they do not have the necessary skills and are not sure about their roles and responsibilities. This happens mostly in poorer communities where people have few resources and where many cannot read and write. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mr S H PLAATJIE: Chairperson, no budget can be appropriate unless it is contextually valid. A contextually valid budget tries as far as possible to respond to the general needs of society. It is absolutely astonishing to find two glaring, inexplicable and unforgivable omissions in the policy formulation for education.

Firstly, there is no policy to deal with the enormous vocabulary deficit within the larger school-going population. Learners who have reached Grade 12 with less than 20 000 to 30 000 words will read with frustration, fail to comprehend adequately and struggle to understand idiomatic and figurative language.

The second omission is the lack of availability of the Worldwide Web; it not being provided in every classroom. Who in the world can do without the Worldwide Web? This question should also be answered. It is obvious why Cope has contended through testing times that a society has not succeeded if the state only prepares children for academic success, but does not develop their values and readiness for responsible citizenship.

The House will definitely agree with Cope that education is absolutely central to poverty reduction and that it plays a key role in delivering sustainable change, opportunity and hope for all children. It is worth noting that children from poor households, rural areas, slums and other disadvantaged groups face major obstacles in accessing good quality education. Cope will strongly support any attempt at investing both human and financial resources in early childhood education and education in general, meaning basic and higher education.

The House will further agree and note that the notion of using matric results as a yardstick for good performance is worrisome. According to the SA Institute of Race Relations, only 10% of learners in the South African school system achieve results good enough for them to enter university.

If we are really serious about quality education, we must revisit our assessment criteria used to allow learners to progress from one grade to the next. Currently, in order to pass matric exams a learner only needs to have achieved 40% or above in three subjects, and 30% or higher in another three. However, in order to gain university entrance a learner needs to have achieved 50% or above in at least four subjects, and not less than 50% in two other subjects. These low assessment criteria play a significant role in dropout and unemployment rates, because most of the matric learners are half-baked.

As a result, Cope believes that our country will not become a successful industrialised economy if the Education department continues to produce inadequate results. In rolling out the non-negotiable mandate as captured in the state of the nation address, we should encourage members of the House to adopt schools, with a view to ensuring compliance, and to further mobilise communities to do the same.

Cope rallies behind the attempts at prioritising the establishment of a youth cadet service, learnerships and internships to get all school-leavers to support our communities and learn the necessary skills to find decent work.

Despite important progress, the majority of teachers are frustrated by the current trend in the curriculum to fast-track learners to exit Grade 12. It is further noted that this situation is causing a problem in various high schools. Is this a cost-containment measure or a deliberate attempt to throw poor children out of school? At this point we need to stop the abuse and answer this question. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. [Applause.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms N W Magadla): Hon Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Chief Whip of the NCOP, hon members, Cabinet Ministers present, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen, as we begin the month of July, which is a very important month in the history of our country, we must remember the important and famous statement by the first democratically elected President of the Republic and the president of the ANC, former President Nelson Mandela, when he said:

Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farmworkers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another. These important words are still relevant in recognising education as the most fundamental tool for personal development. It is against this background, as we debate the Budget Vote on Education, that we should commend our government for having prioritised education for the next five years. We commend President Zuma for undertaking in his state of the nation address to increase government’s efforts at encouraging all pupils to complete their secondary education by targeting an increased enrolment rate of 95% in secondary schools by 2014.

The use of computer laboratories as a tool to improve learning and teaching is still a challenge in many schools. This problem can only be corrected if the department creates a wonderful, first-class academic environment.

As members of the Select Committee on Education and Recreation, we will play a greater oversight role over both the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training. This will assist us in responding to the call by the President that the Fourth Parliament be a house of activists.

In fulfilling our oversight role we will expect the department to fast- track the process of ensuring that schools throughout the country, particularly in rural areas, are equipped with modern library facilities which can increase literacy levels and transform communities and the entire social structure. In responding to the challenges facing our schools, the new and the old schools should be designed to have the following features: computers, a science laboratory, a biology laboratory, home economics facilities, fully equipped administrations facilities, school gardens, book libraries, and state-of-the-art modern classrooms.

We have full confidence that the leadership of the department will ensure that they deliver on their mandate of spearheading the progressive transformation of education in which all people have lifelong learning opportunities which, in turn, contribute towards improving quality of life and building a peaceful, prosperous and democratic South Africa.

We support the reconfigured Education department, which came about as a result of intense public engagement, as this will help to improve the performance of our education system in its response to government’s objective of turning our schools and institutions of higher learning into thriving centres of excellence.

We have no doubt that this will contribute immensely to the struggle of combating the scourge of poverty by creating job opportunities for both school-leavers and graduates by ensuring that training and skills- development initiatives in the country respond to the requirements of the economy.

We have noted in past years from different sections of society that the issue of safety and security is one of the overriding concerns. In intensifying the campaign of advocating safer schools, we will expect the Department of Basic Education to work with provinces on an ongoing basis through the Council of Education Ministers in order to fast-track the implementation of appropriate policies that seek to work collaboratively with school governing bodies, parents and communities with the purpose of focusing on the promotion of safe learning environments for our children, in which human life has equal worth and in which every child has an opportunity to learn and succeed.

Statistics inform us that since 1994, 140 000 students have benefited from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme, or NSFAS, which is aimed at improving the participation rate amongst disadvantaged South Africans. But this scheme needs to be reviewed.

In an effort to develop rural education we would welcome efforts from the department to enhance the quality of education in rural areas by focusing on quality teaching, the restructuring of rural schools, curriculum delivery, education provision, school governance and management, community participation and poverty alleviation.

As the committee, we are happy to learn that President Zuma will meet with school principals in KwaZulu-Natal on 7 August 2009 in line with the commitment he made during the state of the nation address to meet with school principals in an effort to deepen transformation and development in education.

Access to higher education remains the greatest challenge for financially needy students who are academically deserving, but who are precluded from postschool educational opportunities on the basis of being poor. We are not going to accept any excuses from people who want to use a lack of funding as a scapegoat in respect of access to higher education. We know that our government is capable of providing quality education. In the long run, we will propose reviewing the NSFAS in order to facilitate the progressive introduction of free education for the poor at undergraduate level.

In conclusion, in our quest to defend the gains of the national democratic revolution, the committee supports the Budget Vote of the department. I thank you. [Applause.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Order! To the people controlling the monitors up there: This is Ms Magadla and not Mr Magadla. I am looking at the monitors here. Let’s do things correctly, please.

Mr D MASEMOLA (Limpopo): Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Deputy Chairperson, members of the House, hon Minister, colleagues, MECs from provinces and everybody in attendance, thank you very much for the opportunity given to us as a province and the department to come here to make an input on this policy debate of the Department of Education, and on the achievements and challenges facing us, equally mindful of the fact that the details of the work done in the province are well contained in our annual performance plan - our budget speech - which will be made available if so required.

One of the third largest electoral processes in the country, the elections of the school governing bodies, has been launched and successfully conducted by the province. Obviously, at the end of the process, we will be starting very important and intensive work around induction of members on their roles, responsibilities and obligations, as per the SA Schools Act, to make sure that they are able to deal with matters relating to legislation, policy, leadership and management.

Importantly as well, with regard to some of the achievements in the province and as far as our input to this policy debate is concerned, is that our infrastructure budget in the previous financial year was R675 million, which was fully utilised, and over 1 880 projects in the department were completed as well as four state-of-the-art schools.

By the end of this financial year we will be completing 14 more school projects. Therefore, we want to take this opportunity to invite you and members of this House to the Limpopo province, because, starting from this month until March next year, we will be opening these big schools – state- of-the-art schools - almost every month until the end of the financial year.

Seventeen schools have been electrified; 90 water projects have been completed in 90 schools; 982 toilets have been completed; 688 new classrooms have been provided; and 23 laboratories and 169 administration blocks have been completed. We have very good stability in the province with regard to the provision of teacher and learner support materials because almost every year on the first day of the reopening of our schools, children are in possession and have been in possession of their learner material.

So far, as well, our Dinaledi high schools in the province have performed very well because 7 283 maths students passed last year against the national target which was set at 4 000, resulting in the province coming second nationally with respect to the performance of our Dinaledi schools. So far this year we are also very confident as a department that we are going to meet the targets as set and probably exceed them, because we have a committed team of men and women, officials and teachers.

A total of 38 181 officials have benefited from bursaries and internships locally and abroad with regard to their attendance of schooling and training, and also in terms of furthering their educational development.

We have a number of officials attached to a lot of institutions of higher learning in the province and some that are abroad, receiving very important and intensive training in order for them to strengthen, plan and teach and, of course, ensure that the department in the province is strategically located to advance its primary mandate of providing and delivering a curriculum.

One thousand schools have been provided with e-mail connectivity in the province so that we are able to ensure that we bridge the digital divide between and amongst our people and are able to access information both nationally and globally.

We have provided 995 867 primary school learners with nutritious food. Currently, we have rolled out the programme to 518 quintile 1 secondary schools, which will benefit 218 351 learners. All in all that means that 1 248 444 learners in the province will be benefiting from the National Schools Nutrition Programme.

So far, 2 818 members of representative councils of learners have received training in leadership skills, conflict management, democracy education and the code of conduct of good learners in the province. Equally important in terms of some of the achievements, 71% of our schools in the province are no-fee schools, which means that we have already exceeded the 60% national target. We are quite clear - and certainly committed - that in the next financial year, in this regard, 94% of the province’s schools will be no- fee schools.

As far as the continual development of professional teachers in terms of their skills and knowledge is concerned, we have established three centres that specialise in maths, science and technology, commercial subjects and languages. All these centres are aimed at making sure that our teachers continually receive proper training for them to be well placed in advancing their primary mandate and responsibility of making sure that our learners receive quality teaching in our classrooms.

We have also appointed curriculum advisers and deputy managers responsible for governance to continue giving our schools support with respect to governance and professional development in order for teachers to receive good and professional advice in their respective subjects, and, therefore, place the province very strategically to advance this national project of advancing education and teaching as one of the key mandates that this ANC government’s administration is seized with.

However, as we make an input in this important policy debate, there are, equally, challenges that the province is facing and that therefore need our attention, both nationally and provincially. The infrastructure budget of the province has grown to R852 million and the estimated backlog so far to cater to and address 4 015 schools is estimated at millions and billions of rand. At the same time, these 4 015 schools are covered and managed through a budget of R16 billion, which, we think, is not quite sufficient because there are infrastructure collapses and challenges that have to be met in order to intensify and locate the provision of education - there has to be the necessary space for teaching and learning. These are serious challenges facing us.

Just to give an example: The province has five districts in which there are 415 schools that have to be managed. But, in terms of the norms and standards set, we are supposed to have 15 districts of the Department of Education in the province. Therefore, this shows that the department is seriously undermanaged and hence the challenges that I have spoken about. We need to be able to find a way of attending to them. In this regard, the vacancy rate in the department needs to be attended to administratively to give the required support to our schools. So far, it stands at 65%, which is a serious problem and a challenge.

We also still have teachers in the province who do not have the necessary qualifications with regard to the norms as they have been set. This area continues to receive the attention of the department. Educators are equally important as well. There are those who cannot actually be placed in terms of the curriculum requirements. They are in excess in the system. This situation says that the province would have to have a basket of posts that amounts to 57 085. Unfortunately, at the moment, we have only 56 427 posts.

Almost R1,1 billion is required, additional to the current budget, for us to be in a better position to attend to some of these problems that may affect the capacity of the department not just to provide and deliver on its core mandate of curriculum development and implementation, as I have said, but also to practise and locate, within the necessary space supported by the tools of the trade, the required infrastructure that will enhance teaching and learning without any challenge.

Equally important is that in terms of the database of the department’s national electronic infrastructure management system, there are significant challenges experienced in the department of education in Limpopo with regard to facilities in terms of space, condition of buildings, building standards and maintenance.

We hope that this budget will also take us a long way in redressing and addressing some of the problems. There is still overcrowding at schools. We still have schools with dilapidated and inappropriate school buildings. There is inadequate maintenance of some facilities. There is an unacceptable level of public health care at schools owing to insufficient sanitation facilities. There are overcrowded and dilapidated offices and warehouses at the provincial, district and circuit levels. There is also inadequate funding of education infrastructure, as I have already said, in order to address the backlog in space, conditions, standards and maintenance of our buildings.

We also continue to see a problem that we need to work on very seriously. We have already started having our people all over the province attend to some of these matters. Some of these issues also relate to the capacity- building required in the continual development of our officials and teachers to meet the ever-demanding needs of the National Curriculum Statement, which, of course, needs to be well positioned and well informed through proper training and learning in order for our teachers and children to be able to receive this important information.

There is still a continual shortage of maths, science and technology educators, including curriculum advisers. So far, we are clear that working together, we will be able to provide quality education to our people in the province. Therefore, we support this budget. [Applause.]

Ms M L MOSHODI: Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, hon Minister, MECs, hon members of the NCOP and guests, I feel honoured today to be part of the House to lead in the discussion of the most important element in our country, which is higher education.

In the past, regrettably, we never had a choice in the education system that we wanted in our country. But now, through the ANC-led government, we do. As the Freedom Charter states, “The doors of learning and culture shall be opened!”

Why is poverty so widespread and the unemployment rate so high? To answer this question could take me the whole day, but allow me to give the factors that lead to that. The curriculum we had or that was designed for us did not focus on the needs of the country. In other words, most learners completed their Grade 12, but that did not help them because they were not skilled enough to face the outside world.

The ANC, correctly, has a clear position in this regard, and it is that education and training should be basic human rights, that all individuals should have access to lifelong education and training, regardless of race, class, gender, age, sexual orientation, or physical and mental disability.

In other words, every child has the right to be educated. This is embodied in our manifesto in terms of which children have free and compulsory education from Grade 1 to Grade 12. The government provides schools with reading and writing materials, stationery and feeding schemes for free. It even intends to extend the feeding schemes to secondary schools.

The ANC government is also going to provide accommodation for farm learners who travel long distances to schools. Our township schools are being improved with facilities that cater for quality education. Libraries are being built in rural townships to ensure that learners have access to reading materials, computers, and the Internet, in order to improve technology in disadvantaged towns. For example, in Edenville a highly resourced library is in the process of being built. By the way, Edenville is the area I come from in the Free State.

The government of the ANC has also introduced inclusive education in which learners with disabilities attend schools with other learners even though they need special attention. Educators trained in special needs are doing this, and in district offices there is a section called inclusive education. This section takes care of learners with family and personal problems and also assists child-headed households in getting grants in order to eliminate early pregnancy.

Adult basic education is also functional in terms of increasing the level of literacy in our brothers, sisters and parents who were denied the opportunity to learn by factors in the apartheid education system.

Regarding the issue of school governance, the ANC government established the school governing body as a structure with stated powers which takes the lead in the governance of schools. Amongst other things, they are responsible for appointing educators, finances and discipline on the part of learners.

The school governing bodies are trained to ensure that our parents have a role in the education of their children. This, in turn, eases the burden on educators and principals.

The new curriculum, the National Curriculum Statement, is designed to skill learners so that after Grade 12 they become ready to work. This also helps parents because it focuses on the social and educational aspects. One can take the subject of life orientation as a learning area which focuses on the life of a learner. A number of learning areas have been introduced so that there is a variety when it comes to subject choices. The country will benefit because a number of economists and scientists are going to be produced.

The government is also going to provide laptops to teachers in order to enhance their technological and IT skills from the early education stage.

For the first time, our country has two Ministers of Education, namely the Minister of Higher Education and Training and the Minister of Basic Education. This shows that there is going to be transformation in our basic colleges, our universities of technology, or former technikons, and our universities. Government has also extended its funding to universities and technikons to ensure that deserving learners can pursue their studies, irrespective of their socioeconomic background. This scheme is called the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. It will increase the graduate output in areas where there are skills shortages.

All of this is contained in the ANC manifesto, and I am proud to say that the ANC is going to go the extra mile in ensuring that the quality of education improves because we all know that education is lifelong. We all know that education remains the most significant area for youth development and emancipation. What the department needs is our support and not irrelevant criticism.

Despite all the strengths I have mentioned, it would be fair enough to say that there are still challenges that must be addressed in ensuring the attainment of quality education. There is a shortage of science and technology teachers. As good as the National Curriculum Statement is as a curriculum, teachers must be well trained and skills must be well resourced.

There is a lack of discipline on the part of learners at schools. The ANC government must strengthen disciplinary measures in education policies - for instance, the SA Schools Act - without using corporal punishment. The graduate output in skills areas must be increased. This includes measures to streamline sector education and training authorities, Setas. Teachers’ colleges must be reopened. Sanitation facilities must be improved, including the provision of clean water, strong buildings and infrastructure in rural schools.

There should be a rural allowance for teachers who come from far-off places as a motivation for going the extra mile, for example working on Saturdays and during holidays. Another challenge is the training of early childhood education teachers. In addition, the quality of scarce skills education must be improved. Maths, science, technology and English should be given special priority.

In conclusion, I want to recommit myself by saying that the ANC government will always ensure that quality education is provided, as is required of us by the President. Most important of all: Together we can do more. Thank you, Chair. [Applause.]

Mr M QWASE (Eastern Cape): Hon Chairperson, hon Minister of Basic Education, provincial MECs, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, I want to take this opportunity to welcome the presentation by the Minister and her forthright and candid assessment of our education system.

It is indeed true that significant strides have been made in taking our education system forward in terms of the overall quality of our curriculum, the number of learners benefiting through poverty-alleviation interventions in the form of no-fee schools, the National Schools Nutrition Programme, the mainstreaming of early childhood development centres and many other flagship programmes that make up the department.

In line with the Polokwane resolutions and the manifesto of the ruling party, we have declared quintile 3 schools no-fee schools, thus increasing the number of learners benefiting from this policy from 1,2 million to 1,657 million, which now constitutes 81,67% of the overall number of learners in the province. This is well above the 60% that is stipulated in the manifesto of the ruling party.

One hundred and eighty-three quintile 1 high schools covering 174 105 learners are benefiting from the school nutrition programme in the current financial year. The budget for early childhood development has increased from R270 million in the 2008-09 financial year to R367,31 million in the 2009-10 financial year. This will cover the pre-Grade R stipends for practitioners, the training of pre-Grade R and Grade R practitioners, and the resourcing of the foundation phase, including the 91 early childhood development facilities that we are constructing. We have also seen an increase in enrolment in Grade R from 132 599 in 2008 to 141 181 in 2009.

More than anything, though, I welcome your forceful articulation, hon Minister, of the maladies that continue to blight our schooling system. The time for shifting blame and refusing to acknowledge challenges and personal shortcomings is over.

Coming from the Eastern Cape, I would go further and acknowledge that the combative relations with worker unions have also had a significant role in the perennial underperformance of our learners and schools, in particular at the point of exit from the system, which is Grade 12.

In responding to these challenges, we are thus enjoined to find common platforms that will instead focus our energies towards the improvement and acceleration of transformation at all key levels of the system. A lot of ground has been covered in mending relations with our social partners through the resuscitation of the provincial education labour relations council, which creates the platform to address matters of common and mutual interest. And we have also engaged in relationship-building exercises with our unions to ensure that we work together in ensuring that we deliver quality education in the province.

The introduction of the new curriculum statement for Grade 12 last year has not been without challenges in our province. We have had to acknowledge that critical knowledge gaps were experienced by some of our teachers, and that maybe the training we provided was not adequate. We have thus endeavoured to intensify training in addition to providing planning, co- ordination, monitoring, evaluation and support for the implementation of the National Curriculum Statement from Grade R up to Grade 12. We shall continue with the training on the National Curriculum Statement we started towards the end of last year, during which time we covered about 2 400 educators in the general education and training band, and also about 4 000 at the beginning of 2009 in the further education and training band.

To reduce the administrative burden on educators and to ensure quality and uniformity, we have developed lesson plans for all learning areas and for all grades, and these are being distributed as we speak. The department is busy developing the lesson plans for the third and fourth quarters. We hope that by September 2009 the process will have been completed and that all lesson plans will have been distributed to our schools. We hope and trust that this will translate into increased confidence in the classroom by our educators and lead to better education outcomes, as well as to a reduction in the dropout and repetition rates and to an improved promotion rate.

I further wish to concur with the hon Minister that indeed the systematic and historical disparities continue to have a major role in the quality of our educational outputs. The majority of our people in the Eastern Cape reside in the rural areas, which continue to be a hotbed of rabid and unacceptable levels of inequality. With over 800 mud and unsafe schools due for eradication, we are in full agreement with the sentiments expressed in the Minister’s speech on rural schools. This resonates with our own challenges of underdevelopment emanating from the failed homelands project.

We certainly agree that better co-ordination between departments will help to fast-track our interventions in this regard. Indeed, the political will that is displayed by the leadership of government towards the 2010 infrastructure should be adopted to deal with the infrastructure backlogs in the education sector. If we can adopt the attitude we have adopted towards the 2010 infrastructure, we will be able to cover a lot of ground in eradicating the infrastructure backlogs in the sector.

Our own commitment to rural development is demonstrated by our stated endeavour to undertake key infrastructure development in the rural areas, even to the extent of building expensive full-service model schools in the rural areas. Out of the 316 schools that are currently under construction as we speak - straddled over two financial years - the majority of those, that is 258 schools, will be finalised in this current financial year. The majority of them are in the rural areas, including the 12 model schools we have started that are allocated in both rural areas and townships.

In terms of the provision of resources, proper planning and co-ordination have ensured that for the first time in a while the Eastern Cape was able to significantly improve the delivery of learner and teacher-support material ahead of the resumption of schooling for the 2009 academic year. This has definitely helped in boosting the morale of our learners and educators, in that the call — and the insistence — that teaching and learning resume on the very first day of the school year has indeed been heeded by the majority of schools. This has enabled the department to implement its learner-attainment improvement strategy, which is meant to create a conducive environment for teaching and learning from the beginning of the year, thus ensuring that all targeted areas of improvement are given adequate time.

In conclusion, the Eastern Cape has heeded the call to arms in the form of the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign. Besides the provincial launch at Cofimvaba on 2 April 2009, all our 23 districts are falling over each other as they mainstream this campaign through their own unit launches.

The East London district launch in May 2009 brought together all the critical components in the campaign, including parents, teachers, civil organisations, representatives of school governing bodies, learners and office-based educators from the district office. The mood and the spirit suggested to me that there was a growing consensus that the turnaround of our education system was indeed everybody’s business.

Our experience also shows that there is a correlation between poor performance and dysfunctionality in our schools on the one hand and poor leadership in schools on the other. In this regard, we are continuing with the training of the circuit managers on coaching and mentoring in order to assist and support principals and school management teams in improving the management and governance of our schools. Secondly, we are also going to train 2 490 principals in leadership and management of schools. With this intervention we are confident that our schools will become centres of excellence.

We are also committed to being the torch-bearers of the message that has been given and provided by the hon Minister of hard work and resilience, fully aware that education remains the fundamental tool in the transformation agenda of our government. With those few words, I support the Budget Vote. [Applause.]

Prince M M M ZULU: Hon Chairperson, hon members, Minister, Deputy Minister and MECs from the provinces, as the IFP we welcome the fact that we now have two Ministers to deal with education. Hopefully, many of the problems we have been experiencing over the past years will be dealt with in a good manner in every sense, Madam.

Empeleni, mhlonishwa, Ngqongqoshe, kunezinto eziningi eziyaye zingikhathaze emphefumulweni wami nakuba seniye nayenzangcono imfundo yethu emazingeni onke kubalwa nama-Governing Body nje. [As a matter of fact, hon Minister, there are many things that trouble me although you have managed to improve our education system at every level, including the school governing bodies.] My problem, hon Minister and MECs …

… lawa ma-Governing Body, uma kuqashwa othisha ezikoleni – kukhona omama nobaba bethu emakhaya, abangazange balubhade esikoleni kodwa kuthiwa abenze inhlololwazi kothisha. Ngibona ukuthi uMnyango ufanele ukulubhekisisa loludaba ngoba mina ngokwami ngibona kuwukudlala ngabantu bakithi ukuthi benze le nhlololwazi. Kusuka umuntu owenze iBanga Lokuqala noma ongazange afike naseBangeni Lokuqala nje kuthiwe akenze inhlololwazi kumuntu oneBanga le 12. Ngiyacela, Ngqongqoshe ukuthi nikubheke lokho. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)

[… is that these governing bodies, when they recruit teachers for schools, involve our fathers and mothers who never attended school, but are expected to interview teachers. I think that the department should reconsider this position, because I feel that it is ridiculous that our people are expected to conduct these interviews. You cannot expect a person who has only completed Grade 1 or who did not even reach that grade to conduct an interview with a person who has passed Grade 12. I am pleading with you, hon Minister, to look at this matter.]

Coming to the budget in these schools …

… ngiyazi, mhlonishwa, Ngqongqoshe ukuthi ezikoleni zethu sekunezabiwomali. [… I am aware, hon Minister, that there are budget allocations for our schools these days.]

These principals are not accountable to the people…

… ngale mali yabakhokhi bentela. [… regarding the taxpayers’ money.]

We should look at all these things, Minister…

… noNgqongqoshe bezifundazwe. Ake nizibhekisise lezi zinto. Laba bantu kufanele baphendule ngabakwenzile ngoba yizimali zomphakathi lezi ezisuke zisetshenziswa. Lapho uThishanhloko avele nje athumele isheke elingabhalwe lutho kuSihlalo ukuthi asayinde noma ashaye isithupha. Lokho ngikubona kuyinto engahambi kahle.

Okunye, wukuthi ngithanda ukunibongela boNgqongqoshe ngoba niyafika - mhlonishwa uNzimande, nawe Ngqongqoshe. Ngakho-ke ngiyethemba ukuthi nizobheka kahle izinkinga ezikhungethe izingane zakithi ezimnyama ezisemanyuvesi. Kufuneka nazi kahle ukuthi kukhona izingane lapho emakhaya kungenalutho ezifunda khona laphaya emanyuvesi okufanele kubukisiswe kuyo le mali le esuke ikhokhwe nguhulumeni ukuthi bayanikezwa yini abantu ngendlela ekuyiyona yona.

Sengiphetha Ngqongqoshe, okunye okungikhathaza kakhulu wukuthi, ngoba niyafika, ngeke ngilokhu nginibhaxeka ngodaka olwenziwe ngabanye abantu ningekho. Le Mithethomgomo ekhona kwezemfundo kufanele ibuyekezwe futhi kubhekwe ukusebenza kwayo. Okunye mhl onishwa, dadawethu, izilimi zesiNguni kanye nezinye izilimi zama-Afrika kufanele ziqhutshekiselwe phambili futhi zinikezwe amandla zikwazi ukusebenza kuyo yonke iMinyango kahulumeni ngoba asikhona eNgilandi lapha, kodwa sise-Afrika lapho kukhona khona abantu bakithi abamnyama okuyibona abayiningi okufanele banakekelwe ngokuthi kuqhutshekiselwe phambili zonke izilimi zabo. Ngiyabonga, Nxamalala. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)

[… and MECs. Look at these things, please. These people should be accountable for what they are doing, because it is the taxpayers’ money that is used. Some principals just send a blank cheque to the chairperson to sign or to attach a thumb print. I feel that that is not right. The other thing is that I want to congratulate you Ministers, because you have just joined us – hon Nzimande and you, hon Minister. I therefore believe that you will look into the problems which are troubling our black students who are at the universities. You must know very well that there are children who come from destitute homes who are studying at those universities and therefore you must look out for them through the funds that are paid out by the government by making sure that the right people receive them.

In conclusion, hon Minister, the other thing which troubles me a lot is that because you have just joined us, I won’t hold you responsible for mistakes that were committed by others whilst you were not even here. These policies that are in use here in education need to be reviewed and looked at closely with regard to how they function. Another thing, hon Minister, my sister, the Nguni languages and other African languages should be developed so that they can be utilised in all government departments, because we are not in England, but in Africa, where our black people are in the majority and need to be taken care of by developing all their languages. Thank you, Nxamalala. [Applause.]]

Ms L HLONGWA (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, thank you very much for giving us an opportunity to be part of this debate today, following the tabling of the budget by the Minister, the hon Angie Motshekga. We wish to start by congratulating the Minister on her appointment and on being entrusted by the ANC with this very crucial position to lead the Department of Basic Education. We also want to pledge our support to constructively critique where we see shortfalls and be appreciative where necessary.

We draw our strength and comfort from the knowledge that the hon Motshekga, as a disciplined member of the ANC, will deliver and ensure that she effects qualitative transformation in this department, which shall bring about a shift in the manner in which things have been done in the past. This year the province’s focus is on quality of delivery of education, as was launched by the then MEC of education, Ms Cronjé, in Ulundi in March

1. We are pleased to note the new trends in the budget estimates, and that the education outcomes will be improved by enrolling an increased number of Grade R pupils, or, rather, five-year-olds in the public schools, that number to increase from 701 740 to 800 000 by 2010. We applaud this, Madam. The growth in the public ordinary schools allocation is received with humility by the province of KwaZulu-Natal, since most of our schools need renovation and learning and teaching support materials, LTSM. Chairperson, we think this is in line with, or in the spirit of, the Freedom Charter, which states that the doors of learning and teaching shall be opened to all.

The improvement of school management is one fundamental issue that, as the province, we have identified and we want to support. This year we are saying, as the province, that we want to grant all our schools section 21 status and, however, put a clear monitoring tool in place so that this is not abused. In our definition, quality of education is a tripartite relationship model that encapsulates the role of parents and teachers, as well as learners; hence, our resolve to strengthen the relationship among the three main parties.

Teachers remain critical and very important in our task of ensuring quality education for all. When our people were faced with the oppressive impact of Bantu education, it was the teachers who stood up and ensured that we confounded the architects of apartheid by producing doctors, lawyers and engineers. Now that we are free, Madam Minister, we need a similar resolute commitment. Our teachers must commit to a set of non-negotiables: to be at school on time, in class, teaching, with no abuse of learners and no neglect of duty. This was also said by the President in his state of the nation address. As the KwaZulu-Natal province, we are very clear that people must be placed in influential positions because they are fit for a particular task at hand, not because they belong to a particular union.

We are also pleased that the Minister is engaging with the teacher unions to address educational challenges, which range from resources and accountability to curriculum deficiency. We are very fortunate to have the MEC, in the person of Comrade Senzo Mchunu, who has also declared, in the public fora, that we shall be meeting, as legislators, with teacher unions to enhance our working relationship and also curb unnecessary industrial action.

The province takes the issue of effective teaching and learning very seriously in that our MEC, together with the senior officials of the department, have visited a few schools, just to get a feel for what is happening there. We also note, with humility, in the Estimates of Public Expenditure, EPE, that the department will focus on monitoring and evaluation of the management of schools. Without prioritising that, we shall forever be pumping money into something that doesn’t yield the expected fruits. The Minister is correct, Chairperson, that all performing schools have good managers, and this is our conviction, as well, in KwaZulu- Natal.

Hence we are gearing ourselves to ensure that the state resources do not go to waste unnecessarily as the President has made a call that every cent spent should be accounted for. The further focus on the development of teacher competence, by ensuring that teacher qualifications and continuing professional development programmes are of an acceptable standard, receives undivided attention from the province of KwaZulu-Natal, since it is an imperative central to the maximisation of educational outputs. We are very humbled by the Minister’s commitment to accountability and confrontation of all dysfunctional schools, as well as dysfunctional Department of Basic Education offices.

The province of KwaZulu-Natal undertakes to particularly focus on developing the capacity of our teachers, improving the capabilities of our existing educators while training a new generation of teachers, equipped with enthusiasm, values and skills that will be needed to build a new education system. The capacity of teachers teaching mathematics, science and technology remains a big challenge that we think needs strategic co- ordination from this level of government. Programme 4 of the budget estimates talks about this point in that the focus is on 500 Dinaledi schools in 2009. However, we feel that this is too few, if we are to deal with the challenge ahead.

We want to propose that for us to thoroughly deal with this challenge, we need to address the teaching methods and understand the context from which the teachers teach and also the context in which learners are taught. This will be of primary importance to change the disposition of learners towards mathematics and science. Again, it is not about developing content knowledge but is mainly about developing pedagogical knowledge that is appropriate to the school environment.

We are particularly grateful to the Minister for unequivocally emphasising the challenges faced by rural schools, especially with regard to our children who have to walk many kilometres before they arrive at school. Most of those children come from disadvantaged families where abject poverty is the order of the day. Thank you very much, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Mr J J GUNDA: Hon Chair, hon Minister and hon MECs of different provinces, the ID will make a positive contribution to finding solutions to the challenges facing the youth in education. These challenges belong to all of us. We must begin a programme of education, and encourage our communities to play a more active role in our schools because our children are a blessing to us.

There are still far too many parents who neglect their duty to play an active role in the education of their children, simply leaving this responsibility to teachers alone. Sadly, this behaviour is more prevalent in our poor areas. Equally guilty are the many businesses in our communities who also turn a blind eye. We must remind them that unless they make an investment in education today, they will also suffer the consequences tomorrow.

Over the past 15 years we have spent more on education than most other developing nations, and the ID believes we still do not have enough to show for it. We must also invest in human development and build sports facilities at previously disadvantaged schools. The ID remains concerned about the massive inequalities in education, which, we believe, outcomes- based education has made worse because rich schools have the resources to implement it and poor schools do not.

Transformation in previously advantaged schools needs urgent attention. You cannot have a school in which 40% to 45% of the learners are black and coloured children, but there is only one black or coloured teacher. It is impossible to have this 15 years down the line, and it is happening in the Northern Cape.

We need to focus more on reading, writing and mathematics, and each school must be given access to electricity, water and sanitation, a library, a functioning science laboratory and free Internet connectivity. Let me just give you one very important piece of advice today. The Bible says that money is a shelter; wisdom is also a shelter, but the excellency of knowledge is that the preserver thereof has eternal life.

Every school must have a social worker that can identify and deal with problems such as sexual and substance abuse in children. We would like the department to consider replacing the no-fee schools with a child education grant, targeting poor learners rather than poor schools and covering school fees, transport and uniforms. This will mean that schools will no longer have to struggle to collect fees and that poor learners at wealthy schools will also be covered. We would like to say to you, hon Minister, Deputy Minister and Minister of Higher Education and Training, that we hope and trust that the budget that you have received will be sufficient to see to all these challenges – they are big challenges - because if we invest in our children, develop and train them, that is the best investment that we can make. I would like to say, as I would normally say, to each and every Minister in education or MEC in education: if you overspend by building schools and teaching the children, we will support you. Thank you.

Ms J L HARTNICK (Western Cape): Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Motshekga, hon MECs, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, on behalf of the Western Cape education department, I would like to congratulate the Minister on her appointment and wish her everything of the best. I know that she will be successful.

Education is the bedrock of my government’s vision of an open-opportunity society for all. Education lies at the heart of this vision, because it provides our youth with the necessary skills to reach their full potential and fulfil their aspirations. However, our initial analysis indicates that the Western Cape’s education system, while undoubtedly the best in the country, is not yet characterised by the kind of excellence that this government aspires to and that the future of this country demands of us to become a truly prosperous nation.

In order to provide quality education, we have to channel funds back to the classroom and the teacher. More resources simply need to get down to that level and all our decisions will be guided by what is in the best interests of the learner. This entails going back to basics: ensuring that our teachers are adequately trained and present, punctual and prepared, that textbooks are available, and that there is adequate testing of learner performance.

This budget was inherited from the previous ANC administration. Therefore, we will ensure that selected funds within this budget are channelled into new projects and initiatives to bring them into line with our policies and vision for the department of education.

The budget allocated to the Western Cape education department, WCED, is the single biggest allocation in the province. The WCED has been allocated over R10 billion for 2009-10, representing 35,7% of the total provincial budget. Public ordinary school education continues to be the main focus of the department’s funding – it is allocated 81,1% of the budget, with 54,9% of this allocated to primary schools and 38,4% to secondary schools.

Included in the 2009-10 budget are the following conditional grants and earmarked allocations. The National School Nutrition Programme has been allocated R112,5 million to feed 335 000 learners daily. Consolidated infrastructure and maintenance, including the provincial infrastructure grant, will receive R378,7 million. Routine maintenance has been allocated R73,7 million. The HIV and Aids programme will be allocated R14,6 million. The budget for early childhood development has increased by 37,5% from the previous year to total R313,4 million for 2009-10. An amount of R92 million has been provided for teacher development.

Allocations for national priorities are as follows. In order to improve resources and conditions for learning, the Quality Improvement, Development, Support and Upliftment Programme has been allocated R129,2 million. The allocation for textbooks for Grades 10 to 12 to support the National Curriculum Statement is R14,8 million.

In terms of literacy and numeracy, we will embark on programmes to improve teacher training, establish a literacy and numeracy resource hub in each district in the province, and introduce new multimedia programmes for use by teachers. I am pleased to note that the budget for school safety goes up from R14,9 million to R20,6 million. We will focus on initiatives and partnerships among schools, parents, neighbourhood watches, the police and the community. The budget allocation for adult education and skills training is R30,9 million.

Our administration has also proposed a number of initiatives that will reinforce our priorities in this department. Firstly, we will be reviewing and updating the Western Cape Provincial School Education Act of 1997. The Act has not been subject to any revision in the past 12 years while the South African Schools Act has been revised eight times during the same period.

Therefore, the Act must be the subject of a clinical review to bring it in line with potential future changes in the education landscape. Part of this legislative process is the need to review the provisions relating to the establishment of the education council. The provincial government is currently in violation of a statutory requirement that provides for the existence of such a council. If properly constituted, such a council can play a key advisory role in finding solutions to the myriad challenges facing education in the Western Cape.

Improving and enhancing school management is also a major priority for us. We will therefore develop and strengthen performance management systems to ensure that our schools are held accountable for their performance. This administration is committed to telling the truth about what is working in this department and what is not. We will take responsibility for our performance and be accountable to our stakeholders. We will always be conscious that our number one priority is and always will be doing what is in the best interests of the learner. I thank you. [Applause.]

Ms M G BOROTO: Hon Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister, hon MECs and hon members, in 2008 learners across South Africa wrote the same National Curriculum Statement examination for the first time. This marked the completion of the radical curriculum change first introduced in 1997 as Curriculum 2005, and then the Revised Curriculum Statement in 2002.

So it is, therefore, in the interests of all South Africans that the ANC supports this budget as it seeks to ensure the effective implementation of the National Curriculum Statement, including the provision of quality education. Given the challenging postapartheid conditions as well as the short time for implementation, this is a staggering achievement of which South Africa’s education system can justly be proud.

Indeed, the ANC-led government successfully championed this improved, globally competitive and locally responsive National Curriculum Statement. In addition, the National Curriculum Statement is the effective implementation of the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign and it is significant in ensuring success for learners in the system. This campaign gives practical expression to the task of building schools as thriving centres of excellence, as the President alluded to in the state of the nation address. Furthermore, an invariable commitment to the non- negotiables by all stakeholders is significant, as was identified in the ANC January 8 Statement for 2009, and the subsequent state of the nation address.

It is not only teachers and learners who should commit to being at school on time, in class, teaching and learning. There is also a need for education districts to be proactive and responsive to the needs of all the schools. I think the Deputy Minister has alluded to accountability, and if we have these processes in place and have accountability from the district, we are going to go far.

In support of the promotion of excellence, the strengthening of the integrated quality management system - now being externally moderated - and the establishment of the National Education Evaluation and Development Unit contribute to the quest to improve the performance of schools and the system as a whole. Similarly, relationships between teachers and the state should be characterised by an inclusive national discourse that focuses on what support teachers need, and how to achieve quality improvement.

To my colleague from Cope I’d like to say that the integrated quality management system has elements of needs and skills audits and analysis, and with your problem of learners not having the vocabulary and the skills that are envisaged in this programme, that problem will be easily solved.

Furthermore, one of the most significant factors affecting learner performance is teacher quality, and the effect is greater for the poor. In this regard, the provision of formal training as a precondition for promoting teachers to principals and heads of departments is significant in developing sound management and leadership, as indicated by the President in the 2009 state of the nation address. We are happy to learn that the President will be meeting the principals in due course.

Again, I want to say to my colleague in the IFP that when it comes to the appointment of teachers who are qualified and to school governing bodies that you say are not well prepared for this, if we all engage in the Kha Ri Gude campaign that is aimed at educating our adults, we will not have a problem.

The medium of instruction is a critical issue. In the delivery of the curriculum the government is well aware that the attainment of initial literacy and numeracy in the home language for at least four years leads to improved literacy levels. However, the choice of the medium of instruction lies with the parents. It takes two to tango. We come with these policies but the parents keep on dragging their feet. So, it is our job – I say to my colleague from the IFP – to also encourage our parents and show them the need for our learners to be educated in their own languages, at least in lower classes.

Coming from Mpumalanga, the province being a rural area, we are reviewing the best models to deliver quality education to the remote farms and rural schools to ensure that we provide holistic support for learners in poor households. Among other things, we will be using the abandoned boarding facilities and extending the provision of transport to learners who cannot access school very easily. We need to strengthen the capacity of the further education and training colleges to respond to the needs of provincial economies. I am happy that this budget talks to that, and the Deputy Minister has also alluded to that.

Indeed, education is fundamental to the achievement of the society envisaged in the Freedom Charter. To this end, an educated and engaged youth are indispensable to present and future nation-building. Government must intensify the implementation of policies in the education and training sector in order to ensure that it is committed to increasing access to quality education so that quality education is realised. I hope my colleague from the ID realises that we see that policies need to be implemented and monitored.

As I conclude, I must say that we have to be able to support our own involvement in our oversight duties as we will indeed be working together and with communities, agencies and schools, and that we must develop effective plans to better protect the rights of the learner, particularly those of young girls, as well as the rights of teachers. Thank you. [Applause.]

The MINISTER OF BASIC EDUCATION: Chair, in closing the debate, I again want to thank my colleagues who took time off from their provincial duties to join us here. Ntate Masome and Ntate Qwaso, thank you very much. I also wish to thank the representatives from provinces for joining us in this debate. I wish to thank the chairperson of the committee for the preparations and the members of the standing committee and all the colleagues and hon members who participated in the debate.

I think the member of the DA rightfully raises questions about quality and I think if you reread our theme and internalise it, you will realise that the issue of quality is central to our debate. Our position in this debate is that, as much as we think we have achieved many things, we are still confronted with the challenge of making sure that our quality matches up with our quantity. So, I think that we are in agreement on that issue, so there is no debate about it.

I fully agree with the member of the ANC who mentioned the National School Nutrition Programme. Indeed, the school nutrition programme should not just be a feeding scheme; it should also help us to enhance the nutritional status of our children and promote nutritional programmes in our communities. It should be part of a healthy living programme, so that our children are also encouraged and taught through this programme to embrace healthy lifestyles.

A member of the ANC raised an issue concerning adult basic education. Again, I fully agree with the comrade. We have a very successful programme in the national department called Kha Ri Gude. It should, however, also develop working ties with NGOs and with business and provincial initiatives, so that we have a comprehensive literacy programme — not a literacy programme that runs parallel to other literacy programmes. This time we will sort it out, especially in KZN, to make sure that this programme works very closely with other initiatives so that it can spread out and expand.

I don’t intend responding to everything because, as I said yesterday in my debate in the House, education finds itself in a very fortunate situation in that it is able to rise above political and ideological divides. We find that, in most instances, the issues raised by members are issues we agreed on. Perhaps members had to debate because that is part of what they are supposed to do. Basically we are in agreement. Most of the things that have been raised are contained in our strategic plan, and we invite members to study that strategic plan. They will discover that there is indeed much agreement between us.

I can also tell hon Plaatjie of Cope that, at the Congress of the People, convened by the ANC in 1956, the vision of education for all was there. That vision continues to lead all people who believe in the Congress vision. So, all members of Cope are under the leadership of the ANC, because only the ANC can lead the Congress of the People. Any other congress not led by the ANC cannot be the Congress of the People. [Interjections.] My point is that the view and vision are contained in our book. Follow it, Baba, as you want to follow the Congress of the People, because the Congress of the People can only be led by the ANC.

Concerning the issue raised by hon Magadla, we have agreed that the infrastructure is underresourced. We have also referred to the matter. If you want a teacher in class, on time, teaching, there has to be support mechanisms that enable that educator to be in class, teaching. We agree that infrastructure – especially in rural and poor areas – continues to be a challenge for us. Again, we are committed to doing something about it.

What I am quite pleased about is the meetings that we had with provincial ministers of education. I do believe that all of us, whether in government as MECs or as players in education, can confront most of the challenges together. Working together we will succeed. From most of the points that were raised by members you would have gathered that there is coherence between what we are doing and what is being done in provinces. Therefore, I think we will work together as a team.

On the issue of the Western Cape, I think you are quite correct to say that that is an old budget. But our reports are saying that the education department with the highest performance in the country is the Western Cape. In the past five years, under the leadership of the ANC, the province did very well. So, you are quite right. If you have 3 million you possibly have the mandate that enables you to change things, but I think you should be careful not to discard things that work. The WCED is one of the best- performing departments in the country. So, you are inheriting a good infrastructure. Don’t hesitate; grab it and build on it, but don’t doubt that you have a good product in hand.

I also want to say I think Baba uZulu raised fundamental issues and agree with him. The department is currently planning to bring amendments to our schools Act to the House. These amendments should begin to address some of the issues, like nepotism in job interviews. We are also saying that it won’t be a one-size-fits-all solution.

There are capable governing bodies, so we should find a balance. We need to make sure that while we support schools which are not capable of undertaking certain activities, we don’t deny those that are the chance to do so. That is what we are trying to look at and we will be suggesting some amendments.

I also agree with you, Baba uZulu, on the issue of the national school fund. I am very aware that my colleague hon Nzimande is looking at that, because some of the children who we send to institutions of higher learning not only need tuition books and accommodation, but also need a living allowance. They need money for socks; they need money for a few things that sustain them at school. So, hon Nzimande is looking at that. There is a review of the fund to make sure that we can accommodate children who come from the poorest of families. So, again, there won’t be a one-size-fits-all solution.

I agree with the ID on quite a number of things. We are saying that we should support our strategic plan, but also agree that poor children are catered for under Social Development. There is no point in giving a parent R700 and then charging that parent R700 for fees. We might as well keep the R700. So, we won’t give families R700 and then ask children to bring R700 for the fees, because what is the point of giving them the money and immediately taking it back from them?

So, all the other issues are being catered for. Poor children are catered for under the child support grant. Therefore, we expect that some of the needs that you are raising will be accommodated there. So, we will continue to fund schools and not children, because all the things we are providing schools with are things that we know they need. So, we don’t want to go the long way of giving and then taking it back from them. We will continue to do it that way.

Let me conclude by thanking members. I think we have taken note. Most of the points that I have not responded to concern issues on which we are in agreement. We appreciate some of the points that comrades and members have raised. We will integrate them into our thinking and planning and we will definitely only benefit from the comments or criticisms that are being levelled against us, and build from there.

In closing, I again want to thank my colleagues. I can assure the NCOP that, together with the provinces, we are going to work very well. When you visit provinces you will find a coherent programme which will be a partnership between us - the national department - and provinces.

We are developing clear plans which really incorporate provincial work into national work so that we have one seamless system of education which is not fragmented by the fact that we have a national department and provincial departments. We will share these plans with members in due course. We are striving at all costs to make sure that we have only one system of education, and that that system of education is not fragmented by the fact that there are different provinces. So, I want to thank everyone for participating in the debate. It was quite useful. [Applause.]

Debate concluded.

                         APPROPRIATION BILL

                           (Policy debate)

Vote No 4 - Home Affairs:

The MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: Hon Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Deputy Minister Malusi Gigaba, chairperson of our select committee the hon Rasmeni, hon members of the NCOP, later this month on 18 July 2009 the people of our country and indeed the world will be celebrating the birthday of the icon and hero of our people, Nelson Mandela.

Frantz Fanon reminds us that: “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.” Nelson Mandela’s generation indeed fulfilled their mandate and laid a strong foundation for building our democracy with a common destiny and identity. Home Affairs will indeed be joining the people of our country in whatever we do to mark the launch of Nelson Mandela Day.

May I also join the people of our country and the world in congratulating the Brazilian national team on its deserved win of the tournament, as well as all the participants. The success of the Confederations Cup communicates a clear message that our country and its people and indeed the people of Africa stand ready to deliver a world-class 2010 Fifa World Cup.

The Constitution of our country has entrusted our department with a dual mandate. In this regard, we are the custodians of the identity of all South African citizens, critical in which is the issuance of birth, marriage and death certificates; identity documents and passports; and citizenship and permanent residence certificates.

The full spectrum of ID management goes beyond mere issuance of secure documents; it encompasses the safe maintenance and archiving of biometric and demographic records of citizens and persons who have been permitted to reside in South Africa.

The national population register and related records of births, marriages and deaths constitute a national resource that is part of our common cultural heritage. It plays a crucial part in defining who we are as a nation and in building a democratic and inclusive society by enabling citizens to access their constitutional rights. We have to ensure an accurate and comprehensive national population register as a matter of national priority. For this to be achieved, there must be a national effort that involves every government department, all institutions and all South Africans including your good selves, hon members.

The first step is to tighten up the registration of births and to include the mother’s name and ID number on the birth certificate. This is crucial because the birth certificate is the basic document that enables people to be in the population register and apply for IDs and passports. To this end we shall run a campaign to register all children from 0 to 15 years old by the end of 2011. After 2011 we shall ensure that babies are registered before their first birthday and do away with late registration of birth, which is the main entry point for those who want to access our documents fraudulently.

Working in partnership with the Department of Education we shall also run a campaign over the next two years to proactively ensure that all youths from 16 years old obtain an ID. We would also like to delink the capturing of fingerprints from the ID application process to ensure the security of our enabling documents. This will also facilitate the faster processing of the ID.

In terms of Batho Pele principles, our public servants at the frontline desks must be efficient and ready to assist the public and treat them with kindness and dignity. The practice of sending people from pillar to post must end. They should be provided with accurate information on what is required right at the outset. The public needs to be able to identify the officials they are dealing with through the wearing of name tags.

We shall also work with the Department of Public Works to provide infrastructure and create a conducive environment for people to work in. I hope all of us in the department can work together to create a new Home Affairs. Together we will strive to develop a new paradigm in the department with a cadre characterised by new values, attitudes and behaviour.

Corruption, which is rife in the department, eats into the moral fibre of our society, whilst denying the poorest of the poor access to critical rights and resources. We have to act, and act decisively, to rid our department of this scourge. But fighting corruption will require the mobilisation of our nation. For us to succeed, we require a very strong, hardworking and honest team.

There are many vacant posts that should be filled. The current economic constraints have placed limitations on our ability to fill all of them. With the funds allocated for the next three years there will be some progress.

In the light of these constraints, internal skills development becomes more important. I understand that in the latter half of 2008 efforts were made in the department to drive new management approaches amongst senior and middle managers. The training of some specialists, such as immigration officers, has also improved.

But a lot of work still remains to be done in this area. In the long term we shall be creating a learning centre, but in the short term we have to work closely with the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, in training our managers at various levels.

We have begun experiencing some measure of improvement in the utilisation of the department’s 117 mobile units, with respect to providing a more efficient and regular service – especially in rural areas. Expanding the reach of Home Affairs to marginalised communities, such as farmworkers, is one of our key objectives in this three-year expenditure cycle. Mobile units will play an important part in achieving this goal, but we will also require the support of provincial and local governments.

We also established a client services call centre so that people can call and get information on a whole range of services that we offer. This will make the queues fewer and also save money and time for people who live far from Home Affairs. I would like to remind the hon members that the toll- free number is 0800 60 11 90.

In addition to this, we shall have a very small unit that can deal with the most difficult challenges and queries that the public has. People should not go to Home Affairs offices more than twice without getting satisfactory assistance. As soon as this unit is in place, we shall announce it — before the end of this year.

We are also hoping to digitise our records so that we can introduce a phased upgrade of our electronic document management system and move away from filing our records only on paper.

The second area of our mandate deals with effective, secure and humane management of migration. In this regard, we are experiencing significant challenges managing the large number of asylumseekers at the refugee reception centres. We are trying as far as possible to improve services in these refugee centres. In this regard, we will have to expand the number of refugee centres.

The large number of economic migrants applying for asylum in an attempt to regularise their stay in the country points to the need for a review of the immigration policy and legislation. We are also seeking to transform the permitting environment to ensure a more professional delivery of visas and permits, including the streamlining of the processes and regulations where necessary.

We will also continue to enhance the movement control and permitting system that will enable the department to meet its obligations with respect to South Africa hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup. We are also going to be putting in place strong management and governance measures to lead transformation and take control of the operating environment; empowering the honest majority of officials with the right skills and values; and ensuring the out-of-date systems that have been contaminated by years of data corruption are modernised, cleaned and properly maintained.

In addition, we are going to be improving the security of birth, marriage and death certificates, and gradually introducing new security features in the ID documents, including digitised photographs. We hope to eventually have the smart card.

There have been a number of adverse audit findings over the years. This has been a matter of concern to all of us, including Parliament and the public at large. We cannot overemphasise the need to deal with public finances in a prudent and diligent manner.

Whilst, as Amilcar Cabral noted, we should “tell no lies, claim no easy victories”, we commit ourselves to redress these endemic problems whilst working towards an improved audit finding by strengthening financial management and controls at all levels.

The transformation of Home Affairs is a huge responsibility which was begun by Minister Mapisa-Nqakula, for whose efforts we are grateful. We also wish her well at the Department of Correctional Services. I would also like to thank the chair of our select committee, the director-general and senior managers and all the hardworking, honest Home Affairs officials.

In conclusion, turning around Home Affairs is not a sprint, but a marathon. Those who complete the marathon course will do so only because they do not, as fatigue sets in, convince themselves that the road ahead is still too long, the incline too steep, the loneliness impossible to bear and the prize itself of doubtful value.

We too, as Home Affairs, jointly with the people of our country,

…. must together run our own Comrades Marathon, as comrades who are ready to take to the road together, refusing to be discouraged by the recognition that the road is very long, the inclines very steep and that, at times, what we see as the end is but a mirage.

Those are the words of former President Thabo Mbeki. Thank you. [Applause.]

Ms R N RASMENI: Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, hon members, distinguished guests, the Department of Home Affairs’ policy debate before this august House today is informed by the ANC-led government’s mandate, which derives from our 52nd national conference held in Polokwane in December 2007, and also from previous national conferences.

It was at this 52nd national conference where, as the vanguard liberation movement, we adopted policies that are grounded in the commitment to promote, protect and serve the interests of all our people. Whilst taking into account the interests and needs of South Africans, we are also conscious of our responsibilities and duties in relation to being a signatory to various United Nations protocols, conventions and declarations, and other instruments which govern the status of refugees and migration.

Furthermore, we are guided by our 2009 election manifesto that unambiguously commits us to a service delivery culture that will put every elected and public servant to work for our people, and ensure accountability to our people.

Moreover, during the state of the nation address, we were directed by our President, Jacob Zuma, amongst other things, to commit ourselves to the service of our nation with dedication, commitment, discipline, integrity, hard work and passion. Together we must build a society that prizes excellence and rewards effort, and which shuns laziness and incompetence.

As we all know, the Department of Home Affairs is grappling with a range of challenges that can, at best, be described as transient. The Department of Home Affairs’ Budget Vote debate today seeks to introduce us to a period of renewal, as the input by the hon Minister of Home Affairs advised. This, we believe, will provide us with the tools to not only address the challenges head-on, but also to function in an accountable and transparent fashion.

This brings us to the vexing question of corruption in the Department of Home Affairs. As we all know, the Department of Home Affairs is a vital cog in the war on poverty, since its mandate spans the entire lifetime of every citizen who is born and dies in our country. In this regard, they represent the face of the delivery cycle of government and are inevitably the first encounter with government by any person in South Africa.

Suffice it to say that particularly the issue of corruption will be amplified and sensationalised by some members of the House and those with unpatriotic agendas. However, closer scrutiny of the department’s initiatives and innovation in the war on corruption reveals that they are indeed turning the tide, despite their acknowledgement of weak security processes.

Let’s look at the facts. Over the last financial year the department has established a countercorruption unit, resulting in the resolving of information-technology-related risks. This collaboration gave birth to a new system, which can detect potential fraudulent transactions. Monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance with minimum information security systems, and there is evaluation and certification of business processes to eliminate risks in new processes. Over 300 cases have been finalised. This sends out a clear message of zero-tolerance of criminality in any form.

We applaud the department for the digitisation of records in the department and also for the introduction of the smart card programme.

These initiatives and advances are indeed significant and commendable. As the select committee we wish to assure the department of our unfailing co- operation and commitment to the period of renewal.

In contrast to these good initiatives and advances, there are challenges that are still facing the department. I would like to highlight the following issues. To begin with, there is the audit disclaimer that the department has been receiving for a period of years. We hope and trust that the department will be able to deal with this matter as a matter of urgency so that, in the next financial year, when we stand here we report a different story.

Another issue is the maximisation of mobile units to rural areas. The department also has to pay attention to its office accommodation or office infrastructure countrywide. The intensification of the Batho Pele programme is also critical.

Having said that, we can by no means afford to be complacent as the perpetrators are always one step ahead in terms of devising new means and methods. We shall, as we must, remain vigilant.

In our election manifesto of 2009, the ANC pledged to establish a consensus on our future social security system to make it comprehensive and inclusive. We believe that the department will be central to the formulation and implementation of this system, since access to social security is, in turn, central to the mandate of the department. And, as we know, currently, social exclusion remains a bone of contention in all our communities, particularly for the rural poor.

In this regard and in relation to rural development in the context of the developmental state, we wish to urge the department to take up the cudgels for rural communities that do not have secure, efficient and accessible services and documents, since rural development cannot only translate in a narrow agrarian sense. As you know, the select committee, notwithstanding its mandate, namely to exercise oversight and do monitoring, is looking forward to engaging with the department in a robust but cordial fashion. We will, as we must, constructively criticise where criticism is due.

As of now, we are confident in the knowledge that the department will exercise its primary responsibility with prudence and in the national interest. Also, we wish to take this opportunity to congratulate Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on her new role and new responsibilities. No doubt she brings invaluable wisdom and experience to this portfolio. Together we can do more, hon Minister. The select committee will support the Vote. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

Ms E C VAN LINGEN: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon members, this hon Minister inherited the department and this warrants our condolences. This was done, we hope, because President Zuma believes that you will be able to turn this department around. It is a tough instruction. This department has embarrassed all South Africans on an international level. We are sure that even you, hon Minister, shook your head in shame and disgrace. Yes, the department failed the citizens of South Africa, mostly the poor in the rural areas.

It was amazing to listen to all the various budget debates yesterday in this House during which the hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers and members referred to further requirements — developmental programmes, policies, the speeding up of delivery, more resources such as land and financial resources, new legislation, the changing of our Constitution — but, you know, when you look at them, there are two basic requirements. One was for more resources, and the other was for more legislation. But 99% of all our problems could be resolved if there was political will with the following four points: firstly, human resource capacity in a lean, mean government structure; secondly, the elimination of all corruption; thirdly, accountability and responsibility for all actions promised during elections and Budget Votes within the set targets; and, fourthly, the implementation and enforcement of action plans, strategic plans, policies, regulations and all the Acts that are currently in place in South Africa. So, what I’m saying is, let’s just stop faffing around and let’s just start working because that is what we are here to do.

The DA welcomes the Minister’s approach on the differentiation between economic migrants and asylumseekers. We do, however, wish to remind our Minister that her intended policy must also create an opportunity for foreigners, specifically those qualified in scarce skills, to work in South Africa. I have personally had tremendous problems when trying to register foreign young professional nurses, nursing at present being a scarce skill in South Africa.

We applaud the Minister’s efforts and her programmes to bring the services of this department closer to the people. But there still seems to be a problem as one has to wait for three hours in a queue for the second issuing of an ID at the Wynberg office. But, the Minister has turned around or the department has turned around – you’d think she has a magic wand — the first-time issuing of IDs by 50% from 127 days and the second-time issuing by just over 60%. This is really commendable.

Our DA colleagues in the National Assembly pointed out that there is a 34% vacancy rate in the department and that 75% of its senior members do not have the necessary skills to do their jobs. If one puts these two figures together, then there is no senior management in this service delivery business because there are no skills and there are no people, or one or the other. So, we are in a bit of a fix here.

There should be a performance and development management system in place for each official. What we have to understand clearly – even us as we sit here - is that our salaries are calculated at the value that we have to add to the company we work for. The bigger the salary, the more value you have to add. Every single official and every single one of us sitting here must understand that we have to add value. So, with the performance management programme in place, those senior managers who cannot deliver within the first six months must be deployed on ground level so that they can work where the Minister needs them the most.

We need to do spot checks on departments and offices that aren’t working. The DA is offering to assist the Minister in identifying the worst Home Affairs offices in South Africa for her immediate attention.

As public representatives, we have a supervisory role. The Minister has a role that calls for brutal action to eliminate crime, corruption, backlogs and unskilled passengers in her department. The President has spoken and the Minister has now spoken. The DA will hold them and this department responsible for effective and efficient service delivery in terms of their targets. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mr T A MASHAMAITE: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister and Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs, let me first express appreciation on being given an opportunity to express my opinion and that of the committee on the Budget Vote of the department. A loud call has been made on behalf of all the citizens of South Africa. This call has been made on all those who are given different positions of responsibility to ensure that all South Africans have a better life.

Moswana o boletše a re: Lentšu la kgoši le agelwa lešaka. Ge o sa le agele lešaka, o tla swanelwa ke gore o sepele. Se se hlalosa gore Mopresidente wa rena wa naga o boletše a re a re yeng go šoma, gobane ge re šoma mmogo re tla kgona. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)

[It is very important that we respect what our leaders say. If we don’t, we will have to face the consequences. Our President mentioned that we need to work hard and that together we can make it.]

The Department of Home Affairs must heed the call of the President and get down to work, as per their departmental strategic plan. I assume that the department will work hard to realise this vision.

Ka mantšu a mangwe, seboko a se tsene nyobeng. Seboko ge se tsena nyobeng se šoma bjalo ka boro gomme se a bora – se mošomong. Ka fao, kgoro ye le yona e swanetše gore e swane le seboko gomme e tsene nyobeng e e bore. [Disego.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)

[There is a strong emphasis on hard work. The department needs to work hard to achieve its goals.]

Throughout the 2009 election campaign, the ANC reaffirmed our commitment to stamping out corruption in all its many and varied manifestations. This was spelt out clearly in the ANC 2009 election manifesto and was also underscored by our President during the state of the nation address. Indeed, the injunction by the President is clear: that a developmental state such as ours requires commitment to the highest standards of service probity and integrity. These are the critical issues we are conscious of as we grapple with the strategies and mechanisms the department of Home Affairs seeks to implement in order to entrench new value systems.

By far the most urgent and serious problem confronting the department is that of corruption involving syndicates in collusion with some of the officials, leading to the theft or illegal acquisition of identity. This devalues enabling documents and poses a serious threat to individual citizens and to national security. The problem is complex, with deep historical roots, and requires a range of responses, including the active support of government as a whole and of the public. This statement supports the statement that was made by the hon Minister earlier when she said that we need to mobilise the public in order to uproot corruption.

This department has been in the print media for some time in relation to allegations of corruption, and this is still continuing as we speak. The department must fight corruption in a very serious manner if it is serious about giving our people decent services. Fighting corruption is not a favour to the citizens of this country but a constitutional obligation. Section 3(1) in Chapter 1 of the Constitution provides for a common South African citizenship. Also, in terms of section 3(2)(a) of the Constitution, all citizens are equally entitled to the rights, privileges and benefits of citizenship. Section 20 in Chapter 2 of the Constitution provides that “No citizen may be deprived of citizenship.”

A transformed Department of Home Affairs, with a sound anticorruption instrument, is a vital tool to engender public confidence in the actions of government. Although the department’s turnaround strategy consists of 30 projects, which have been the mainstay of its turnaround strategy over the last while, we remain vigilant and wish to impress upon the department that corruption directly undermines the critical national efforts to defeat poverty and achieve the goal of a better life for all. Remember that corruption benefits only a few and harms the majority.

It would be unfair and politically irresponsible if we talked about corruption without talking about the involvement of certain officials. Not all officials in the department are corrupt. But there are certain officials that perpetually and continually have their own strategic plans to commit corruption in the department. If we want to deal with corruption, we must first uproot those corrupt officials so that the spirit of good governance can be realised.

In conclusion, we have confidence that with risk management and the internal controls the department has put in place it can rise to the challenge and defeat this animal which we call corruption. We bring the following aspects to the department’s attention and consideration: mobile unit maximisation; uncollected IDs and those not reaching their owners; the role of centres of excellence; workable systems to manage immigration; the smart card system, port entries; the movement of foreigners; illegal marriages of young girls; registration of children; and the review of legislation.

With these few words, we, from the Select Committee on Social Services, support the department. We are behind the department, particularly on fighting corruption. As the select committee we support this budget to enable the department to discharge its responsibilities.

Ba re šako la hloka thobela ke mojano. Ke a leboga, Modulasetulo. [Magoswi.] [United we stand, divided we fall. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]]

UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo weNdlu, Mhlonishwa Nxamalala, Zuma, mnawami Sekela Ngqongqoshe Gigaba, Mphathi kanye nabasebenzi boMnyango, uNgqongqoshe usekubeke kwacaca ukuthi lo Mnyango Wezasekhaya uyifa noma uyigugu lezwe lakithi eNingizimu Afrika. Ngithi noma nje ukhungethwe yizinkinga dadewethu nawe mnawami, kodwa uma kusetshenzwa ngokubambisana lokho kuzokwenza ukuthi nikwazi ukuhlanganyela izinkinga neziNhloko zalo Mnyango.

Ikakhulukazi ukungena nokuthululeka kwabantu bakwamanye amazwe noma nje kungabafowethu baseAfrika kodwa kufuneka kubekhona umkhawulo, singadlulwa yizwe elincane lasekhweni lethu eSwazini. Uma useSwazini uvakashile siyaye sinqunyelwe izinsuku eziyishumi nane kuphela, sibe sibheka ukuthi singakuphi lapho singakhona. Kwelakithi kukampunzi edla emini, bagcwele lonke le lizwe. Ngike ngathi ukuhambahamba ebusuku ngiyothakatha ngabafica bagcwele yonke indawo laba bantu engingabazi. [Uhleko.]

Ngqongqoshe, nawe Sekela Ngqongqoshe neziNhloko ngiyazi ukuthi kukhona imisebenzi eniqondene nayo. Lama khomishana akhona isibonelo nje, ikhomishani elibukene nokhetho kuthiwa uma ngiqondisisa lizimele kodwa loku kuzimela kuhamba kuhambe kube nomkhawulo ngoba nje kunezintela zethu kule lizwe abazisebenzisayo.

Nayo ke indlela engithi ngiyacela nje kuNgqongqoshe ukuthi niyibhekisise. Kufuneka nibheke ukuqashwa kwezikhulu ezikhundleni eziphezulu ngoba kukhona abantu abadala, engezukubasho ukuthi bawuhlobo luni lwenhlanga abanositandathi 2 omunye wabo unguMphathi Omkhulu Oyinhloko, (CEO) kuyo le nhlangano. Ezweni lenkululeko angeke sikumele ukuthi kungaba khona abantu abanjengalabo. Bese sibuya siya ezifundazweni eziyisishiyagalolunye lapho kusetshenzwa ngezindlela ezehlukene ngoba labaphathi bazitshela ukuthi bayoze bephume ngoba sethola umhlala phansi. Isib. njengoba nginamashumi amahlanu ngizophatha ngize ngibe no-65 ngiphethe ikhomishani lokhetho lapha eNtshonakoloni ngendlela engacacile kahle.

Ikhomishani lokhetho alingasebenzi sengathi umbuso. Kufuneka lisebenze phakathi komthetho nemiqathango yezwe lilandele imithetho eyenziwa yilezi ziNdlu zombili zePhalamende. Kufuneka nenze uphando ngalokhu. EMpumalanga kunezinto ezithile ezibambekayo la okuthiwa uMqondisi Omkhulu waqasha udadewabo emsebenzini. Lezinto azemukeleki ezweni lentando yeningi. Yilokhu engicela ukuthi nikubhekisise. Ngiyazi ukuthi uMnyango wakho mkhulu kangakanani. Nangu noSihlalo esengihlukumeza kodwa-ke wenza umsebenzi wakhe. Ngiyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)

[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson of the House, hon Nxamalala Zuma, my brother Deputy Minister Gigaba, director-general and employees of the department, the Minister has said loudly and clearly that this Department of Home Affairs is the legacy or the treasure of our country, South Africa. I say even though it is beset by a lot of problems, my sister and my brother, if you work collaboratively that will enable you to share the problems with the authorities of this department.

With regard to the issue of the migration of foreigners into our country, though they are our brothers from Africa, there must be a limit. We must not be surpassed by a small country, which is our country-in-law, Swaziland. When we visit Swaziland, they give us only 14 days to do whatever we have come to do. In our country, people do as they please; they are all over this country. I took a walk one night, just patrolling, and I found these strangers all over the place. [Laughter.]

Minister, Deputy Minister and the authorities of the department, I know that you are responsible for certain duties. These commissions we have, for example the Independent Electoral Commission, according to my understanding, are independent, but this independence has limitations because they use our tax money in this country.

That is my concern, which I request the Minister to address. You must monitor the recruitment of officials to higher positions because there are old people, whose race I am not going to divulge, who have Standard 2 and one of them is the chief executive officer of this commission. We will not tolerate having people of that calibre in a democratic country.

Then let us come back to the issue of the nine provinces whereby operations differ from one province to the other, because these officials claim that they will step down only when they retire. For example: I am 50 years old today; imagine if I were to be in a management position until I am 65, managing the electoral commission here in the Western Cape badly.

The Independent Electoral Commission should not operate like a state. It must function according to the rules and regulations of the country and follow the laws that have been passed by both these Houses of Parliament. You must undertake an investigation into this. In Mpumalanga there is tangible evidence that the managing director recruited his sister. These things are not accepted in a democratic country. These are the things that I request you to deal with. I am aware how big your department is. The Chairperson is also abusing me, but he is doing his job. Thank you.]

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: Hon Chairperson, Minister Dlamini- Zuma, my little girl over here, Lerato, who has come to support her father, and hon members, emanating from the redesign of the business architecture of the department, as well as the adoption of a new operating model intended to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our front offices, we shall, commencing in July this year, begin visiting some of our frontline offices to engage our management and officials and thus begin to intervene decisively in front-office operations and frontline services.

This will also give us the opportunity to enforce the wearing of name tags among our officials to ensure strict compliance with the President’s instructions. These front-office interventions will focus, among other things, on: one, operations management; two, customer service; three, front- office renovations to change the look and feel of our offices; and four, process implementation to ensure that the redesigned work process begins to be embedded across the entire organisation.

We will begin to roll out the centres of excellence, which will be model offices intended to provide excellent customer service.

We intend to review our overall management and approach to refugee affairs, which should entail the legislative framework, processes and systems.

Part of this should include a heightened focus on stamping out corruption and the factors that give rise to it. We will also formally establish the Musina Refugee Reception Centre, to be followed in the coming financial year by the construction of asylum-seeker processing offices in different provinces.

We also intend to review and relaunch the campaign against xenophobia, to be anchored on forging partnerships between and within government departments and tiers, and, most importantly, local communities. Greater focus will be given to training, stakeholder management and public education.

We must here today express our concern at xenophobic sentiments which seem to be resurfacing in certain communities. We call on religious and other community leaders, on MPs, MPLs and councillors, to play a leading role in facilitating dialogue and mediation in communities wherever conflict involving our immigrant communities may arise.

South Africa values immigrants, because they make a significant contribution to our economic development and cultural diversity, and enhance our humanity as a people.

Our officials are the mainstay of our department, the pivot around which it is anchored. Without them, there can be no transformation. Accordingly, it is in them that we must make the most significant investment, because no amount of technology can replace them.

In this context, one of the key challenges is to recruit the right people, with the right skills and attitude, and to place them in the right positions.

We will pay greater attention to enhancing the leadership and management cadre of the department through recruitment, training and development. Partly to achieve this, and given that as matters stand there is no training institution in the country that meets our skills requirements, we have decided to introduce the Home Affairs Learning Centre of Excellence, and consequently we will this year finalise its business case and benchmark it with the best practice in both the private and public sectors.

We are pleased to report that we currently have a total intake of 760 young people involved in the National Youth Service in the department, 457 of whom are female and 303 male. At the same time, during the 2008-09 financial year, we had 191 interns, placed in all specialised areas in the department. During this financial year, we plan to recruit 300 youths for the National Youth Service, as well as 200 for the internship programme.

Hon Chairperson, information services constitute one of the most important strategic areas of our work and provide essential support to our core business. Our key target for this financial year is to build the required organisational capacity and stability in the branch, through the appointment of competent senior leadership.

As hon members will recall, the Who Am I Online project, which is intended to integrate our IT systems as a whole, was, at our request, investigated by the Auditor-General and, based on the Auditor-General’s findings, a decision has been made to conduct a forensic investigation.

IT preparations for the 2010 World Cup are advanced, and we are confident that we will have our IT infrastructure ready to facilitate the movement of keen soccer fans.

Hon Chairperson, during the past financial year the Government Printing Works achieved numerous milestones, the most important of which was the construction of the new passport factory and the acquisition of the new passport machine. During this financial year we will conclude the conversion of the Government Printing Works into a government component, which will enable it to recruit and retain the skilled artisans the organisation requires to discharge its mandate and overcome historical problems. Once this process is completed, we will also appoint the board and complete the establishment of the new leadership and management structures.

We can make bold to say that we are well on our way to transforming the Government Printing Works into a modern and high-security state printer. We shall continue this year to acquire even more state-of-the-art machinery to enhance our printing capacity and services and place the Government Printing Works in a position to enhance its competitiveness. We have also made major strides to relocate the Government Printing Works to a new facility conducive to modern and high-security printing functions. We are working with the Department of Public Works to prepare it for these purposes. Meanwhile, the passport factory has moved to a new facility, and will soon be followed by the rest of the organisation.

Once the Films and Publications Amendment Bill is assented to, its implementation will include, among other things, the application of the new governance structure which will improve the board’s efficiency. Furthermore, the Bill will strengthen and widen the Film and Publication Board’s scope to protect children from harmful material.

We are pleased to report that the Film and Publication Board has been accepted as a member of the International Association of Internet Hotlines, Inhope, a move that will strengthen our co-operation with other member countries in the fight against the heinous crime of child pornography.

We will continue this year to wage a sustained campaign against child pornography to meet this obviously growing challenge in our society and, as part of this, we will make further improvements on the Internet hotline we launched last year.

We are working with law enforcement agencies and NGOs, as well as the 2010 Local Organising Committee to ensure that there is heightened focus on child protection against the many paedophiles who will come into our country pretending to be soccer fans during the 2010 World Cup to ensure that the World Cup is child-friendly.

Hon Chairperson, these challenges are many and varied, but, working together, we are certain that we can and will do more. We wish to emphasise that the select committee has to exercise its oversight responsibility, but we expect from it robust engagement, going hand in hand with constructive criticism, as well as suggestions as to what we need to do. Once again we say, working together we can do more. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

Mr D B FELDMAN: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, and hon members, our citizens will now have to apply for visas to travel to the United Kingdom. For every person who objects to this requirement, with the cost that goes with it, one thought will arise: All of this is on account of Home Affairs, the epicentre of corruption in our country.

Government accepts that corruption involving the department’s employees and national and international criminal syndicates has seriously compromised the security of our state, as well as the integrity of the documents issued by the department. It is not sufficient on the policy side to merely look at a national population register to check corruption. A national population register is a step in the right direction but only if it can be effectively implemented. Has it been implemented? What has government to say on it?

Government should also look at amending further the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1997, to include corrupt officials for mandatory minimum sentences of 20 years if found guilty of corrupt practices. Many government officials are the greatest enemies of the state and the greatest lawbreakers.

Nepal has now introduced pocketless trousers for customs officials to prevent them from slipping bribes into their pockets. Government should also have established a hotline to allow for easy and instant reporting of corrupt practices. A special police unit should also have been in existence to bring corrupt employees and syndicate members to book.

Cope believes that a passport should only be issued to a person who has resided permanently at a given address for a certain length of time and who can furnish a family tree. The department should also require that utility bills in the person’s name to prove long-standing occupancy, driving licences, banking details, title deeds, marriage certificates, school, college and university reports, payslips, etc, be furnished. Special accredited commissioners of oaths, who know the applicant personally and can vouch for him or her from personal knowledge, should verify the accuracy of the records before they are submitted to the department.

We would also like to see an array of biometric technologies being implemented in the travel and identity documents Home Affairs issues to improve airport security, strengthen our nation’s borders and prevent identity document theft. We have also read in departmental documents about Home Affairs developing IT applications for advanced passenger information and advanced passenger profiling systems. Has this been developed and was it piloted during the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup? If so, how effective was it? If a television crew was to descend on any Home Affairs office tomorrow anywhere in the country, it would record how nothing has changed though everything has changed. It is beyond the capacity of government to detect that which any journalist can dig up without great effort. Surely a policy should have evolved to improve waiting time and to stop intermediaries from functioning inside or outside Home Affairs offices.

Finally, what is government’s attitude to negotiating with role-players regarding the right to use polygraph tests? We cannot afford to do too little, too late. I thank you. [Applause.]

Ms D Z RANTHO: Deputy Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, director-general, officials of Home Affairs, hon members of this House, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to pass on my greetings to the House at large. Our President said clearly in his address that we are here because of the mandate given to us by the people on the ground. Also, we need to do our work as much as those working in the government sectors must do their work.

There has been an ongoing outcry about the issuing of identity documents and other documents. People apply for identity documents but what they constantly experience is that these documents do not reach them in time and, in other instances, do not get to their destinations. Officials keep some of the identity documents which do not belong to their areas, thus disadvantaging people in accessing their rights.

These documents are our lives. The loss of them at any given time can result in a mess in someone’s life. If they are not issued in time, someone is not exercising his or her right. If there are identity documents, hon Minister, in the offices, let those identity documents be collected and use volunteers to distribute the identity documents within the communities and use a very close monitoring system for that. For this purpose, you can also use the mobile systems to bring the service closer to the people.

This department must also promote social security in society. It is this department that manages the ins and outs of this country by managing migration. People who are asylumseekers must know where the line is drawn. If the border gates could be thoroughly and closely monitored, no illegal immigrants would be able to get into our country. Illegal immigrants are also helping in committing crime, thereby increasing the country’s crime rate.

The smart cards that are to be issued by the department are long overdue. We have been waiting for them for the past two years. The 2010 soccer World Cup might also bring in more illegal immigrants who will not want to go back to their home countries after the event. From this day onwards, hon Minister, security must be tightened by taking the necessary precautionary measures to avert this from happening.

Officials that are found to be corrupt must be brought to book and be charged accordingly. Put up systems that are effective, efficient and integrated, and that will minimise corruption by the officials. The department must update and maintain the national population register. Security measures must be tightened to assist in preventing officials from fraudulently entering individuals’ information. In our identity document campaigns we should also teach our people that it is important to keep an identity document and what it does to the economy of the country to always repeat what has already been done.

Put up more asylumseeker points of entry in all provinces. Also, try to works hand in hand with the local government to identify illegal people and use the voters’ roll because, for sure, those people did not vote and are not on our voters’ roll. Each and every office should have a hidden camera, because this could help in combating crime and prevent illegal identity documents.

Without doubt, the ANC’s policies on crime prevention, particularly with regard to organised crime, are working. The department alone cannot achieve the desired results. It needs us, as Parliament, and the community to assist in combating any wrongdoing. It is advisable, therefore, that this department work hand in hand with the health and social services departments if we want to speed up and improve service delivery.

Madam Minister, the strengthening of the anticorruption unit will be highly appreciated and supported. We put this on our shoulders, as a Parliament and as the ANC, because we know that there is no other government that can do this, and there is no other government that could do it better than ours. Hon Chairperson, it is only the ANC-led government that knows that working together we can do more. That is why the opposition parties, as you have heard, are making a noise because we are a moving vehicle. Hon Chairperson, this budget may not cover everything to one’s satisfaction, but it is mostly welcomed and supported. I thank you. [Applause.]

The MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: Deputy Chairperson, I’d like to thank all the hon members, led by the chairperson of the select committee, hon Rasmeni, and all participants in this debate.

I think this was a very good debate for us, because all of you had positive suggestions to make. I think if we could all do that, work together and make suggestions, that would help a lot. [Interjections.] Yes, we can all do more.

I’d just like to respond to what hon Rasmeni said, by saying that I agree with her and the President, that indeed we should shun laziness and incompetence and make sure that people work hard and are efficient. Of course she’s right, the department has started fighting corruption. She mentioned the fact that more than 300 cases have been completed and that many of those officials would have been dismissed. But, unfortunately, that is not the end, and we are the first to admit it.

Regarding the challenges of a disclaimer, as I said in my opening remarks, we are working very hard on that because we don’t want to see a disclaimer ever again. Of course, it might not be easy to move from a disclaimer to clean, so there has to be a gradual improvement over the coming years. I think what we should be looking at is gradual improvement, and that’s what we are going to be working on. Hopefully, eventually we’ll get to a point where we get a clean audit.

In response to the hon member of the DA – where is she? – I’d like to agree with you and take up your challenge to go around during the recess and constituency period. I don’t want you to look only at the bad things at Home Affairs, but also to tell us about the good ones. Indeed, I’d like to urge all hon members to look at Home Affairs as part of the work they’ll be doing during every recess. Make it a point to pop in and do spot checks, see how things are and talk to the manager if there are things that are wrong. Tell them that you’re an MP and this is what you have seen.

That’s why I’m saying turning Home Affairs around has to be a national effort. The MPs are going to be critical in that. So, I want to agree with you, but also ask all hon members to do that during recess and give us feedback. We really have to get this right.

Of course, I may not necessarily agree with you when you say that we need a very lean and mean department, because Home Affairs is a very labour- intensive department. You have to make sure that people fill in the forms properly. Even if we have a live capture that is done properly, it all has to do with people. So, we can’t be as lean as maybe other departments. It’s like Education and Health; those can’t be lean because they are labour- intensive departments. So, we’ll do our best, but we can’t be that lean.

Of course, I also want to say that we have been improving. You mentioned that we have improved on the first ID. On the reissue, we can actually issue you with a temporary ID on the same day, and I think we can’t go beyond that. We can’t give you an ID in less than a day. So, we are at our best. We can make it shorter, but we want to be able to verify that you are a South African. That’s the reason you have to go to the offices where we can verify with your thumbprint that indeed you are on our population register, before we give you an ID. So, there, I think we have done very well.

Of course, we will also be improving our mobile units. We’re going to be equipping them so that indeed they are like a Home Affairs office on wheels, and they can provide everything that you can get at Home Affairs.

We are going to be filling posts, but we don’t want to rush into filling posts just for the sake of it. We have to make sure that we get competent professional people to fill them. During recess, we will be interviewing deputy directors-general, because we need to fill four such positions, which are vacant. So, we will be doing that. They should then make sure that they recruit competent people below them.

I just want to also agree with …

… Mageba, siyayizwa into oyishoyo ngeKhomishani Lokhetho. Lokho okunye okushoyo sizokubheka kodwa ubuqinisile uk uthi noma iKhomishani Lokhetho lizimele kodwa ke lisebenza phakathi komthetho nemigomo yalapha eNingizimu Afrika, ayikwazi ukuphumela ngaphandle.

Uma kuyiqiniso ukuthi bathatha odadewabo babafake emahhovisi kuzofanele sikufakele izibuko lokho, ngoba akuyona into okufanele yenziwe. Kodwa ke sizoyibheka. Nalena yokuthi kukhona izikhulu eziphezulu eziphethe (senior managers) abaphase isitandathi 2 sizobheka ngoba kwesinye isikhathi mhlambe sekukhona nokuthi banesipiliyoni, asazi. Ngakho ke sizobheka ukuthi yisiphi isidingo esiye senza ukuthi kube njalo.

KuMnumzane uFeldman weCope iziphakamiso azenzile ezinye sizozibheka kodwa … (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)

[… Mageba, we understand what you are saying about the electoral commission. We will consider some of what you are saying, but you were right when you said even though the electoral commission is independent, it is working within the laws and regulations of South Africa; it cannot be excluded.

If it is true that they employ their sisters as office bearers, we will have to investigate that, because that should not be done. But we will look at it. We will even look at whether there are senior managers who passed Standard 2; at times this might happen because they have experience, but we do not know. Therefore, we will look at why that is so.

We will look at some of the suggestions made by Mr Feldman of Cope, but …]

… I just want to say, yes, during the Confederations Cup we did pilot some of the visas, such as the events visa, for instance. But, unfortunately, we piloted it only with Egypt. It worked fairly well, because you need to produce a ticket so that we know you are going to the event, and then you get an events visa free of charge. So, we hope that we will be able to do that to an even greater extent during the Fifa World Cup.

I’m running out of time, but I didn’t use all my time during my opening address. If I don’t respond to some of the issues, it will not be because I didn’t hear them, but because we agree with some of them as they are just constructive suggestions that we will be looking at.

But, I just want to dwell a bit on the issue of foreigners. Foreigners in our country, as I said, can be classified into three groups, actually. There are those who are genuine asylumseekers who are running away from persecution. These are in the minority. Then there are those who are here because they have scarce skills; they are those who have their entry into the country facilitated. If you know of any foreigners with scarce skills amongst those whose entry into the country is facilitated, who have difficulties getting permits or visas, let us know.

Then there is the third category, which is in the majority, that is economic migrants. Such people come here not because they are persecuted, but because they are looking for opportunities. I think we must be careful not to say that they are the ones who fuel crime and who do all these things. Just as there are criminals in South Africa, there will be criminals in Mozambique and in Zimbabwe. Some of them, indeed, may find their way here, but a big portion of crime in this country is probably accounted for by South Africans, and we should not lose sight of that.

Secondly, the reason we are saying that we want government to agree to a policy of separating the asylumseekers from economic migrants is because we want to be able to get everybody who comes into the country documented properly. Then we’d know where they are; what they are doing, unlike uMageba.

UMageba othi, uthi uma ehamba ebusuku ethakatha ababone begcwele yonke indawo kufanele sibazi ukuthi baphi, benzani, uma besebenza basebenza kuphi futhi kanjani. Ngakho ke yingakho sifuna ukuhlukanisa khona sizokwazi ukubasheshisa ngoba… (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)

[It is Mageba who says, when he walks at night patrolling he sees them all over the place; we have to know where they are, what they are doing, where they are working and how they are working. Therefore, that is why we want to separate the issues so that we are able to speed up the process because …]

… processing the asylumseeker is a very long process; it can take years to complete, yet you know that these people are not asylumseekers. But, if they lose the case, they appeal and the appeal process takes long. If there was an opportunity for them to just register as economic migrants, we could do that very quickly. So, that is the reason we’d like to change that process.

With regard to IDs that are in the offices, yes, I can give you, Comrade D Rantho, a breakdown. As we speak, there are just under half a million IDs that have not been collected countrywide. By the end of the first week in June, there were fewer than that. However, their number is now increasing. One of the campaigns that MPs must help us with is to encourage people to look after their IDs. These are lean times; we don’t have money. We can’t be producing and reissuing a million IDs that people don’t even bother to collect afterwards. People misplace their IDs and now that they have been reissued, they don’t care to collect them. It’s going to be very difficult; if our budget is cut, that’s where we are to cut – on reissuing of IDs. So, people must look after their IDs.

Abantu abanakekele omazisi babo njengezikhali zamantungwa. [People must take good care of their IDs.]

They must look after their IDs as though their life depends on them.

I’d like to thank you for your indulgence. We will meet again and continue our discussion, but thank you for supporting our budget. [Applause.]

Debate concluded. APPROPRIATION BILL

                           (Policy debate)

Vote No 26 – Housing:

The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Chairperson, thank you for giving us the time to brief you about our Budget Vote. In a way this is my maiden address, but I think I have been here before. Let me start by saying as a former Premier of Gauteng … [Laughter.] … one can honestly say that it is great to be back here in the National Council of Provinces to share with you as representatives of your provinces as well the thinking that drives our new mandate as Human Settlements.

This Budget Vote covers what is still defined as the Housing Vote in terms of the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. Our presentation will consist of three parts: firstly, the concept of human settlements; secondly, the current housing situation; and, thirdly, the consequential challenges of our new mandate.

In understanding our approach, we need look no further than the Constitution of our own Republic, where the very first value referred to in the very first line of the first chapter is that of human dignity.

The concept of human settlements, which recognises the centrality of human dignity, may be a new one to many South Africans. Yet it has been part of the global developmental lexicon for many years, having been first adopted at the United Nations global habitat summit in Canada in 1976. It gained ground at another UN conference, this time at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg in 2002. The 52nd national conference of the ANC in Polokwane in 2007 took this concept further, where several resolutions committed the new government to the promotion of human settlements.

Ultimately, in both his state of the nation address and Budget Vote, President Jacob Zuma formalised this concept with the establishment of the new Ministry of Human Settlements. He said, and I quote:

… housing is not just about building houses. It is also about transforming our residential areas and building communities with closer access to work and social amenities, including sports and recreation facilities.

Chairperson, this concept was also referred to by the last Minister of Housing, Dr Lindiwe Sisulu – we say “last” because that department has now gone - in what we call the Breaking New Ground policy, which outlines the need for a human settlements plan.

But what is the letter and spirit of this concept? This is actually contained in the Freedom Charter, long before the Vancouver conference in Canada or the world summit, and long before Polokwane. That Congress of 1955 demanded: “There shall be houses, security and comfort.”

Mindful of the consequences of apartheid social engineering, the Congress demanded that, “All people shall have the right to live where they choose, to be decently housed, and to bring up their families in comfort and security.” It went on: “Slums shall be demolished, and new suburbs built where all have transport, roads, lighting, playing fields, crèches and social centres.”

In this respect, our task, in terms of the government’s Medium-Term Strategic Framework, is clear: that is to restore human dignity in line with the Constitution, to address spatial inequalities and to provide comfort and security for all in our country, black and white.

This we shall achieve by planning and building human settlements in an integrated, co-ordinated and holistic way. These must be places where people can play, stay and pray. They should be pleasant, landscaped communities where people live, learn and have leisure.

To achieve all this requires a new approach, a paradigm shift beyond housing. It is about homes. It is not just about a change of name from Housing to Human Settlements; it is about a change of mind-set, taking us from a concept to concrete reality. Let me briefly reflect on the work of the Department of Housing as it stands. Some of the key developments are the following. Expenditure on housing service delivery has increased from R4,8 billion in the year 2004- 05 to R10,9 billion in the last financial year, increasing at an average rate of 23%. Funds allocated to national pilot projects for this financial year include R400 million for the N2 Gateway, R120 million for the Zanemvula Housing Project and R150 million for disaster relief in KwaZulu- Natal.

The roll-out of housing delivery is a key function of provincial government and our department’s main cost driver is the integrated housing and human settlement development grant to provinces. This accounts for 92,6% of the total budget allocation of R13,5 billion in the current financial year. It should be noted that expenditure in this area during the year 2008-09 exceeded the allocation in view of the fact that the Mpumalanga provincial treasury allocated the provincial housing department R100 million to facilitate the acceleration of housing delivery and to finalise prioritised incomplete projects. The leadership in that province needs to be commended.

Regrettably, the national department had to reduce the Eastern Cape’s allocation and reallocate it proportionately to three provinces. We reallocated R270 million: Gauteng received R152 million, the Free State R68 million and Mpumalanga R50 million. This was to avoid a situation in which appropriated funds have to be sent back. This underspending is an issue which concerns us and we intend to keep in close contact with the various MECs to ensure spending stays on track.

At the same time, we will be engaging with our members of executive councils around the number of qualified audit reports which are emerging both at provincial and local government level. We all should understand what qualified reports mean: unspent funds — they go back; no projects on the ground whilst people are suffering.

Going forward, additional funds are being allocated to provide for large- scale upgrades of informal settlements and the alignment of the national housing grant with inflationary price increases. Although the housing grant allocation has been increased over the 2009 MTEF period, we remind you once again that the previous studies by the department concluded that continuing with the current trend in the housing budget would lead to a funding shortfall of a very staggering amount: R102 billion by 2012. At the same time, if this trend continues to 2016, it will amount to a backlog of R223 billion.

We have also strengthened our resolve to provide housing assistance to people living in shacks, who constitute the bulk of the housing backlog. The rural housing programme remains a key housing intervention, and new initiatives are in the pipeline to accelerate the development of quality rural human settlements.

Let me now turn to the question of corruption. This remains a major challenge across the housing delivery environment. To ensure we identify and act against criminals, we have strengthened our partnership with the Special Investigating Unit, SIU, and taken stern action against offenders.

To date, a total of 772 public servants have been charged, of whom 554 have been convicted. More than 1 600 acknowledgements of debt have been signed in respect of nonqualifying government employees, with a total value of R19,8 million of public funds. Millions have already been collected by the SIU from nonqualifying illegal beneficiaries.

Let us now come to the question of the consequential challenges of our new human settlements mandate. From the outset, let me emphasise that ours is effectively a brand-new Ministry with, for the first time — and there she is — a brand-new Deputy Minister, the hon Zoe Kota-Fredericks. [Applause.] And much of what we are undertaking in terms of human settlements is also brand-new.

In addition, all the provincial MECs are new to their portfolios. However, they are nonetheless a dynamic team of men and women, with whom we have already held two successful meetings or lekgotla, otherwise called Minmecs. These meetings have played an invaluable role in shaping our thinking as Team Human Settlements, together with our senior management team in the department, led by director-general Itumeleng Kotsoane and our partners in the various housing institutions.

Internally, as the Ministry and the Department of Human Settlements, we are examining the implications of the broader definition of human settlements in terms of our mandates, policies, procedures and programmes, as well as the capacity that we have.

We also have several legislative proposals in the pipeline to accelerate the achievement of the ideal of human settlements — for people as well as to strengthen the legal environment. These will include the following four: amendments to the Housing Act; the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Bill; the Community Schemes Ombud Service legislation to establish a dispute resolution mechanism for all community housing schemes; and, in addition to the above-mentioned, the Land Use Management Bill is being piloted by the Department of Land Affairs. That is quite critical for us. At the same time, we will be tabling a new national housing code, which is required in terms of the Housing Act of 1997. The housing code of 2009 was approved by the Minmec in February of this year.

It must be clear by now that, as much as we aim to address the housing needs of all South Africans and build integrated communities, our chief focus is the needs of those South Africans who are on the receiving end of economic negativities. That is the poor, as well as the poorest of the poor, where the former qualify for government subsidies and the latter, who live in shantytowns, qualify for nothing.

Shantytowns exist throughout South Africa, where townships or “slaapdorpe” [dormitory towns] were built under apartheid far away from urban areas. This was taken to horrific extremes in many places such as Ekangala, where people depart for the city of Tshwane as early as 4am, spending hours on the road. Heaven only knows what time such people had to get up to travel to work.

This government has made tremendous gains in breaking the housing backlog and the number of new homes built is second only to China. But this must not mean that houses should be of a poor standard or that quality is compromised in the interests of merely chasing numbers.

Consequently, it is crucial that we work closely with the planning and monitoring Ministries in the Presidency. In our department we already have our own monitoring unit to assess the quality and quantity of homes as well as the National Home Builders Registration Council, NHBRC, and we will be collaborating with the relevant Ministries within the Presidency. That is the National Planning Commission as well as the Ministry in charge of performance monitoring and evaluation.

Similarly, we will focus on heightening co-operative governance with provinces and municipalities to harmonise the national, provincial and local government in order to continue working together. We will also work closely with the SA Local Government Association, Salga, as well as with the SA National Civic Organisation, Sanco.

Increased interaction with local government will, for example, enable us to redress existing developmental gaps in more established communities such as Soweto, Langa and so on, where apartheid spatial planners deliberately neglected the need for community services and facilities. It is important that we avoid perpetuating the same apartheid spatial development strategies.

A golden thread runs through all our initiatives: that is, consultation and community involvement for community development. We plan to work closely with communities, contractors, regulators, and other stakeholders.

The corporate sector is a key partner in ensuring we meet our objectives. We will be engaging with captains of industry as well as high net-worth individuals towards consolidating new partnerships with the private sector. This would be in recognition of the fact that working together we can do more. A consultative meeting will be held with business in the coming months to explore ways and means of addressing the dire situation of the unbanked and people who do not qualify for credit.

It is well known and appreciated that many players within the corporate sector are committed to social investment as well as responsibility, but our new engagement with them will be about going the extra mile for the sake of our people. We trust and believe that the corporate sector will come on board.

In the current situation, the global economic downturn is of fundamental and critical concern to us as Human Settlements, as it negatively impacts on our endeavours, now and in the foreseeable future. This situation is worsened by the current economic recession in the South African business cycle.

This does not paint a rosy picture. In revenue collection terms, this situation has had a serious effect on the fiscus, which could lead to decreases in budget allocations, with potentially harmful consequences for all departments of government in the future.

In our own sector we are already feeling the pinch in the prices which are increasing on the property market, in building materials, and in access to housing finance. Many people have lost their jobs or are in the process of losing their homes and household contents. On a broader level, an ongoing global slowdown in spending and investment is likely to impact on the government’s ability to meet some of the targets of the 2014 United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The other global phenomenon we need to factor in – and this is important – is that of planning for urbanisation. UN-HABITAT has pointed out that this century, the 21st century, is in fact the Urban Century when, for the first time in history, the world’s population will predominantly be living in cities. We must be prepared for this eventuality and identify its problems as well as its opportunities.

Yet, there must be no equivocation that the 21st century must also be seen as the one in which South Africa must grow from being a developing to a developed country. There must be an active realisation that this is what our government is working towards as we develop human settlements, because Human Settlements is not about upgrading squatter camps. It is about putting up new cities. A question we can ask is: How many cities have been built in South Africa since Nelson Mandela was released? It’s a challenge.

Lastly, but most importantly, let me emphasise that we will require the support of the hon members of the NCOP, as well as the Select Committee on Human Settlements in particular, if we are to succeed in our mission. Chairperson, I began this presentation by explaining the concept of human settlements in the context of the Freedom Charter. Let me conclude my presentation by telling you what I was doing last week, together with a team of us, on 26 June 2009, the 54th anniversary of the signing of the Freedom Charter. On that day we were privileged to hand over certificates to a number of youths – volunteers - who had taken part in our annual Youth Build programme which encourages young people to get involved in home construction. In this case the youth volunteers were members of the Eshowe community in KwaZulu-Natal who participated in new home building schemes in a suburb called Sunningdale. The houses they built, 76 for that week, were for the elderly. [Applause.]

Because of good corporate governance we were able to celebrate the creation of a new community - a community with trees, grass, and vegetables – thanks to collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Department of Water Affairs. We urge you to contribute in getting this message across. We believe that the NCOP has a duty, not only to hold this Ministry accountable for the development of human settlements as well as budgetary expenditures, but to also join us in educating beneficiaries on the importance of taking care of and maintaining the assets that we provide people and the environment within which such assets are located. When you provide people with a house, that becomes an asset and the people can use it for all sorts of things.

In doing so, we are asking you to echo our message - and we said that yesterday to the National Assembly - to address the pervasive and negative entitlement mentality that exists among some individuals within society, who only see government as something that gives handouts. It is important for people to also begin to assume responsibility.

Finally, as Team Human Settlements we know the difficulties that confront us. We understand our mission. We foresee the challenges. It is not going to be an easy task, particularly given the current economic constraints. And we know we have to be extremely careful with every cent we spend. After all, it is public money, contributed by South African taxpayers, both rich and poor.

We know and trust that we shall have the support of this House, both for our activities and for the expenditure that is outlined in our Budget Vote. The commitment that we make in return is that as accountable political leadership, together with our MECs and our management team, we will put our shoulders to the wheel on the basis of sound principles and good governance to ensure success, knowing quite well that this calls for hard work, diligence and serious commitment. Chairperson, I thank you. [Applause.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms N W Magadla): Thank you, hon Minister.

The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: I should have said, Chairperson, with your permission, to Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, that I’m prepared to exchange some human settlements for some IDs, because she has quite enough of those. [Laughter.] I thank you.

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms N W Magadla): Thank you, hon Minister. I now call upon hon member M P Sibande, the chairperson of the Select Committee on Public Services.

Mr M P SIBANDE: Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, I feel honoured once more and again want to thank all South Africans who voted in the last elections. In Mpumalanga in particular, 1,3 million people cast their vote, with 1,1 million voting for the ANC. These statistics prove beyond a doubt that the majority of the people in our province believe in the ANC as the only party that can make their dreams come true in terms of service delivery.

Malunga Ahloniphekile eSishayamthetho, kunempandana ebizwa ngokuthiwa ulamthuthu. Ulamnthuthu uphila ngokuphiwa ukudla adle asuthe ehlezi phansi, bese ezithumela khona lapho ehleli khona. Kwazise belu ukuthi unkabi akakwazi ngisho nokuzigolela intethe yodwa le.

Nathi-ke kule Ndlu yeSishayamthetho sakubona lokho ngesikhathi sizigayela amavoti. Thina abakwaKhongolose, ngisho belu u-ANC, sawaxwayisa amanye ameqembu ukuthi azozisola, azokhihla esikaNandi isililo emva kokhetho futhi azoyikhotha imbenge yomile ngoba azobuya elambatha. Ngoba thina bakwa ANC, ngokhetho, asisinisi mahleza - sibhaxabula ngesibhaxu kuphela.

Mangingakhohlwa futhi nokuhalalisela umholi we-DA uNkz Hellen Zille, ngokufaka igalelo lokwelekelela u-ANC ngokukhankasa ngokuthi axwayise abantu bakule ngabadi yakithi ngokuthi athi: Stop Zuma. Nangempela abantu bakithi base besusa uhlamvu u-‘s’ kwase kufundeka kanje: Top Zuma. [Uhleko.] Ngempela uGedleyihlekisa, uMsholozi, okaNxamalala, uMhlanganyelwa wakhushulwa waze waphuma phambili ngisho okwesixhumo senyamazane. Waphumelela ngamalengiso ukuthatha umshini wakhe, waqothula imbokodwe nesisekelo ngenxa yegunya alinikwe ngabavoti bakule ngabadi yakithi yaseNingizimu Afrika.

UMsholozi, ngokhetho wazigwazela ibhece nje kwazise phela ukuthi umhlaba wonke ubunqikaza ngenxa yengwadla nomshophi uKhongolose abebhekene nayo eyadalwa ngamambuka ayeqembuke ku-ANC. Ngolokho-ke ku-Cope sithi: Indlu yegagu iyanetha kanti nomthungo wezicathulo uveze obhozo obala kanti futhi thina sizohlala sinje siwu-ANC. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)

[Hon Members of the Council, there is a type of chicken called the battery chicken. The battery chicken is fed until it is full without having to get up, and it relieves itself where it is sitting. It cannot even look for locusts to eat. We also saw this in this Council when we were campaigning for votes. The African National Congress warned the other parties that they were going to be sorry, that they would cry bitterly after the elections and that they would have a tough time because they would not get anything. That is because as the ANC, during the elections, we meant business; we beat everybody.

Let me not forget to thank the DA leader Ms Helen Zille for helping the ANC campaign by telling the people of this country to “Stop Zuma”. Our people removed the letter “S” and then it read “Top Zuma”. [Laughter.] Indeed Gedleyihlekisa, Msholozi, Nxamalala, Mhlanganyelwa rose to the top like a fawn. He excelled by taking his machine gun. He conquered all by the mandate that he was given by the people of our country, South Africa.

Msholozi had an easy win during the elections. The whole world was in limbo due to the problem which the ANC was facing that was caused by the party that broke away from the ANC. With those words we say to Cope: He who talks a great deal achieves nothing. Sweep before your own door; as the ANC we will remain like this.]

On 9 May this year, during the presidential inauguration, our hon President, Jacob Zuma, made a commitment to our people and to the world that “we shall not rest and we shall not falter in our drive to eradicate poverty.”

Poverty manifests itself in different ways. It is understood to involve three critical dimensions, namely income, human capital - described as services and opportunities - and assets. Housing primarily contributes towards the alleviation of asset poverty. This contribution is to be strengthened in the new human settlement plan through supporting the development of sustainable human settlements and the development of housing assets.

After the 1994 elections the new, democratically elected ANC government committed itself to developing more liveable, equitable and sustainable cities. Key elements of this framework included pursuing a more compact urban form, facilitating higher densities, mixed land use development, and integrating land use and public transport planning so as to ensure more diverse and responsive environments while reducing travelling distances. Despite all these well-intended measures, the inequalities and inefficiencies of the apartheid space economy have lingered on.

The National Spatial Development Perspective adopted by the Cabinet has noted that several development programmes, including the housing programme, are not addressing the distortions of that inherited apartheid space economy. The Department of Provincial and Local Government has therefore prepared the draft national urban strategy that proposes a vision of South African towns and cities which are spatially and socially inclusive, well designed and developed in an environmentally efficient way. The shift will be towards a reinvigorated contract with the people and partner organisations for the achievement of sustainable human settlements.

Sustainable human settlements refer to “well-managed entities in which economic growth and social development are in balance with the carrying capacity of the natural systems on which they depend for their existence and result in sustainable development, wealth creation, poverty alleviation and equity”. It was then clearly appropriate that the designation of the old Department of Housing be changed to the new, modern and more descriptive Department of Human Settlements.

In line with the presidential commitments, we shall provide housing for all our people. It is therefore totally acceptable that our efforts in this regard are being - and I shall use harsh words - sabotaged by unscrupulous entities that would appear to manipulate the prices of building materials. Only a week ago, it was reported in the national press that the Competition Commission had raided the premises of several leading cement producers in an investigation into so-called cartel behaviour in the building material and construction industries, which have been accused of driving up the cost of the government’s infrastructure spending programme.

The Competition Commission said that it believes that anticompetitive behaviour in this market could be substantially increasing the cost of South Africa’s infrastructure programme with negative effects on the economy. I think we can safely say that it will, undoubtedly, increase the cost of house building with extremely negative effects on the housing programme, and I sincerely hope that this type of behaviour will be nipped in the bud before too much damage has been done.

Furthermore, monitoring and evaluation becomes a key tool in making sure that we are uprooting all the so-called vampires who are surviving on government resources at the expense of poor people. Those vampires include all constructors who have won tenders and vanish without finishing the structures, eg in Limpopo, in Mpumalanga at the Dipaleseng Municipality, in the North West, and in the Eastern Cape in the Amathole District Municipality in a place called Pedi.

Lapho Ngqongqoshe. Kunezinkinga ngisho nalezi zindlu ezakhiwe, izivalo zikhona kungathi ngamakhadibhodi. Ngicabanga ukuthi kufanele kwenziwe okuthile ngalokho ngoba akungabi sengathi kuhlala amagundane lapho. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)

[There is a problem there, Minister. The houses that have been built have doors that are like cardboard. I think something must be done about it; it should not be as if there are mice living there.]

Other problems include constructors who are underpaying their workers, paying below the average rate in terms of the Labour Relations Act; constructors who are not paying their workers at all; the allocation of houses not to the rightful owners; the illegal selling of houses that are allocated by government; and service providers who are providing goods that are in a deteriorating condition.

It must be noted that government subsidies have been tripled in order to assist the poor people, but if government authorities do not take steps to deal with all the above-mentioned concerns, then all its efforts will be undermined.

Chairperson, allow me to use this opportunity to mention what happened in Gert Sibande District Municipality a few days ago. The decision by the department follows numerous cases of unrest in the municipality. The unrest has been as a result of protests organised by the community in which the community has made a number of allegations — underline “allegations” — against the municipality. Some of these allegations include the misappropriation of funds, a lack of service delivery, nepotism, poor implementation of the integrated development plan and a lack of proper consultation in terms of resource distribution and infrastructure.

Sihlalo, noma-ke lezi zinsolo ezivezwe umphakathi zibalulekile, thina bakwa- ANC asihambisani nezenzo zodlame ezithunaza isithunzi seqembu kanye nesezwe lethu laseNingizimu Afrika. Ngoba … [Kwaphela isikhathi.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)

[Chairperson, these allegations are serious despite the fact that they were brought up by the community. We, as the ANC, are against acts of violence that are tarnishing the dignity of the party and our country, South Africa, because … [Time expired.]]

Okay. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Mr R A LEES: Madam Chair, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, while listening to the hon Minister and the hon Sibande I had cold shivers. I thought, where did they get my speech from? They are plagiarising my speech. So, it’s great to hear you saying such very positive things. Thank you very much. But, nevertheless, I shall proceed with my speech even if it concurs with yours.

Angisho ukuthi akekho olapha eNdlini namuhla ozokuphika ukuthi ibuhlungu inhliziyo uma sihamba sibona imijondolo nemikhukhu lapho abantu bethu beh lala khona. Angisho ukuthi kukhona ozophika lokho na. Akekho. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)

[I do not think that there is anyone in this House who can deny that when we go around it is heartbreaking to see the shacks where our people live. I do not think there is anyone who can deny that. No one can.]

There is no one who can deny the shame of our society where people have to live in shacks that get flooded, that are crowded and that are totally unsuitable even as dog kennels.

The wonderful Constitution of our country — the best in the world, I am told — does not place the responsibility for providing housing solely at the door of the state. And it’s tremendous to hear the Minister echoing those remarks.

In the first instance, this policy ignores the initiative of millions of people who are able, and indeed willing, to participate in the building of their own homes. It ignores the positive participation of homeowners who can create real homes and not just houses. It also underutilises and, in fact, discourages the participation of community-based organisations, nongovernmental organisations, and the private sector from contributing their initiatives, energy and resources to provide housing for the poor.

With the best will in the world and given the ever-increasing need for housing, it is not possible for this government or any government to provide the number of houses required. And we heard the Minister’s projections in terms of the billions required as the years progress.

There has been a need for a paradigm shift in the policy. The government has — as it urgently needs to — accepted that the provision of housing is not solely its responsibility. Housing must not be seen as being just the provision of a rudimentary shelter. It must be seen as being part of a living environment which must include physical, social, and economic facets, all of which combine to make a house not just a house, but a home for a family.

The government, clearly, has responsibilities, no doubt about that. First and foremost, it must guarantee property rights and security of tenure. It must make ownership of property as easy as possible. The ownership of property must be extended to those who own none as quickly as possible.

Secondly, the government must put in place an urban planning system which will ensure a safe environment, a healthy environment and a pleasant environment. It must discourage the development of slums without stifling initiative and entrepreneurship. A standard Western style of urban planning cannot work in our developing society.

The government cannot escape its responsibility to subsidise basic housing for the poor and the marginalised. This it must of course do. But it must do this in such a way that these people are part of the community and are given opportunities to fulfil their potential. They must all become a part of the open-opportunity society.

The provision of basic services such as clean water, refuse removal and electricity are self-evident. However, good public transport and good roads are also required. These must be provided in the most cost-effective way possible.

What has happened is that the current housing developments have led to a high level of urban sprawl which, in turn, results in excessively high costs for the provision of basic services. It also makes the provision of efficient public transport almost impossible to achieve.

The subsidies paid to public transport get bigger and bigger and yet the services they provide are inadequate. What is needed are higher density standards and plot size restrictions on housing developments where state funds are used. High-density residential accommodation must be provided alongside major transportation routes.

The creation of public open spaces and other facilities is fundamental to building communities rather than housing blocks. In the rush to meet targets of housing numbers in low-cost housing estates, the need for community facilities has more often than not been ignored and such developments are sterile and unfriendly. Madam Chair, I shan’t push your indulgence, but thank you so much for letting me speak. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Ms L MABIJA: Hon Chairperson, Cabinet Ministers, hon premiers, distinguished members of this House, ladies and gentlemen …

… ndi madekwana avhuḓi, a dovha hafhu a vha madekwana ane nda pfa ndi na dakalo fulu musi Vho Minisiṱa vha Muhasho wa zwa Vhudzulo ha Vhathu vho amba zwauri vho vha vhe kha fulo ḽa u ṋea pfufo. Hezwo zwi ita uri vhathu vhashu hangei nnḓa mashangoni vha ṱuṱuwedzee u ita zwinzhi u itela u swikelela vhutshilo ha khwiṋe kha vhathu vhoṱhe vha Afurika Tshipembe. A dovha hafhu a vha madekwana ane nda khou sumbedzisa uri … (Translation of Tshivenḓa paragraph follows.)

[… good evening, and it is an evening on which I feel happy that the Minister of Human Settlements said that he was at the campaign to hand over the awards. That encourages our people out there in the villages to do more for a better life for all the people of South Africa. It is also an evening on which I am showing that …]

… since the democratic government came into being, led by the collective leadership of the ANC, it is evident that the culture of democracy permeates every corner of our country. It also reverberates throughout the workplace and can be felt even in our homes.

I’m bound by South African pride to indicate that South Africans’ decision to return the ANC to power once again shows that the people of this country are content with the strides that we have made in the last 15 years.

South Africans, under the wise leadership of President Jacob Zuma, are confident that we shall do more and that there will be better implementation of ANC policy, a policy that says all people shall have the right to live where they choose, be decently housed and bring up their families in comfort and security.

The principles underlying the ANC housing policy are the following. The ANC government believes that all citizens of this county have the right to essential services such as water, sanitation, refuse removal, electricity and decent housing appropriate to family and individual needs. The democratic state should do more in undertaking appropriate legislative and executive action to ensure that these basic needs are met in a progressive manner.

Given the pervasive poverty and unequal distribution of wealth and land, the ANC’s housing policy should vigorously promote nonracism and nonsexism and cater more for the disadvantaged groups such as the very poor, the old and the disabled. All racially based housing institutions must be replaced by institutions that are accountable to the people of South Africa. Hostels should be transformed into family units. To ensure that women’s housing needs are addressed, their full participation and influence over the institutions controlling housing must be guaranteed.

A total housing development framework should include the economy, transport, health, recreation, religion, education, environment, social welfare policies, policies which facilitate access to jobs and the restructuring of the apartheid cities, towns and rural areas.

Our housing strategy is based on sustainability in the short, medium and long term. The ANC government believes that community groups should be able to participate in the design, implementation and management of their housing. We therefore advocate the introduction of a housing policy which encourages and supports community-controlled development initiatives.

Remember, the ANC-led government’s housing policy is more than the delivery of a product. It is a process that contributes to the cultural, economic and social development of the entire society and is, therefore, part of our strategy to improve people’s total living conditions.

Beyond any doubt, I am certain that South Africans witnessed that the apartheid housing policy focused on the housing needs of middle-income households at the expense of the disadvantaged. This policy’s biggest impact was that it resulted in many and varied housing challenges, for instance the urbanisation of poverty and the proliferation of slums in urban areas.

To address this, the ANC Ministry of Human Settlements is vigorously implementing the Breaking New Ground comprehensive plan for the development of sustainable human settlements, with there being at least one project in every province that will improve the living conditions of about 103 000 households in informal settlements.

To achieve this goal, hon Minister Sexwale should strive to encourage a culture of working with a sense of responsibility within the department, because this must happen and be visible in order to lessen the noise made by some opposition parties as a weapon. We are also committed to ensuring that the poor men and women in both urban and rural areas have favourable access to building credit facilities. We also advocate the restructuring of the housing finance and subsidies system so as to target those most in need of assistance.

We reject the privatisation of land for low-income households, as we believe that it is the state’s responsibility to ensure that low-income households have easy access to well-located, affordable land while also emphasising that low-income housing should not be equated or confused with poor-quality housing.

I have additional measures, or policy proposals, that will need to be undertaken by the developmental state to support the recommended shift in funding for housing and human settlements. These are: intervening in the industry to curb spiralling prices in respect of building materials in favour of house construction; adopting a central planning approach for the purposes of directing resource allocation and an overall co-ordinated response to prevailing socioeconomic trends in a manner that is not undermined by the regional administrative complex; prioritising metropolitan areas and large cities for interventions that seek to fast- track the upgrading of informal settlements and ensure national spatial restructuring in view of the space economy and preferred development trajectory. Is my time up? I’m sorry. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Mr B MADIKIZELA (Western Cape): Chairperson, hon Minister, the Deputy Minister, hon MECs, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, mandibulele ngeli thuba lokuba ndihlomle ngeBudget Vote no 26 Human Settlement. [Let me thank you for this opportunity to comment on the Human Settlements Vote, Budget Vote No 26.]

I would like to begin by reaffirming what the hon Minister, Mr Tokyo Sexwale, said in terms of his commitment to co-operative governance. He referred to everyone - himself and the MECs - as the team, which is what we are, regardless of which party we represent. This is because the issue of housing cuts across party and colour lines. We must ensure that everything we do is done primarily to improve service delivery and the lives of the poor that all of us represent. So, it is very important that we put these people first.

There is a great deal in Mr Sexwale’s speech that is to be welcomed as we set about delivering homes for all our people in the province of the Western Cape. In fact, most of what the Minister said is exactly what I said in my budget speech two weeks ago. [Interjections.]

Firstly, the hon Minister injected a healthy dose of realism about what we can achieve with the current constraints we face. It is true that we are now officially in a recession, a recession that is causing job losses. As unemployment increases so too will the demand for subsidised housing. It is also true that we face a severe funding shortfall nationally, which means that as a province we cannot deliver the number of houses that we would like to. As the Minister noted, if the current trends continue we will be faced with a national funding shortfall for housing of about R253 billion by 2016.

As things currently stand in the Western Cape, with a budget of R1,5 billion we can only deliver approximately 16 000 houses and 18 000 serviced sites, an untenable situation when you consider that the backlog in the province is estimated at around 450 000 to 500 000.

Studies conducted by the Western Cape department of local government and housing indicate that with this trend the backlog in the Western Cape could have doubled to 800 000 by 2040 owing to migration in the province.

To ensure that, come 2040, we are not in a situation in which the housing backlog has doubled despite all our efforts, we need to do a number of things. Some of these were mentioned by the hon Minister today and yesterday. Firstly, we need to make sure that we get value for money on all existing housing projects. This means rooting out corruption and political infighting, things the Minister mentioned here, that can cause the housing projects to stall, get blocked or fail completely.

As the hon Minister said, corruption remains a major challenge throughout the housing delivery environment. It is encouraging, therefore, that his department has strengthened its relationship with the Special Investigating Unit to take stern action against offenders. This is a process that has been mirrored in the Western Cape housing department as well.

Secondly, we need to revisit the way in which we deliver houses. We need to take a long, hard look at whether the current method of housing delivery, which is primarily through project-linked subsidies for RDP-type housing, is able to maximise what we can deliver with the resources at our disposal. In this regard, the national Minister made some very good points about focusing on in situ upgrading, which I share completely. In fact, it was a key theme of my budget speech two weeks ago.

Given the extent of the housing backlog, it is crucial that we focus on what can be achieved with what we have. In situ upgrading of informal settlements is one way to increase people’s dignity now through providing them with serviced sites that can be upgraded gradually as more resources become available.

Another way in which we can achieve more value for money is to look seriously at the viability of building higher-density structures. I am aware that there are certain stigmas around building flats instead of houses, but we need to be realistic about what can be achieved with the funding we have and the land we have.

If we were to continue with the current low-density model, we would need enough land to stretch from Cape Town to Mossel Bay, because, currently, in terms of the backlog, we need about 9 000 hectares of land to be able to deal with this backlog.

It is this reality we must remind ourselves of as we deliver houses. Nothing is achieved by raising the expectations of people when it is impossible to meet those expectations. That is a recipe for conflict that can be avoided. This is a lesson that the N2 Gateway project has taught us very clearly.

As we go forward in partnership with the national Department of Housing and the municipalities of this province, we will remain ever mindful of the challenges we face. More importantly, we commit ourselves to engaging constructively with all our stakeholders in finding innovative solutions to delivering houses for the people of the Western Cape.

I must also add that we share the Minister’s sentiments completely with regard to the policy changes that he suggested, because we must begin to have a situation in which all the funding for housing goes into one pot, as opposed to the current situation.

We must also begin to address the issue of the People’s Housing Process, PHP, which the hon Mabija just spoke about now – in that we must emphasise the importance of encouraging our people to be involved in how their houses are built, so that they take responsibility going forward. With those few words, I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Prince M M M ZULU: Thank you, Chairperson. Hon Minister and Deputy Minister and hon members …

… Ngqongqoshe, kanye nePhini lakho, ngiyakubongela ngoba unikezwe umsebenzi wokuthi usikhiphe ebugqilini bokuhlala emijondolo. Ngiyazi-ke ukuthi iminyaka emihlanu yisikhashana nje esincane, singasibuka kuyisikhathi eside kodwa-ke kuyisikhathi esincane.

Ngoba-ke nibala nezindawo lezi zethu zokudabuka, ngalokho ngithi-ke kuwe ama-Major stake holders alaphaya kuma-Traditional Councils akhona cishe ezifundazweni eziyisikhombisa,lokhu okuthiwa ama-Traditional Councils kunemitheshwana-ke ebusa lezi zindawo zama Traditional Councils ngocela mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe nama MECs akho ukuba nizifake lezi zinduna emakhaya ngoba kunemitheshwana engabuye ivimbele abantu bakithi ukuthi bacoshe intuthuko uma ingalandelekanga.

Ngikufisela inhlanhla-ke okuwukuthi ngoyibona iphela imijondolo eThekwini, ngoyibona iphela imijondolo eKapa, ngoba ikake iKapa nje nakwamanye amalokishi akithi ikhona. Bese ngithi-ke kubafowethu nakodadewethu – lokhu okuthiwa yi-opposition asingakuthathi nje ngokuthi yintwana encane kodwa yinto eqaphe intandoyeningi yethu – njengezwe elisentandweni yeningi kufanele ukugxeka kubekhona ngoba uma ungasagxekwa ngeke ubone kahle ukuthi kuhamba kanjani. Alikho-ke isoka elingenasici ezindaweni zalo. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)

[… Minister and your deputy, I congratulate you because you were given the task of liberating us from the slavery of living in shacks. I know that five years is just a short period of time. We can regard it as a long period of time whereas it is a short period of time.

Since you are referring to our rural localities, I am saying to you the major stakeholders who are in traditional councils exist in almost seven provinces. There are rules governing these traditional councils. I request you hon Minister, and your MECs, to involve headmen in rural areas, because these rules might prevent our people from being assisted with development if they are not looked into.

I wish you luck, hoping that I will see fewer shacks in eThekwini. I can see that fewer shacks are being built in Cape Town. The shacks that you see surrounding Cape Town are also there in our townships. Let me also say to my brothers and sisters that we do not have to undermine what is referred to as the opposition and regard it as a minor thing, because it is something that safeguards our democracy. In a democratic country there should be criticism, because if you are not criticised you will not know whether you are on the right track or not, since there is no one who is perfect.]

Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]

The DEPUTY MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Chairperson, it is a great honour to have this opportunity to address this august House today on this Budget Vote. Allow me, Chairperson, to greet the Minister of Human Settlements, the hon Tokyo Sexwale, whom I welcomed yesterday in the National Assembly to this vibrant Human Settlements family.

I also recognise the presence of the Chief Whip and the Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces. I also welcome in our midst the chairperson of the Select Committee on Public Services, the hon member Pat Sibande. I must also welcome the Director-General of Human Settlements Dr Benny Kotsoane and his team, officials from our department and honourable guests, the Western Cape MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, and Salga councillor Clarence Johnson.

This Budget Vote takes place as we mark the 54th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, the historic document founded by the people of South Africa from all walks of life. It also takes place as we celebrate the 33rd anniversary of 1976, a watershed year, which marks the heroic action by students of the class of 1976 whose clear message was “Genoeg is genoeg” [Enough is enough]. Hence, we welcome the initiative by the Department of Human Settlements in marking this anniversary on 26 June 2009 at Eshowe in KwaZulu-Natal with Youth Build, a programme in which young people build housing units for the elderly.

As we embark on the war against poverty, we reiterate and commit ourselves to the assertions of the Freedom Charter of “housing, security and comfort for all”. This developmental state led by the ANC has taken upon itself the translating of these dreams into a reality. As we execute our new mandate, we will be building on the foundation laid by the Breaking New Ground policy.

We are unapologetic in asserting that planning together, budgeting together and co-ordinating together remain the prerequisites and non-negotiables for the realisation of integrated human settlements. We therefore appeal to the National Council of Provinces to help us co-ordinate these complex planning processes.

The department will also be hard at work streamlining funding mechanisms so that housing grants are consolidated into a single grant that responds to human settlement requirements. There is also a need to eliminate unnecessary bottlenecks, contractors must be paid on time and EIAs — environmental impact assessments — must not be delayed.

The provision of homes to our people cannot be the responsibility of government alone. We need the participation of all sectors of our society. Working together, we can do more. The people must be at the centre of everything we do. Beneficiaries must be active participants in the provision of human settlements. As we build integrated human settlements, we must also build a responsible citizenry. I am certain that the NCOP will take a special interest in its oversight role in addressing issues of a responsible society. This country can ill afford the kinds of demonstrations we have recently witnessed in the Western Cape with regard to the N2 Gateway project.

Inasmuch as this government sympathises and understands the people’s level of poverty, we certainly cannot promote lawlessness. Services must be paid for, otherwise they will not be sustainable. Who in this House stays in a house or a flat they do not pay for? This is the kind of consumer education we would like the NCOP to help us address. Tenants of the N2 Gateway project have a contractual agreement. They have to pay rent; they qualify as having to pay rent — they are not indigent. There is an issue with subletting, meaning that there are people in those houses who do not qualify – who occupy those houses illegally.

The role of emerging contractors cannot be overemphasised. Unfortunately, they have a tendency to continue emerging ad infinitum. Something must be done to remedy this situation, but we will uproot fly-by-nights in the building industry. We need contractors who are prepared to contribute constructively so that government gets value for money.

We commend the continued contribution made by the financial sector, but more needs to be done in order to enhance this partnership. Of course, we do know that profit margins are low in the low-cost housing environment, but the establishment of the Housing Development Agency will bring about human settlements housing delivery in economies of scale. This will only be realised with the active participation of the private sector, particularly in the rolling out of housing rental stock and bonded houses.

In light of this, there is a need to establish a macro-organisational framework in order to facilitate a convergence of different government mandates for human settlement development. This is underpinned by a set of principles that are necessary for strengthening co-ordination in government.

The priorities of the framework include: to compile a national development plan for human settlements, produce settlement level plans and promote innovative project development; to align funding streams and existing built- environment-related grants; and to ensure, at an implementation level, effective project management and capacity development which must also speak to the issues of monitoring, evaluation and risk management.

In the process of providing proper homes for our people, we will also endeavour to provide community residential units. We will continue to revisit the issue of hostel redevelopment. We also need to promote inclusionary housing, meaning that where there is property development at least 20% of that development should be set aside for low-cost housing.

In response to the government’s rural development drive, the department will introduce in the current financial year a rural housing subsidy voucher programme to assist rural households to source building materials for building their own homes or even for incrementally improving their homes.

I am happy to announce that there is a newly appointed council of the National Home Builders Registration Council, NHBRC, chaired by Ms Granny Seape. It is critical that the NHBRC focus on issues of quality and strict adherence to building norms and standards as spelt out in the Revised National Housing Code. It must also make its presence felt in all provinces so that all human settlement projects are registered with the NHBRC.

This entity must be able to address the complaints the housing consumers timeously. Failure to do this results in the payment of huge sums of money to fix structural defects that would have cost less had the matter been dealt with appropriately. The inspectors must inspect houses at all stages of housing development, especially at the foundation level. We call upon all provinces to beef up the inspectorate and ensure that more inspectors are trained. Prevention is better than cure and always saves costs.

We welcome the establishment of the Housing Development Agency, HDA, launched in March 2009, which will assist in fast-tracking the delivery of integrated human settlements. In the main, the HDA will primarily support the provinces and municipalities in the acquisition of land. This support will be delivered through implementation protocols developed with all parties within an established intergovernmental relationship framework. Our objective is to do away with unnecessary bottlenecks in order to fast-track human settlement delivery.

UMongameli welizwe obekekileyo uJacob Zuma kwiintetha azenzileyo apha e Palamente ubeke phambili ukubaluleka kolwakhiwo lwamakhaya. Ukhuthaze onke amasebe ukuba asebenzisane, ahlangabezane ekufezekiseni amaphupha oluntu. Eli sebe ayilosebe nje lezindlu, lisebe elijongene nazo zonke iimfuno zokuhlala kakuhle koluntu ukwenzel’ ukuba amakhaya akhiwe kwiindawo ezikufutshane nempangelo.

Sithi makusetyenziswane, sihlaba ikhwelo kuye wonke ubani- oosomashishini abasakhasayo, kuSanco nakubo bonke abahlali ukuba eli sebe lizimisele ukusebenzisana nabo bonke abantu, eli sebe likhokelwa nguMphathiswa uTokyo Sexwale.

Mawethu, sithi huntshu kubantu abakha izindlu ngenkqubo ye-PHP, sifuna ukuyixhasa ngakumbi le nkqubo. Lo rhulumente ukhokelwa yi-ANC uyakhathala ngakumbi ngabantu, uthi abantu baya kulawula. Masisebenzisane mawethu silwe indlala. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)

[The hon President of the country, Jacob Zuma, in the speeches he made in Parliament has stressed the importance of building homes. He encouraged all the departments to work together, and to help each other in achieving the dreams of the people. This is not just the department of houses, but the department that caters for all the needs related to human settlement so that houses are built closer to the workplaces.

We are saying let us work together; we invite everybody - the upcoming entrepreneurs, Sanco and the community at large. This department is committed to working with everyone and it is led by Minister Tokyo Sexwale.

Hon members, we congratulate the people who build houses through the PHP programme, and we would like to support this programme more. The ANC-led government cares more about the people and says, “The people shall govern”. Let us work together to fight hunger.]

This Ministry is committed to making sure that the Breaking New Ground pilot projects identified in all provinces go ahead as planned. We will also ensure that there is in situ upgrading of informal settlements in all provinces. The time has come for all peace-loving South Africans to join hands with the Team Human Settlements on its journey to make sure poverty will be history. I thank you. [Applause.]

Ms L HLONGWA (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, once more, we are grateful to be given an opportunity to say a few things with regard to the Minister’s budget speech today.

Sifisa ukuqala ngokubongela uNgqongqoshe neSekela lakhe ekuqokweni ezikhundleni ezibaluleke kakhulu. NjengeKwaZulu-Natali sizobasekela kakhulu ekwenzeni isiqiniseko sokuthi loko okushiwo usomqulu wokhetho lombutho wesizwe uKhongolose kuyafezekiswa kuleminyaka emihlanu ezayo. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)

[We would like to start by congratulating the Minister and his deputy on being elected to such important positions. As KwaZulu-Natal, we will support them in ensuring that what is contained in the ANC manifesto is achieved in the next five years.]

KwaZulu-Natal is a rural province, but a province with great potential to develop into a haven in South Africa. Human settlement development is again at the centre of government under the leadership of the hon President, His Excellency J G Zuma.

The delivery of decent houses to our people requires a co-ordinated effort between the provinces and the municipalities, which in this case is minimal due to power struggles. We noted from the Minister’s speech that in order to have human settlements a new approach needs to be adopted. A paradigm shift beyond housing is needed, and our understanding, as KwaZulu-Natal, is that we need more of a political will first, then implementation.

We are, however, proud to stand here and salute the previous MEC, Comrade Mike Mabuyakhulu, on being the first MEC to pioneer the slums clearance Act in line with the Millennium Development Goal of eradicating slums by 2014. Although the department was challenged in a court of law by the shack- dwellers who perceived the move to be unconstitutional, we are very aware that shack lords were behind some of these shenanigans in that they made money out of poor people.

Our task as the provincial government is to defend the poor and better the lives of all. As we said at our 2007 conference, we are advancing towards a caring society. We have no intention of chasing these people out of their homes, but we have an obligation as government, as prescribed in our Constitution, to restore dignity through decent shelter.

The province has ventured into a new approach of public-private partnerships to enhance service delivery and supplement the current government programme, and we are happy to hear from the Minister’s speech that he supports this initiative.

A classic example is that of Eshowe, which the Minister has referred to, where about 76 houses were built by our youth for elderly people. This is really what is espoused in the Freedom Charter and we are very grateful that you came down to our province to hand over these projects to needy families. We appreciate the R150 million allocated to disaster management relief for the province, because in the past we have had unprecedented disasters that we had not planned for, which claimed lives and resulted in the current overexpenditure we are servicing as a province.

The province, with its limited budget, is committed to the delivery of quality housing by ensuring that, prior to handing-over functions, the houses are subject to various quality tests to try to minimise the exploitation of government resources by unscrupulous businesspeople. We want to hold the creators of the workmanship accountable for their actions, and we shall not delay in acting against corrupt people, either as builders or in the department itself.

We want to request the Minister to hold an indaba with all the stakeholders, at which housing matters are ironed out, because shack dwellers think that if we build houses for people, we are taking away what is theirs. We are saying, as the province of KwaZulu-Natal, that local government must be brought to the party, so that we iron out the issue of waiting lists, where we see councillors selling houses, and those councillors, most of the time, are in cahoots with department officials. We want this to come to an end.

The province of KwaZulu-Natal recently launched the rural housing development project in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal to accelerate decent housing. This project is being contested by traditional leaders who perceive this as a means to create townships in their areas of jurisdiction. Once again, we want to advise the Minister that maybe there is going to be a need for him and his colleagues in the Department of Co- operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to meet and develop a workable plan, so that we avert this challenge before it spills over into other provinces.

Siyafisa Mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe ukuthi uselekelele lapha KwaZulu-Natali sinabantu abaningi abaxhamula ekwakheni izindlu kodwa asibazi ukuthi bangobani. Sifisa ukuthi usinike uhlaka lwabantu abakha izindlu … (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)

[We wish, hon Minister, that you could assist us in KwaZulu-Natal; we have people who benefit from building houses, but we don’t know who they are. We wish that you, Minister, could give us a database of people who build houses …]

… in terms of gender, age and demographics, for us as the ANC to gauge if we really are denting unemployment and bringing about work redistribution.

The province is currently pioneering a project with regard to an accredited military veterans’ policy in line with the ANC’s Polokwane conference resolutions to provide shelter to these families, who, in hard times, fought for us to attain this democracy we boast about today. Although we are facing a challenge in this area, as a province we are not going to despair.

We are facing a challenge in the area of hostel redevelopment to recreate new human settlements for families. This programme is moving at a slower pace and it needs more funding. We, therefore, want to plead again here that in future we be allocated more money towards this project for us to realise the Freedom Charter’s vision.

In conclusion, the province is currently embarking on the enhancement of the research unit to explore other alternative building practices which are both cost-effective and ensure quality, especially at this time of recession. We hope to have collected information in this regard at least by the end of this year, so that, when we start next year, we will have this programme ready for implementation.

We feel that we need to emphasise that money allocated to housing as a vote in our province is not enough. Therefore, this hinders us from building more decent human settlements over a five-year period. But we are very grateful for what we have been allocated. In this term, we have committed some money to the training and development of both women and the youth to encounter the economic downturn and for them to be able to create jobs for themselves. We welcome the budget by the Minister and we wish you well. Thank you. [Applause.]

Cllr C JOHNSON (Salga): Thank you, Chairperson. Hon Minister Sexwale, hon Deputy Minister Zoe Kota-Fredericks, hon Members of the National Council of Provinces, please allow me to convey greetings from our chairperson, councillor and Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Mayor Masondo, and the Salga leadership to you on this historic occasion of the first Budget Vote for the Department of Human Settlements.

If we traverse our landscape of South Africa, we see the historic Cape Dutch houses. We see the decorative Ndebele houses, the humble stick-and- mud houses in the eastern part of our country and the so-called “matjieshuise” (mat huts) of Namaqualand. We believe that this is where our people have built their own houses. I trust that during your term of office you will bring hope and happiness to our citizens, having gained an almost two-thirds majority, and I hope that nobody is going to stop you when you get going.

If we take the intent of the Fourth Parliament, it is a time for renewal. It is a time for fresh implementation and a new style of governance. It is a time for innovation, new ideas and approaches to turn around the big backlog that we have. Funding has been secured, promises have been made and that funding will realise 2,2 million houses. We know that Minister Sexwale is the only Minister in terms of implementation who needs to deliver on time and on budget and a job well done. So, therefore, Minister, you will be the only Minister in terms of the construction and home-building industry who will be receiving happy letters.

Housing delivery is not merely about the delivery of houses, and we welcome the fact that intergovernmental relations have been secured through the integrated approach to human settlements. At Salga, we have also notices the efforts of our international donor community in so far as as the Dutch are concerned, who directly fund certain project on social housing, and were present yesterday. Our Cuban compatriots were also present at your Budget Vote debate yesterday.

We have also noticed that initiatives to build the capacity of the councillors through the Wits Business School have ensured that certain blocked projects have become unblocked. These are all matters that happened last year. I also believe that the unfinished business related to the public participation processes of the NCOP will be attended to.

In order to create sustainable human settlements, one needs to align housing delivery with other strategies such as infrastructure, Public Works programmes and basic services. With particular regard to basic services, reference has been made to climate change and the very high cost of services like water and electricity.

Many of these facilities are currently the mandate of municipalities. Therefore, it would be logical for municipalities to also carry the responsibility for the delivery of houses, as part of and aligned with all other aspects of the built environment. Furthermore, municipalities serve as a logical site for the effective alignment of interdepartmental and intragovernmental funding streams that eventually contribute towards the development of sustainable human settlements. I can share with you that in the many meetings on integrated development plans, the first thing that is said, is: “Mr Mayor, I don’t have a house,” or, “Mr Mayor, I am struggling.” “Ek kry swaar; ons trek swaar.” [I am struggling; we are having a difficult time.] These are the words uttered by citizens and we have the ability to respond to them.

Municipalities form the sphere of government that is closest to the communities and are, in most instances, the implementing agents for national and provincial government. We are, therefore, able to respond to local needs and to deliver tailor-made services. The other matters regarding consumer services, etc, can be attended to at local government level.

It is often said that municipalities do not have the capacity to perform the housing function. Yet, until now, municipalities have not been granted the responsibility of, or the funding for, housing and, therefore, have not needed to build their capacity for housing. Once given the full mandate with the necessary funding and the time to build their capacity, municipalities will be able to perform the function, as has been shown with other municipal functions in the past. This position we align with our linkage to united cities and local governments; we align it to the policy statements of the ruling party and, as such, we will pursue this matter of policy alignment.

Some municipalities, despite the fact that they do not have a funded housing mandate, see housing as their responsibility to their constituents and use municipal funding for the delivery of sustainable human settlements. We have demonstrated clearly that we do have the capacity to deliver.

In September 2005 a policy framework for the accreditation of municipalities to perform housing functions was adopted. Eighteen municipalities were prioritised for accreditation. Until now, no municipality has even been assigned functions for level 1 accreditation.

In addition, the housing Minmec resolved that the accreditation process will never go beyond level 2, not because of capacity constraints on the part of municipalities, but because it may mean assigning the function to municipalities – something which the provincial departments of housing are opposed to. This is a matter of concern to Salga. It is clear that the accreditation process is not working. There is a need to consider the devolution of the function to municipalities.

Last year, Cabinet took a decision to the effect that the housing function should devolve to municipalities. We hold the view that the Minmec will not assign the function to municipalities; it will only delegate functions in terms of accreditation levels 1 and 2. Accreditation will maintain the current division of responsibilities for housing between the provincial and local governments and will not improve the efficiency of delivery.

We are really concerned about this. Change needs to happen at the point of delivery, preferably at the project implementation level and not at the higher levels. Assignment of the delivery function to municipalities provides an opportunity for provinces to monitor and supervise delivery, and even intervene in municipalities and develop appropriate capacity to focus on this function. This is in line with the constitutional architecture.

Chairperson, Salga supports this Budget Vote No 26 – Housing. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

Mr Z MLENZANA: Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers and hon members and the House at large, good evening. Let me start by agreeing with the Minister that the people of South Africa adopted a living document, the Freedom Charter, in 1955. Secondly, I agree with the Deputy Minister about the approach to rural housing. Thirdly, hon Minister, your budget is a little bit skewed. More money goes to operational expenditure than to capital expenditure.

I don’t want to comment on whether I am giving my support or not. There should be continuous support to provinces by the national department, particularly by the Eastern Cape. If you look at the Alfred Nzo and O R Tambo districts, we intend supporting you by feeding you reports, hon Minister.

The focus should be on the implementation of cohousing. The word “cohousing” may not be common in South Africa, but is taking off all over the world. By being ecologically sensitive, building a community before the houses are built, incorporating recycling, compensating for smaller houses by increasing common facilities, establishing gardens and orchards, sharing transport, using alternative energy, providing fully for the total supervision of young children, taking common responsibility for security, making room for adults and orphans and by generally ensuring that residents leave only a tiny carbon footprint, cohousing is going in the direction the world is going in. Cohousing accommodates people, creates viable communities, preserves the environment, creates job opportunities, optimises travel arrangements, and decreases the demand for health care.

For a government that is challenged daily to provide service delivery, cohousing will deal with sanitation through having package plants on site, recycling water, tapping the wind and sun for energy and becoming self- sustaining. The provision of bulk services could be slashed by 80% or more.

In conclusion, I suggest that the policy-makers should help in taking us forward rather than keeping us back. Many townships look more dismal than they did at the height of apartheid. That is a damning indictment against this department.

Now that the name of the department has been changed, let fundamental thinking around housing also change. We hope that with the changing of the name, a lot is going to change. We also hope that when we are talking about human settlements there will be security, there will be comfort and the people of South Africa will also enjoy the fruits of their labour as enshrined in their struggle, particularly, on 25 and 26 June 1955. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mr J J GUNDA: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, it has become a natural trend that houses rapidly deteriorate owing to poor workmanship and poor quality in many areas in our country.

In the 1985 uprising we fought against these “pondokkies” [huts], but we are still finding them today in the areas in which we grew up. We need to restore the dignity of our people. We need to stop building houses like in Soul City and Dakota in the Northern Cape. We need to start building decent houses for our people.

It is high time that government gets serious about bridging the divide and creating communities in which the rich and the poor can live side by side. I hope that the government and the ruling party can change this policy. Stop building 40m2 houses and start building 74m2 houses so that people can have some dignity. [Interjections.]

Bou huise waarop mense kan trots wees en wat as sekuriteit by die bank kan dien. [Build houses that people can be proud of and that could serve as security at the bank.]

We need to build sustainable housing that is energy efficient.

Hou op om swak gehalte materiaal, swak balke en sinke te gebruik. Te veel sand word saam met die sement gebruik - tien kruiwaens sand en een sak sement – die huis sal nie so hou nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)

[Stop using materials of poor quality, such as beams and corrugated sheets of poor quality. Too much sand is being used when mixing the cement — ten wheelbarrows of sand and one bag of cement — the house will not last this way.]

Emphasis must be placed on integrated human settlements.

Bou ten minste ’n waardevolle huis. [At least build a decent house.]

These settlements must include infrastructure such as roads, transport, electricity, water, refuse removal, community facilities, schools, shops and recreational areas.

During the public hearings on this Budget Vote it was discovered that the Rural Housing Loan Fund, that claims to be a “national wholesale housing institution”, had failed the rural community dismally in terms of its disbursements and geographic allocations. With regard to its national loan assistance budget, the fund gave 0% to the Northern Cape; 3% to the Free State; 6% to Limpopo; and 8% to the Eastern Cape. The bulk of the loan fund was utilised in Gauteng, which received 31%. We must start getting serious about the country and we must start getting serious about the people of South Africa in order to uplift them. Thank you. [Applause.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr R J Tau): Hon Chair, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, I must say to the Deputy Minister that I think she probably feels very lonely when she looks at the gender composition of the delegation. She must be very lonely. Nevertheless, I must also say that I find it very interesting for the hon Gunda to have spoken in the manner that he did. Being from the same province, I know that the hon Gunda’s construction company has been declared insolvent precisely because of the issues he raised. So that is very interesting, Chair.

I also find quite interesting the way in which the DA and Cope in particular approached the debate. It reminded me of the Nationalist Party. The Nationalist Party, in fact, adopted the Freedom Charter as not only their living, but guiding document.

Immediately after the Freedom Charter, the Nationalist Party went to their general council and declared that there was no sense in their existence, because the Freedom Charter and the ANC were the most relevant vehicles to follow. So, they are probably trying to say to us that, yes, of course, the ANC … [Interjections.] Of course it is; it is.

I pity the MEC from the Western Cape, if he is still the MEC, and Helen Zille has not dismissed him already, because he agreed with the Minister’s speech, and the Minister premised his entire speech on the Freedom Charter, which Helen Zille does not agree with. That is why I wonder if he has not already been dismissed.

Yes, of course, hon Lees, the ANC will always be the first organisation to accept critique, precisely because the ANC is guided by a very fundamental principle of self-criticism. We don’t wait for the opposition to criticise us, but instead are upfront. Where we are doing well, we’ll say we are doing well. Where we don’t do well, we’ll say we don’t do well — and that’s exactly what our hon Minister did.

He made an assessment and he accepted that, yes, of course, there are certain things that did not go well and that there are certain things that did go well. There are areas the ANC-led government needs to improve in order to ensure that the lives of our people improve for the better in this particular dispensation.

The chairperson of the select committee also emphasised this issue, because it’s a matter that really did not go well with us as a committee. One of the challenges facing the country, as we move towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal of halving poverty, and that the ANC has identified, is the question of the aggressive creation of employment through infrastructure development.

We are faced with global economic challenges. Yes, of course, we are seeing unscrupulous behavioural patterns emerging not only in South Africa, but in the world, and these patterns are also right on the doorstep of South Africa, on its borders. As a result, you will see that the infrastructure instruments we are going to need in order to advance or expand our programme of ensuring that we create employment for our people are going to be compromised. It is, therefore, important that the department be very sharp in ensuring that, as we deal with this particular issue, we do not do anything wrong.

For us as the committee there is the issue of rural housing development. We have seen a particular pattern, of course. We want to develop or change the structure and fibre of rural areas in the townships – change the kind of house we are building in these particular areas.

I would like to give examples of a number of areas, but, in this instance, let’s take the North West where you will find a village with four-roomed RDP-structured houses. Our people in these particular areas do not want to move into these houses, because these are not the type of houses they want. They believe that the rural or village nature of their areas must be preserved. So, we think, as a committee, that it is important to look very carefully into this particular area or we’ll end up with a situation in which we are left with houses that are not occupied by people who qualify to occupy these houses.

We have also realised as a committee – Chair and hon Minister - that the bulk of the budget of the department goes to provinces through transfers and that there is a decline in your budget - even after your annual report or the previous department’s annual report. The difficulties the department experienced through intergovernmental relations in housing provision are acknowledged. We still find a decrease in the subprogramme as allocated. We would have expected that, having identified this as a problem, the department would have increased the budget in order to increase the capacity of provinces to improve the capacity of municipalities in the provision of houses.

So, I think this is an issue that the department needs to look at seriously, because that particular subprogramme dealing with intergovernmental relations needs to be beefed up to ensure that your provinces are capacitated and that your municipalities are capacitated. Also, this will give the necessary support to your contractors in our provinces and so forth.

Linked to that is the question of the President’s statement committing the administration to the creation of 500 000 jobs by December through the Expanded Public Works Programme. We are saying that the department is not really telling us exactly what the buy-in is. What exactly is the department going to do to ensure that it contributes towards the creation of these 500 000 jobs?

We need to strengthen our capacity or involvement in building co-operatives to ensure that young people form themselves into co-operatives, for example, in brick-making, in plumbing or in whatever activity has to do with the process of building or the building environment. Thank you very much, Chairperson. As the ANC we support the Vote and hope that the department will do well. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

The MINISTER OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS: Chairperson, considering that this House has been in session for the purpose of accommodating three Votes, namely Basic Education, Home Affairs and Human Settlements, I am astounded at the energy that is displayed by the hon Tau. [Laughter.] I had thought that by now he would be very fatigued, but it is very clear that the NCOP rocks. [Laughter.]

Let me utilise the few minutes that I have to respond to some of the issues and maybe say something as a parting shot. From the outset I just want to place on record that we are not responding to these issues as a finality. We will be engaging with hon members from time to time in the process of serving our people, so I am not going to respond as a way of saying how wise or clever one can be in dealing with issues that have been raised. It is open season for communication and our office is open to be interfaced with. The Deputy Minister is here, as well as the officials. I am quite accessible. I am just across the street from here so that I will constantly be around as a student of this House.

I want to reiterate that I know the budget is more focused on housing. That is how it is right now, but there will be a need for us to make that critical paradigm shift. It is about human settlements. I hope more of us will begin to learn to pronounce “human settlements” with an “s”. Even some of the members in my old office keep on saying “human settlement”. It is about settlements.

I posed a question earlier. Nineteen years since Nelson Mandela was released, or 15 years into democracy, how many towns have been built? Johannesburg was constructed, and under apartheid they went on to build Sandton, a very viable satellite city. Then there is Randburg. And around Cape Town there are also other towns. Human settlements, once again, is not about glorifying squatter camps and putting up townships.

The partnership that I want to have with you as your Minister and representative in the Cabinet is that we are here to build real settlements, so that in this century of urbanisation, as was articulated by the United Nations Habitat Conference, this country will move and change in order to become a developed country. The day we can say that South Africa is developed will be the day that we have arrived. It will mean that the cities have gone into the countryside.

I appreciate the comments that were made regarding the development of the countryside insofar as we are co-operating with the hon Sicelo Shiceka’s Ministry for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. The hon Zulu asked us to think about that. He said that we needed to link up with traditional leaders. That is why the policy of the ruling party is beginning to emphasise rural development. Mistakes were made by ignoring the fact that the rural areas contain over 60% of our citizens. That is why they keep coming to the cities. Our having to clear the squatter camps and the informal settlements is not the main mission. That is not the main mission.

It is an irritation to the plans, because people have arrived there and are squatting. They are telling us there is something they want. That goes for the people of old age too, who would like to have that human dignity which is mentioned in the very first line of the first chapter of our Constitution. The people are squatting next to the highways because they want to be near transportation and electricity. They also want to be next to schools, their places of work and shopping malls. They are telling us something and we are, therefore, answering.

We ourselves are not going to do this within five or ten years. It is a long, long journey. We say that we are building houses equal to the Chinese, but don’t change the numbers, let’s change the quality. I normally speak of a journey of 1 000 miles, that there is always the first step. This government, this NCOP, this National Assembly, the Cabinet, we have now started on this footing. It is something altogether new. This is a call to change the face of this country.

The reason I accepted this mission is that it goes beyond housing. When President Zuma asked me to serve in his Cabinet, I had been doing exceptionally well in the private sector, at the level of our operations within the JSE and in mining and so on. By taking on this mission I was saying that, whereas in the previous 10 years I had been working with the wealthiest of the wealthy, it was time for me to walk side by side in the company of the poor. I see this as a mission and I want hon members to understand that this is something I am taking on with passion.

I want to comment on one or two things that were raised here. Please be assured that we want quality to the extent that we are dealing with informal settlements. That is why the National Home builders Registration Council is so important to us. We accept the very important thing which the hon Sibande has said. And we have at least apologised for the fact that we took your speech. [Interjections.] But, that is how it is. If there’s commonality between what you are going to say and what we are saying, then it shows that we are living in one country. Of course, working together we can do more and be victorious.

Somebody said that the hon Madikizela is now on that side, in Cope, and that he won’t be fired by Helen Zille. Our deliberations are like chalk and cheese. It looks like some of us come from Jupiter and others are from Mars

• we are very far away from one another. The purpose of sitting and debating in this House is to interrogate ideas so that we can find commonality. There will be differences, as was said by the hon Zulu from the IFP. He said that we must also accept criticism.

Uthe kithi nsizwa sibokwamukela ukugxekwa. Uma sizohlala sizwana sonke isikhathi kuyobe sengathi singabadayisi. [You said we must accept criticism. If we always get along well with each other we will be perceived as traitors.]

There will be differences. That’s the reason we are here. That’s all we do in Parliament - we debate. It’s all about words, words and words. But those words are interrogating actions and activity so that the best ideas around actions and activity for products can always succeed.

There is an example we were told about. I asked the hon Mlenzana about the cohousing he mentioned in his speech. I looked at what he was saying. As he indicated, cohousing comes from Vietnam. It is actually human settlements, and that’s what we are doing here. That’s why the Vietnamese economy, after the war with the expulsion of the Americans, has been growing at a phenomenal rate. They’ve been at 9% for the past 11 years. Now they’re at 15% and so on, because of the kind of human settlements they are putting up.

The way we drive it, human settlements are also about the economy. They are right at the centre of the economy, because when you build houses which are the core and key component of human settlements, it is all about mining. A lot of hon members don’t realise that. It is about the roof, whether it is made of iron or tiles, whether it is bricks or iron. A lot of iron and iron ore are produced. There is manganese and cobalt. All these things have to be mined and, therefore, housing construction stimulates growth in the economy, especially in the mining sector. It is a dynamo.

In so far as manufacturing is concerned, the doors, the frames, the windows, the tiles and all the other equipment one finds inside the house that is associated with production - all of it - has a multiplying effect. Then we buy curtains, carpets and kitchenware, all of which stimulate growth in retail and wholesale. It lies right at the centre of the economy, contributing to job creation, employment and also to asset ownership.

The Deputy Minister has dealt with other critical issues. We are going to be co-operating with the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform as well as the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Those are very key Ministers. Those are more than just Ministries. Look at how the hon Nkwinti in Rural Development has to deal with everything that is out there in the countryside, from which we all steer clear and only go to visit when we need some fresh air. And the hon Sicelo Shiceka deals with the whole question of co-operative governance – that’s Chapter 3 of the Constitution – as well as the traditional leaders. We are taking them on board and taking them seriously, because they can create stumbling blocks and bottlenecks if we don’t work with them with regard to development.

The hon Gunda said that we must make sure everything is integrated. Yes, human settlements is about integration and about holistic development. It is about making sure that if you have houses here, you ask questions. Where are the schools? Where is Home Affairs? The hon Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said the other day that they want to put a Home Affairs office in our settlements. Why should people have to go far from where they stay to find a mall, Home Affairs, schools, a clinic and all these other amenities? That destroys something very critical which people have, namely disposable income.

Once they have their wages, after all the deductions, it must be for their own living. That is their disposable income. Imagine how many people are spending a lot of money, like one hon member indicated, on travelling this way to the north to look for a Home Affairs office 8 km away, on travelling the other way to send the children to school, and on travelling another way to work. Therefore, when you bring investments to where people are, that is when cities begin to grow. That is when people appreciate that now they can have a double storey, because land has to be developed in an intensified manner. That’s how you start having the development of another city. That’s where we are going. It is not really about glorifying squatter camps.

As I said, we are not trying to answer everything. People are tired. We have been here for the whole day. I want to congratulate the management which came down here from Pretoria with me. They have been here for two days and it is time for those ladies and gentlemen to go back to their families tonight. We want to thank hon members for giving us a hearing and their support. And, again, regarding every penny paid under my leadership, we are not going to allow corruption. Every penny that is being spent comes from poor people. The rich can always find insurance for their money, but the poor people are not insured. They are the people who we have to fight for while making your words here credible and your support for us worthy. I thank you. [Applause.]

Debate concluded.

                         APPROPRIATION BILL

                           (Policy debate)

Vote No 9 – Public Service and Administration:

The MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION: Chairperson and members of the Select Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, chairperson and members of the SA Local Government Association, my counterpart the Minister of Public Functions from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr Botoro Bodias, distinguished guests, our senior leadership of the Public Service and ladies and gentlemen, vamanana, vatatana, vaboti, vasesi; riperile n’wana manana [mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters; good evening to you and to my sibling].

Yesterday we addressed the National Assembly where we outlined our programme of activities through all the portfolios over which we have executive authority to account to Parliament. In doing so, we stated our priorities, which included the following: improving the capacity and efficacy of the state; improving the delivery and quality of public services provided; ensuring honesty and transparency; sustaining participatory governance; and promoting international relations and co- operation. We have also analysed the financial resources year-to-date expenditure actuals, on the basis of which we communicated a year-end projected expenditure of 96%.

We have finally committed ourselves to the following plan of activities over the given period. By next week, we will have pronounced the final position on the implementation of the occupation-specific dispensation, OSD, after a deadline we set yesterday, 30 June 2009. We will communicate a time-bound 2009-10 salary negotiation programme soon - and we can assure hon members that it is not our desire to have a long, drawn-out negotiation process.

We are committed to quality which we measure by time. This means following up on issues raised in public participation fora such as izimbizo, the National Council of Province’s programme of “Taking Parliament to the People” and the National Assembly programme of “People’s Assemblies” - and we’ll do that with immediate effect.

Other goals include: enforcing compulsory signing of performance agreements and enforcement of penalties for noncompliance, all with immediate effect; ensuring the implementation of a time-bound response window to the reports of the Public Service Commission; introducing a broader turnaround strategy for the State Information Technology Agency, Sita, by the end of July 2009; finalising the further transformation process of the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, by November 2009; introducing a community development programme turnaround strategy by December 2009; addressing the nation on the Auditor-General’s report dealing with conflicts of interest in which it was reported that there were some public servants who had interests in some companies that were, in turn, doing business with government — we will soon address the nation on that report to indicate the practical steps we intend taking forward; hosting a public sector summit by December 2009; and introducing the graduate top-up training programme immediately, and sustaining it as we progress.

Maybe we need to expand on this because there are unemployed graduates in our country and people are saying they are unemployable, yet they are graduates. The top-up programme, which Palama is introducing and sustaining, is meant to ensure that these graduates are employable. Chairperson, these are our short-term pledges and please hold us to them. We are presenting ourselves fully understanding that the separation of powers, which is part of our democracy, also has the confession part which is power relations. And we know very well that in that understanding we are accountable as an executive to Parliament and included in that establishment is this august House.

We also promise that by the end of the financial year we will have done the following: ensured a continuous reduction and final elimination of qualified audit reports by provincial and national government departments; facilitated the development of an accelerated policy implementation framework so that we can see ourselves in a situation in which we are equal to what is expected of us in terms of policy implementation; hosted a service delivery summit; and assessed the impact of the capacity-building interventions introduced so that we know exactly what we have to do.

It is for that reason we are saying Palama is the way to go. Palama is the new name for the SA Management Development Institute, which deals with the training of leadership and the introduction of new entrants into our Public Service. We have committed ourselves to performing an impact assessment of the internship programme in removing barriers of entry to the Public Service particularly and the entire job market in general. We will also have connected all existing Thusong centres to Internet technology by the end of the financial year and will connect each new one on establishment. Finally, by the end of the financial year we will have performed a corruption impact assessment so that we can see if corruption is an issue and if it has an impact on service delivery. What is the common manifestation of corruption? Where is it located in terms of the sector? We are going to do this and have committed ourselves to ensuring that corruption-fighting instruments are introduced — starting with the corruption Act, the national anti-corruption Act and following with the anticorruption strategy. We have held anticorruption summits, made decisions, and clearly stated what we can and cannot tolerate. How effective are these instruments going to be? What are we doing to actually implement all of them so that we accelerate the implementation of decisions that we have taken?

We promise to introduce to Parliament the Public Administration Management Bill, thereby ending the debate on the question of a single Public Service. We will also synchronise the programme of wage or salary negotiations with the government’s budget cycle as they are related. This sounds like a heavy programme, and some may ask questions on what informs our confidence. What makes us believe that we will walk the talk in committing ourselves to doing all this? Our position on issues like this is that it takes dedication and effective management to realise the objectives that people and institutions set for themselves.

Working together within the Ministry for the Public Service and Administration as well as the entire Public Service, we can do all these things and still more. Our commitment to service delivery informs us that if we are to be true to our constitutional and electoral mandate, we should be available to do more than ordinary things. Hard work is the name of the game and nothing else.

A very important question was asked yesterday when we were debating the Budget Vote in the National Assembly — whether we were not far from implementing the Batho Pele policy. I indicated that when people said we were far from, or not far from, or not so far, or not near to implementing Batho Pele, they should first have a full understanding of what the policy is all about. And I want this House to debate this issue either today or at a later stage, but soon. It is necessary that we do so, because the meaning goes beyond just putting people first. It means a lot, and if we were to pause for a moment here and then say exactly what it means, you would not be surprised to hear someone saying it means that we must put people first

• even if you put them first to explain to them why services should not be provided to them. I would not be surprised if members present here or those who are watching do that. That’s the reason why we need to talk about Batho Pele. What is it all about?

But, I want to put it very clearly that I’m not saying that we should debate this matter, because I have no doubt that Batho Pele is the way to go. I know that we are on board as far as the implementation of Batho Pele is concerned – at least at the average level of our general performance on policy implementation recorded over our 15-year record of service delivery.

Let me remind this House of what the Batho Pele policy binds us to do. I’m going to go through the eight principles of Batho Pele, not just the heading which has to do with the redress, setting of standards and so forth. By doing that you are not going deep enough in terms of what it means. It binds us to do the following: citizens shall be consulted about the level and quality of the public services they receive and, where possible, they should be given a choice about the services that are offered; citizens should be made aware of what services they should expect; all citizens should have equal access to the services to which they are entitled — see, it talks about entitlement; citizens shall be treated with courtesy and consideration; citizens should be given full and accurate information about the public services they are entitled to receive; citizens should be told how national and provincial governments are run, how much they cost and who is in charge - maybe that also applies to the NCOP and the National Assembly; citizens should be offered an apology, a full explanation and a speedy and effective remedy if the promised standard of services is not delivered and, when complaints are made, citizens should receive a sympathetic, positive response; and public services should be provided economically and efficiently.

Of course, I know that we may not exhaustively deal with all these issues on any single day. I want us to appreciate that the ANC government does as expected in order to live up to what is expected of us through the Batho Pele policy, as well as what is expected of the broader civil society as led by all of us in this House and those outside this House. It cannot be the responsibility of the government alone to implement Batho Pele. We all have some work to do.

Let us analyse only two principles out of the eight so that we understand that it takes more than government for us to realise the objectives of Batho Pele. In so doing, we will come to terms with the argument that I’m raising. The principle of redress calls on us to ensure that citizens are offered an apology, a full explanation and a speedy and effective remedy if the promised standard of services is not delivered, and that when complaints are made citizens should receive a sympathetic, positive response.

Suppose the level of consciousness is so high in the community that citizens know what this principle entitles them to receive: You can rest assured that we may well have to draw up an annual programme of apology, giving full explanations and raising more expectations as we try to give speedy remedies. This can cause people to reject the explanations given, the apology offered and the remedy provided. Therefore, you will be reinvited to do exactly what we have done.

This often happens when the level of understanding is such that, deliberately or accidentally, some people choose to be selfish and less concerned with what affects the state and more concerned with personal priorities. Let us take a situation that some of us may not like to hear about. We are affected by the unfortunate global state of the economy now and we can, therefore, not move with the same speed to deliver some of the services that were envisaged.

Meanwhile, the citizens know exactly what our programmes are for effective service delivery. If we explain the situation and, therefore, say that we may not be able to live up to what is expected, we may find a challenging situation, more especially if we have some among us — as, of course, we do — who would like to see themselves either actively believing that they are going to co-govern with the government or running a shadow administration to put forward their own priorities. That is what is giving us challenges.

It takes an informed, positive-minded and readily available civil society for us to succeed on this journey. Is our civil society ready to create space for government to implement the principles of Batho Pele? I doubt it. So, before we ask such questions of the government — as to how far we are with the implementation of Batho Pele and how much the government has done to comply with the policy — we should check the contribution we are making as civil society.

We have had so many comments recently, as the nation is discussing the implementation of occupation-specific dispensations in the Public Service. We have had some people conveniently contradicting themselves. When it suits them, some will say that those public servants who are assigned to do essential services should not be allowed to strike and when it suits them for different reasons the same people will say that the situation is provocative and so they should be allowed to strike. That’s a clear contradiction. I heard a supposedly responsible adult yesterday saying that the doctors in KwaZulu-Natal abandoned their work very responsibly. This was said by a person who is supposed to be a public representative and a leader: “abandoning their work responsibly”. I’m not sure what that is. It is sad when such reckless comments are made by people, some of whom have taken an oath to defend the Republic, and when the government, in fact, is doing its best to address the situation. We say thanks to the Minister of Health because he dealt with a serious blow from such empty-minded individuals.

The Batho Pele principle on openness and transparency calls on us to ensure that citizens are told how national and provincial departments are run, how much they cost and who is in charge. There are further questions that may be associated with this principle, one of which being that citizens would like to be taken on board as to what the government should spend money on. Fair enough, but I repeat: it takes an informed, positive-minded and readily available civil society for us to succeed on this course. Is our civil society ready to create space for government to implement the principles of Batho Pele? I doubt it - not in our situation where ulterior motives sometimes influence people’s thinking. But we are not giving up. That is why, as the ANC, we believe that mass mobilisation around priority programmes is the way to go. I committed the Ministry for the Public Service and Administration yesterday, and I do today, that by the end of this financial year we will have analysed obstacles in the implementation of Batho Pele and we’ll communicate the way forward out of this situation.

The debate on a single Public Service should not frustrate any person or structure. Maybe what worries people is their having the wrong perception, that the debate is all about doing away with the concept of the three spheres and creating only one structure of government in the country. No, that is not correct; that is not the intention. The issue is that we want to strategically align the institutions that comprise the machinery of the developmental state, to complement each other so as to operate effectively and fulfil the needs of all South Africans in a seamless arrangement. Let us further engage on this subject at the different fora where the issue, from time to time, is located.

To conclude, allow me to confirm that we are going ahead to all the provinces in our campaign to strengthen the African Peer Review Governing Council and to respond to the nine issues that have been raised about us as a country by our peers on the continent. We have been to Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape.

During the month of July we will be in the following provinces debating the following issues: Limpopo — poverty and inequality; the Free State – land reform; the North West — racism; the Western Cape – diversity management; and in KwaZulu-Natal — HIV and Aids.

In August we will finalise the programme in the Eastern Cape, focusing our debate on unblocking service delivery. We need to stress that these are national issues and not just for provinces. We are not discussing them in the provinces because we think they are prevalent, but because we are using provinces as a forum to engage. At the end of this we are going to have a national consultative conference at which we are going to have a plenary to reflect on all these issues because they have been raised about us by other member states of the African Union that have acceded to the African Peer Review Mechanism.

The journey to an effective Public Service is not my journey alone. It is not his journey; it is not her journey, but ours. Let’s participate. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Ms N W Magadla): Before I call on the next speaker, I would like to welcome the hon Khotso officially, on behalf of the Chairperson of the Council and the House. Where is he? You are welcome, sir. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

Mr T M H MOFOKENG: Chairperson, hon Minister and his counterpart, and hon members, the past decade and a half of a democratic South Africa has experienced numerous challenges in the Public Service. These challenges have been a hindrance to service delivery, especially to both national and provincial departments.

The current nature and form of the Public Service character falls short of addressing these challenges. In addition, the Public Service Act of 1994 has proved inadequate and needs to be reviewed. The current system in the Public Service has failed to address the following issues in the Public Service.

Firstly, there is a lack of provision for the deployment of staff where they are most needed. Secondly, some government functions are provided through national or provincial departments and are not close to the point of service delivery. The functionaries tasked with such deliveries operate without direct accountability or decision-making ability. On the other hand, some government functions are provided via entities outside the Public Service without direct control and influence by its political head.

Thirdly, the Public Service Act of 1994 and its prescripts are frequently not complied with, which results in weak organisational and human resource practices as well as legal disputes. Fourthly, employees dismissed from departments for any kind of misconduct, including misconduct involving corrupt acts, are often reappointed soon after their dismissal.

Fifthly, employees suspected of transgressions sometimes resign and are appointed in other departments without disciplinary steps being taken or instituted or continued for those transgressions. Lastly, some provisions of the Act have resulted in legal disputes while others are obsolete, overly complex or in conflict with legislation.

We need to recognise that certain organisational and human resource practices in the current Public Service Act directly or indirectly obstruct service delivery. Currently, some government functions are provided by national or provincial departments away from the point of delivery and without direct accountability.

The introduction of the Public Service Bill, also known as the Public Administration Management Bill, will go a long way towards addressing the above-mentioned challenges. The preamble of the Bill recognises sections of the Constitution, including, amongst other sections, section 197(4):

Provincial governments are responsible for the recruitment, appointment, promotion, transfer and dismissal of members of the Public Service in their administrations within a framework of uniform norms and standards applying to the Public Service.

Another section, section 151(3), states:

A municipality has the right to govern, on its own initiative, the local government affairs of its community, subject to national and provincial legislation, as provided for in the Constitution.

And section 153 states:

A municipality must —

(a) structure and manage its administration and budgeting and planning processes to give priority to the basic needs of the community, and to promote the social and economic development of the community; and

(b) participate in national and provincial development programmes.

The exercise of legislative and executive authority for local government is regulated by the Constitution and three Acts, namely the Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act, the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, and the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act. These statutes deal comprehensively with local government, leaving a few issues relating to financial management, budgeting, borrowing, Treasury control, property rating and taxation to be covered by the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act and the Local Government: Municipal Property Rates Act.

The Public Administration Management Bill has the following aims. It aims to improve staff mobility arrangements for the Public Service by allowing for the deployment of staff where they are most needed, but with due consideration of the circumstances of affected employees.

The Bill aims to introduce government agencies as a new institutional form to be accommodated within the Public Service to enable direct service delivery through a focused, ring-fenced, separate entity under the direct control of the Ministry. It also aims to enhance compliance with the Act through investigation and compulsory discipline of transgressors and reporting thereon.

The Public Administration Management Bill aims to enable the institution of disciplinary steps against employees for alleged transgressions at their former departments. It aims to introduce anticorruption measures to prohibit the re-employment of persons in the Public Service dismissed for specific kinds of misconduct, such as misconduct involving corrupt acts. The Bill also aims to address a number of legal difficulties arising from the day-to-day application of the Act as well as arbitrations and court cases.

Lastly, it aims to simplify the Public Service Act through streamlining several provisions, removing obsolete provisions and aligning the Act with other legislation in order to facilitate its application.

The Bill will impact on local government in the following ways. A single Public Service is deemed a massive undertaking designed to improve service delivery by integrating the front office, the back office and the institutions delivering service to the people. The initiative aims to integrate all spheres of government, which will allow citizens to receive government services as a whole in a convenient location, without having to travel far and wide. The progress made in the implementation of the Thusong centres initiatives is an indication of how this Bill will satisfy the demand for service delivery. There are at least 100 Thusong centres that have been built across the country, and they have been received in a good spirit.

The Bill further aims to harmonise the conditions of service across government so that it is able to work better. It will promote access to service and assist in instilling an ethos of people-centred service.

The Bill states that it proposes alignment, where appropriate, in recruitment and selection, remuneration and conditions of service, performance management and development, a competency framework, standards of ethics and misconduct, incapacity procedures, financial disclosure requirements, and procedures for the transfer, secondment and deployment across the full spectrum of national, provincial and local government.

The Bill will enhance our anticorruption initiative. It introduces anticorruption measures to prohibit the re-employment of persons in the Public Service dismissed for specific kinds of misconduct.

Some key amendments introduced by the Bill include the introduction of government components that will function as separate institutions within the Public Service, with their heads serving as accounting officers in terms of the Public Finance Management Act.

The Bill respects the powers vested by the Constitution in municipalities, particularly in their power to appoint, direct and dismiss their own employees. While the Bill does contain provisions that, in carefully circumscribed circumstances, enable the Minister for the Public Service and Administration to set limits in terms of conditions of employment, these provisions do not compromise or impede municipalities in exercising their rights or performing the functions conferred on them by the Constitution.

It must be remembered that we inherited a fragmented Public Service which served our people according to the colour of their skin. The so-called experienced and skilled public servants, who were not comfortable with the new dispensation, left and established consultancies which continued misleading our institutions because they didn’t understand our transformation agenda.

Our intention and approach to a single Public Service will assist in having a co-ordinated bargaining approach, which will hopefully minimise the looming labour action. This approach, informed by the Batho Pele principles, should be understood within the context of nation-building and promoting allegiance to one unitary South Africa, where poverty, unemployment and lack of shelter will be a thing of the past and where our people will live in peace and prosperity. We support the Vote. Thank you very much. [Applause.]

Mnr J M G BEKKER: Die afgelope paar dae en veral gister en vandag was dit vir my opvallend dat die partye hier in die Huis en in die komiteevergaderings almal baie bekommerd is oor die gehalte en volhoubaarheid van dienslewering. Ek gaan my toespits op dienslewering deur munisipaliteite, omdat ek daarvan ondervinding het.

As ons kyk na al die stelsels, besigheidsplanne, ens, dan glo ek die stelsel moet geloof en geprys word. Die GOP, IDP, begrotings van die verskillende rade en SDIP as ’n kontrolemeganisme laat dit blyk asof alles net met hierdie groot en effektiewe ondersteuningsdienste moet gebeur.

Daar is amptenare en bestuurders wat baie bekwaam voorkom en salarisse verdien wat sterk kompeteer met poste in die private sektor, maar waar bestuurders aan groter risiko’s blootgestel is. Ministers en amptenare doen verklarings en gee oplossings vir alle probleme en planne wat net voorspoed voorspel.

As jy egter na die radio luister, koerante lees, televisie kyk, of net jou eie omgewing rondom jou waarneem, dan besef jy êrens is daar ’n groot fout. Daar is strate met gate en spoelslote waarvoor jy ’n vier-by-vier nodig het. Inwoners kla dat hul watertoevoer en kragtoevoer baie onbetroubaar is en onderbrekings kom gereeld voor. In sommige woonbuurte vloei menslike afval in die strate af. In sommige gebiede is daar geen of baie swak diens, terwyl daar ander gebiede is waar dit goed gaan. Wat is dan die fout?

Ek wil hier saamstem met President Zuma dat openbare ampsdraers en almal in uitvoerende posisies, harder sal moet werk met die doel om beter diens te lewer. Ek moet ook met die President saamstem waar hy in ’n televisie- onderhoud gesê het: “The problem is in implementation”.

Sommige raadslede het nie die kapasiteit om hul werk te doen nie. Hulle woon elke moontlike funksie en kongres by maar geen terugvoering word gegee nie. Artikel 56- en 57-aanstellings verdien salarisse wat vir niks skrik nie. Hulle het almal prestasieverwante bonusse, maar ek het nog nie gesien dat enige van hulle minder as 100% kry nie.

As hulle oortree of bedrog pleeg, dan skik hulle met die betrokke raad, kry ’n goue handdruk en beweeg voort na die volgende een. Daar is nie enige skuldigbevindings teen so ’n persoon nie en nêrens kan jy bespeur dat hy oortree het nie.

Vakbonde is baie goed georganiseerd en beskik oor uitstekende raadgewers wat baie goed in hul eie lede se belang optree, maar dienslewering benadeel. Arbeidswette is uiters noodsaaklik, maar vertraag dikwels produktiwiteit en effektiwiteit.

Daar word baie gepraat en geskryf oor een Staatsdiens en administrasie, met ander woorde, sentralisering, maar gaan hierdie groot, lywige departement doeltreffend wees? Die regering moet hier baie goeie navorsing doen voordat hulle so ’n stap neem.

Ek glo ons moet minder praat en meer doen en net twee woorde gebruik, dit is verantwoordelikheid en dissipline. As ons hierdie waardes gevestig kan kry, dan sal ons suksesvol wees. Ek glo daar is ’n wonderlike omgewing geskep om dienste van ‘n hoë gehalte te lewer, maar as daar nie dissipline en verantwoordelikheid toegepas word nie, dan gaan daar geen vordering wees nie. Besluite en optredes moet saakgerig wees en minder om eie belang gaan. Daar word eers besluite geneem om amptenare te bevoordeel en dan word die diens aan die bevolking gelewer. Batho Pele moet die wagwoord wees. Swak bestuur en dienslewering maak die armste van die armes die seerste. Hulle is nie in ’n posisie om vir hulself op te staan nie.

Ek wil dus ’n beroep doen op almal wat hier betrokke is, kom ons aanvaar die verantwoordelikheid, gebruik al die hulpmiddels en stelsels en lewer vyfsterdiens aan ons mense. Dankie. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)

[Mr J M G BEKKER: The past few days, and especially yesterday and today, I was struck by the fact that the parties here in the House and in the committee meetings have all been very concerned about the standard, quality and sustainability of service delivery. I will focus on service delivery by municipalities, because that is a field where I have some experience.

If we look at all the systems, business plans, etc, then I believe the system must be praised and commended. The IDP, or integrated development plan, the budgets of the various councils, the SDIP, service delivery improvement plan, as a control measure – everything looks as if great things are about to happen, with these great and effective support services in place.

There are officials and managers who appear to be very competent and whose salaries seriously compete with posts in the private sector, where managers are exposed to great risks. Ministers and officials make announcements and offer solutions to all problems and introduce plans that herald prosperity.

But, if you listen to the radio, read the newspapers or watch TV, or simply observe your own environment, then you realise something somewhere is seriously wrong. There are roads with potholes and ditches for which you need a four-by-four. Residents complain that their water and electricity supply is very unreliable, and breakdowns occur regularly. There are neighbourhoods where human waste runs down the streets. In some areas service delivery is non-existent or very poor, while others are doing well. So, what is the problem?

I want to concur with President Zuma’s view that public office bearers and all incumbents in executive posts will have to work harder in order to deliver better services. I also have to agree with the President’s statement in a television interview that “the problem is in the implementation”.

Some councillors lack the capacity to do their work. They attend every possible function and congress, but they never supply any feedback. Article 56 and 57 appointments earn salaries second to none. All of them have performance-related bonuses, but I have never seen any of them receive anything less than one hundred percent.

If they transgress or commit fraud they settle with the council, get a golden handshake, and move on to the next one. There are no convictions against such persons, and it is impossible to detect that they have transgressed.

Trade unions are very well organised and have excellent consultants who act in their own members’ interests, but they often impede productivity and effectiveness. Labour lawas are essential, but they often impede productivity and effectivity.

Much is being said and written about one single Public Service and administration, but will this huge, voluminous department be effective? In other words, will centralisation be effective? The government must do some serious research before taking such a step.

I believe we should talk less and do more, and we should use only two terms, namely responsibility and discipline. If we can get these values established, we will be successful. I believe a wonderful environment has been created to deliver services of a high standard, but unless discipline and responsible behaviour are enforced there will be no progress.

Decisions and actions should be determined by the task at hand, and not by self-interest. Decisions are taken firstly for the officials’ benefit, and thereafter service is rendered to the population. The watchword should be Batho Pele. Poor management and poor service delivery hurt the poorest of the poor the most. They are in no position to stand up for themselves.

I therefore wish to appeal to everybody concerned: Let us take responsibility, let us use all the resources and systems, and let us deliver a five-star service to our people. Thank you. [Applause.]]

UMntwana M M M ZULU: Sihlalo, mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe, Inhloko yoMnyango wakho, kanye nezikhulu zawo wonke ama-sections akho, Amalungu Ahloniphekile ale Ndlu. Ngqongqoshe ngithi angikubongele ukuthi unikezwe umsebenzi omkhulu wesizwe ukuba ubheke yonke iMinyango kahulumeni waleli lizwe.

Uma ubheka iMinyango kahulumeni wakuleli lizwe, ngithi angikukhumbuze Ngqongqoshe ukuthi kunalezi zinto ezibizwa ngokuthi ngama-Chapter Nine Institutions akhiwa uMthethosisekelo wezwe ukuthi asebenze ngokuzimela – independent. Kodwa ngithi ukuzimela kuhamba kube nama-limitation kulo lonke izwe ngoba uma singathi ngoba bazimele ngakho-ke awungeni lapho ukuthi ubheke, ngoba ngumsebenzi woMnyango wakho ukuthi ubheke ukuthi bonke abantu abaqashwayo kuwo wonke lawa ma-Chapter Nine Institution ukuthi bafanelekile yini kulowo msebenzi. Ngoba uma nizowayeka kube wuthela wayeka nje nami njengoZulu ngizisebenzele njengomumzi wami - kusho ukuthi i-mandate le enayinikezwa ngabantu ngomhla- ka 22 … (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)

[Prince M M M ZULU: Chairperson, hon Minister, the director-general of your department, officials of all the sections in your department, and hon members of this House, I want to congratulate the hon Minister on being given the huge responsibility of monitoring all the departments of this government.

If you look at the departments of this government, I want to remind you, hon Minister, that there are these structures that are known as Chapter 9 institutions which were created in accordance with the Constitution of the country to work independently. But, I am saying that independence has its limits throughout the country. We cannot say that because they are independent you should oversee their performance. It is the task of your department to see to it that everybody who is employed in these Chapter 9 institutions is qualified to do the job.

If you are going to allow them to do as they please — if I, as Prince Zulu, were to operate like I do at my place — that would mean that the mandate you received from the people on 22 April …]

… is questionable. Ngoba nibhekele bona abantu bakithi eNingizimu Afrika ukuba wonke lawa ma- state organs ayayilandela yini imithetho nemitheshwana yelizwe.

Ngithi ngisheshise nje ngikuhalalisele ephusheni lakho lokuthi zonke izifundiswa zakithi noma lokhu okuthiwa phecelezi ama-graduates asefundile nizoba nama-data base ukuthi niqoqe bonke abantu ukuthi bathole imisebenzi bakwazi ukusebenza. Ngith-ke kulelo phupho lakho ngikufisela inhlanhla Ngqongqoshe kuloMnyango wakho sengathi ungakubhekisisa lokho.

Ngiphinde ngibuye futhi ngithi Ngqongqoshe, kunomasipala, omasipala akusho ukuthi bazimele kuleli lizwe – akukho Federal State ekhona kuleli lizwe. Uma ingekho-ke i-Fedaral State, ngizocela-ke futhi ukuthi nomasipala ubabhekisise ngoba kuneZinhloko ZeMinyango ezikhona ezingasebenzi ngendlela ekuyiyona yona kubo bonke ikakhulukazi la bomasipala basemakhaya uthola ukuthi bakwazi ukushaya imithetho ngaphezu kwamakhansela namkhansela nawo abesabe.

Kodwa-ke uMnyango wakho ngiyacabanga ukuthi bayowesaba kakhulu ngoba uyobe ubhekene ngqo nabo kanye nokubheka ukuthi kuhamba kanjani ukuze lokhu okuthiwa ‘ubuntu/botho’ okhuluma ngakho kwenze ukuthi abantu bazuze kuzo zonke lezi zinkalo zakithi kuleli lizwe. Ngibonge kakhulu, Mphathisihlalo. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)

[Because you act on behalf of the people of South Africa to see to it that all these state organs follow the laws and regulations of this country.

I wish to congratulate you in anticipation of your dream of establishing a database for all the graduates so that every one will be able to find work. I am, therefore, saying that I wish you well in this department and good luck, hon Minister; may you succeed in this venture.

Hon Minister, I also wish to say that there are municipalities which are not independent in this country. There is no federal state in this country. As there is no federal state, I would like to request you to monitor the municipalities too, because there are heads of departments who are not operating properly in all municipalities, especially in the rural municipalities. They impose laws on the councillors and some councillors are scared of them.

But, I think that they will be too scared of your department because it will be directly focusing on them by monitoring what we call “ubuntu botho” that you referred to so that everybody in every locality of this country could benefit. Thank you very much, Chairperson. [Applause.]]

Nkul M W MAKHUBELA: Mutshamaxitulu, Holobye Mudondolofana, Ncila-va-ololi na Yindlu, ndzi yimile haleno namuntlha ku ta ndhundhuzela ndzawulo ya n’wina hilaha mi nga tirha hakona. Loko ingaku eka 15 wa malembe lama nga hundza a va mi thole kwalaho. Swilo leswi hi nga swi twa namuntlha hi leswi Congress of the People, Cope, yi nga yimela swona. Mi te kahle eka “Batho Pele”. A ndzi lava ku mi vutisa leswaku loko mi ku “Batho Pele” – Vanhu ku Sungula; mi sungula hi vanhu loko ku tirhiwa – mi vula yini? Eka malembe ya 15 lama nga hundza, xana mfumo lowu nga kona a wu nga swi voni swilo leswi ke, leswi swi nga lo tshama swi vekiwa? Leswi mi nge mi ya sungula hi ndlela leyi ya matirhelo, hi lava leswaku Cope yi va na n’wina kwalaho.

Nakambe, mi vulavule hi Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, mi ku, “it’s the way to go.” Leswi hi leswi hi tshamaka hi vulavula hi swona eka Cope. Ha tivutisa leswaku xana mfumo lowu wu endla yini. Loko mi swi vonile, hi ta mi seketela mi yisa ntirho lowu emahlweni.

Xin’wana lexi ndzi lavaka ku xi vutisa i “internship”. Loko vanhu lava nga tokota va thoriwa – ndzi twile loko mi vulavula eka Ngula ya Vutivi tolo nimadyambu eka SABC. Mi ndzi tsakise ngopfu loko mi kote ku hlamusela tiko leswaku … i Holobye loyi a nga koteki ku tumbeta swilo a tlhela a vulavula ntiyiso hinkwawo wa leswaku u ta tirha hi ndlela yihi. Ndzi lava ku tiva kuri eka “internship” mi na vanhu vangani lava nga dyondzisiwa no tokotisiwa leswaku loko va wu kumile ntokoto va ta kota ku thoriwa va nghena eka mfumo?

Ndzi vona nakambe eka “strategic planning” xa n’wina leswaku mi na tiposo ta 112. Poso ya Chief Financial Officer yi na malembe manharhu yi nga se tatiwa. Xana ku humelela yini hi yona. Xana letin’wana ta 111 leti nga sala tona ti ya thola rini? A ndzi lava ku tiva ku xana eka tindzawulo hinkwato, tanihi leswi mi nga vutihlamuleri eka tindzawulo hinkwato, ku na tiposo tingani leti to ka ti nga se tatiwaka nakona ti na malembe mangani? Hi lava ku tiva leswaku hi ta kota ku fambisana na n’wina kahle.

Ndzi twa ndzi tsake ngopfu hikuva ndzi yima hi leswi Puresidente Zuma a nga vula swona. Ndzi ta hlaya hi ririmi ra vadyanhlampfi. (Translation of Xitsonga paragraphs follows.)

[Mr M W MAKHUBELA: Chairperson, Minister Mudondolofana, Ncila-va-ololi and the House, I am standing before you to praise the way in which your department performed. I wish you had been employed in that position 15 years ago! What we heard today is what the Congress of the People, Cope, stands for. It is good that you made mention of Batho Pele. I want to ask you: When you say “Batho Pele”, or “People First”, and you give preference to the people when you serve, what do you mean? For the past 15 years, hasn’t the previous government realised all these things as the work is still lying unattended to? Since you are saying you want to start working in this way, we want Cope to be with you in that regard.

Once more, you talked about the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, and you said, “It is the way to go.” This is what we are always talking about in Cope. We ask ourselves what this government is doing. Having seen it, we will support you to do more of this work going forward. One other thing that I want to ask about is the internship programmes. When experienced people are employed … I heard it when you were talking on Ngula ya Vutivi yesterday evening on SABC. You made me so happy when you were able to explain to the nation that … it is the Minister who is unable to hide things and once more tell the whole truth as to how he will perform the work. I want to know how many people have been trained and empowered through internship programmes so that, once they are experienced, they can be employed in government?

I see again in your strategic planning that you have 112 posts. The chief financial officer post has not been filled for three years. What is happening in that regard? When will the outstanding 111 posts be filled? Since you are responsible for all the departments, I want to know how many posts are still vacant in all the departments and for how many years have they been vacant? We want to know so that we can be on par with you.

I feel so happy because I stand by what President Zuma said. I will say it in English.]

President Zuma made it clear that the Public Service must respond to the economic downturn by spending public funds wisely and fruitfully.

Loko ndzi lava ku mi hlamusela kahle, ndzi ta teka xikombiso xo olova. A ndzi lava ku mi hlamusela leswaku swi dya mali yo tala swilo leswi. [Nkarhi wu herile.] [Phokotela.] [Va phokotela.] [If I want to be explicit, I will give a simple example. I want to say that these things waste a lot of money. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]

Mr M H MOKGOBI: Thank you to the Chairperson and the Minister for a good presentation that indeed spoke to the needs of the people, and thank you to the Minister for bringing us his counterpart Minister from the Democratic Republic of Congo. It shows that indeed the African Peer Review Mechanism will move.

The Minister has indeed given us a budget that shows a sterling effort within the required attributes of a developmental state. Indeed, you were confirming a requirement that the Polokwane resolution said we must come and fulfil because, underlying that, your presentation is a transformation of public administration and service, and a modernising of it because it has indeed inherited, through the sunset clause, what the father of the gentleman from the DA was saying.

His father was here for 40 years. He created some of these things. Because of the sunset clause, some of them were comfortable with some of these attributes, but now, through your agenda and programme, we will be in a position to remove some of them.

The budget of the Minister will turn the tide on the problems and binding constraints that the state has. In the developmental state, when we say the developmental state will meet the objectives of governance, it is when the Public Service’s attitude has been geared towards the transformation agenda. Currently, we are working with some elements which would want to make the ANC government appear corrupt, when it has to do with elements of the transformation of mental attitudes to the manifesto of the ruling party. As such, we need to overhaul this administrative system. We thank the Minister because the programme of his budget will speak to that without failure.

The other element which the Minister’s presentation has given to us is the fact that this budget - Budget Vote No 9 - as we said, is a developmental state budget. It will not only speak to issues of Batho Pele, but is also going to speak to issues of departmental activities which were inherited and became an obstacle in the Ministry, hence the problem with the occupation-specific dispensation. It is this Ministry that began to engage hands-on with OSD issues, and we hope that things will be done. Of course, this is not just hope: As the select committee we are prepared to engage and work with the Ministry. If needs be, as the Minister moves from province to province, an invitation can be extended to the House so that we are able to come and make sure that we oversee those things.

While the presentation is good for us as the select committee, there are certain nocturnal areas that need to be scrutinised. They are dark and need bright light to shine on them from your plans to make sure that interventions are made in those areas.

For example, we have the issue of norms and standards. I think they go beyond the Batho Pele principles. It was once said that they would be in a position to dictate daily to those who are working in the Ministries across the spheres, in the parastatals and entities, how they should respond to the people out there. Norms and standards will again empower the people to make sure that they are held accountable when certain things are not done in the process of giving services to the people.

I think that area needs to be clarified and unpacked within the broad context of Batho Pele principles. But, on a daily basis, what is it that must be done when I go to the office and find a counter clerk not responding to these elements? We therefore need that type of scrutiny. It is important that the department look into that. The other issue is that of whistle-blowers. We give them toll-free numbers every time, and they indeed blow the whistle. They are holding red cards against their seniors; mostly, they are juniors. After red-carding their seniors, they are then dismissed from work. What is it that the department is doing to protect these people? Security is not a privilege; it is a right.

Therefore, from a junior to whomever, everyone must enjoy the security of the Ministry and the department so that they are not victimised simply because they are doing their duty. In that way, whistle-blowing is essentially the protection of the taxpayers’ money and of the people’s property. The government, departments, municipalities and everything are the people’s property and we therefore need a mechanism that will ensure how these people are protected.

On the issue of a single Public Service, I think we will await the process so that we can make an input. In fact, we can’t keep on singing about something which we know is there. We are just waiting for that time because, procedurally speaking, when we say things will come, we don’t mean now; we mean there will be plans, input, drafts and all sorts of things. But it must be speeded up; it has to. You have spoken well about Batho Pele. Some of us are educated enough to go beyond knowing all those things as concepts. Now we also understand the attitude within every aspect of Batho Pele.

However, I would want the department and the House to look into this bureaucracy. I think this is a concept we inherited through the sunset clause. We need to move and create our own concept, that of “revocrats”. I understand this to be revolutionary managers in a revolutionary government and Parliament. “Revocracy” says that people must go according to the ruling party’s manifesto. People must change every day and must understand change as ongoing and not static.

Bureaucracy is like a tortoise: you have to break it to change it. If you don’t, it will remain like that. We, therefore, need to check whether or not, as part of the summit, we can come up with a concept that will make a logical impression with the administrative understanding of the politics of the ruling party. It’s very important.

The other element that we need to look into with my friend and leader Comrade Nzimande – and he has always acted on this – is the issue of job access. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

The MINISTER FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION: Thank you very much, Chairperson. I wish I could donate two minutes of my time to the chairperson of the select committee.

Let me, as I close the debate on the Budget Vote, thank hon members for their inputs. As I have indicated, it is our joint responsibility to make sure that this Public Service is what we want it to be.

All the things that have been said here are relevant and very important. We commit ourselves to following that up. I may not touch them individually and say yes to this one and no to that one. No is no answer to any of the things that have been said. I fully agree with all of those, and we shall take care of the situation.

As a response to all speakers, I have a one-size-fits-all comment. Thank you for what you have said.

With regard to the issues around revocrats and bureaucrats, we raised a challenge — and we shall actually put it here — and we committed ourselves to revisiting the instrument of recruitment. We are not only going to revisit the instrument of recruitment, but we shall also define merit in South African terms. If you do not have a number of factors that merit a person suitable for an appointment, you may find yourself missing the point.

I have indicated and requested the Public Service Commission and also instructed my department to work on an instrument. When I introduced this to them, I indicated that this recruitment tool must be modelled around the ruling party’s document Eye of a Needle. This will prevent people from claiming that they can be appointed public servants, because not all of them will actually be equal to the task. That is why we have challenges. That is why departments are not spending their money at the end of the day.

Financial management is a serious issue. We are looking into that. There are people in deployment and appointment posts who, instead of working, play and politicise their deployment. When action is taken against them, they say they are being purged. We want to deal with that.

Relevance, in terms of understanding policies, honestly speaking, is one of the things that needs to be practised. You cannot give a person a Bible in a shebeen, ask them to preach and expect that they will talk to the contents of that Bible. The two can’t mix.

Thank you very much in terms of what has been said.

Hon Makhubela, Mugwena, loko hi ku hi ta vuya eka tiko hi fika hi kombisa leswaku xana leswi swi hi sirhelelaka ku simeka tipholisi ta hina hi swihi. [Hon Makhubela, Mugwena, when we say we will come back to the nation we will outline what the things are that serve as the guiding principles in implementing our policies.]

We need to look into these things. For instance, there is nothing that can be identified as an anomaly in the Public Service that does not have a policy to address it. We just need to find out why the people are failing to implement things.

You spoke of 112 vacancies. We can have that as a subject on its own. One of our commitments — I indicated that when I mentioned that we shall come up with a Sita turnaround strategy by July - is to find ways of dealing with our record management system, Persal. Sometimes vacancies that are said to be available do not tally with the figures. These are some of the things we are going to investigate. We shall come back and address you after that exercise. We shall be able to say how many vacancies are available, where they are located and why they are not filled. If officials confirm that the personnel record system does not tally with what is actually reflected, then we shall investigate. Those are the things that are very important.

Thank you, Mr Burgess, for saying that you feel proud to belong in South Africa. The ANC says South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white. It is for that reason that I’m thanking you for recognising that. But that recognition should be accompanied by a commitment from all of us to soil our hands and contribute to the betterment of the lives of the people of South Africa.

We have taken a decision because you might have seen that we can’t afford a situation in which the relationship between ourselves, as a caring employer, as government and labour is antagonistic. We engage one another. We are not engaging one another out of choice, but we do it because we have taken a decision to establish collective bargaining processes, and through those structures we’ll be able to find peace with one another. That is exactly what we are doing. That is why it was possible, within a short space of time, to agree as an employer together with labour that we would set a deadline for 30 June 2009 to resolve all occupation-specific- dispensation-related questions. We will come back and announce progress early next week because we are still assessing. But, rest assured, we are on board. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr R J Tau): Hon members, tomorrow our sitting will start at 12:00 to consider Budget Vote No 2 and again at 14:30 in the afternoon for the other Budget Votes.

Debate concluded.

The Council adjourned at 20:13. ____

            ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

National Council of Provinces

The Chairperson

1. Letter from Minister of Finance on proposed technical corrections to Appropriation Bill:

CREDA INSERT - 090701e-insert2 – PAGES 316-317

1. Membership of Committees

   (1) The following changes have been made to the membership of the Constitutional Review Committee:

    Appointed:
   
   
    Member                       Province              Party
    Rantho, Ms D Z               Eastern Cape                ANC
    Dikgale, Ms M C              Limpopo               ANC
    Mncube, Ms B V               Gauteng               ANC
   
   
    Discharged:
   
   
    Member                       Province              Party
    Nesi, Mr B                   Eastern Cape                ANC
    Mokgobi, Mr M H              Limpopo               ANC
    Matila, Mr A G               Gauteng               ANC
   

TABLINGS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

1. The Speaker and the Chairperson

(a)     Strategic Plan of the Office of the Public Protector for 1
    April 2009 – 31 March 2012.

1. The Minister of Finance

 a) Government Notice No R.646 published in Government Gazette No 32299
    dated 12 June 2009: Amendment of Schedule No 1 (No 1/1/378), in
    terms of the Customs and Excise Act, 1964 (Act No 91 of 1964).

(b)     Government Notice No R.647 published in Government Gazette No
    32299 dated 12 June 2009: Amendment of Schedule No 2 (No 2/316), in
    terms of the Customs and Excise Act, 1964 (Act No 91 of 1964).


(c)     Government Notice No R.648 published in Government Gazette No
    32299 dated 12 June 2009: Amendment of Schedule No 2 (No 2/317), in
    terms of the Customs and Excise Act, 1964 (Act No 91 of 1964).
(d)     Government Notice No R.643 published in Government Gazette No
    32299 dated 12 June 2009: Amendment of Schedule No 2 (No 2/315), in
    terms of the Customs and Excise Act, 1964 (Act No 91 of 1964).


(e)     Government Notice No R.670 published in Government Gazette No
    32309 dated 9 June 2009: Amendment of Schedule No 1 (No 1/3/7), in
    terms of the Customs and Excise Act, 1964 (Act No 91 of 1964).


(f)     Government Notice No R.671 published in Government Gazette No
    32309 dated 9 June 2009: Amendment of Schedule No 8 (No 8/7), in
    terms of the Customs and Excise Act, 1964 (Act No 91 of 1964).


(g)     Government Notice No R.678 published in Government Gazette No
    32319 dated 12 June 2009: Amendment of Schedule No 1 (No 1/1/1379),
    in terms of the Customs and Excise Act, 1964 (Act No 91 of 1964).


(h)     Government Notice No 618 published in Government Gazette No
    32280 dated 29 May 2009: Determination of interest rate for
    purposes of paragraph (a) of the definition of “Official rate of
    interest” in paragraph 1 of the Seventh Schedule, in terms of the
    Income Tax Act, 1962 (Act No 58 of 1962).


(i)     Government Notice No 642 published in Government Gazette No
    32280 dated 4 June 2009: Determination of interest rate for
    purposes of paragraph (a) of the definition of “Official rate of
    interest” in paragraph 1 of the Seventh Schedule: Correction Notice
    for Venda and Zulu translations, in terms of the Income Tax Act,
    1962 (Act No 58 of 1962).
(j)     Government Notice No 582 published in Government Gazette No
    32246 dated 22 May 2009: The dimension of, design for, and
    compilation of, the year 2009 “FIFA 2010 coin series”, in terms of
    the South African Reserve Bank Act, 1989 (Act No 90 of 1989).

1. The Minister of Trade and Industry

 a) General Notice No 503 published in Government Gazette No 32229
    dated 15 May 2009: Debt Counselling Regulations, in terms of the
    National Credit Act, 2005 (Act No 34 of 2005).

COMMITTEE REPORTS

National Council of Provinces

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