FRIDAY, 26 MARCH 2010 __

          PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
                                ____

The Council met at the Sekhukhune Further Education and Training College, Dr C N Phatudi Campus, in the Greater Tubatse Local Municipality at 09:34.

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.

 WORKING TOGETHER TO SPEED UP THE DELIVERY OF SERVICES TO OUR PEOPLE

                    (Deputy President’s Address)

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Please be seated!

A re duleng fase! A re homoleng, re a thoma ka mošomo wa rena. A re homoleng, re a thoma ka mo šomo wa rena! Dulang fase! Ga go sana motho yo a tlogo dumelelwa go tsena. Tswalelang mabmati! [Please be seated! Be quiet, please! We are now starting with our work. Please be seated! Nobody will be allowed to come inside. Can you close the doors, please!]

Technicians, there is no light up here. Can you please assist us? We can’t see here.

Magagešo, Ntlo e hlomphegago, re a thoma bjale ka mošomo wa rena. A ke dire tsebišo e tee še. Re timetšwe ke mohlagase. Ga ke tsebe gore go reng o be o le gona beke kamoka, bjale lehono ge go etla Motlatša Poresidente ga o be gona. Le ge gole bjalo, ba tsene fase ba a lokiša, re tla tšwela pele. Ge ba sa tšwa ba lokiša mohlagase, re tlo tšwela pele ka moš omo wa rena. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)

[Hon House, we are now starting with our work. We do not have electricity. I wonder why we had electricity the entire week but today when the Deputy President is visiting it is not there. This problem is being attended to. We will continue with our work while they are busy attending to the electricity problem.]

Hon members, the communities of Tubatse and Sekhukhuneland, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa to the sitting of the National Council of Provinces in Greater Tubatse Local Municipality here in Praktiseer. I’m pleased that the Deputy President has graced this occasion to address us. I therefore call upon the Deputy President to address us. [Applause.]

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC: Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers here present, provincial premiers, NCOP delegates, SA Local Government Association representatives, Magoši a gabo rena [our Chiefs], distinguished guests and fellow South Africans …

… ke a le dumediša bagešo, ke re tameng! [… greetings to all!] [Applause.]]

I am pleased to be here with you in the week in which Parliament comes directly to the people of the local municipalities of Fetakgomo, Makhuduthamaga and Tubatse.

Rena re re Palamente ya gabo rena ke Palamente ya setšhaba, ke ka moo lehono re legong mo, ka gore bontši bja setšhaba sa gaborena gabo tsebe gore pharologano magareng ga Palamente le mmušo ke efe. Mo go bona, ge o le setho sa Palamente go bolela gore ke wena mmušo. Bjale ke tla leka gore ke hlaloše gore Maloko a NCOP le a Palamente ga se mmušo.

Bona ke bona ba ngwalagong melao e leng yona ye re laolang ka yona naga ye ya gabo rena. Melao e phasišwa ke Palamente. Se se bolela gore mmušo o nale maoto a mararo. Leoto la mathomo ke le la Palamente, e legong Phuthego ya Bosetšhaba le Khansele ya Setšhaba ya Diprofense. Ke leoto la mathomo leo moo e legong gona go ngwalwang melao e laolago naga ye ya gabo rena. Leoto la bobedi ke mmušo, ke leo re le bitšago le phethago, ke gore moo ke go tloga ka Mopresidente go ya go Matona a Khabinete. Ge re eya diprofenseng, se se bolela gore ke Ditonakgolo le dikhansele tše phethago, Maloko a Khansele ya Phethagatšo, bjalo-bjalo. E sepela ka wona mokgwa owe go fihla mo go bommasepala. Leoto la boraro ke la tša bokgaolakgang, ke gore ke dikgolegohoto, baahlodi le bomagistrata ka gore mmereko wa bona ke go toloka molao, eupša mošomo wa phethagatšo ke go phethagatša molao. Mmereko wa Palamente ke go ngwala le go phasiša molao. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[Our Parliament is a people’s Parliament, and that is the reason why we are here today. Most members of the public cannot differentiate between Parliament and government. They think if you are a Member of Parliament then you are the government. The Members of Parliament in the NCOP and NA are not the government.

They are the people who are making the laws of our country. Laws are passed by Parliament. The state is made up of three integral parts. The first is Parliament which has the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces and that is where the laws of the country are made.

The second leg is the state, which is also called the executive and that starts from the President up to the Ministers in the Cabinet. In the provinces there are premiers, MECs, etc. Then there are municipalities. The third leg is the judiciary which includes the courts, the judges and the magistrates because they are there to interpret the laws of the country. The responsibility of the executive is to implement the law. The responsibility of Parliament is to write and pass laws.]

Therefore, the state is made up of three integral parts. The first is the legislatures, which have the responsibility of promulgating legislation, as well as exercising oversight over the executive. They are the supervisors of the executive. The second leg is the executive and the third leg of the state consists of the judiciary. These are the judges, the magistrates and the courts who interpret the laws of the land.

This is a very important point because it will make it easy for us to understand why the NCOP takes Parliament to the people. That is very important because these delegates to the NCOP are public representatives. They are public representatives! If there is any matter or issue that is of concern to a community or group of individuals, the first port of call is to get hold of a public representative and present the issues to that public representative …

… moemedi wo wa setšhaba e leng leloko la Khansele ya Bosetšhaba ya Diporofense goba la Ngwako wa Lekgotlatheramolao la Boditšhaba kua Palamenteng goba gona mo mo porofenseng. Ge go nale mathata ao e legong gore a tlišwa ke ka moo molao o šomišwagong ka gona goba ka moo phethagatšo o šomelang setšhaba ka gona, felo ga mathomo mo o swanetšegong gore o leke go ya gona ke gore o hwetše moemedi e leng leloko la Khansele ya Bosetšhaba ya Diporofense goba la Ngwako wa Lekgotlatheramolao la Boditšhaba. O nape o mo gaše ka tšona taba tše le mathatha akhwi, ka gore bona ba nale maatla le toka ya gore ba kgona go bitša Ditona, Presidente le Motlatša Presidente ba ba emiše mo ba ba hlabe ka dipotšišo gore ba ke ba hlaloše gore goreng ba dira ka mokgwa o itšegong.

Bjale ge le ba boditše gore mathatha le ka a tlalega go bona, ba tla kgona gore ba boe ba tle go lena ba le botše gore mmušo re o botšiš itše gore goreng o sa phethagatše ditakatsšo tša setšhaba, mme o arabile ka gore … (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[… a public representative who is a member of the National Council of Provinces or of the National Assembly in Parliament or of the provincial legislatures. If there are issues that are caused by the way the law is used or the way the executive delivers the services, the first person to approach is the member of the National Council of Provinces or the member of the National Assembly. You have to explain the challenges to that member because they are the ones who have the power to call the Minister, the President and the Deputy President and ask them to explain their actions.

If you tell them that you will report your challenges to them, they will respond by giving you the answers from the government about why they failed to meet your needs. They will inform you that the government responded that …]

I am explaining this because it is very important and it will actually help us to deepen our democracy once we understand that we as communities have the power. The power does not only reside in communities during election time; it resides in communities all the time throughout the year. And there is no matter of concern to any community that should not be raised very sharply with public representatives. Public representatives have the authority to exercise oversight and to supervise the work that government does. If that work is not satisfactory, it is the responsibility and duty of public representatives to hold government or its representatives to account.

Indeed, on a regular basis we are called upon to go and answer questions in both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces – from time to time on a regular basis. That is what we do. Therefore it is very important for us to understand that power lies in us as citizens and communities of this country. However, we need to know how to exercise that power.

Given the accumulated disabilities as well as the competing needs that have to be addressed with limited resources, government has had to identify five key priorities in order for it to ensure that in this term and beyond we correct those priorities. The first of the five priorities is education, because it is the key to solving most of these accumulated disabilities. As government we have decided the best way to improve education is by tackling it from the beginning and to begin with early childhood development programmes: To ensure that the teachers are well qualified and to ensure that all children enrol for Grade R.

Thuto ke sehlare seo se tla phekolago malwetši ka moka ao re nago le wona bjalo ka setšhaba. [Education is the solution to all the problems that we have as a nation.]

The three federations of teacher trade unions, the Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie, the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa, Naptosa, and the SA Democratic Teachers’ Union, Sadtu, have all committed themselves to teachers being at school on time, teaching for a minimum of six and a half hours, without failure, every day of the week. We have also called upon the learners to be at school and in class for a minimum of six and a half hours, learning. We have also insisted that it does not matter who visits a school during school hours; no learning must be disrupted by anybody. [Applause.]

We have been searching for the leadership of an organisation called the Congress of South African Students, Cosas, in the Gauteng province because schooling has been disrupted since the tragic death of some students of Soweto, who were knocked down by a man called Jub Jub, who, apparently, was under the influence of alcohol. In good, savoury language, he was on the wrong side of sobriety. Of course, he and his fellow offender were arrested for this gruesome accident, because they were racing in the township, in the backstreets of Soweto, completely spaced out on drugs. Even a tragic incident like that one should not serve as an excuse for anybody to pull learners out of schools and take them to court. [Applause.]

At issue in this whole episode is drug or substance abuse. That is the real problem. The second problem is disregard of the laws that govern our roads. The safety of children in residential areas is at stake, because this incident happened in the backstreets of a residential area. Therefore these learners, in honouring the memory of their fellow learners who got killed in this accident, can mount and sustain campaigns against substance abuse and for road safety in residential areas throughout the year. They can conduct such a campaign every Saturday for half the day. [Applause.]

So we are still looking for a meeting with Cosas to redirect their energies, because education is not their responsibility alone. It is a societal responsibility – it is our responsibility as well. Because it is given to young people to be energetic and radical, it is expected that they will go to court. During the march, if they come across a shop selling bananas, they will help themselves to the bananas, and so on. So we need to redirect that energy and guide them properly.

The point I’m emphasising is that no excuse must be allowed to disrupt learning. That’s the first step that we need to inculcate everywhere. Today we arrived here in a helicopter. As we were landing, I saw in a neighbouring school that school children came out of their classes in order to take a look at the helicopter. I was in a difficult position, because I thought on the one hand they may learn something, but on the other hand it was a disruption of their classes … [Applause.] … which must never be allowed.

That is the first thing which we think is an important priority. We shall put all the requisite resources in this area of improving the quality of education. There is no point in getting excited about matric results if we don’t pay attention to the foundation stage. If we correct the foundation stage, all these children will go through matric with ease. That has been the aim of dividing the Ministry of Education into two. We now have a dedicated Ministry of Basic Education, precisely because this is a priority. You see, when you say that you are prioritising, you cannot have a long list of priorities. As human beings we have competing needs. If you have a long list of priorities, they cease to be priorities. That is why, as government, we said that we must have five priorities.

The first one, as I said, is education. The second one is health. The first step that we took, as government, was to reopen nursing colleges, because some time ago …

… re ile ra fediša dikholetšhe tša booki. Bjale re re a di bulwe gore re tle re be le baoki ba bantši. Se se tla dira gore ge motho a eya sepetlele a babja, a se ke a fihla a tsena molokolokong wo motelele fao e lego gore e sa le a fihla ka iri ya 11 e sale gosasa gomme a be a bonwe ke mooki ka iri ya 6 mathapama. Re nyaka gore bothata bjo bo fele. [Legoswi.]

Batho ba gaborena ba swanetše go ya dikliniking ka sekgauswi ge ba babja. Ga ba swanela go sepela nako ye telele mola ba swanetše go hlokomelwa gona fa klining. Ge baoki ba ka bona gore bolwetši bjo bo swerego motho bo nyaka gore a bonwe ke dingaka tše kgolo e ka ba gona ba mo šupetšago sepetlele. Eupša ba swanetše ba dire se morago ga go mo thuša kliniking. Rena re godile re tseba gore baoki ba kgona le go ntšha motho meno. Ba be ba go hlaba ka lemao gomme ba go ntšha leino la go bola. Baoki ba be ba kgona go dira dilo tše ntši. Le ga bjale re na le tshepo ya gore re tla kgona go dira gore baoki ba rena ba boele dikholetšheng gomme ba hlahlwe gore ba tle ba kgone go thuša setšhaba.

Bjale, le a tseba gore setšhaba se a fela. Se fetšwa ke HIV. Bana ba gaborena ba hlokofala e sale ba bannyane. Bjalo ka naga, re re re nyaka go fediša selo se. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.) [… we have closed down the nursing colleges. These colleges have to be reopened so that we have enough nurses. This will help in curbing the problem of long queues in hospitals, where a patient arrives at 11:00 but is only attended to by a nurse at 18:00. We want this to come to an end. [Applause.]

People should be able to access the clinics locally when they are sick. They are not supposed to walk long distances to get to the clinics. The nurses will only transfer the patients that need the doctor’s attention to the hospital. They will do this only after they have attended to the patient first. We grew up knowing that the nurses can also remove teeth. They would inject you and then remove a decayed tooth. The nurses were able to handle many cases then. We believe that we should make it possible for nurses to go back to the nursing colleges to be equipped to help the nation.

You know very well that HIV is killing the nation. People are dying at an early age and we want to bring this to an end as a nation.]

We should be able to launch a campaign, co-ordinated by the SA National Aids Council, to prevent new infections and ensure that our people, particularly the young people - because they are the ones who are active - are aware and take preventive measures to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids. That is why on International Aids Day an announcement was made that this year, on a set date - and the date has since been set - our Minister of Health, Minister Aaron Motsoaledi …

… o rile ba lokišitše dikliniking mafelong ka moka gore ka la 15 Aporele re ye re dire diteko tša madi ka moka ga rena gore re tle re tsebe boemo bja rena. [Legoswi.] Ntumeleleng ke le hlalosetšeng pele. Ge o dira diteko tše tša HIV le Aids, dipoelo tša tšona e tlaba tša ka sephiring. Ga go motho yo a tla tsebišwago ka tšona ntle le wena. Ke wena o tla tsebišago ba bangwe ka tšona ge o lakatsša go dira bjalo.

Eupša taba ye bohlokwa ke ye. Batho ga ba tlo dirwa diteko tša HIV fela ge ba fihla diklining. Baoki ba tlo dira le diteko tša malwetši a mangwe a go swana le a swikiri, kgatelelo ya madi, bonyelele, TB, bjalobjalo. TB e a alafega. Motho o a fola gomme a kgona go phela ge a na le yona. Ka fao, a re yeng diklining ka la 15 Aporele gomme re dire diteko. Se se tla re thuša e le ka nnete.

Bolwetši bja go swana le kgatelelo ya madi ga bo na ditšhupo. O ka se kwe o longwa ke mala go laetša gore o na le kgatelelo ya madi. O ikwa o itekanetše. Motho o kgona go tsoga a be a robale go se na seo a se kwago. Ke ka fao o hwetšago batho ba gona ba rapalala gomme ya ba gore go fedile ke lehlogonolo. Ke ka fao go lego bohlokwa gore re ye re dire diteko gore re tle re tsebe ka malwetši a go swana le a gomme re humane kalafo gore re phologe. Ke selo sa bobedi se bohlokwa seo rena ba mmušo re swanetšego gore re se hlokomele.

Dilo tše bohlokwa tše di a amana. Ke bolela se ka lebaka la gore bophelo ke meetse; meetse a go nwa. Ka ntle le meetse ga go na bophelo. Meetse ao a phepafaditšwego ke selo se bohlokwa bophelong. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[… said they have arranged for people to have blood tests done at the clinics and other places on 15 April for people to know their status. [Applause.]

Let me indicate that HIV and Aids tests results are treated with confidentiality. You will be the only person to know about your test results and you are the only one to decide whether you want to disclose them or not. It is important to know that at the clinics people do not only do HIV tests but other tests as well. The nurses will do tests for diseases like sugar diabetes, high blood pressure, a disease that affects the feet, TB, etc. TB is curable. Let us go to the clinics on 15 April and do the tests.

People who have high blood pressure feel healthy and they do not even have symptoms. You won’t have a stomach ache to indicate that you have high blood pressure. You will wake up and go to sleep without feeling any pain. That is the reason why some people die in their sleep. It is very important that we do tests so that such diseases are diagnosed at an early stage and are dealt with. This is government’s second priority.

These things are interlinked. I am saying this because we need water to live; drinking water. It is important to drink water that has been purified.]

That is why, in a comprehensive manner, when we deal with this challenge of health, we must also address access to potable water in terms of infrastructure, because hygiene is a function of access to potable water. Without water, there can be no hygiene. That is why it is interlinked with another priority, and that is the priority to create decent work …

… gore batho ba gaborena ba be le mošomo. Ke ile ka re ke tlile lehong gona mo Ga-Sekhukhune, mokgalabje yo mongwe a nkgeregela gomme a ntšhupa ka monwana a re: “Lena le fedišitše temo. Batho ga ba sa lema mo magaeng mo.” Ke ile ka makala gore na re ile ra fetiša molao wa go fediša go lema na. O ile a tšwela pele ka gore: “Batho ga ba sa lema gomme ba letile motente- motente wa lena.” Ke ile ka re ge ke mo araba ka re: “Mmušo ga se o fediše temo, ebile mmušo o re batho ba leme gomme mmušo o tla ba thuša ka dipeu, diterekere le meetse a go nwešetša.” O ile a re motente o bolaya setšhaba.

Ga se gore motente ke mokgwa wo batho ba swanetšego gore ba phele ka wona. Motente o thuša bao ba se sa kgonago go itšhomela ka ge ba šetše ba godile goba ba golofetše goba e le bana. Re lwa le leuba ka motente felo fa. Eupša re rata gore re thuše batho ba gaborena gore ba kgone go ikemela ka bobona le ge re dutše re elwa le leuba ka motente.

Seriti se a fela ge o phela ka go kgopela. Ge re be re elwa ntwa ye ya rena ya tokologo, re be re lwela gore seriti sa gaborena se boe. Gore seriti se se boe, batho ba gaborena ba swanetše go kgona go iterela ka bobona gomme ba tlogele go phela ka go kgopela maphelong a bona ka moka. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[… for our people. I was attending a funeral one day here in Ga- Sekhukhune when a man came and pointed a finger at me saying: “You have brought cultivation to an end. People are no longer cultivating the land here in the rural areas.” I was surprised and wondered when we passed a law that prohibits cultivation. He further said: “People are no longer cultivating the land because they are waiting for the social grant – your social grant.” I answered him and said: “The government never said people must stop cultivation; instead the government wants people to do cultivation and will provide the seeds, the tractors and water.” He stated that the social grant was killing the nation.

People should not depend on the social grant. It is there to help those who cannot fend for themselves due to old age, disability and young age. We are providing people with the social grant while we are busy fighting the scourge.

We fought for democracy to restore our dignity. To restore their is dignity, people have to be able to fend for themselves but not depend on handouts their entire life.]

That is why one of our priorities is the creation of decent work. Once able- bodied people are able to fend for themselves and their families, they can plan their own lives and take control of their own lives, and their dignity is restored. They can walk secure within that dignity, unlike when they depend on handouts. When you depend on handouts, your dignity is undermined. In townships we find that your own children have more respect for the man down the road because he is able to give them money to go to the stadium, the cinema, for ice cream, etc. That is why it is important for us to prioritise job creation.

The fourth priority is the fight against crime and corruption - to ensure that our people live in secure environments. There is nothing that riles me more and makes me angrier than when people are attacked in their own homes. It is one thing if you are attacked at the bus stop, the bus station, etc, but once you reach your home, there you should be secure and safe. The fact that people can get attacked in the residential areas is something that we must fight tooth and nail.

We must be able to root out criminals from within our midst. These criminals are our relatives. They stay with us in communities and they are known in communities. Their evil deeds are known to communities. That is why, working together with communities, we should be able to stamp this out. I know many of us make the mistake of believing that as long as it is not happening to me or my immediate relatives but to others, it’s none of my business. But of course, logically, once they have exhausted your neighbours they will come to you. It is just a matter of time. [Applause.] That is why it is so important for us to work together, as communities together with the law enforcement units, to root out crime in our midst.

It should be safe for people to walk at night and visit each other without feeling threatened. But of course, we know sometimes even law enforcement officers can go overboard. That is why there is an institution that serves to investigate and ensure that even the law enforcement units operate within the law and do not go overboard.

It is also important to ensure that we fight corruption. Corruption eats away at the limited resources. It diverts the limited resources from the projects on which such resources are meant to be expended. That is why, from government’s side, every project must be public knowledge and must be handled in a transparent manner, so that the general public, the communities, must have information about what is expected and what it entails. They will be the first ones to ensure that whatever goes wrong is identified immediately.

If we don’t identify mistakes and deal with them at the beginning, we shall miss our destination. These days there are freeways. If you are going to a place and you drive past the off-ramp, it will take you a long time to come back to that place, because motorways have flyovers – that’s what they are called. You can fly over your destination. That is why it is important for us to identify wrongdoing at the beginning and nip it in the bud.

I must share this with you: I went to a small town in the Northern Cape called Douglas. In Douglas is a whole township which did not have a sewerage system. They still used the bucket system. The municipality issued a tender and identified an engineering company, which installed a sewerage system and completed it. So there was a toilet in every yard and the sewerage system was in place. But this engineering company got the flow completely wrong. The flow was too steep so the liquids flowed past the solids and the solids remained exactly where they were deposited.

There was such a stench in that township that the municipality had to go and buy padlocks and lock up all the toilets, and they reintroduced the bucket system.

This is inefficiency. The engineering company did the work and completed it, but did it incorrectly. This is inefficiency. Had such a problem been picked up earlier, it could have been corrected much earlier. Now it will take more resources to correct a mistake like that one. In the meantime the community is agitated, because of the stench. Now that the bucket system has been reintroduced, if the night soil is not collected for several days it means that the perfume is also very powerful.

The same applies to an area in Gauteng province, just next door in an area called Orange Farm. There an engineering company was given a contract to install a sewerage system. They installed all the main pipes in the roads and so on, and the cisterns in the yards, but did not connect the yards to the main pipe. It meant that that community, which was the first section of Orange Farm to be provided with a sewerage system, still did not have a sewerage system.

Then other engineering companies were later given similar contracts elsewhere in other parts of this township, and they were able to complete the work and the people were flushing. So, this section of the community, which was supposed to be the first to flush, was still waiting; they were still not flushing. The next thing they learnt was that the same engineering company which had failed to complete the work in their section had since been awarded another contract in another part of the same township. Of course, they went out into the streets to demonstrate, and correctly and rightly so.

We say when something like that happens, the community must indeed raise their concerns sharply. They have the right to demonstrate. Of course, what they should not do is to pull schoolchildren out of their classrooms. That they must not do. They must also not go and burn down a library, because it will take other resources to replace that library; they will need the library. But they must march, they must submit petitions, and they must do all legal things to ensure that their plight is understood. [Applause.]

Now, I am sharing with you these challenges because these are examples of how inefficiency can cost us very dearly. Remember we have limited resources, and we have to address all these challenges. Therefore, when we do so, whatever we do must be of good quality. We cannot afford shoddy work, because what is the point when people still sit without flushing toilets?

Chairperson, the last important priority is rural development. During the previous administration, when we were identified to host the Fifa Soccer World Cup this year, we put lots of resources into the construction of better roads and new stadiums and, of course, the hospitality industry, from the private sector, constructed many new hotels. So, the construction industry created many new jobs in our economy. Even during the global recession, the construction sector of the economy showed positive growth, while all the other sectors were in a downward spiral. So it helped us; it served as a countercyclical measure against job losses occasioned by the economic recession. We lost close to 900 000 jobs, particularly in the mining and automotive sectors, as well as in the luxury goods sector, restaurants, second-hand car dealerships and other sectors. All of those suffered because of the economic recession, but we were helped by the fact that the construction sector experienced positive growth because of this privilege of hosting the Fifa Soccer World Cup.

But what became very clear to us was that all of these new roads and new stadiums were being built in urban areas. We had to ask the question: What about the rural communities? [Applause.] Hence, we felt that this ought to be a priority and it ought to be led by a dedicated Ministry, and that is why we created a new Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform, to focus specifically on rural communities. In other words, going forward the same allocation of resources that went to this Fifa Soccer World Cup infrastructure must go to the creation or provision of bulk infrastructure in the rural areas of our country, because without bulk infrastructure, if you cultivate your piece of land, it takes you so much longer to take your fresh produce to the market precisely because the road network does not allow for it, precisely because there is no refrigeration storage available to you. That is why we believe rural development must be our next phase in the provision of bulk infrastructure. We must be able to unlock the potential in rural communities by providing the necessary bulk infrastructure and the Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform leads our government in that regard.

There are interventions that can be made even now by simply co-ordinating the efforts of government. When government operates in silos, and its efforts are not all pooled together, the impact is minimal, because one department will focus on one part of the country and so on. But once its efforts are all pooled together and co-ordinated, we will see the impact with our own eyes within the shortest possible time.

This Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform also co-ordinates our war-on-poverty strategy. Now, we believe that we cannot hope to deal with poverty simply by issuing social grants. Social grants are a stopgap measure. They are a palliative. They are just meant to cushion temporarily, and the approach of our rural development and war-on-poverty strategy is that we must go, household by household, and identify in each household one or two potential change agents.

It is not helpful for poverty to be passed on from one generation to another. The approach must be such that if a family is living in dire poverty, that generation must be the last generation that lives in dire poverty. We must aim to ensure that the next generation is pulled out of poverty, and there are several ways in which we can achieve that. One of these is that if there is anybody in that family who is of schoolgoing age and has dropped out of school, we must get that person into a school or a further education and training college and support that individual, and monitor the progress of that individual, so we never part with you. In other words, if we identify you in a family, whether you are two or three, and we are able to support you and place you in a school, we will support you throughout, to ensure that you do not wallow in the same level of poverty as your parents. That is the thrust of our rural development approach.

That is why it is so important for this session to be held in a rural community such as this greater Tubatse community, and that such a session should not be a once-off. We must ensure that all the concerns that are raised are addressed in a co-ordinated fashion, because I am sure the competing needs would need a co-ordinated approach. Chairperson, you will agree with me that the sessions and interactions we had with the community earlier on will indeed result in interventions that are targeted and aimed at addressing the specifics of those concerns.

In conclusion, Chairperson, we are convinced that, through practice, we can do it. The time for many words is gone. Now it must be about implementation and what we do. [Applause.]

This brings me to the last point, which is really an issue about governance and accountability. I know I have gone over my allocated time. I plead for just one more minute, Chairperson; I really am concluding.

Our government must act in the most transparent manner, because if people do not know, they will, of course, invent explanations. It is very easy for those explanations to be off the mark and to cause agitation among people, precisely because they do not know. So it is in the best interests of government to share detailed information with communities and citizens, so that, if things go wrong, it should not be because people did not know. Only if we do it that way, in partnership, together, will we be able to succeed in addressing the basic needs of our people.

We have an ethical obligation to our Constitution and to our people to reverse the pattern of poor service delivery. We all know what needs to be done and what can be done to attain a common purpose of action.

Setšhaba sa gaborena se swanetše go phela bophelo bjo bo hlwekilego. Bana ba swanet še go humana thuto ya maleba ye e tlago dira gore ba se fetoge ba bangwe ba bao ba tlago phela bophelo bja leuba. A re fedišeng bohodu gore batho ba tle ba kgone go phela ka khutšo gomme ba dire mešomo ya bona letšatši le letšatši ba lokologile gape ba sa tšhabe selo.

Ka wona mantšu a ke re ke a le leboga. Le ka moso le dire ka wona mokgwa wo. [Legofsi.] Ke a leboga. [Legofsi.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[The nation has to live a better life. The children need a good education to live a better life. Let us root out corruption so that our people live in peace and do their daily work without being scared of anything.

Let me conclude by thanking you. Keep up the good work. [Applause.] Thank you. [Applause.]] The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Thank you very much, Deputy President, for those wise words. We hope that every child and every young person here paid heed to what you said.

MODULASETULO WA NCOP: Modulasetulo, ke tla tlogela go bolela ka tatelano ya maemo a batho bakeng sa go boloka nako. Ke hlompha maemo ka tatelano. Re batho ba ba golo ka moka ga rena. Mopremia o boletše maloba a re dimpša di tlemilwe gomme le lokologile. Le amogetšwe ka moka batho ba Ga-Sekhukhune gammogo le bao ba re etetšego lehono. Ke rata go leboga Motlatša Mopresidente ka ge a šetše a boletše ka dintlha tše ntši tše di boletšwego ke lena setšhaba gare ga beke ge re le fa re rerišana le lena gomme le re botša dinyakwa tša lena. Ke tla di boeletša dilo tše le di boletšego. Ke le boditše gore Motlatša Mopresidente o tla fihla lehono ka gore ke mošomo wa rena gore re šomišane ka moka ga rena, go tloga mmušong wa setšhaba go fihlela mmušong wa selegae. Bjale, mošomo wa NCOP ke wona wo re o swerego lehono - go kopanya mmušo wa bosetšhaba, mebušo ya diprofense le mebušo ya selegae gore e ahlaahle dilo tše di nyakwago ke setšhaba. Mebušo ye e dira se e le mmogo gore dilo di tle di kgone go šoma gabotse di tšwele pele. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Chairperson, to save time I am not going to mention people according to the order of seniority. I do respect that order. We are all adults. The premier welcomed us the other day and indicated that we should feel at home. To the community of Ga-Sekhukhune and the guests, you are all welcome.

I thank the Deputy President for mentioning many points that you raised about your needs. I will repeat what you have said. I told you that the Deputy President will arrive today because all the spheres of government are working together. What we are doing today is the responsibility of the NCOP – to bring together the national, provincial and local government to address the needs of the public. The three spheres of government work co- operatively for the smooth running of things and progress.]

We are debating our issues today under the theme “Celebrating the legacy of Mandela – contribute to nation-building”.

Building a nation requires that we dirty our hands to ensure that people have jobs, as the Deputy President said, that they have electricity, that they receive quality education and that they have access to health care services. That is why …

… mo bekeng ye re tlilego mo Ga-Sekhukhune gore re tle re lebelele dilo tšeo gore di gona goba ga di gona naa. Ge di se gona, re dirang gore di be gona? Re tla kopanya dihlogo ra bona gore re dira bjang gore tšeo di hlaelelago di fihlelele setšhaba.

Mabapi le thuto, le tla gopola gore le boletše ka taba ya gore go hlaelela dikago tša motheo ka dikolong, go hlaelela barutiši, kudukudu bao re ba bitšang gore ke bomatwetwe ba dipalo, tša mahlale le dithuto tša setegeniki. Gape go sa na le bao ba e leng gore ba thwetšwe nakwana, ga se barutiši ba sa ruri.

Fela ke a leboga gore Mokhuduthamaga wa Thuto, Mna Namane Masemola, o be a le gona mo gare ga beke. O ile a boledišana le lena a be a le botša gore mola sekolong sa Sekontari sa Kwaledi, o šetše a godišitše dikontraka tša batho bao, ge ba sa tšwe ba lokiša taba ya gore go hwetšagale barutiši ba sa ruri. Le dikolong tše dingwe, ba dire taba tša mohuta woo. O a kgatlampana, o kitima lefase le kamoka la Limpopo, o lokišana le ditaba tšeo. Ke ka baka leo re ba kgopetšego gore ba be gona, ba arabe potšišo tšeo di amago setšhaba.

Ge re etla mola go mmušo wa gae, le boletše ka taba tša mohlagase, meetse, dintlwana tša boithomelo, ditsela, le gore le ge meetse a le gona, bontši bja meetse ao, a ya dimaeneng, lena le nwa le dikgomo le ditonki ka kua dinokeng. Le a sokola, ke ka mokgwa wo le boletšeng ka gona.

Ke ka baka leo lehono le bona re tlile fa kamoka re le mmušo wo wa rena, gore re tle re lokiše ditaba tša mohuta woo. Go bile gona gape taba ya gore selo sela ke sa kgoneng go se bitša ka Sepedi, ba rego ke khorapšene [go senya] - fela ke tseba le bakgekolo ba šetše ba e bitša ka sekgowa le bona, ga ba sa e bitša ka Sepedi, ba re ke khorapšene - e sepela ka maoto, ga e sa utega, ba re le e bona e kitima mola, ga o sa e nyaka. Ke a le kgopela lehono, le maloba ke le kgopetše, gore hle batho ba mohuta woo, kudukudu ka mo go dithentara tša mmasepala le tša mmušo, ge le ka ba hwetša la ba bona, le ba bege. Ke šetše ke boletše le Mopremia gore ke tla kgopela gore maphodisa a gagwe a dire mošomo o bohlokwa gore batho bao ba swarwe. Go na le ba bangwe ba ba patelago ditšotšo, ba lefa batho tšotšo gore e be bona ba ba humanago mošomo, ba bangwe ba se ke ba humana mešomo. [Legoswi.]

Re kwele gore gona ka mo mmušong wa rena le re, ke re le re, go na le ba bangwe ba ba thwalanago ka bohlobo, ba thwala bosesi ba bona, ba thwala batho bao ba ba tsebago. Bjale ga se maikemišetšo a mmušo ao, ga se seo re se nyakago seo. Re nyaka go thwala batho bao e lego gore ba kgona go dira mošomo gore ba tle ba šomele setšhaba se gore se tšwele pele. Re se ke ra thwalana ka bokgotse, re thwalane ka tshwanelo. Ke kgopetše le fao, re tlo šomišana re le NCOP le mebušo ye kamoka.

Ke tla le botša, ke etla go yeo, gore ditaba tšeo re di feditše ka gore di senya leina la mmušo wa rena. Ga se mmušo o ba botšago gore ba dire ka mokgwa woo. Ba itirela dilo tša bona; ga ba rongwa ke mmušo. Lena mo le dutšego ntshe le nagana gore ba romilwe ke mmušo kganthe ba itirela taba tša bona. Taba ye re tlo e hlokomela ka leihlo le ntšhotšho.

Ke a leboga ka gore Tona, Mna Shiceka, o be a le gona fa. O boletše gore o tla fetola Molao wa Tshepedišo ya Bommasepala, a bone gore dilo tšeo kamoka di a fedišwa. Molao woo o tla tla ka mo go rena, NCOP, re tla o phasiša ka pele.

Mola ditabeng tša dimaene, le boletše bjalo ka ge Motlatša Mopresidente a boletše gore felo fa, mo Ga-Sekhukhune, gabotse go na le lehumo le le ntši. Fela batho ba sa hloka; ba sa bolawa ke tlala bjalo ka maloba. Le di boletše ditaba tšeo kamoka. Le boletše gape gore batho ba mo ga ba thwalwe. Ga le gane gore go thwalwe ba ka ntle, fela ba swanetše go fela ba tswaka le ba mo gae, go thwalwe le lena gore le kgone go hwetša mešomo.

Le boletše gape la re gona mola dimaeneg ge ba betha metšhene yela ya bona e megolo – [Blasting.] [Tšubutlo.] – ba thanyiša mengwako ya lena, e ya senyega, gape ga e hlokomelwe ke motho. Dilo tšeo kamoka le di boletše.

Ke a leboga ka gore Tona Susan Shabangu, o ile a ithaopa gore dilo tše o tla di hlokomela. O be a le gona fa, o boletše le lena. Le rena re tlo fela re dira mošomo wa tekolo. Re tla boledišana le bona ba mmušo re bone gore re ka dira eng gore batho ba rena ba se ke ba senyetšwa dintlo, le tše dingwe tše di swanetšego go phethagatšwa ke batho bao e lego gore ba šoma mo Ga-Sekhukhune.

Tabeng ya baswa, mme o mongwe maabane o itše o a bolela, ra se rate polelo … [Tšhwahlelo.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[… we came to Ga-Sekhukhune this week to confirm if those things are available or not. If they are not available, what are we doing to ensure that they will be available? We will work together to ensure that the community gets the services that they need.

You mentioned that you need school buildings and educators, especially those who are specialising in maths, science and technology. Some of the educators are still employed on a temporary basis.

I appreciate the fact that the MEC for education, Mr Namane Masemola, was here during the week. He indicated to you that at Kwaledi Secondary School they have extended the contracts of temporary educators while they are busy addressing the issue of employing them on a permanent basis. They are doing the same in other schools as well. He is travelling all over Limpopo addressing that issue. That is the reason why we requested that he come and respond to the questions that involve the community.

When coming to local government, you raised the issues of electricity, water, sanitation and roads. You also mentioned that the water that is available is used by the local mines while you are sharing water from the rivers with donkeys and cows. You indicated you are suffering.

We are here today as the government to resolve such issues. The issue of corruption was also raised – it is real and it can no longer be hidden. I am still pleading with you again to report those who are involved in corruption, especially with regard to government and municipality tenders. We have discussed the issue with the premier and we requested that he make sure that the police do their job and arrest those people. Some of the people are using bribes to get jobs. [Applause.]

You have mentioned that some of the government officials employ their relatives, their sisters and the people they know. We are totally against that. We want qualified people to be employed and work for this nation to bring progress. Please let us not employ our friends but people who are qualified to do the job. I requested that the NCOP work with other spheres of government on this issue also.

I am still coming to that one. We have concluded that those people are dragging the name of government in the mud. They were not instructed by government to do that. As the public you think that maybe they have been instructed by government to do that when they are actually doing that out of their own will. We are going to pay serious attention to that issue.

I appreciate the fact that the Minister, Mr Shiceka, was here. He has indicated that he will amend the municipal systems Act to get rid of such issues. We will pass the Bill as soon as we get it.

Just like the Deputy President, you have mentioned that Ga-Sekhukhune is rich in wealth but the community is still poor. The members of the community have to be employed in the mines. You are not against the employment of outsiders; all you request is that the members of the local community also be employed.

You have also mentioned that your houses are damaged by the sparks that are caused by mine blasting and nobody is taking care of that. You have mentioned all those things.

I would like to thank Minister Susan Shabangu because she has indicated that she will attend to those issues. She has said that to you, right here. We will also keep on monitoring the progress. We will discuss with the government what can be done to protect your houses from the damage. We will also talk about other matters that have to be implemented by people who are working in Ga-Sekhukhune. [Applause.]

On the issue of the youth, one lady yesterday said something that we didn’t like … [Interjections.]]

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Hon Mahlangu, can I disturb you just for a second?

Bantu bakithi ngiyacela ukuthi uma ngabe kukhona okhulumayo, noma ngabe siyezwa ukuthi uthinta into esithandayo ukuthi mayikhulunywe, kodwa umthetho kawusivumeli ukuthi sishaye izandla. Ngizocela-ke okwamanje siyeke ukushaya izandla, kunalokho singaphakamisa amafulegi ethu. Ngiyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)

[Good people, I request that if there is a speaker on the floor, and they are speaking about something you like, you should not clap because the law does not permit us to do so. Now, I would request you to stop clapping - you can just wave your flags. Thank you.]

MODULASETULO WA NCOP: Maabane yo mongwe o itše ge a bolela ra se rate polelo ya gagwe. O ile a bolela gore mo go sa na le kelo e godimo ya baswa ba baimanae. Ke a le kgopela magagešo gore boimananame bja baswa ga bo a dumelelwa gabotsebotse. A re šomišaneng ka moka, re seke ra lebelela mmušo. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)

[The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Yesterday somebody mentioned something that we didn’t like. She mentioned that the rate of teenage pregnancy here is still high. This is not supposed to be the case. Let us work together in solving this problem.] I mean, it’s not understandable, and it can’t be acceptable that …

… ngwana wa mengwaga e 11 a be a šetše a nale ngwana, e le mosadi a dutše ka gae a saye sekolong. Se se ferehla bokamoso bja ngwana le gore a tšwele pele. Ga re e nyake taba yeo re le mmušo. Ga re kwane le yona. E swanetše go fedišwa.

Batho bao e leng gore ba dira dilo tše go bana ba barena, e bile ga se bana ba sekolo, ke batho ba go tšwa ka kua ntle. Ba dira dilo tša mohuta wo, ba senya thuto ya rena. Bjale taba ya mohuta wo re ka se e dumele, re tlo e kgala e bile re tla bona gore re ka lokiša tsela bjang.

Motlatša Mopresidente o boletše ka taba ya tlhabollo ya dinagamagae. Ga ke sa nyaka go e kgwatha. Ke nyaka go bolela ka gore … (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[… an 11-year-old girl has a baby and stays at home instead of going to school. That interrupts the future and the progress of the child. We don’t want that as the government and it has to come to an end.

The perpetrators are not students but foreigners. They are destroying our education system. We will never allow such things to happen; we will see how best we can deal with this issue.

I am not going to talk about the issue of rural development because the Deputy President has already talked about it. Rather, I want to ask …]

What will the NCOP do from here?

Re tlo dira eng rena re le fa go tlogela gona bjale. Re ithaopile gore, re le baetapele ba NCOP, re tlo boa re le komiti e nnyane ka kgwedi ya Mei, re tle re kopane mo Ga-Sekhukhune, masepaleng wa Greater Tubatse. Re tlo kopana le baetapele ba profense. Ke boletše le Spikara NCOP. Ra dula fase ra lebelela dilo tšeo e leng gore … (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)

[What are we going to do from now onwards? We have volunteered as the NCOP to come back to Greater Tubatse municipality in Ga-Sekhukhune as a small committee in May. We will be coming to meet with the provincial leadership. I spoke with the Speaker and the NCOP. We sat down and looked at the things …]

… called the “doables” now. What are the things we can do now …

… le gore re tlo di šala morago bjang. Pego yeo e tla ya go Mopremere wa Limpopo, ya ya gape go Motlatša Mopresidente gore e kgone go tsenywa go tshepedišo ya mmušo. Se, ke go direla gore ba tle ba kgone go šomišana le mebušo ye ka bobedi ga yona; mmušo wa gare le mmušo wa profense, ba kgone go thušana le mmasepela gore dilo tša rena di kgone go loka, di šomege gabotse. Ke seo re tlogo se dira re le NCOP, re tlo thoma gona ka Matšhe.

Ya mafelelofelelo, re itše ge re etla mo, ra hwetša o mongwe a ngwadile pampiring gore … [Tšhwahlelo.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[… and how are we going to deal with them? The report will be forwarded to the Premier of Limpopo and the Deputy President so that it is placed on the government system. This will enable them to work together with the central and provincial government and the municipalities. That is what we are going to do and we will start around March.

Lastly, when we arrived here we found a written report … [Interjections.]]

Can somebody listen?

Ke tshepa gore o be a le gona motho woo ge re be re bolela le batho go thoma ka Labobedi go fihla lehono. [I believe that the person who wrote that report was present as we were talking to the people here from Tuesday until today.]

We have listened to our people; we have heard our people. Our government is one that cares; it’s a government that will never leave you alone and unattended. Our government will do something, more than what it has done in past years. The President has said that this year is the year of action.

Kamoka ga rena re tšea ditlabakelo tša rena ra ya mašemong, re a šoma. Ga go na motho yo a tlogo robala, kamoka ga rena re a šoma go fihla ge re bona dinyakwa tša batho ba rena di phethagetše.

Go feleletša … (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)

[We are all committed to our work. Nobody is going to relax. We are all going to work hard until the needs of our people are met.

In conclusion …]

… this time around, once more, we will identify those issues …

… tše e leng gore batho ba boletše ka tšona felo fa. Ke tšona tše e leng gore re tlo di tsenya lenaneong la rena, ra bona gore ka morago ga kopano ya Mei, dikomiti tša rena di tla fa kgafetšakgafetša di tle di tlo bona gore go sepela bjang. Dilo tšeo e leng gore Makhuduthamaga le Ditona ba boletše ka tšona maloba, di kgone go phethagala, batho ba rena ba thabe.

Ke a le leboga magagešo go ntshekegela tsebe. Ke a leboga. Modimo a be le lena. [Legoswi.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[… which were raised by the people here. Those are the issues that we are going to include in our programme. After our meeting in May, the committees will come here regularly to monitor the progress. The issues that the MEC and the Ministers talked about can be implemented and they will make our people happy.

I would like to thank you for giving me your ears. Thank you. May God be with you. [Applause.]]

Mr T HARRIS: Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Deputy President, premiers, hon MPs, MPLs, members of the public, let me first congratulate the Deputy President on an excellent speech. I wish our government had more leaders like him.

I cannot say the same about the leaders of this province, Deputy Chairperson. Sixteen years ago, the people of Limpopo elected the ANC to run this province. That party took over from the Nats and four unco- ordinated homeland administrations, so no one can dispute that they inherited their fair share of problems. But over the past 16 years, the ANC leadership in this province have created more problems than they have solved. This week we have seen and heard how they have taken Limpopo backwards.

The problems in Limpopo come from three types of leadership failure: The first is mismanagement by the ANC leadership. On Wednesday, we visited Mr Cyril Ramatola, a dental therapist working at the H C Boshoff health centre about 30 km away. The health centre has five beautiful new buildings that were built by a contractor for a tender of R54 million and completed four months ago. Today almost all of the buildings are empty: the emergency ward, maternity ward and four general wards are all empty. The facility was meant to serve 15 000 people, but right now it handles 100 people a day. It was meant to employ 20 professional nurses but only two nurses currently work there. The nurse at the facility estimates that less than R2 million worth of equipment would be enough to make the entire centre usable. This government has spent R54 million on a health centre that is stalled by R2 million worth of missing equipment.

The second failure is corruption by the ANC leadership. The premier of this province stood before us three days ago and complained about contractors using tenders to enrich themselves. He told us on that day that he would clamp down on dodgy “tenderpreneurs”. “It doesn’t matter who you are,” he said, “we will terminate doing business with you.” The next day President Zuma, in his reply to questions in Cape Town, assured MPs that if there was a problem with tenders in Limpopo he was sure that the Limpopo government would deal with it. Well, Deputy Chairperson, everyone in this country knows that there is a problem with tenders in Limpopo. The problem is Julius Malema - the person who got R140 million worth of government tenders to build bridges and roads that are now falling apart. [Interjections.] If the premier were here today, instead of being overseas, I would ask him: “Are you dealing with the problem as President Zuma said you would?”

The third failure is arrogance from the leaders of the ANC. The ANC regime is showing signs of becoming a shell state, a type of failed state with the arrogant trappings of government like titles, blue lights and lavish dinners but without service delivery.

On Tuesday we visited Mr Makwetla, the principal of Taung High School, about 35 km from where we are sitting now. The road to that school is in a terrible condition, and so is the school. The 452 learners at the school share 250 desks. Despite these conditions the teachers have managed to improve the matric pass rate from 11% in 2006 to 49% last year.

Unfortunately, the government have not fulfilled their side of the bargain. Eight years ago, the school applied to the provincial department of education for renovations, and eight years later they are still waiting. In January 2007, the mayor of Tubatse visited the school and promised to provide desks for them. He never kept his promise. [Applause.] Chairperson, allow me to emphasise that a lack of funds is not one of the major problems facing Limpopo. This province receives a generous share of the division of revenue, but local governments here don’t spend all of the money they are given. The Sowetan newspaper yesterday reported that municipalities in Limpopo had to give R130 million of municipal infrastructure grants back to the Treasury because they did not spend it. The Sekhukhune municipality had to give R10 million back. They should have spent this on infrastructure.

The one good thing about the failure of leadership is that in a democracy, the people can fix the problem relatively easily - by voting out failing leaders. Limpopo is not working because its leaders are making decisions that are bad for the province. They are putting their allies into key positions. They are giving tenders to their cronies and they are not running their administrations well.

During this oversight visit we have heard dissatisfied voters in their overwhelming numbers complain about the way the ANC is running this province. They have complained like this for 16 years in the hope that the ANC will solve their problems. Let me tell you, Deputy Chairperson: The ANC’s time has run out. [Interjections.] After 16 years of failure, it is clear that the ANC does not have the solution to the people’s problems. The ANC is the problem.

So, to these people who have come to share their concerns with us in this tent, I have a simple message: Take your problems to the ballot box next year and vote the ANC out of power. Unlike voters in Limpopo who have stuck with the ANC for 16 years, in the Western Cape – the province I come from - voters have a history of voting out the governments they don’t like. If the government does not deliver, they vote for somebody else.

The results of this are clear. Earlier this year, the Minister for Co- operative Governance and Traditional Affairs published the figures for service delivery around the country. In the Western Cape 9 out of 10 people have access to sanitation; in Limpopo, 3 out of 10 people do. In the Western Cape 9 out of 10 people get their rubbish collected; in Limpopo 2 out of 10 people do. [Interjections.]

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Hon member, your time has expired.

Mr T HARRIS: The people of Limpopo have a clear choice: Stick with the ANC leadership failures or vote them out and reap the benefits. Thank you. [Applause.]

Mr D V BLOEM: Chairperson, Deputy President, our theme is: “Working together to speed up the delivery of services to our people”. I am so happy that our Deputy President spoke about corruption and the Chairperson of the NCOP also spoke about rooting out corruption.

In 1996, in one of the ANC caucuses in Parliament, Comrade Nelson Mandela told us that he never knew that he would spend 27 years of his life in prison. When he came out he found comrades who had fought with him and other comrades for the freedom of the people of Sekhukhune and everywhere in the country were involved in corruption and were stealing the money of the people for whom they had fought. That is what Comrade Mandela said. [Applause.]

Chairperson, Comrade Mandela said this 14 years ago. When we look at the situation today, it is getting worse. In local government, in provincial government, in national government, there is corruption, corruption, corruption! [Applause.]

The Chairperson spoke about giving out jobs to bonyatsi [their bit on the side]. Let me give you the Setswana word for corruption: “Ke menyofonyofo”. [Applause.]

Chairperson, over the past few years the Select Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs visited a few municipalities in KwaZulu- Natal and in the Free State. Criminals are stealing millions of rands of taxpayers’ money all over. Serious corruption is taking place! [Interjections.] Those that are involved in corruption must be arrested, instead of being appointed to higher positions!

An HON MEMBER: Thank you very much, hon Deputy Chair. Is the member bold and brave enough to take a question? Mr D V BLOEM: I am always brave and I will stay brave. You can ask me the question. [Applause.]

An HON MEMBER: Hon Deputy Chairperson, I would like the hon member to tell this august House what they have done about the Cope member who misused the money given to Cope by the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature? What discipline have they enforced? [Applause.]

Mr D V BLOEM: Let me answer that question. I am very sure that you saw that the person concerned was arrested. We do not keep criminals in Cope. When a person does something wrong, we shall arrest him. We are not going to keep criminals in Cope. That is what Cope is all about. [Applause.] We are not going to do that!

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Hon Bloem, your time has expired.

Mr D V BLOEM: Thank you very much, Mama. I am very happy that I got this opportunity. Thank you very much, Chairperson and President. [Applause.]

The PREMIER OF THE EASTERN CAPE (Mrs N Kiviet): Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Chairperson, hon Deputy President, hon members of the National Council of Provinces and hon MPLs, may I take this opportunity to greet you all.

Ndibulisa ngakumbi abantu bendawo, uluntu lwaseLimpopo xa lulonke. [I convey special greetings to the residents, the community of Limpopo at large.]

Deputy Chairperson, allow me first to refer to what hon Harris said when he was standing here. He said that people must take Limpopo to the ballot box. I just want to remind the people of Limpopo that today in fact all South Africans can talk about the ballot box. Those who fought and died, those whom we were remembering a few days ago on 21 March, those who died decades ago, those who were mutilated in the cruellest ways, died fighting for freedom. They died for us as South Africans, so that we can have our dignity as human beings and make our choices in life. Those people were led by the ANC. [Applause.]

Those who want to claim easy victories must watch out. There is a perception that the Western Cape is not part of South Africa. I just want to remind you that the Western Cape never had a homeland in the past. I also want to remind you that the Western Cape can afford to use Corollas on their roads because their roads have been managed for hundreds of years, while the areas of Limpopo and the Eastern Cape had homelands, and were left as labour reserves.

Abantu bakhona babexelelwa ukuba bahambe baye kufuna imisebenzi kwezinye iindawo. Babesenziwa izicaka phaya eKapa ukuze ooMadam noobhasi babo baphile kamnandi. Uqoqosho lweli lizwe belusebenza laa mhlaba. Ngoko ke, andifuni ukuchitha ixesha apha kodwa ndiyafuna nje ukuba khumbuza … (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)

[People from these areas were told to go and seek employment elsewhere. They were regarded as slaves in Cape Town so that their masters and madams could live luxuriously. The economy of this country was spent to maintain that part of the country. Therefore, I just want to remind them but I do not want to waste valuable time …]

I just want to remind the people of Limpopo: Never forget where you come from. [Applause.] The Eastern Cape government, as well as the Limpopo government, inherited very corrupt systems.

Sekela-Mongameli [Deputy President], when I joined the legislature in the Eastern Cape, the books could never be reconciled and closed, because the previous regimes were never audited in the first place. When we deal with the challenges arising out of that, people come and say, “You are not capacitated, you are this and that.” Yet, hundreds and hundreds of years have created the conditions which cause us to suffer today. I want to tell you: Don’t ever forget where you come from.

The Eastern Cape government is hard at work, Deputy President …

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Hon Harris, could you stop doing what you are doing right now.

The PREMIER OF THE EASTERN CAPE (Mrs N Kiviet): The Eastern Cape government is hard at work.

Isabela iphulo likaMongameli elithi, “This is the year of action”. [Lo ngunyaka wentshukumo.] Iinyanga zili-11 kule ye-ofisi. Kodwa ndiyakuqinisekisa, Mongameli, ukuba umsebenzi owenziweayo wona unga phezulu koweminyaka … (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)

[We are responding to the President’s declaration that “This is the year of action”. It is 11 months now, but I assure you, President, that the work we have done is tantamount to several years’ work …]

… precisely because we believe that it is only when we focus on what we need to do and do it diligently, that we can change the quality of life of our people for the better.

There are challenges. The mere fact that there are budgets and plans, means that these are a response to existing challenges. We work with our communities.

With respect to education, we have left no stone unturned in dealing with the challenges of our backlogs in infrastructure. As you are well aware, we are still faced with about 400 mud schools in the area and a similar number of schools that are unsafe. As the Eastern Cape government, we’ve sat down and found ways and means to deal with that challenge in a manner that seeks to ensure that our children are at school during school hours and that the environment in which they are is conducive for them to learn.

Today is World TB Day. We are also working hard to mobilise communities towards ensuring that they get tested, because in rural communities umntu uthi akuba neTB kucingwe ngempundulu nezinye izinto. [when one contracts TB, the community thinks of witchcraft and other beliefs].

We are hard at work educating our communities to understand that TB is just a disease. I always make an example of myself. I had TB in 1983 and I’m still here alive and kicking, beautiful as ever. [Applause.] All you need to do is to take your treatment and to follow the doctor’s instructions.

Nawe uza kufana nam. [You will also be like me.] We are mobilising our communities to ensure that we create a safe environment.

Sikwiphulo, sikuthe bhazalala siqinisekisa ukuba abantu baziphatha kakuhle ukuze bakwazi ukuzikhusela. [We are conducting a campaign, we are scattered all over ensuring that people take good care of themselves so as to protect themselves.]

This is how we brought about this freedom anyway. Communities were under brutal attack from the system. They organised themselves and fought the system, and today we are talking about freedom. We are saying we have seen that when we mobilise communities around those issues that affect them the most, they will understand the importance of working together.

Deputy President, our contribution to the Millennium Development Goals is to ensure that we have a particular focus on our rural development strategy. We are doing that to ensure that we contribute positively to the report of South Africa as a country, but also to ensure that we live up to the ideals of what we have been fighting for - the national democratic revolution.

We want to see our communities enjoying life in a nonsexist, prosperous and safe environment. In particular, we want to see our rural communities being safe. We want to see them prosper. It is against this background that we are rolling out our pilot, which we conducted at the Mhlontlo Local Municipality, which has been hailed as a very successful programme. Through this programme we are going back to agriculture in the province to ensure that we change the quality of life for the rural communities.

We are working tirelessly, hon Deputy President, to ensure that the people whose lives were affected negatively can now claim a free and democratic South Africa, and can really see the difference. We are soldiers at work - soldiers who will ensure that we realise what you spoke about, Mr President.

Uyabona ke, Mongameli [You see, President], you would recall Madiba’s story. He was hailed as a hero while everybody else was saying the ANC is this very bad organisation.

Wathi UMadiba, “I-iANC ndim.” Ndiyafuna ke ukubaxelele aba bantu ukuba njengokuba uMongameli wethu kunye noSekela-Mongameli benconywa, bazinkokheli zeANC le isithume ukuba sisebenze nani ukuze siphucule ubomi. Yiyo le nto ndiye ndithi masingathelekiswa ke ngabamelwane. Abamelwane mabangangeni kuba kuthiwa, “Unqweme lwentulo ludliwa babini, owesithathu ngumqakathi.” Sitsho isiXhosa. Asifuni minqakathi ke apha kule micimbi yokutshintsha kwempilo yabantu. Iminqakathi iza kusenza sithethe emva naphambili kanti thina izisombululo zethu sizazi zsisekusebenzisaneni noluntu lonke simbambisene. Ngalo ndlela siyakwazi ukwenza iimeko zabo zitshintshe. Urhwaphilizo olu kumiwe ngalo apha namhlanje, asiyonto yanamhlanje. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)

[Madiba said, “I am the ANC.” I want to tell these people that as our President and Deputy President are commended, they are nothing but leaders of the ANC, which has delegated us to come and work with you to make your lives better. That is why I say we must not allow ourselves to be incited to fight with each other. Let us not allow our neighbours to sow seeds of enmity between us because three is a crowd. In isiXhosa we have a saying that goes like this, “Some matters have to be considered by a few chosen people.” We do not want an oddity when we are dealing with the serious issue of changing people’s lives. An oddity will lead us towards contradictions whilst we know that in order for us to arrive at lasting solutions we must work together, co-operating as a community. It is in that way that we can improve the conditions in which they live. Corruption, which is today’s main topic, is not only today’s evil; it has been here for a long time.]

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Hon member, your time has expired.

Mr T HARRIS: Chairperson, on a point of order: Can you please explain why Mr Bloem and I were held to our time limits whereas this speaker hasn’t been? [Interjections.]

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): What is your question?

Mr T HARRIS: Chairperson, I’m asking for an explanation why this member hasn’t been held to her time limit, because, according to my time, she has gone over her allocated time. [Interjections.] The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): Hon Harris, I’m taking this opportunity to say to you, “Sit down.”

Mr T HARRIS: Sorry, Chairperson, I’ve asked you a question … [Interjections.]

The DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP (Ms T C Memela): I’ve responded. With all due respect, would you please sit down.

Mr S MOHAI (Free State): Deputy Chairperson, Chairperson of the NCOP, our Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, the President has made a profound call to this House that we should use this platform to reflect on service delivery challenges. Therefore, as the Free State, we would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made and challenges we are faced with in responding to the five key priority areas that the Deputy President has alluded to. We will not stoop to the level of the DA and Cope

• every time they see hundreds of thousands of our people, they obsessively want to convert a platform such as this to canvass for elections. [Applause.] This is not a hunting ground for elections based on warped policies.

The call for working together to speed up the delivery of services to our people ties in very well with the people’s yearning cries to rid their living conditions of the terrible social ills of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, lack of rural development and disease. In the Free State, we have elaborated on the programme of action based on the five key priority areas, as mentioned by the Deputy President.

We welcome, and have enthusiastically embraced, the new outcomes-based planning methods. Outcomes-based planning forces integration and co- ordination between departments in the pursuit of key priorities. From this financial year, 2010, we have also introduced this new planning method, and thus all Votes were allocated in keeping with the outcomes-based method. In this way, we will be maximising our gains out of what we have for the improvement of the lot of our people.

We have since launched a flagship programme which we call Operation Hlasela. This campaign is informed by the imperatives of mass mobilisation, intervention, collaboration and partnership, to fulfil the notion of “working together, we can do more”. Our Operation Hlasela is an integrated service elivery model that aims to ensure that the provincial and local spheres of government and other relevant stakeholders work together to plan and implement projects and programmes aimed at delivering better services to our people.

We are not only interested in a speedy recovery from the recession, but have also embraced the new growth path of growing the economy in a shared manner that creates decent jobs and sustainable livelihoods. We recognise the central role of a recently introduced industrial policy action plan in this new growth path dispensation. This plan will go a long way towards promoting the long-term industrialisation and diversification of the South African economy.

We recognise and promote the crucial role of the private sector. That is why, in our province this past Tuesday, we participated in the launch of Sasol’s expansion programme, the cost of which is estimated at R14 billion. This programme is an important investment in our provincial economy. It will certainly help stimulate economic growth and create approximately 3 500 job opportunities. We will, therefore, step up our efforts for industrial development and diversification, and promote the expansion of the productive sectors of the provincial economy.

The work we are doing in the mining, manufacturing and agricultural industries will have to go beyond just saving these industries, to increasing their productive capacity and value chain. Our work on economic development in the province will therefore integrate three main pillars, namely industrial development, rural development and the development of small, medium and micro enterprises, SMMEs. We will use infrastructure to continue to contribute to economic growth in the province. Our infrastructure budget for this financial year to reduce the backlog on road networks, schools, human settlements, hospitals and other public amenities is R3,7 billion.

As a province, we want to go beyond what has been allocated from the fiscus to fund our huge infrastructural backlog, which includes roads. In this regard, we are exploring various methods of funding this backlog. We are working with National Treasury to find answers for this.

By way of addressing our housing backlog, we will build 10 000 units during this financial year. The construction of the Harrismith Logistical Hub will remain our mainstay infrastructure project. This hub will serve as a major centre for the packaging, processing and distribution of freight that passes through the Free State to various economic centres in the country, that is, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Another major infrastructure project in the province is the revival of the passenger rail service that will run between Bloemfontein, Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo.

Health and eucation remain the two largest allocations in our provincial budget. Collectively, they account for nearly 70% of our entire provincial budget. This is the case because health and education are central to national development. This is also part of our attempt to address the huge backlog emanating from our past legacy of underdevelopment and social deprivation. The provincial focus of our work in these areas, therefore, continues to be about expanding access to and improving the quality of the health and education systems.

The provincial government awarded 2 300 bursaries at the beginning of this year to young people in the province to enrol and study at institutions of higher learning in certain identified scarce skills such as engineering, accounting and medicine. We have therefore set aside R128 million for this purpose, as well as for new enrolments in 2011. We have developed the povincial srategy on larner atainment that is aimed at continuous improvement for our Grade 12 results. We will also analyse individual challenges of schools, and develop and implement school and subject improvement plans. These will be followed by structured monitoring and evaluation.

We are actively implementing the ten-point plan in health. We have also reinforced it by developing and implementing a turnaround strategy that responds to problems in the health portfolio that are particular to our province. The turnaround strategy has already borne fruit. Since last year, we have filled 1 329 vacant posts for critical health and support staff. A total of 1 000 health care professionals will be employed specifically to pay dedicated attention to TB management issues.

The supply of ARVs in all our greater facilities has since stabilised. We have also introduced measures in our medical depot that ensures the availability of medication to all our health facilities. A nursing college will be reopened. The Deputy President has just alluded to it now. We are going to reopen this nursing college in the area called Thaba Nchu in April. May I remind the DA April is next week!

We are working very hard to improve the capacity of local government to deliver basic services and enhance its developmental mandate in areas such as local economic development. We have put in place measures to reduce the number of bad audit opinions for both municipalities and provincial departments. These measures will include support to improve performance in the functions of financial accounting, risk management and internal auditing. Hands-on support will also be increased for municipalities to develop and implement properly aligned integrated development plans, IDPs, and budgets.

To conclude, Deputy Chairperson, with only 76 days before the kick-off of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup, we are proud to proclaim that the Mangaung/Bloemfontein host city is ready, and so is the entire Free State province. We are waiting in anticipation for the biggest world sporting carnival of the beautiful game on our shores. Ubuntu and compassion will be the hallmarks of the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. Our Free State stadium has been completed, and we have also increased the number of beds for accommodation. Afrika ke nako! We celebrate Africa’s humanity. I thank you. [Applause.]

Mrs M C DIKGALE: Hon Chairperson, hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Deputy President, premiers present, Speakers and Deputy Speakers, Ministers, MECs, hon members, people of Greater Tubatse …

… ke ale dumediša. Se se ngwe se ke nyakagong gore le seke la se lebala batho ba gešo ke gore, re kgobokane ka mo, re kwele ditaba tše ntši beke kamoka ga yona. Bophelo bja rena bo be bo bontšha gore okare mohlako wa bathobaso ke leabela. Ga go bjalo? Ke ka lebaka la mebušo ye re tšwagong go yona ya maloba. Bjale, ga go nyake gore batho ba rena ba lebale mo re tšwang gona.

Modimo o re šegofaditše, re humane Jacob Zuma, o itshwara bjalo ka Moshe. A re lebeleleng mo a re išago gona. [Legoswi.] Yo mongwe le yo mongwe ge a theeleditše, a betha matsogo, a a seke a lebala gore Palamente ye e tlile Ga-Sekhukhune lehono ka baka la moetapele yo re nagong le yena e lego Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma. [Legofsswi.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[… I greet you. Another thing I would like you not to forget is that we heard a lot this week. We used to live as if poverty was hereditary among black people. Is that not so? It is because of the previous governments. Our people should not forget where we come from.

God has blessed us with Jacob Zuma, who is behaving like Moses. Let us look to where he is taking us. [Applause.] While you are listening and applauding, everyone must remember that Parliament has come to Ga- Sekhukhune because of our leader Jacob Gedleyhleikisa Zuma. [Applause.]]

In 1995, the Freedom Charter was drafted, which, amongst other things, promised “the people shall govern”. During the elections last year, the ANC made promises in its manifesto that were premised on the same principle that “the people shall govern”. During these elections, the people of Limpopo voted overwhelmingly for the ANC because they believed that this was the party that would ensure that they, as the people, would govern.

Since last year, the NCOP and its committees have visited the Greater Tubatse and surrounding areas in preparation for this Taking Parliament to the People visit.

Mo go ditokelo tše tša rena, re bone dilo tše ntši tšeo di bontšhago bohloki bja naga ye. Mo motseng wa Mafarafara, re bone ka moo batho ba tshelang noka ba šomiša segwaigwai se se swabišang. Ke gore, segwaigwai se, se a lefelwa mola batho ba rena ba sena tšhelete. Gape ba gapeletšega go tshela ka wona mokgwa woo, ge ba e ya go nyaka thuto dikolong ka mošola wa noka. Bothata bjo bongwe bja segwaigwai se ke gore se bea maphelo a badudi ba kotsing. Re kwele gore batho ba bangwe ba šetše ba lahlegetšwe ke maphelo a bona ka labaka la segwagwai. Bjale, boipiletšo bjo bogolo bjo re bo dirago ke gore mmušo o ke o hlokomele batho ba Mafarafara gammogo le Pench mabapi le segwaigwai. Mokhuduthamaga wa Dinamelwa o a dikwa le yena ditaba tša segwaigwai gomme ke kgolwa gore o tla šoma ka matla a gagwe go rarolla taba ye.

Freedom Charter ge e bolela mantšu a gore batho ba tla buša – [The people shall govern.] – e akaretša le ona magoši. Gape kgoši ke kgoši ka batho. Molaotheo wa naga o gapeletša gore mmušo, magoši le batho ba be le poledišano, tabakgolo e le ge re tlabe re fediša moya wa go se tshepane le go tšweletša tirišanommogo. Taba ye e nyaka tlhokomelo maaparankwe. Freedom Charter ye e ngwadilwego ka 1955, e be e eteletšwe pele ke magoši a go swana le Kgoši Albert Luthuli. Ešita le ANC ge e thomiwa, e be e eteletšwe pele ke magoši a rena go tšwa kgole le kgauswi, go akaretšwa bo Kgoši Kgama wa Botswana.

Batho ba Ga-Sekhukhune ba hwa ka tlala, efela ba dutše godimo ga lehumo. Na re ka dira bjang gore platinamo e tletšego mo e kgone go ba thuša, e sego fela go hola borameepo? Sello sa batho ba mo ke mešomo. Se le sona ke seo ka sekgowa ba rego ke “irony”. [Kgegeyo.] Batho ba hloka mešomo mola go le meepo ya go feta lekgolo mo Ga-Sekhukhune.

Baithuti bao ba tšweletšego dithutong tša bona tša marematlou, ba palelwa ke go tšwetša dithuto tša bona pele ka baka la go hloka ditseno. Potšišo e nngwe ke gore a baswa ba rena ba t loga ba ithuta go tiišitšwe seatla goba dipoelo tša bona ke tšona di ba šitišago go hwetša thekgo ya mašeleng?

Re le ba Palamente, re swanetše go thuša batho ba mo Ga-Sekhukhune gore mathata a bona a kgone go fela. Se re ka se kgona ge fela re ka dula le bona fase, ra boledišana le go logišana maano. Ke ka fao re tlilego go bona ka fao re ka thušago.

Ke ratile ka moo batho ba mo ba ikemišeditšego go šomišana le rena go ka tla ka tharollo. Ge nkabe e le ba bangwe, nkabe re bone ka mello e swa bjalo ka metse ya go swana le bo Mamelodi, mo matšatšing a go feta. Gomme re rata go ba leboga ka go kgotlelela mmušo. Re re go lena, ga go se se phalago thaerollo ya mathatha go feta poledišano.

Ye nngwe ya ditsela tšeo re ka thušago naga ye ya Ga-Sekhukhune ka yona, ke lenaneo la tlhabollo ya dinagamagae – [Rural development.]. Efela, bohlokwa bja yona bo ka bonala fela ge batho ba Ga-Sekhukhune ba ka holega, ba ba le bophelo bjo bo kaone. Gomme re tla kgopela gore ge go fetšwa ka lenaneo la Mihexe, kua Giyane, ye e latelago e tle mo Ga- Sekhukhune.

Mopresidente Jacob Zuma o bontšhitše gore tabataba ya ngwaga wo ke ye bohlokwa kudu, ke … (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[We have seen many things that make our country poor. People in Mafarafara are using a very bad bridge to cross the river. They even have to pay for that bridge and they do not have money. They cross the bridge to the school on the other side of the river. This bridge is a threat to the lives of people. We heard that there are people who already lost their lives because of that bridge. We are pleading with the government to help the communities of Mafarafara and Pench. The Member of the Executive Council for Transport is listening and I do believe that he will try his best to address this problem. When the Freedom Charter says the people shall govern, it includes the traditional leaders. Traditional leaders are there because of the people. The Constitution is forcing the government, traditional leaders and the communities to communicate. This will stop the mistrust among them and it will also promote co-operation. Chiefs, this matter needs attention. The Freedom Charter was written in 1955 and it was led by chiefs like Chief Albert Luthuli. When the ANC was established it was also led by the chiefs from different places, including Chief Kgama of Botswana.

The community of Ga-Sekhukhune is dying from hunger but they are sitting on top of wealth. How can we help them benefit from this platinum? It does not have to benefit the miners only. The community needs jobs. This is what is called “irony” in English. People are still not employed but there are more than 100 mines in Ga-Sekhukhune.

Students who did well in their matric are unable to further their studies because of a lack of income. The other question is: Are the students performing well or is it because of their poor performance that they are not getting the financial support?

We have to intervene as Parliament and help the community of Ga-Sekhukhune by solving their problems. We can solve these problems by sitting down with the community, discussing the problems and planning how we can solve them. That is the reason we are here.

I like the commitment of this community to work co-operatively with us to find the solutions to their problems. If it were any other community, we would have seen fires burning because of the problems, just like it happened in Mamelodi a few days ago. We appreciate your patience. Communication is the best way of solving a problem.

We can also help the community of Ga-Sekhukhune by implementing the rural development programme. The importance of this programme will be indicated by its benefits to the community of Ga-Sekhukhune. The lives of the people have to be improved. After completion of the Mihexe programme in Giyane, the next programme will take place in Ga-Sekhukhune.

President Jacob Zuma has indicated that the main theme for this year is very important and that is …]

… working together to speed up effective service delivery to the people.

Se se swanetše go bonala mo nageng ye ya Ga-Sekhukhune. Go godimo ga rena bjale ka baetapele go kgonthišiša gore se se a phethega. Mopresidente o bontšhitše gape gore bohlokwa bja tabataba ye bo tla hlahla ka moo lenaneo la 2010 le tlago phethagatšwa ka gona. Ke kgahlile ke go kwa yo mongwe wa batho ba mo a dira boipiletšo bja gore go be le dipapatšo tša 2010 World Cup. Go bolela nnete, le nna ga se ka bona le e tee ya dipapatšo tše mola re etetšego fa. Se se swanetše go fetoga.

Re bone e bile re kgonthišišitše mathatha a badudi ba mo. Le mo re bego re robala gona, go be go nale bothatha bja marangrang. Ke ipotšiša gore badudi ba mo ba kgona bjang go phela ka ntle le marangrang mo nakong ye ya lehono, ye e bitšwago “the age of technology”. Tekenolotši mono Greater Sekhukhune ke tshwantšhišo fela. Badudi ba duma go šomiša difounu, go bolela le batho ba gabo bona ba ba šomago mafaseng a go swana le Gauteng, ba se sa ba ngwalela mangwalo, ba bolele le bona ka difounu. Fela go a pala ka baka la tlhokego ya marangrang.

Ba bangwe thelebišene ke matsaka ao ba sa a lorego, le gore ba ka ba le wona ka baka la mohlagase. Tšohle tše di direga ka fase ga Afrika Borwa o moswa, ka ngwagakgolo wa masomepedi tee. Se se ra gore baswa ba mo ba tlo šalela morago kudu. Baswa ge ba šaletšwa morago, go ra gore naga ye le yona e šalela morago. Se se ra gore bodiidi bo ka se fele ka gore baswa ba e lego baetapele ba ka moso ba tlabe ba diila. Se ke seo ka sekgowa ba rego ke “vicious circle”. Gomme re le Palamente, re swanetše go netefatša gore se ga se direge.

Mathatha a mangwe a akaretša tlhokego ya meetse, ditsela, dintlo, dikolo, maporogo, bjalobjalo. Nkase a bolele ka a feetša. Ba bangwe ba badirišanekanna ba tlatla ba a bolela go ya pele, le gore re tla leka go a rarolla bjang. Fela se ke se tsebago ke gore go a rarolla gona, re tlile go a rarolla, batho ba mono. E no ba fela taba ya nako. Bobedi bo bolaya noga.

Ka Laboraro, re etetše motseng wa Kgoši Madihlaba wa wate ya 10, setšemeng sa bakgalabje, bakgekolo le ba bangwe ba baswa ba rena mo mo ba ba hlokometšego dikgomo tša maswi. Morago ga mengwaga e šupa, batho ba ba sa hlaka. Mokgatlo wa Kgodišo wa Bosetšhaba o bontšhitše go ba thuša ka mašeleng. O bontšhitše gore o nale dimelione tše R1, 6 tša go tlo thuša ditšemeng tše nne gona mo Ga-Sekhukhune. Ba ka se sa lema ka diatla, ba tlilo ba rekela terekere, ba ba agela botšidifatšo, dikgomo di tlo oketšwa le go hlokomelwa, le go leboga baithaopi ge kgwedi e feela. Ba tša temo le bona ba bontšhitše gore ba tla hlokomela. Ke bolela ka batho ba setšema sa Mabodibeng. Ge ke ruma, ke rata gore go baagi ba Ga-Sekhukhune, mona molomo o boletše, mona tsebe o kwele le mona mahlo o bone. Se se re šaletšego ke go netefatša gore dillo tša badudi ba mo Ga-Sekhukhune ga di wele fase. Ge re ka se dire bjalo, re tlabe re ba šaetša bagale ba go lwela naga ye, ba go swana le yena Kgoši Sekhukhune ka sebele.

Re a sepela mamohla. Go badudi, a ke mathomo a go kgaogana le mohlako. Go nyakega tumelo fela bjale ka ge moruti a boletše tšatši lela la Labobedi ge a bula mošomo ka thapelo. Tshepang mmušo wa letšatši wa ANC. Ke a leboga. [Legoswi.] (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[This has to be seen in Ga-Sekhukhune. We have leaders above us to ensure the implementation of this. The President also indicated that the importance of this theme will give guidance on how the 2010 programme is to be implemented. I was impressed by one of the people here who suggested that the 2010 World Cup be advertised. I also have not seen a single 2010 World Cup advert. This has to change.

We have seen and confirmed the problems that are experienced by this community. We also experienced network problems where we were accommodated. I am concerned as to how these people afford to live without a network in this era that is called “the age of technology”. There is no real technology in Ga-Sekhukhune. The community wants to communicate telephonically with their relatives who are working in places like Gauteng. This is impossible because of a lack of a network. They no longer want to write them letters.

Some of the people do not even dream of owning a television set because there is no electricity. All this is happening in the 21st century in the new South Africa. This means that the young people in this community will be far behind as compared to the young people in other areas of the country. If the youth is behind then their village is also lagging behind. Poverty will never come to an end because the youth who are the future leaders will also be poor. This is called a “vicious circle” in English. As Parliament we have to stop this.

Other problems include the lack of water, roads, houses, schools, bridges, etc. The list is endless. Some of my colleagues will name other problems and also indicate how we can solve them. I want to make it clear to you that we are going to solve those problems. It is only a matter of time. Two hands are better than one.

On Wednesday we visited Chief Madihlaba’s village in Ward 10, where old men, old women and some of the young people were looking after the cattle that produce milk. Those people are still suffering even after seven years. The National Growth Fund has offered to help them. The National Growth Fund has indicated that there is R1,6 million that will help four projects in Ga- Sekhukhune. Those people will no longer do hand cultivation because they are going to get tractors; they are going to build them a cold room; the number of cattle is going to increase and will be taken care of and the volunteers are also going to be paid on a monthly basis. The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has indicated that they will also help. I am talking about the people of Mabodibeng.

Let me conclude by saying that those who have mouths have spoken, those who have ears have heard and those who have eyes have seen. Our responsibility is to make sure that we solve the problems that are encountered by this community. If we do not solve them we will be unfair to heroes such as Chief Sekhukhune who fought for this land.

We are leaving today. This is the beginning of the end of poverty. All you need is faith, as the pastor indicated when he opened the day for us with a prayer on Tuesday. Believe in the government that is led by the ANC. Thank you. [Applause.]]

Ms R MOGALE (Gauteng): Motlatsa Modulasetilo, [Deputy Chairperson …]

… Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa Mr Motlanthe, Chairperson of the NCOP Mr Mahlangu, hon members, provincial premiers present here, hon Members of the provincial legislatures, ladies and gentlemen, it is only nine months since we presented the programme of action of the current administration of the people of Gauteng. During that presentation, the provincial administration committed to doing things differently, while being guided by the strategic priorities of government. It was clear that to effectively drive the government programme to our people there was a need to realign the organisational structures and review the operation of government in such a way that they begin to assist us to achieve the set goals.

We said that we would work in a manner that would foster new ethics and promote a culture of hard work and respect for the people among public servants. Indeed, we have begun to make strides and there is already evidence that even in this short period we have made impressive progress in meeting the needs of our people in Gauteng.

We have now passed the planning stage and we are geared for implementation. This is the year of action and indeed the year of working together to speed up the delivery of services to our people. We are mindful of the fact that we would not be able to stay on course and achieve that which we set to attain if it were not for the strong partnership and unequivocal support we enjoyed from the masses of our people.

In February 2010, we again presented our programme of action to be implemented in the course of this year in pursuit of our five-year strategic goals. In line with the national government’s approach, the emphasis and focus of our activities will be on outcomes. All our energies will be channelled towards what our people need and not what we think they need.

Our programme is about what we will be doing towards fulfilling our unequivocal commitment to an improved quality of basic education; a long and healthy life for all people; safety and security for all; economic growth that translates into decent work and improved living standards; vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities with food security for all; infrastructure development and sustainable human settlements; and a responsive, accountable, efficient and effective local government.

We have, in the first financial year of our term of office, placed emphasis on effective planning and reprioritisation to deliver on our mandate for the five-year term of office. This has included a process of ensuring the appropriate allocation of resources in areas where they are needed most, in line with our priorities.

The budget speech by our MEC for finance has also demonstrated our seriousness about this matter. In accounting to the legislature at national and provincial level, as the democratically elected representatives of our people, we remain committed to present to this House our quarterly report on our performance. This will also serve to ensure that we account to the people of Gauteng, who will assess our performance and the extent to which we have addressed their needs in line with our commitment. This includes taking a deliberate decision to ensure that we strike an appropriate balance between the imperatives of delivering to our people and effectively managing our budget.

We have introduced a series of measures which have been announced to improve financial management and tighten the control where necessary. We have reviewed the delegation of powers and functions, including those of hospital chief executive officers in relation to procurement, with a view to improving service delivery to our people. We will further improve our efficiency through the review of agencies and service delivery models based on the identification and resolution of systematic problems.

As a new administration, we are not doing old things in the same way. We are not putting new wine in old bottles. Our vision for the province, supported by our programme of action, clearly demonstrates our commitment to improving our people’s lives.

Education is an Apex Priority. Providing high-quality education to our people, especially children, will lay a solid foundation to ensure a better future for all. Our vision is to ensure that every learner does well at school and leaves an institution with the knowledge, skills and qualifications that will give them the best chances of success in adult life. We have done a thorough assessment of the education situation and we know what needs to be done to improve the quality of education. Our intervention will start at the foundation stage of education to ensure that our children are well prepared and developed to succeed in the later stages of their education.

Motlatsa Poresidente wa rona o bontshitse gore go botlhokwa jang go simolola kwa tlase gore fa ba ya go dira mophato wa marema tlou ba bo ba tlhaloganya. Go nne bonolo mo go bona gore ba tle ba kgone go tswelela pele ka dithuto. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)

[Our Deputy President has shown the importance of starting at an early stage so that they can fully understand when they are in matric. It will be easy for them to further their studies.]

In working towards the goal of achieving a long and healthy life for all, we will focus on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our health care system, providing primary health care services in poor communities, reducing mortality rates and stepping up the fight against HIV/Aids and TB.

We have heard concerns raised by our people on the difficulties they encounter in accessing our hospitals and other health institutions, and we are taking concrete steps to address these, including eliminating the long queues that we find in some of our facilities.

On poverty alleviation, to provide immediate relief to thousands of people who are currently unemployed, we shall, in the coming year, launch a massive community work programme in the poorest wards in our province. This will provide a critical employment safety net for our people. Through these programmes we’ll provide each household in the poorest communities with a job for 100 days. The Expanded Public Works Programme is one of the interventions that we shall continue to pursue, since it has proven to be effective in alleviating the pressure of unemployment and poverty.

The current phase of the Expanded Public Works Programme focuses on skills development. As we are aware, Gauteng is the hub of the Fifa Soccer World Cup, with most events, including the opening match and the final, scheduled to be staged in the province. A successful Fifa Soccer World Cup therefore largely rests on our shoulders.

When we agreed to make available our country and its facilities for the staging of the Fifa Soccer World Cup, we understood very well the responsibility that came with that undertaking. For us failure is not an option. We have worked very hard, together with national government and municipalities, especially the host cities, to ensure that all match venues and supporting infrastructure are ready. All of these facilities and infrastructure will be ready for us to host the most exciting Fifa Soccer World Cup. Soccer City, which will host both the opening match and the final …

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr R J Tau): Hon member, I’m sorry your time is up.

Mme R MOGALE (Gauteng): Modulasetilo, boikuelo jwa me jwa bofelo ke gore baagi ba Aforika Borwa ba tlogele go bina le bo mabina go tsholwa. A re itseng gore re tswa kae. Ke a leboga. [Legofi.]

MODULASETULO (Mr R J Tau): Ke kopa go itsese setšhaba gore le fa beke yotlhe re ntse re ya go ja dijo tsa motshegare ka bo ura 12, gompieno re ya go fetsa kgantele. Ka jalo, fa o tswa o itshenyetsa nako. Se itshokodise ka go ya go emela dijo tsa motshegare gonne o ya go re emela go fitlha re fetsa. [Legofi.] (Translation of Setswana paragraphs follows.)

[Ms R MOGALE (Gauteng): Chairperson, my final plea to South Africans is that they should stop being naïve. We should know where we come from. Thank you. [Applause.]

The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr R J Tau): I would like to inform everyone that even though we have been having our lunch around 12 the whole week, today we are going to adjourn later. Therefore, when you go out you’ll be wasting your time. Don’t bother to queue for lunch now because you will wait for us to adjourn. [Applause.]]

Mr T W MCHUNU (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson, Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa Mr Kgalema Motlanthe, Chairperson of the NCOP hon M J Mahlangu, it is an honour and a privilege to stand before you a few days after the whole country paid tribute to the heroes and heroines of our country who laid down their lives for a democratic and prosperous South Africa.

On 21 March 2010, the people of South Africa gathered across the country to acknowledge the contribution of thousands of men and women who died during the Sharpeville massacre.

In KwaZulu-Natal, our people first gathered at the Mandela capture site — the area where former President Nelson Mandela spent his last days of freedom — and finally observed the day at Lions River Sports Field.

Spurred by, inter alia, the Sharpeville massacre, Comrade Madiba and his comrades in the ANC dedicated their entire lives to the vision of a prosperous South Africa, and dedicated their time until it was realised.

It was a poignant moment for us in KwaZulu-Natal to reflect on the events of Sharpeville, and especially on the journey that Madiba travelled in search of liberation for our country. We warmly remembered that on International Human Rights Day, on 10 December 1996, Comrade Mandela signed our new Constitution in Sharpeville, effectively ushering in the new South African society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights. The preamble of our Constitution states clearly, amongst other things, that:

We, the people of South Africa, Recognise the injustices of our past; Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country …

The Constitution itself also asserts that the Republic of South Africa is one sovereign democratic state founded on the values of human dignity, the achievement of equality, and the advancement of human rights and freedoms.

Hon members, our forebears have laid down the foundation for the people of South Africa to elect a government of their choice. They have made it possible for South Africans, irrespective of class and race, to participate in the affairs of their democratic government. We salute them. We salute all of our heroes and heroines. We remain indebted to them and inspired by their selfless struggle for a peaceful, united, nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous democratic society. Because of their seasoned and exemplary leadership, we commit ourselves to creating an equal society, where the values identified in the country’s Constitution are enjoyed by all. Central to this commitment is the acknowledgement that human rights cannot be separated from social and economic rights.

While the democratic government has made progress in terms of addressing huge socioeconomic inequalities resulting from decades of apartheid rule, there is a need to accelerate the provision of basic services to our people. We have to ensure that many of our people, especially those communities living in rural areas, have access to water and electricity. Water and electricity are basic needs for human life. This means that in all activities undertaken for socioeconomic development, water and electricity must play a major role.

Adequate access to infrastructure such as housing, roads and bridges will complete our democracy. The limited access to this infrastructure means that for many people in our country, democracy will remain shallow. Since we achieved democracy, the transformation of our country and the enactment of enabling legislation for service delivery have been focused on ensuring that we create a better life for all.

As part of a developmental state, we are committed to ensuring that ordinary people in our province participate in achieving a better life. This is what democracy is all about.

The theme for this sitting pertinently calls on all the people of South Africa to work together to speed up service delivery. We believe that the correct and decent way of showing our gratitude to the heroes and heroines of Sharpeville is surely to work together. It is only through working together that we can ensure human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms.

Under the theme “Let us build a better future together”, in KwaZulu-Natal we have called on all the people of that province to join hands with government to strengthen our programmes and to steer the province in the right direction. We are working together to deal with the challenges of HIV and Aids, and TB. We are spreading the message that those who are affected must not be discriminated against, but must be given love and compassion.

The people of KwaZulu-Natal have been invited to participate in government’s programmes aimed at ensuring behavioural change, and have been asked to be responsible and to live healthy lifestyles.

Earlier this year the government launched a united front against crime, an initiative which seeks to ensure the integration and co-ordination of the efforts of all stakeholders to fight against crime and corruption. This fight will include us, as provincial government, fighting together with our municipalities. Because crime occurs in our communities, it is vital that as society our communities must be integrally involved in the campaign to create safer neighbourhoods.

We are strengthening the participation of civil society in this campaign against crime and corruption. In this case, we are pulling together all church people, all business leaders, all our community leaders and all our neighbour watch groups. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Mr J J GUNDA: Hon Chairperson, hon Deputy President, hon premiers and Ministers - all protocol observed. I agree that the government has achieved a lot, but listening to the cries of our people, there are still challenges. It is unacceptable that, 16 years into our democracy, basic services such as water, health care and electricity are not provided to our people.

Youth development is also a very important issue. How is youth development addressed in this area? Is there any record of the bursaries awarded by government to youth in this area, for them to further their studies and equip themselves for a better future for them and their families? Are there any records of initiatives to train the youth to become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses? Education is the key to developing our people.

Community participation is also essential for development. Seeing that there are so many problems with service delivery in this area, the question must be asked whether the community is involved in the integrated development plans, and specifically whether they have a say in the drawing up of the budget in this area. Are the integrated development plans reviewed on an annual basis? Serving our communities is not simply doing them a favour: It is a privilege and an obligation.

How serious is the government about monitoring service delivery in the light of rumours? For example, in this area there is an empty hospital with equipment, but no nurses. The Bible says: In the counsel of many, there is wisdom. Local government, especially some municipalities in provinces such as the Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and even here in Limpopo, are accused of bad management and continuous stealing and corruption. Yet those managers, the CEOs and CFOs, are still there.

Mining companies must be held accountable for social development in the areas where they are planning to mine, even before they start to mine.

Dit wil vir my voorkom asof die regering op nasionale vlak, sowel as op provinsiale en plaaslike vlak, nie die pleidooi van ons mense ernstig opneem nie. Hoe lank moet ons mense wag om regtig die vrugte van die stryd teen apartheid te kan pluk? Dit wil vir my voorkom asof ons skuil agter die woord “kapasiteit”. [Tyd verstreke.] Dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)

[It seems to me that the government at national as well as at provincial and local levels is not taking the pleas of our people seriously. How long must our people wait before they can start to benefit from the struggle against apartheid? It seems to me as if we are hiding behind the word “capacity”. [Time expired.] Thank you.]

Mr B GEYER (Western Cape): Hon Deputy Chairperson, Deputy President hon Motlanthe, Ministers, MECs, Members of Parliament, members of the NCOP and the legislature, Speakers, executive mayors and everyone gathered here today, thank you for the opportunity to address you.

The hon Kiviet remarked that the Western Cape never had a homeland. Well, we have one now. Almost half of the Eastern Cape has fled their province to look for a new future in the Western Cape, and we care for them.

Despite the turnaround strategy of local government, we must acknowledge that we have a crisis regarding service delivery in the majority of municipalities. We have municipalities that are plagued with violent protests owing to bad service delivery.

Firstly, we need the political will to turn the situation around. Secondly, we must join hands and learn from each other’s successes. In the words of President Zuma when he spoke in Khayelitsha last year, and I quote:

We must find ways of attracting the best technical, managerial and financial minds to our municipalities, even to the most remote, to effect a turnaround.

Deputy Chair, there is only one way of attracting officials who fall into this category: Appoint them on merit, fit for purpose, and stop cadre deployment. Since December 2000, capacity at our municipalities has been destroyed.

The President further stated in Khayelitsha, and I quote:

Secondly, we must deal with the fact that many municipalities face a deep crisis of governance due to political power struggles. These battles for control over resources render the affected municipalities effectively dysfunctional.

We are not here to throw stones, but we must accept the fact and join hands to better the situation. We must accept the fact that almost all municipalities in the Northern Cape and a number in the North West and the Free State are technically bankrupt.

On the other hand, the small town of Laingsburg in the desolate Karoo, which has minimal job opportunities and a large population of poor people, wins one award after the other. On a lighter note: What is the difference? Perhaps it is the fact that the DA and the ANC have joined hands to run the town for the people, and not for political gain.

We must develop a culture of dedication amongst councillors. They must be dedicated to work for the people who voted for them and not prioritise self- interest and misuse political power. The people outside - in our towns, villages and those in the remote areas - expect their councillors and us in government to take responsibility to deliver the theme of this week: Working together to speed up the delivery of services to our people.

We must not be like the ANC councillors of Matlosana Council in Klerksdorp, who are in the process of buying 500 Fifa Soccer World Cup tickets out of taxpayers’ money for themselves, their staff, their families and friends. That is not all. They are also planning free transport, food and tracksuits. What a disgrace! Are they working together to speed up the delivery of services for our people or are they purely set to enrich themselves and discard their voters? We must portray good leadership and make a success of good governance.

That was the negative part. Let’s look at the positive aspects. With regard to reaching out to help each other, I am pleased to say that the Western Cape is already working with other provinces and sharing best practice. We also have excellent intergovernmental relations with some Ministries in the national government. At the national Cabinet lekgotlas, which Premier Helen Zille attends, she has been pleasantly surprised at the extent to which she has been able to advance political alternatives and that there is mutual respect between spheres of government.

In a document titled “State of Local Government in South Africa”, it is stated that 21 of the 30 local municipalities in the Western Cape fall into the category of highest performing municipalities, which represents 87,5% of the total in South Africa. Not one of these municipalities is considered vulnerable.

Let us look at the Tswelopele agricultural project of 400 hectares, a project in which 137 farmers started an irrigation scheme. Every farmer received five hectares in a venture with the Department of Agriculture and a strategic partner. Then, as usual, nothing happened. The farmers asked: Where is the seed? Where is the fertiliser? The government told them to buy their own.

The farmers went to the bank and loaned money for seed and fertiliser. Then they wanted to plough. What happened then? The department then said: Stop, stop, we are going to consolidate again. So everything stopped, and the farmers were blacklisted because they could not pay their loans.

A project of Social Development’s food security programme worth R33 million came to a grinding halt. Everything stopped and the irrigation equipment was vandalised. We cannot work like this here. This is not working together to speed up the delivery of services to our people.

The DA is now asking questions. We want a proper assessment to be made of the position of the Tswelopele agricultural project. We want a report to be submitted within a month’s time to determine the viability of this project and the way forward.

In this process, we have made poor people even poorer. One of the speakers reported here yesterday that the challenge we have in local government is extreme and that we must invest in training our officials in order to bring back expertise and knowledge. It has been proven in municipalities that are successful that, firstly, expertise must be brought back; secondly, a stable political surrounding has to be established; thirdly, corruption has to be addressed and marginalised; and fourthly, effective credit control systems have to be implemented.

The NCOP had the opportunity to visit many centres and I had the opportunity to visit the clinic at Penge. What a heartbreaking experience it was to see devoted staff doing their utmost to keep the place going. It is a hospital fitted with two modern operating theatres, brand-new equipment – not used; two dental chairs with brand-new equipment – not used; a children’s intensive care unit fitted with brand-new equipment — never used before; and excellent X-ray equipment in an X-ray room where the ceilings are falling in. All of this is not used because there is no staff.

We desperately need to find ways to staff that hospital before it is in total ruin. We live in a country where sickness runs rife and we have a huge hospital standing dormant because there is no staff. That is pathetic. We should look at means of changing the system to ensure that doctors who have studied medicine on government bursaries do time at locations such as these, rather than accepting the money they furnish to pay off their debt to the state and leave the area. We should look at paying higher allowances to doctors working in remote areas to encourage them to work there.

To a question as to when last a Member of Parliament visited Penge, the answer was simply, and I quote:

In the 10 years that I have been working here, this is the first visit by Members of Parliament.

If that is true, then I ask myself once again: Are we working together to speed up the delivery of services to our people?

It is also sad to see the manner in which the previous Deputy Chair reduced democracy by failing to answer hon Harris’s democratic request to apply the same norms to every party addressing this gathering. I thank you. [Applause.] Mof M L MOSHODI: Ho Motlatsa-Moporesidente, Modulasetulo wa NCOP, Matona, maloko a komiti ya phethahatso, maloko a lekgotla la botjhaba la diporofensi, maloko a lekgotla la ketsamolao, bomajoro ba phethahatso le makhanselara, marena a rona a hlomphehang le setjhaba sa rona se kgabane, ke a le dumedisa.

Ke monyetla ho nna ho ba karolo ya batho ba kgethilweng ho ka nehelana ka puo ngangisanong ya kajeno. Re buisana kajeno kamora ho qeta beke re le mona, re bua le baahi mme ba ntsha maikutlo a bona ka maemo a bona a bophelo le hore na ba lebelletse hore mmuso o arabela jwang diphepetso tseo ba tobaneng le tsona. Re bile le monyetla wa ho etela tse ding tsa dibaka tse nehelanang ka ditshebeletso ho ya inwesa ka nkgo hore di maemong a jwang, jwaloka dikolo, ditleliniki le dipetlele.

Jwaloka mmuso wa batho, molemong wa batho, re utlwile dillo tsa lona mme rona hammoho le lona, re tla fumana tharollo le mokgwa oo re ka lwantshang ditlamorao tsa kgethollo le kgatello ya nako e fetileng. Maikemisetso a ANC a ho ruta bana ba rona ka dithuto tse hodimo tsa naha, ha a so fetohe hobane ke baetapele ba rona ba hosane. Batho ba rona ba tlameha ho utlwisisa moo re tswang. Bana ba rona ba ne ba rutwa ka tlasa difate ho se na meaho ya dikolo, empa mmusong ona bana ba rona ba ahetswe dikolo leha dibakeng tse ding e le leqeeme.

Ka Sesotho re re “thupa e kojwa e sa le metsi” mme hona ho bonahala ka maikemisetso a Lefapha la Thuto, Lefapha la Ntshetsopele ya Setjhaba, ho thusa thutong ya bana ba banyenyane. Batswadi ba kotjwa hore ba ise bana ditsheng tsa thuto ya bana ba banyenyane hore ba tle ba kgothalletswe dilemong tseo ka bohlokwa ba thuto. Moo ditsha tseo di leng siyo, re etsa boipiletso ho mmasepala le mmuso wa diporofensi hore ba ntshetse ditsha tseo pele.

Mmuso o fana ka thuso ya ditjhelete ho thusa bana mme re ipiletsa ho batswadi ba amohelang ditjhelete tsa bana hore ba se ke ba di ja, di ke di tswele bana bao molemo. O tla fumana bana ba lapa, ba sa hlapiswe, ba sa rekelwe diaparo empa e le bana ba fumanang dithuso tsa mmuso tsa ditjhelete. Re a utlwisisa hore ba bang ba kena dikolo hole empa mmuso o fana ka tshehetso ya ditjhelete bakeng sa dipalangwang tse isang bana ba jwalo dikolong mme re ipeletsa hore moo ho sa etsahaleng jwalo, mmuso wa mmasepala le wa diporofensi, o kene dipakeng.

Mmuso o entse mekutu yohle hore dibuka le disebediswa tsa thuto, di fumanehe ka nako hore thuto e se ke ya sitiseha. Lenaneo la phepo ya bana dikolong, ke a mang a matsapa a ho etsa hore ho be bobebe hore bana ba ye sekolong ba sa lle ka tlala. Le dibakeng tseo ho tsona sena se sa etsahaleng, re kopa mmuso wa porofensi le mmuso wa mmasepala o kene dipakeng. Re utlwisisa tlhokeho tse teng hore mesebetsi e meng e phethahale. Re tshehetsa maikemisetso a mmuso a ho kwetlisa bana ba dikete tse leshome le metso e mehlano ka selemo, mme re tshepa hore dibaka tsa mahae di tla una molemo maikemisetsong ao. Re etsa boipeletso ba hore tshekamelo e be dithutong tsa dipalo, bonono le boenjinere. Re etsa boipeletso ho ditsha tse fapaneng tsa thuto, le kwetliso ya mofuta o jwalo, ho tshehetswa ka ditjhelete. Bana ba nang le bokgoni ba ho kwetlisa ba fumane meputso e bonahalang hore ba tle ba kgothalle ho etsa mosebetsi. Ho na le bothata bo boholo ba hore batjha ha ba se ba qetile sehlopha sa leshome, ba hloka ditjhelete tsa ho ntshetsa dithuto tsa bona pele. Batjha ba rona ke bokamoso ebile ke baetapele ba hosane mme ha mmuso o sa tsetele batjheng ka ho ba isa sekolong, bokamoso ba bona bo tla ba lerootho mme ba bang ba fetoha ditsotsi mme hono e be pharela setjhabeng.

Ho ke ke ha nepahala ebile ke ntho e fosahetseng hore mona Limpopo ho e na le merafo, e etsang ditjhelete ka dirafshwa tsa mona, empa tjhelete e sa tswele baahi ba mona molemo. Phoso e hokae mme e ka lokiswa jwang le hona neng? Maemo a merafo ya mona a ke ke a tlohellwa ho tswela pele e ka a nepahetse. Batho ba mmuso ba fanang ka dilaesense tsa ho rafa, le baetapele ba nang le dikamano le merafo, ha ba ke ba be le nnete mme ba utlwisise hore ba sebeletsa setjhaba mme ba tshepahale bathong ba rona. Re ke ke ra lata batho kantle ho tlo tla sebetsa mona empa baahi ba mona ba tseba mosebetsi ono. Ho ke ke ha hlokahala metsi le motlakase bathong empa merafo e etsang tjhelete mona e fumana metsi le motlakase.

Bana ba sekolo ba ke ke ba hloka ho ya sekolong hobane pula e na mme ditsela di sa tsamaehe empa tsela e yang merafong e tsamaeha. Mmuso wa batho ka batho molemong wa batho, o bolela hore lentswe la setjhaba le ahelwa lesaka. Molaotheo wa naha o hlalosa hore o na le boikarabelo ho arabela ditlhokong tsa batho.

Ka boikokobetso, re etsa boipeletso hore marena le mmuso, le baetapele ba nang le dikamano le boramerafo, ba etse hore tjhelete e se felle mekotlaneng ya bona, e thuse setjhaba pele setjhaba se fellwa ke mamello. Ho kena dipakeng ha mmuso ho etse hore ditshebeletso tsa bophelo bo botle di fihlellwe ha bobebe ke batho ba rona. Ditleliniki le dipetlele di ahwe mme ho bulwe ditsha tsa thuto ya bophelo bo botle.

Batjha ba bangata ba sa sebetseng, hammoho le ba ithaopang ho thusa bakudi, ba fuwe thupello hantle mme ba hirwe e le basebetsi ba bophelo bo botle mme ba fuwe meputso e hantle. Mmuso o tlamehile ho hira dingaka mme di iswe dibakeng tsa mahaeng. Meriana le dipilisi di fumanehe bakeng sa bakudi ba rona. Ho se kwalwe ditleliniki pele batho ba rona ba thuswa kaofela mme batho ba rona ba tshwarwe hantle e leng baimana, maqheku le bana ba nang le boqhwala. Re tshehetsa kahohle maemong a bofuma le ho hlokeha ha mesebetsi ka baka la moruo o hlotsang, tshehetso ya Lefapha la Ntshetsopele ya Setjhaba ho maqheku, batho ba nang le boqhwala, dikgutsana le malapa a etelletsweng pele ke bana.

Modulasetulo ha se ke tla phethela, re etsa boipiletso ho mmuso ho fumana taba ya hore maqheku a rona ha a eme mane mefolong … [Nako e fedile.] Tanki hang, tanki habedi, tanki hararo. Ke a leboha. [Mahofi.] (Translation of Sesotho speech follows.)

[Ms M L MOSHODI: Deputy President, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Ministers, members of the executive council, members of the legislature, executive mayors and councillors, honourable chiefs and our beautiful nation, I greet you all.

It is an honour for me to be one of the people chosen to participate in this debate. We are debating today after spending a week here talking to communities. They voiced their opinions about their situation as well as how they expect government to respond to the challenges they are faced with. We had an opportunity to visit some of the areas that offer services in order to see for ourselves the condition they are in, such as schools, clinics and hospitals.

As a government of the people for the people, we heard your complaints and, together with you, we are going to find a solution and a way that we can fight the aftereffects of the discrimination and oppression of the past. The aim of the ANC to offer our children the highest education standards in the land has not changed because they are our future leaders. Our people should understand where we come from. Our children were taught under trees with no school buildings, but in this dispensation schools have been built for our children even though in some areas there are some shortcomings.

In Sesotho we say, “Thupa e kojwa e sa le metsi” [spare the rod and spoil the child.] This is evident in the aims of the Department of Education and the Department of Social Development in helping with the education of the little ones. Parents are asked to take their children to educational centres so that they are encouraged early on about the importance of education. Where those centres don’t exist, we make a request to the municipality and provincial government to establish them.

Government provides child grants in order to help needy children and therefore we ask parents not to misuse it for their own purposes. It should benefit the children. You will find children going hungry, unwashed, clothes not being bought for them and yet they are children who receive financial assistance from government. We understand that some children attend school very far away but the government does provide assistance with transport fares to help such children to go to school. Therefore we ask that where this is not happening the municipality and provincial government should intervene.

The government has made every effort to ensure that books and other educational resources are made available timeously so that teaching is not affected. The schools feeding scheme is one of the means for children to attend school without the possibility of complaining about hunger. Even in those areas where this is not happening we ask the provincial government and the municipality to intervene. We do understand that there are certain requirements that are necessary in order for certain things to happen. We support the government’s plans to train 15 000 children a year and we believe that rural areas will benefit from them.

We make a request that emphasis should be placed on mathematics, arts and engineering. We make a further request for different educational centres, as well as similar training centres, to be given financial assistance. Children who are able to provide training should be fairly remunerated so that they become enthusiastic about their work. There is a huge problem about the fact that when children have completed Grade 10, they don’t have funds to further their studies. Our youth is our future and they are tomorrow’s leaders; therefore if government does not invest in the youth by taking them to school their future will be dark and some of them will turn into thugs, and that will pose a big problem for the country.

It cannot be right and it is a terrible thing that even though there are mines here in Limpopo which make a lot of money from local minerals this does not benefit local communities. Where is the problem, how is it going to be corrected and when? The situation with the mines in this area cannot be left to continue as though it is normal. Government officials who issue mining licences as well as other leaders who have mining interests are not always honest. They should understand that they are working for the people and therefore they should be trustworthy to our people. We cannot recruit people from outside to come and work here and yet we have locals who can do the work. There cannot be water and electricity shortages and yet mines which make huge profits have water and electricity.

Schoolchildren should not miss going to school because the roads are not negotiable when it rains, whereas the road leading to the mines is. The Government of the people by the people for the people means that the people’s voice should be respected. The Constitution of the country mentions that there is a responsibility to be accountable for the needs of the people.

We humbly request that the chiefs, government and other leaders who have relations with mine owners see to it that money does not only end up in their pockets. It should help communities before communities run out of patience. The government’s intervention should ensure that good social services are easily accessible for our people. Clinics and hospitals should be built and health care centres should also be established.

Many youths who are not working, as well as those who volunteer to help the sick, should be given proper training and should be employed as health care- givers and be fairly remunerated. Government should employ doctors who should be sent to the rural areas. Medicines and pills should be made available to the sick. Clinics should not close before all our people have received help and our people should be treated well, including pregnant women, the aged as well as physically disabled children. We totally commend the support given to the poor and the unemployed by the Department of Social Development as a result of the ailing economy, as well as to the aged, the physically disabled, orphans and child-headed families.

Chairperson, in conclusion we plead with government to look into the matter that the aged should not stand in long queues … [Time expired.] I thank you once, twice, thrice. Thank you. [Applause.]]

The PREMIER OF LIMPOPO (Mr C Mathale): Chairperson of the session; Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and of the ANC, hon K P Motlanthe; Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces; Deputy House Chairperson; Speaker and Deputy Speaker; Ministers and Deputy Ministers present here; MECs; members of the NCOP; members of the provincial legislature; traditional leaders; our veterans who are amongst us here; and community members from Greater Tubatse and Sekhukhune municipalities and the entire Limpopo province, it is an honour and a privilege for me to stand before you today to respond to the address by the Deputy President and the experiences that we have had since the NCOP arrived here on Tuesday.

Ntate Mahlangu, re rata go leboga sebaka se le re filego sona gore badudi ba Tubatse le ba Ga-Sekhukhune ba be le nako ya go kopana le maloko a NCOP, Ditona, Maloko a Komitiphethiši, boratoropo le makhanselara bekeng ye. Maikemišetš o a magolo ke go fa batho ba gaborena sebaka sa go bolela mathata ao ba nago le wona gomme ba a botše baemedi ba bona ba kua Palamenteng gore a tle a elwe hloko gomme a rao rollwe.

Re le ba profense ya Limpopo re kwele tše setšhaba se di boletšego. Re kwele le ka mokgwa wo Modulasetulo wa NCOP a boletšego ka gona gore ba tla boa fa Tubatse – Greater Sekhukhune - go tšwetša pele lenaneoeno la go leka go thušana le badudi ba lefelo le go rarolla mathata a bona. Re le ba profense re rata go le botša gore pele ga ge ba NCOP ba ka fihla, re tla be re šetše re le fa go rarolla mathata ao batho ba gabolena ba a filego NCOP bekeng ye. [Legofsi.]

Re tloga re kwešiša maikemišetšo a ketelo ye. Ketelo ye e sepelelana le lenaneo la mokgatlo wa rena wo o bušago la gore “batho ba tla buša”. Ge batho ba re kgethile gore re ye mmušong, ga re tlo emela mengwaga ye mehlano gore re ye go bona gomme re kwe mathata a bona. Re ile go ya kgafetšakgafetša. Ke kwešišo ye re nago le yona ka ketelo ye, gape ke kwešišo ye re e amogelago ka diatla tše pedi. Re tla šoma go menagane go rarolla mathata ao batho ba gaborena ba tlago ba ba re boditše wona.

Ga re tlo emela bomagogorwane gore ba tlo re ruta gore re lwe bjang. Ge e le ntwa ya go lwela tokologo e thomile ke borakgolokhukhu ba rena, gomme ba re bontšhitše gore re e lwe bjang. Ke ka tsela ye re ilego ra kgona go e fenya ka gona ntwa ye. Lehono re ka se tlo rutwa ke bomabinagosolwa gore re dire eng, neng le gore bjang. Go bontšha gabotse gore ga ba kwešiše fao re tšwago gona. Ba palelwa ke go bona phapano magareng ga Kapa le Ga- Sekhukhune - gore goreng Kapa e tlhlabologile go phala Ga-Sekhukhune, Tubatse. Ba lebetše gore mmušo wa kgethologanyo ke wona o dirileng gore Ga- Sekhukhune go se be le tlhabologo le gore go se se be le tlhabologo Kapa Bohlabela. Go be go na le Bantustan ya Ciskei le Transkei kua Kapa Bohlabela. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[Hon Mahlangu, thanks for affording the community of Tubatse and Ga- Sekhukhune a chance to meet with members of the NCOP, Ministers, members of the Executive Council, mayors and councillors this week. The main aim is to give our people a chance to raise their concerns with the Members of Parliament so that they address those concerns.

We heard as Limpopo province what the community has said. We also heard from the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces that they will come back to Tubatse – Greater Sekhukhune – to continue with the programme of co-operating with the community to address their problems. As a province we are going to address the challenges you raised with the members of the NCOP even before they can come back here. [Applause.]

We understand very well the purpose of this visit which is in line with the programme of the leading party, which is “the people shall govern”. We don’t wait for five years before going back to the people who elected us to listen to their concerns. We visit them continuously. That is how we understand this visit and we welcome it. We are going to work hard in ensuring that the challenges that were raised by our communities are solved.

We are not going to wait for somebody to come and teach us how we should fight. The fight for freedom was started by our forefathers; they have taught us how to fight and that is how we won this fight. We cannot allow somebody who just showed up now to tell us what to do, when to do it and how to do it. It is clear that they don’t understand where we are coming from. They cannot see the difference between Cape Town and Ga-Sekhukhune – to see why Cape Town is more developed than Ga-Sekhukhune, Tubatse. They have forgotten that the apartheid government is the reason why Ga- Sekhukhune and the Eastern Cape are not developed. The Ciskei and Transkei bantustans constituted the Eastern Cape.]

They were underdeveloped in order to supply labour to Cape Town and Johannesburg at their own expense.

Batho ba Kapa Bodikela ba ka se tle ba ema mo lehono ba re ba thabile ka gore bjale ba na le naga yeo e ikemetšego ka boyona ka lebaka la gore batho ba Kapa Bohlabela ba ile kua go bona ba yo nyaka mešomo. [People from the Western Cape cannot stand here today and announce excitedly that they have an independent province because the people from the Northern Cape went to the Western Cape to look for jobs.] You can’t be proud of such a situation. You must be ashamed of what apartheid did to our country. We must work together to defeat the legacies of apartheid. It is every South African’s responsibility, including that of the DA and Cope, to join hands in building a better South Africa to reverse the legacies of apartheid, because we are all ashamed of what apartheid did to the country.

The President was right when he said: “Limpopo must respond to the challenges that have been raised.” We will deal with the issues that have been raised. We don’t need anybody to come and remind us, because we know our responsibilities. To show that there is a lack of understanding and appreciation of what is happening, the hon member stands here and asks: “Where is the Premier of Limpopo?” I was here. I have always been here, and we will not run away. [Applause.]

Re a tseba gore go na le meepo fa Limpopo. [We know very well that there are mines in Limpopo.]

We shall address issues not only here in Sekhukhune, Tubatse, Lephalale, Waterberg and Mogalakwena municipalities, but also in other parts of the province. We have mineral resources in this province, which will be the basis of the future economic development of this country.

We know what the mining houses have been doing. We have been interacting with them, and we are finding each other. We are agreeing with them that they must not just mine and go. They must get services from the local communities. That is why on Tuesday I said to you that we were going to build an industrial park to supply the mines in the province. We are doing so to deal with this imbalance, where people mine and go, and our people are just spectators in the process.

Ke ka lebaka leo le bonago batho gaborena ba befetšwkwatile. Ga ba nyake go no ema fela gomme ba bone mahumo a bona a tšewa ba se na seabe. [That is the reason why the members of our communities are angry. They want to be involved in the wealth of their country.]

We understand why they are angry, and we are with them on this. We told them, when we met with them in Mogalakwena, that Anglo must play ball. We shall always be on the side of our people to ensure that they get a fair deal. Deputy President, I must say that Anglo is playing ball in Mohlohlo.

At the right time, we shall announce a deal with the Minister and the President on what we have been able to achieve.

Ga re tlo emiša kua Mohlohlo fela. [That will not end at Mohlohlo only.]

We shall go everywhere where there are mining communities in the province to make sure that they get a better deal.

Former President Thabo Mbeki declared Sekhukhune a nodal point. He declared that the rural provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape must be developed, and that the national government must intervene strategically to make sure that infrastructure is developed. Without that intervention, our people will continue to complain, and Sekhukhune will continue to be underdeveloped, because …

Mmasepala wa rena wa Tubatse ga o na tšhelete ye e lekanego … [Tubatse Municipality does not have enough an adequate budget …]

… to make the necessary interventions without the involvement of national government. This we know, and the national government understands.

We spoke to Comrade Sicelo Shiceka, the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and we have agreed with him that we will work together to co-ordinate government efforts at national level, to complement what we are doing as a province in assisting our municipalities to deliver on the demands of our people.

Batho ba gaborena ba nyaka meetse, mohlagase, dintlo le mešomo. [Our people need water, electricity, houses and jobs.] We must work together to create these opportunities for our people. We have confidence in our leaders. We have confidence in you, Mr Deputy President. We have confidence in the President, that under your leadership we will be able to respond to the challenges facing our people. Together, we can do more. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]

Mr N MOKOENA (Mpumalanga): Hon Chairperson, hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, hon members of the NCOP, hon Premiers and acting premiers present today, hon members of the National Assembly, members of the different legislatures present today, “Magosi a rena”, [our chiefs] distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the people of Mpumalanga, let me take this opportunity to thank the Deputy President for the words of wisdom that he shared with us this morning.

Indeed, delivery of services to our people, especially the poor and the previously disadvantaged communities, is very close to the heart of the ANC- led government. Looking at the current ANC manifesto, as well as previous manifestos, service delivery has always been a priority and still is high on the priority list of government work and activities.

As the ANC-led government, we know what our people communicated to us during the build-up to our national and provincial general elections of last year. The elections happen every five years and we had them last year, just to refresh the memories of the hon members of Cope and the DA. We are currently in the implementation phase and we are not electioneering. The things they have said here today just go to prove how politically bankrupt these parties are. I am sure that the people who voted for them are ashamed that they wasted their votes.

Our people in the villages, towns and cities told us about their challenges; we don’t have to be told by the DA, a party of the elite. Our people told us that unemployment, poverty and inequality persist despite a number of positive interventions by government over the past 15 years. By the way, these challenges are a manifestation of centuries of dispossession, colonialism and apartheid, a system championed by the forefathers of the DA seated here today.

That the skewed patterns of ownership and production and the spatial legacies of apartheid are still a reality of our lives today, that today you have a South Africa that is like Pretoria and one that is like Sekhukhune, a South Africa that is like the Eastern Cape and one that is like the Western Cape, goes to prove that South Africa has been mismanaged, going back over its history, for the past 350 years. That is what the ANC- led government is battling.

Our people told us that access to water and electricity, and social and economic infrastructure, were challenges in their settlements. We do not have to be told this by the DA. Hon members, it is in this context that the ANC-led government, together with the people, has prioritised job creation, sustainable livelihoods, education, health, rural development and uprooting of crime and corruption, both in the public and private sectors, for the term of President Zuma’s administration.

Our people voted for the ANC on this basis and platform. Our detractors presented no plan; they cannot tell us today that they have a plan. They have presented no alternative plan, but they thrive and campaign on the anti-Zuma “gevaar” [threat]. Our people rejected Cope and their friends in the DA. Let us remind them that the DA will never rule South Africa again. [Applause.] I am convinced that despite the fact that they can get together and form a coalition of the disgruntled, our people will reject them in the coming local government elections.

We welcome the adoption by Cabinet last year of the local government turnaround strategies, spearheaded by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. In our view, the strategy serves as a framework from which we can build in tackling our dynamic challenges as provinces. Fortunately, as a province, we have already initiated a process aimed at taking this particular strategy forward. Hon members will know that Mpumalanga was one of the provinces that experienced a spate of service delivery protests, protests that were characterised by violence, damage to public property and loss of life in some instances. Out of the 18 municipalities,10 were affected by these protests. As a result, four municipalities were placed under administration. We are happy to report that these administrations are turning these municipalities around, restoring basic services.

Let me hasten to indicate that as a province, while recognising the right of individuals or groups of people to protest, we condemn in the strongest possible terms violence and damage to public property. As a province, we are concerned about this unruly behaviour that continues to dominate these service delivery protests. We have convened a provincial and local government summit and a safety and security summit on service delivery, to get a better understanding of this unrest but also, more importantly, to find better ways of tackling service delivery challenges in a holistic manner. In addition, we have launched a comprehensive rural development project in Mkhondo in one of the municipalities affected by … [Time expired.] Thank you very much. [Applause.]

UMntwana M M M ZULU: Baba Sihlalo, ISekela likaMongameli wezwe elikhona phakathi kwethu, amalungu ahloniphekile eKhabhinethi kaMnumzane uZuma ohola uhulumeni waleli lizwe, oNdunankulu bezifundazwe, amaLungu ePhalamende oMkhandlu Kazwelonke Wezifundazwe, amalungu eziShayamthetho zonke saseNingizimu Afrika, kukodwa engingakusho njengenye yamadoda aseNingizimu Afrika, obab’omkhulu abenza iminikelo ebonakalayo ezweni laseNingizimu Afrika ngqo.

Kuwukuthi mhlonishwa Mongameli intombi uma isanda kuqoma uyaye ube nohlelo lokuyilobola ubusubona ukuthi uyehluleka njengesihluleki. Ngabe ngenza into engakaze yenziwe uma ngabe kulezi zinyanga eziyisishiyagalolunye bese ngikhwela ngikugxeka ngithi akenzi lutho.

Lokhu ukwengamela okusha. Ngithi mhlonishwa Mongameli ngiyakuncenga ukuthi kulo Mnyango wenu okuthiwa ukuqapha nokuhlola yiwona Mnyango womasipala abangama-283 nezifundaze eziyisishiyagalolunye zezwe lakithi okufuneka nikwazi ukuzelusa ukuthi ziyakwazi ukusebenza yini.

Bese ngibuye ngincome ubuholi bukaMnumzane uMahlangu ukuthi ekuphumeni kwethu ukuyobheka ukuthi abantu bakhala ngani, kungumsebenzi obonakalayo eNingizimu Afrika ukuthi abantu bakithi bafelani. Angikholelwa ukuthi uCetshwayo wayelwela amahhala masihamba kanje kuleli lizwe. Angikholelwa ukuthi uDinizulu wayeboshelwe amahhala njengesiboshwa sezombusazwe uma kuhanjwa kanje kuleli lizwe.

Ngikholelwa ukuthi yiwona mnikelo okuyiwonawona engikufisela inhlanhla ukuthi emva kweminyaka emibili kofuneka ngibuye ngizokubuza ukuthi mhlonishwa Mongameli usukuphi nentuthuko kubantu bakithi. Balambe abantu bakithi, ngeke sagiya ngabo senze into engamahlazo. Ngiyabonga kakhulu, Sihlalo. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)

[Prince M M M ZULU: Hon Chairperson, our hon Deputy President who is present here, hon members of President Zuma’s Cabinet who is the leader of our government, premiers of the provinces, members of the National Council of Provinces, and members of all South African legislatures, there is only one thing that I can say as a South African man, and that is that our forefathers made visible contributions in this country.

Hon President, when a maiden has just accepted her suitor’s proposal, the suitor makes a plan to pay lobola for her, but when he realises that he cannot afford it he abandons that plan and becomes a failure. I would be deviating from the norm if I criticise you by claiming that you are doing nothing whilst you have only been in office for nine months.

This is a new administration. Hon President, I am pleading with you that in the Presidency there should be a Department of Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation which should monitor the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs with its 283 municipalities in all the nine provinces of South Africa to see if they can operate properly. I would also like to commend hon Mahlangu’s leadership during our oversight visits. When we listen to the needs of our people this is the good deed in South Africa that bears testimony to why our people had to pay the maximum price. I do not believe that King Cetshwayo fought for nothing if that is how we do things in this country. I do not believe that King Dinizulu was incarcerated as a political prisoner for nothing if that is how we do things in this country.

I believe that this is an appropriate contribution that I leave with you and wish you good luck so that when I come back here in two years’ time I can ask you, hon President, how far you are with the development of our people. Our people are hungry, and we cannot make fun of them and be shameful. Thank you very much, Chairperson. [Laughter.]]

The PREMIER OF NORTH WEST (Ms M Modiselle): Thank you, Chairperson of this session. Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Deputy Chairperson of the NCOP, Mr Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa hon Motlanthe, comrades, friends, ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed my pleasure to address this meeting of our country’s representatives, echoing former President Nelson Mandela:

I come to this chamber today in all humility, conscious that I am standing before the elected representatives of a people for whom their freedom was … attained through struggle and sacrifice.

These freedoms are anchored in our constitutional framework. It is my honour therefore to address this chamber in the midst of the people it is created for. The notion of a government of the people, by the people, for the people should henceforth include “amongst and with the people”.

I have recently read about reverse engineering, reverse logistics and many other reverses. The essence of these reverses is to take an object or project apart to see how it works in order to duplicate or enhance that project. The purpose is always to establish benchmarks, observe patterns, identify innovations and record lessons. The outcome of this process is known to yield a review of the product and the production process, managing all variables influencing that product.

The Taking Parliament to the People programme is democracy reverse engineering. The fact that we have established an African democracy that needs to be continuously reviewed for its enhancement makes us democracy reverse engineering practitioners of note.

Hon Deputy President, I want to appreciate this innovation and declare, with your permission, that South Africa must never relent on this mission. To sing about freedom and to pray for its coming is not always enough. I want to submit that freedom must be crystallised through consistent service delivery to our people. [Interjections.] The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon premier, your speaking time has expired.

The PREMIER OF NORTH WEST (Ms M Modiselle): May I please conclude? The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Yes, you can conclude.

The PREMIER OF NORTH WEST (Ms M Modiselle): Until we focus on the service delivery blockage, we shall not utilise what former President Thabo Mbeki predicted when he said, and I quote:

The immediate reality is that all of us … know that the poor are knocking at the gate. If this gate does not open, because we who have the key are otherwise involved … the masses will break down the gate. Chairperson, may I conclude finally … [Interjections.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Hon premier, your time has expired.

The PREMIER OF NORTH WEST (Ms M Modiselle): While the gates are standing, we should create a process that makes our people appreciate the government’s efforts to address their plight. This process must include accelerated delivery on common demands and complaints, because together we can do more. Ayoba! [Applause.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: When you have one minute left, I am going to hit the table once. When I hit the table for the second time, you should know that your time has expired.

The PREMIER OF THE NORTHERN CAPE (Mrs H Jenkins): Thank you, Chairperson. I hope I will take less time than the 10 minutes allocated to me.

Hon Chairperson of the NCOP, Your Excellency, the Deputy President of South Africa Mr Kgalema Motlanthe, the mayor of Greater Sekhukhune Local Municipality, the hon Premier of Limpopo and fellow premiers, the hon Chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders, as well as all members of the house present here, hon Cabinet Ministers and provincial MECs, hon members of the NCOP and provincial legislatures, mayors, councillors and Speakers, all honoured guests assembled here, ladies and gentlemen, I greet you.

Chairperson, allow me to remind Mr Harris of something. I feel that I should say this just once in response to the issue that he overlooked in his quest to score worthless political points, in the process resorting to unjustified arrogance. Hon Harris quoted something on the delivery of sanitation in the Western Cape, as if it was only about numbers. You are from the very province which is denying our people their dignity, by providing them with toilets without walls. [Applause.]

Ladies and gentlemen, our President’s description of 2010 as the year of action is a clarion call to the ANC government to do things differently, and to do them with a new sense of urgency. Within this context, the ANC’s decisive victory in the 2009 elections attests to the fact that our people’s hopes and aspirations found resonance in the five priority areas that were succinctly outlined and eloquently detailed by the hon Deputy President here this morning.

To this end, the entire Cabinet was overhauled and reconfigured, which is further testimony that we are serious about the various commitments we have made to our electorate. A programme attesting to these commitments is now in place, namely: a 10-point plan on education; a 10-point plan on health; a 10-point plan aimed at improving the capacity of municipalities to deliver quality services; and a concrete and practical plan to fight crime and corruption is taking shape, as an issue not for policing alone, but as a societal issue.

Of all the imperatives I have just mentioned, the delivery of quality services to the majority of our people will determine the success or otherwise of our tenure as elected public representatives.

I agree with the hon Deputy President that the time for debate, discussion and development of further policies should now be minimised. Our councillors should bravely and conspicuously come to the fore. They should interact with the communities at ward level, in order to be part of problem solving and effectively addressing the prevailing challenges within our communities.

Good, honest and hardworking councillors must be recognised and supported at all costs. We should all guard against opportunism, and targeting others as part of positioning ourselves in the lead-up to the 2011 local government elections should not be tolerated. Delivery of services and responsiveness to our communities and their issues should remain a priority at all times.

Our task in the Northern Cape is to transform the foundations of the province completely, and simultaneously to deliver on the pledge to create a better life for all our people. We pledge to do our work differently, but effectively, so that we truly serve and benefit all our people.

As such, we will also reorganise and restructure the provincial government to increase its efficiency and management, to speed up effective service delivery to all our people, which is in keeping with the theme of government as a whole. This is already work in progress.

Over the next five years, in line with the call by President Jacob Zuma, we will continue to prioritise education and elevate it to a societal issue. To this effect, the Department of Education concluded its first principals’ and stakeholders’ conference at the beginning of this year.

The Northern Cape province has been working around the clock to improve access to health care. However, we are the first to acknowledge that much more still needs to be done in terms of quality care, making service available to all citizens of the Northern Cape and ensuring better health outcomes.

As part of the national programme, the province will embark on an effective campaign for HIV and Aids prevention and treatment, which will include a campaign for HIV and Aids testing and counselling. The province will also commence with an awareness campaign around the dangers of noncommunicable diseases. We encourage everybody in our beloved country to take personal and collective responsibility to stop the spread of new HIV infections, to provide care and support to those living with HIV and to ensure access to treatment for all people in need.

As the Northern Cape province we plan to respond to national imperatives, and we will prepare for mass HIV/Aids counselling and testing, and train more than 300 health care professionals in the syndromic management of STIs.

Local government is the sphere of government that is closest to our people. It is in this sphere where all our plans as government departments should be put into practice. This is the year to focus on local government and the year of working together to speed up effective service delivery to the people, as declared by our President. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]

Mr M H MOKGOBI: Hon Chairperson, hon Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa and deputy president of the ANC, in 1913, and again in 1948 when apartheid gained power, the people of South Africa were more dispossessed of land than ever. When the ANC and all democratic forces went to the real Congress of the People in Kliptown, in 1955, they came up with the kind of South Africa they wanted. Among the clauses of the Freedom Charter was one on land restitution.

We are standing here, 15 years into the democratic breakthrough, to ensure that indeed we use the Constitution to take the land back to the people who had been dispossessed.

Sekhukhune is one of the areas that were hit the hardest by land dispossession. Hence, we are crying to the mines that did not respond, which indeed are the mines of a democratic government, and which are now showing some commitment. Part of the land there is the land of Sekhukhune, and therefore, as came out clearly, the issue of royalties will be addressed with Parliament.

We are saying we could not resolve the land issues without the various conferences of the ANC. We went to Polokwane to take resolutions. Key issues in the election manifesto were the resolution of the land issue and the security of tenure - that was a priority issue of the elections. And the Fourth Parliament has created a specific Ministry to ensure that this matter is given a specific focus, hence the Ministry of Rural Development and Land Reform, in addition to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Even before we could implement what we wanted to implement, we heard the President declare in Parliament, during the state of the nation address, that the first pilot project would be undertaken in this province, in Giyani, Muyexe. Thereafter many others would follow in other areas.

Today, as we speak, that pilot project is yielding results. Already we have seen the premier and the President giving people electrification programmes. We have seen them outline the programme to develop the socioeconomic infrastructure of that area, including making sure that there are good roads. Other matters addressed by that package include small business enterprises.

Therefore, we have seen the seriousness to resolve the mess that apartheid had created. In fact, we are still in trouble because we are carrying the heavy burden of the apartheid system. There are some parties that want to play with the minds of our people. They are sentimental. They want to make our people think that nothing has been done. What we are doing is to undo the legacy of over 300 years of colonialism and apartheid in this country. Ever since Jan van Riebeeck came here, no one made a noise in any apartheid parliament. Now that we have created a space for noise, we want a democratic noise, not the noise that will oppose for the sake of opposing anything. That is not what we are interested in here. [Applause.]

What is happening at the moment, this event, is drawn from the state of the province address, precisely because land matters are so serious. In the state of the province address, the premier clearly stated the programme of redistribution and restitution of land, and that programme has started.

The MEC Letsatsi-Duba has clearly demonstrated the commitment with which the province is going about these issues. It’s not just noise, noise, noise

• we are serious! The ANC-led government is very serious about making sure that things are done faster and smarter.

Among other things - and the Deputy President alluded to it this morning - we want to make sure that the country really creates food security. Among the things that will be done - as also alluded to by the Minister yesterday

• is that people will be given tractors, pesticides, and all sorts of things that are needed in agriculture or in the support of agrarian reform. All these things will be done to make sure that we turn the situation around.

The issue of corruption has been raised by the ANC ever since it has been in government in 1994. We were the first to blow the whistle on corruption. Those who steal must know that they have ideological poverty. Because they suffer from that poverty, they will always learn from the manifesto and the actions of the ANC.

During the apartheid era people were arrested if they talked about apartheid. They would take you to jail. Now we have created a space for the battle of ideas; we are not arresting people. Those who talk about apartheid indeed demonstrate how the ANC brought democracy to our society. We need to deepen that.

It is not the other parties that struggled with apartheid. The other parties stole the ideas of the ANC and now come and attack us. They should dissolve and join the ANC, because the people want them back. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Thank you, hon Mokgobi. I now call on the hon Deputy President to come and close the debate. Hon Deputy President?

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC: Hon Chairperson, hon delegates and hon members of the Greater Tubatse community, hon premiers present, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers, le magoši, re a tamiša [and chiefs, I greet you], what we have just witnessed is democracy in action, where views are expressed without fear or favour, in the understanding that we, made up of many parts and many political parties, are but one NCOP. We, belonging to different political formations, are but one South African nation. All of our interventions, all the ideas we generate and express, are aimed at strengthening and deepening our democracy, and therefore making us a better people.

I am sure I speak for many as I now state that many of us came here this morning truly to listen, to learn and to be influenced, so that, going forward in our approach to how we deal with problems, we do so strengthened by the collective brain power gathered here today.

Like everything in life, progress itself is but a function of the working out of opposites. Where there is a monopoly, even in the realm of ideas, that monopoly leads to stagnation. We are therefore heartened by this manifestation of democracy in action, where views are expressed candidly, without fear or favour.

Addressing problems is a process, and in the hierarchy of needs, as we respond promptly to needs, all needs do not go away. If we address one problem, the response is merely to reveal far more complex problems. That is how life works. Therefore, as public representatives, as the governing party, we can never say: We have done enough, now the needs of the people are being addressed. Because we know that, even as we address these needs, new and much more complex needs are being revealed.

I want to give you an example. If you go to informal settlements, where people live in lean-tos or shacks made of corrugated iron, where families live in cardboard boxes and under sheets of plastic, and you provide those families with brick-and-mortar Reconstruction and Development Programme houses, RDP houses, that is a very important delivery, but that in itself does not address all the needs of such families. On the contrary, it simply serves to reveal even more needs of such families. In the informal settlement, in the shack, they may have been living without access to electricity and potable water. But once they are in an RDP house, those needs come to the fore. The needs simply multiply.

Therefore it is important for us to continue to encourage communities to be better organised and better mobilised. We must never ever demobilise communities. If we demobilise them, they will become passive. Then our call, “Together we can do more”, will ring hollow, because they will not be there to partner with us in dealing with outstanding problems. This is why it is important to ensure that they are better organised, better resourced, better informed, and better mobilised, in order for them to continue winning back a better quality of life. It will not come of its own. It is always a function of struggle. People must always be encouraged to struggle for a better quality of life. If they are passive, a better quality of life will pass them by, because in this day and age of flyovers, many things fly over our heads.

In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s true character, give them power.” Those of us who have power ought to know how to use power responsibly, because we serve at the invitation of our people. These platforms are not permanent. They are a privilege given to us for a short while.

Go lena setšhaba sa gaborena, ke rata go le tlogela ka mantšu ao a rego: “Mmušo o ka se le felele pelo. Le ka moso!” Ke a leboga. [Legoswi.] [I would like to conclude with these words: “The government will be patient. Do the same next time!” Thank you. [Applause.]]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: A re duleng fase! Ga re a fetša! Re a feleletša gona bjale. [Please be seated! We are not yet done! We are about to finish.]

We have come to the end of the visit to Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality in Limpopo province, which was part of the Taking Parliament to the People programme of the NCOP. I wish to thank the people of this province, who came in thousands, for the warm reception and active participation in the activities of this programme.

I thank in particular the leadership in the province and the officials who worked with us, assisting our teams on the ground since last year; the premier of this province and the members of the executive council; the Speaker of the legislature; the chairperson of the provincial house of traditional leaders; the district mayor; officials from the local municipality, the provincial legislature, Parliament and department liaison officers; GCIS staff in the province; heads of department who assisted us with co-ordination of sites; community development workers; service providers; and the Department of Public Works. I also want to thank the national Ministers who have been here.

There are two events that we are now going to perform, very quickly. Mr Premier, let me thank you very much. Earlier this week members of Disabled People SA came to me and asked for help. I asked them: What is it that you need urgently? They told me that they needed wheelchairs and crutches. I spoke to your two members of the executive council, MEC Miriam Segabutla and MEC Saad Cachalia, and they have both acted swiftly. We have eight wheelchairs, four from the donors and four from the department, as well as crutches. [Applause.] We are going to hand them to the people right now, before I close this session.

But also, I spoke to the MEC for education about what we can do for the people here. I’m glad that the MEC for education responded very quickly. We have natural science kits for Grade 4 to Grade 7 and two mathematics kits per school. We are going to hand them over to eight schools today. [Applause.] I want to thank the MEC for that. This was what the premier meant when he said, “We are not going to wait for tomorrow. What we can do today, we are going to do today.” So, I’m going to ask the Deputy President to hand over the science kits. We will hand over only two, and the rest will be handed over by the staff later on. I’m going to call on the principals from Kgalagadi Primary School and Sebjaneng Primary School, if they are here. Can they please quickly come up to the stage, or any person who represents them? They are here, thank you very much. [Interjections.] I now ask the Deputy President to hand over these kits to the two principals. [Applause.]

I am now going to move together with the Deputy President to where the people with disabilities are sitting. They cannot walk so we will walk there. We shall finish the process within two minutes and thereafter I shall adjourn the House. [Applause.] Thank you very much.

I am quickly going to announce the names of the other schools that are going to get those kits. The staff will hand them over to the remaining schools. I will also announce the names of the people with disabilities who will get the crutches and the wheelchairs. The following schools must come and collect their kits: Koboti Primary School, Itireleng Primary School, Tswako Primary School, Marishane Primary School, Lerajane Primary School, and Jacob Marwale School. Your kits are also here - you must collect them before you leave.

Re fa batho bao ba latelago ditulo tša digole tša maotwana. Wa mathomo le ka se mmone. O golofetše gomme ga a kgone go sepela. Re mo fa setulo sa digole sa maotwana se se swa. [Legoswi.] Re tla kgopela Winnie Mokgotho le Johannes Hlabathi gore ba tle ka mo pele. Ke baetapele ba Alberton Self- help Disabled Group. Ke bona ba ilego ba nkgopela dilo tše gomme nna ka kgopela mmušo gore o re fe tšona ka gore nna ga ke na tšhelete. Ke mmušo wo o nago le tšhelete, e sego nna.

Batho bao ba tlogo humana dipatla tša go ikokotlela ke Winnie Moloto, Gladys Moraba, Leah Mbiza, Johanna Nkuna le Sonny Mkhondo. Batho bao ba tlogo humana ditulo tša digole tša maotwana ke Johannes Malopi, Victoria Serote, Pabalelo Pholwane, Nelly Mohlala, Makgaonyane Riba, Treffy Mabelane le Jolina Mabilo. Go na le yo mongwe re tlo mofa selo seo re se bitšago “walking support”. Ke selo sela o se swarago ka matsogo a mabedi gomme wa sepela ka sona. O sepela ka tsela ye. Yena ke Clara Mkhondo. Re na le tše pedi feela. Re tla re mola ba šupile motho yo mongwe ra tla ra mo fa. Motlatša Mopresidente o šetše a file ba ditlabakelo tša bona. Ba bangwe ba tla re ge re šetše re feditše gomme re tswaletše Ngwako ba bonana le Ngaka Kgaphola gore a ba fe ditlabakelo tša bona.

Na dipatla tša go ikokotlela tša bakgekolo ba gaborena di kae? Le gopoleng gore dipatla tše tša go ikokotlela di tla nyaka go lokišwa gore di le lekanele ka gore ba bangwe ba lena ke ba ba telele mola ba babagwe ba lena e le ba ba kopana. Na di kae dipatla tša go ikokotlela? Di kgole naa? Bonang mokgekolo yo ga a kgone go ema sebaka se se telele. Di kae, ngaka?

Ba sa re tlišetša dipatla tša go ikokotlela. Re tla neelana ka tše pedi feela. Bahlankedi ba mmušo ba tla šala ba neelana ka tše dingwe. [Tšhwahleloseno ganong.] Na setulo se sa digole sa maotwana ke sa mang? Ee, ke sa koko ka mo. [Tseno ganong.]

Ba re go na le mpho ye ba nyakago go efa Motlatša Mopresidente. Le ka dira bjalo, ngaka.

Ngaka M R KGAPHOLA: Le rena re re Motlatša Mopresidente a gole a gole. A tloše mebete yela ya sekgowa gomme a bee ya setšo. [Legoswi.]

MODULASETULO WA NCOP: Re a leboga. Re feditše modiro wa rena. Ngaka Kgaphola o tla šala a efa beng ba maina ale ke a biditšego ditlabakelo tše dingwe. Le ka dula fase. Ntate Hlabathi le Mma Winnie ba tla bona gore ba bangwe bao ba šetšego ba humana ditlabakelo tša bona. Re a leboga.

Re feditše, mohl Motlatša Mopresidente. (Translation of Sepedi paragraphs follows.)

[We are going to hand over the wheelchairs to the following people. You will not be able to see the first person to receive the new wheelchair because he cannot walk to the front. [Applause.] Winnie Mokgotho and Johannes Hlabathi, can you come to the front please? They are the leaders of Alberton Self-help Disabled Group. They asked me to help those in need with the wheelchairs but I had to approach the government because I do not have money. It is the government that has money, not I.

People who are to receive the crutches are Winnie Moloto, Gladys Moraba, Leah Mbiza, Johanna Nkuna and Sonny Mkhondo. People who are to receive the wheelchairs are Johannes Malopi, Victoria Serote, Pabalelo Pholwane, Nelly Mohlala, Makgaonyane Riba, Trffy Mabelane and Jolina Mabilo. Clara Mokhondo will receive a Zimmer frame. It is something that you hold with two hands and push. You walk this way. We have only two of them. After the second person has been selected to receive it, we will hand it over to him or her. The Deputy President has already handed over the kits to these people. Others will get their kits from Dr Kgaphola after the House has adjourned.

Where are the walking sticks for the elderly people? The heights of the walking sticks still need to be worked on so that they correspond with the heights of the users. Where are the walking sticks? This elderly woman cannot stand for a long time on her own. Doctor, where are the walking sticks?

They are bringing the walking sticks but we will be handing over two of them only. The rest will be handed over by the government staff after we have left. [Interjections.] Whose wheelchair is this? It belongs to this old lady. [Interjections.]

They want to give the Deputy President a gift. You can go ahead, Doctor.

Dr M R KGAPHOLA: We wish the Deputy President all the best. He will have to replace the Western carpets with these traditional ones. [Applause.]

The CHAIRPERSON OF THE NCOP: Thank you. We are done. Dr Kgaphola will have to hand over the remaining kits to the people whose names I read earlier. You may be seated. Mr Hlabathi and Ms Winnie will ensure that the other remaining people get their kits. Thank you.

We are done, hon Deputy President.]

Thank you very much.

Debate concluded.

The Council adjourned at 13:15. ____

            ANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS

TABLINGS

National Assembly and National Council of Provinces

1. The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

   a) Strategic Plan of the National Agricultural Marketing Council for 2010-2013.

   b) Strategic Plan of the Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) (Ltd) for 2010-2013.

2. The Minister of Police (a) Draft National Instruction 2/2010 - Child Justice Act - Children in conflict with the law.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

National Council of Provinces

1. Report of the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development on the regulations made in terms of section 97(1) of the Child Justice Act, 2008 (No 75 of 2008) and the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions directives made in terms of section 97(4) of the Child Justice Act, 2008 (No 75 of 2008), dated 24 March 2010

The Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development was briefed by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on the regulations made in terms of section 97(1) of the Child Justice Act, 2008 (No 75 of 2008) and by the National Directorate of Public Prosecutions on the directives made in terms of section 97(4) of the Child Justice Act, 2008 (No 75 of 2008).

The committee notes that the regulations do not speak to the inclusion of the provincial commissioners in the chain of command when reporting matters related to injury or trauma of a child in police custody. This creates undue delay in dealing with cases where children have been injured or traumatized and undermines the authority of provincial commissioners in the exercise of their duties.

The committee, therefore, recommends that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development must urgently amend the Child Justice Act, 2008 (No 75 of 2008) to incorporate the provincial commissioners in the chain of command and regulate the reporting requirements accordingly. The Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development, having considered the regulations and directives mentioned above, recommends that the National Council of Provinces approve the said regulations and directives.

Report to be considered.