Speaker, hon Mr B M Komphela, I am pleased to report that the march towards the successful fulfilment of our 17 guarantees for delivery of the 2010 Fifa World Cup continues to gain momentum. Many projects emanating from these guarantees have been put to the test during the recent Fifa Confederations Cup. As we are all aware, this test tournament was delivered with great success.
Starting from the first guarantee, which is the issuing of entry and exit permits, to the last guarantee, which is the availability of comprehensive medical services, government and the Local Organising Committee, LOC, have been working together for the successful implementation of these guarantees.
Among the achievements that I may cite include the following: the Department of Home Affairs launching and implementing an event-specific visa in November 2008; the finalisation and implementation of the security plan; the delivery of elements of the information and telecommunications technology infrastructure, which was successfully tested during the Confederations Cup; the development and testing of transport operational plans; the steady growth in the number of accommodation establishments signed up and the testing of social cohesion initiatives, as widely acknowledged during the Confederations Cup. Although we have a long road ahead of us, I have no doubt that members present in this House today would agree that, even on the side of the national team, we are making progress. Their performance is not part of the 17 guarantees, of course, but it is part of the social compact we have with our own people.
We are quite aware, as has been made public before, that there are areas that require improvement. Through the 2010 Inter-Ministerial Committee, IMC, that I chair, we are helping the departments to overcome these challenges, especially in the areas of transport and accommodation. The IMC will soon audit the 2010 dividend for our country, in particular, small- and medium-sized enterprises.
It is true that, as part of our agreements with Fifa, procurement of goods and services for the 2010 World Cup has to comply with policies and procedures that apply in the public sector. This applies not only to government departments and host cities, but also to the Local Organising Committee, LOC. This means where public funds are involved, the Public Finance Management Act, and the Municipality Finance Management Act apply. In brief, procurement processes must be fair, competitive, open and above board.
To this end, government strives to ensure that procurement processes of host cities and the Local Organising Committee, which is where most of the buying happens, comply with our local legal requirements. We do not expect any department, host city or Local Organising Committee to depart from these commitments. Where the PFMA, the MFMA and the Employment Equity Act are not followed, transactions will be reviewed during normal, internal audit processes as well as during the audit processes by the Auditor- General. The relevant authority will need to take action commensurate with the severity of the transgression.
We continue to encourage institutions of government and the LOC to comply and deliver their respective guarantees within the parameters of all applicable legislation, policies and regulations. This House must continue to ask questions and demand accountability from all those involved in the preparations for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, including the host cities and LOC. Thank you.
Thank you, Speaker.
Motlatsa Mopresidente, ke a leboha, empa mongaka ke batla hore re hlahise hanyenyane jwaloka ha o bolela hore ho saeneng hona ha di-guarantee tsena ho etsetsa hore le bana ba thuthuhang, le bona ho be le seo ba ka se fumanang. Empa tjhee ha ho ne ho ahuwa ditediamo, ho lokiswa le ditsela, ho ahuwa le maemafofane, ho na le mohoo, Motlatsa Mopresidente, o reng tjhee rona ba re fetile.
Jwale re ne re se ntse re kopa hore na Motlatsa Mopresidente o ikemiseditse hore jwaleka ha re ya re shebile Mohopeng wa Lefatshe wa 2010, ke ka tsela efe eo re ka etsang kateng hore re hle nne re tiise, re tlame masoba ana ka baka la hobane boMamkhize le boMamofokeng le boMamokoena, ha ba fumane letho mona. Ho fetwa ekare ba robetse. O fumane bana ba seng ba ntse ba hodile, haholoholo leano la tshekamelo ho batho ba rona ba batsho, Motlatsa Mopresidente, ke bona ekare e se e le ntho e lebetsweng. Mopresidente o tla etsa jwang hore kannete re latela mekga ena e metle hakanakana e beuweng ke mmuso? Ke a leboha. (Translation of Sesotho paragraphs follows.)
[Thank you, hon Deputy President. I would like to indicate briefly, as you said, that the signing of these guarantees ensures that even small businesses gain some benefit. But during the building of stadiums, and construction of roads and airports, there was a lot of noise, Deputy President, that some people were being left behind.
We are now asking the Deputy President, as we are approaching the 2010 World Cup, what could be done to ensure that we close the loopholes, because the likes of Ms Mkhize, Ms Mofokeng and Ms Mokoena do not get anything here? They are overlooked as if they are asleep. Hon Deputy President, you find that big businesses, especially our black people, have forgotten about affirmative action. How will the President ensure that we follow the noble guidelines set by government? Thank you.]
Speaker, the procurement processes with regard to the construction of stadiums and the expansion of roads benefit all our people. Of course, no doubt the tenders would be allocated to the most competent bidder. As far as these primary bidders are concerned, they have a clear understanding that they need to use subcontractors - some of our small- and medium-sized operators. In that way, the majority of our people will be able to benefit from this 2010 Soccer World Cup project. Thank you.
Speaker, hon Deputy President, with the possible smokescreen of the Soccer World Cup to shelter human trafficking and terrorist agendas, what is being done by government to increase our capacity in this regard? Thank you.
Thank you very much for that question, hon member. Part of the security establishment's responsibility is to ensure that all of our ports of entry are well-equipped and staffed to ensure that the challenge of human traffickers and those who would like to turn our girl children into prostitutes are apprehended and brought to book.
Both the security cluster Ministers are well aware of this and it is part of the preparations. The security forces are attending to this issue. The same is true of the Department of Home Affairs. I am well aware that this department has taken steps to ensure that we will benefit from the experiences of the countries that have hosted this event before us, such as Germany. Those transgressors who were identified in those countries are being monitored - I will not give the details here - to ensure that they don't bring their nefarious operations to our country.
That is why we are also very eager to ensure that the problems in Zimbabwe are resolved timeously so that we don't end up with too many young girls who are refugees with no fixed abode. Those girls are the ones that would be soft targets for this kind of operator. Thank you.
Hon Speaker, after the previous Rugby and Cricket World Cups in South Africa, a lot of legacy projects have been left behind. I come from a rural province where some of these projects have become white elephants. Seeing that most, if not all, of the current stadiums are being built in metropolitan areas, my question is: What steps have been taken to ensure the effective and optimal use of the stadiums for the previously disadvantaged after the World Cup? Thank you.
These stadiums have been built in some of the cities in rural provinces such as Limpopo and the Eastern Cape. Of course, they are in the major urban areas, but within reach of all our people, including the poor. To ensure that the poorest of the poor in rural areas are not left out, government has introduced or established the Ministry of Rural Development, because we are well aware that most of the infrastructure development linked to the Fifa World Cup would take place in the urban areas, to the exclusion of rural areas.
That is why the Ministry of Rural Development will ensure that we also invest, as part of our countercyclical measures, in bulk infrastructure development in rural communities. That is the benefit of having invested in the Fifa World Cup; it has allowed us the space in the fiscus to divert resources towards rural development as well. Thank you.
Mhlalingaphambili, ndifunda apha kwinkokheli yam endikhokelayo uKompela ukuba ndingathetha ngesiXhosa. Umbuzo wam uthi, ingaba Sekela Mongameli ungeza nayo na ingxelo yethutyana ephuma kwikomiti eququzelayo, equka zonke ezi ndawo sithethe ngazo, ibekwe apha ePalamente ukuze siyithelekise nezithembiso esazenzayo, nokokuba siza kuziphumeza na ezo zinto? Kwicala elidibene neziseko zophuliso ezinxulumene nothutho sasithenjiswe ukuba kuya kubakho imizila kaloliwe kufuphi namabala emidlalo, kodwa ukuba ungaya kwibala lemidlalo eliseBhayi, kunzima kwa ukungena phaya ngemoto. Sifuna ingxelo yethutyana kwanokuba ngaba umgangatho wokwakhiwa wala mabala okudlala uyahambelana na nenkcitho yezi bhiliyoni. Ndiyabulela.
USEKELA MONGAMELI: Lungu elihloniphekileyo, mandibulele ke ngombuzo wakho. Ndicinga ukuba siyiKomiti yabaPhathiswa singasenza eso sithembiso sokucela le ngxelo yethutyana size nayo apha ukuze kuqwalaselwe ukuba imali ithenge le nto besifuna ukuyithenga na okanye ihle ngomlenze. [Kwahlekwa.] Enkosi. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Mr B H HOLOMISA: Speaker, I am taking the cue from my leader, Komphela, that I can speak in isiXhosa. My question Deputy President is, can you bring an interim report from the Local Organising Committee, including everything we have discussed to be tabled here in Parliament so that we can compare it with the promises we made and also to see if we will achieve those things?
As regards transport infrastructure, we were promised railway lines near the stadia but if you were to go to the stadium in Port Elizabeth, you would find that it is even difficult to enter with a car. We want an interim report and also to look at the standard of construction of these stadia versus the expenditure of these billions. Thank you.
Hon member, let me thank you for your question. I think as the Interministerial Committee we can make that promise of bringing this interim report so that we can check if the money has been used for what we budgeted for or if it has been mismanaged. [Laughter.] Thank you.]
Strengthening of relations with countries of Africa and the world through peacekeeping operations 4. Mr M S Booi (ANC) asked the Deputy President:
How do our peacekeeping operations through the SA National Defence Force on the African continent strengthen our relationship with these countries and the world? NO857E
Hon Speaker, as is commonly known, both the Charter of the United Nations and the Constitutive Act of the African Union respectively enjoin the international community and Africa to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security and to promote peace, security and stability on the continent. The commitment to realise these objectives galvanised the AU and its Peace and Security Council as well as regional organisations to find durable solutions to the countries affected by conflict.
The promotion of peace and security is one of South Africa's most important objectives. This includes the strengthening of conflict-prevention and resolution capabilities of the region and rendering assistance with monitoring and addressing domestic issues that affect stability. The SANDF has formed part of and participated in various peace missions on the continent since 1994.
These include capacity building of the Central African Republic Defence Force; the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; integration and training assistance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the AU Special Task Force in Burundi; the UN Mission and AU Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea; the AU together with the UN Hybrid Mission in Darfur; the Security Sector Reform in the DRC; and the deployment of military observers to the AU Mission in Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan; and the Specialist Advisory Team in the DRC.
In addition to these deployments on the continent we have also deployed observers to be in support of the UN Political Mission in Nepal. The Missions in Burundi and Northern Uganda as well as Ethiopia and Eritrea have been officially terminated, as a consequence of progress made in attaining the objectives set.
Our participation in these missions strengthens our relations with these countries, the continent and the world at large in a variety of ways. To quote but a few instances: Both the governments and peoples of these countries value the contribution that we make and, therefore, relate to our own government and people in a variety of areas as friends and partners.
The attainment of peace and stability in these countries and regions opens up possibilities for these areas to attend to matters of economic growth and development, in pursuit of which various sectors of South African society, from civil society to business, are able to make a contribution.
This helps to strengthen political, economic, cultural and other relations. The commitment that South Africa has shown to the attainment of peace and stability on the continent has improved our standing on the continent and further afield as a partner in promoting the African agenda and building a better world. I thank you.
Thank you, Deputy President. As we are preparing for a peace keeping mission month, where we are going to be showing appreciation for most of the contributions made by our soldiers, we would like to know from you as to whether all that has been said is sustainable or not. Is there any co-operation from these African countries; are they contributing to the rehabilitation and developmental programmes that we are outlining? We ask this so that the ordinary citizens of South Africa could appreciate the contribution that we are making.
Hon Speaker, I couldn't agree more with the hon member about some of our contributions towards the creation of a more stable, well-managed continent. I have never seen any remarks about that in the newspapers. It is only the negative aspects thereof that are given coverage.
I believe that it is important that our people should know that the creation of political stability is a great achievement and a great contribution by the SANDF in many countries that offer many visitors opportunities - for our investors and for our people. I thank you.
Mr Deputy President, are troops from the Burundi mission going to be redeployed to another peace keeping mission or are they going to be deployed to protect South Africa's borders?
Thank you very much, hon member. I would hope that the achievement of peace and stability on the continent would exclude any more possibilities of us deploying our troops outside of our borders. As much as possible, we should really ensure that these conflict-ridden areas are stabilised. We will do everything in our power to ensure that the need for more deployments outside of the country is lessened.
I think the SANDF should be kept in the barracks here at home and only be deployed outside of the barracks with the permission of this Parliament, so that we do not militarise our society. I think even the deployment of the defence force here at home should really be confined to areas of extreme need. [Interjections.]
There are all kinds of skills in the defence force. We think that the Ministry of Rural Development can benefit a great deal from some of those skills in making the quality of life of rural communities much better. As you know, there are engineers who could build bridges where they did not exist before. The Minister of Defence agrees with us that the country could benefit more from employing the skills in the defence force here at home rather than keeping them deployed on foreign soil. I thank you. [Applause.]
Speaker, hon Deputy President, it has been reported that the SANDF record in Burundi, from 2002 to 2008, included some 400 cases of misdemeanour and nearly a thousand military trials for offences ranging from murder and rape to absence without leave and rebelliousness.
It has also been reported that the UN, under whose auspices the peace keeping missions are run, was said to be shocked at the conduct of the SA troops. Has the UN ever raised its concerns about the conduct of our troops, or has any country, where some of these misconducts and crimes were committed, ever complained? And has such unacceptable behaviour had any effect on our relationship with these countries? I thank you.
Hon Speaker, on the contrary, the term of the deployment of these national servicemen in Burundi ended early in 2008. It was through the UN request that their deployment was extended until the Burundian president was satisfied that they had done enough to train the local forces.
I bumped into him in Congo Brazzaville last week Friday and he thanked South Africa for having assisted in stabilising that country. I think the impact has been a very positive one. I thank you.