Hon Chairperson, hon members of the Cabinet present here, hon MECs, hon chairperson and members of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works, heads of departments, acting director-general and senior officials from the department, heads of state-owned public entities, members of the business community, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen, today, as the international community celebrates International Children's Day, we are reminded once again that the world we all live in is actually not ours, but an asset borrowed from our children for safekeeping. Our father and struggle icon, former President Nelson Mandela, once stated that "(t)here can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."
It is my pleasure this evening to dedicate my maiden Budget Vote speech to all the children of South Africa, for whom the work we are committed to doing as the Department of Public Works is finally intended. The mandate of the government of the day is to build a solid foundation of development, whose dividends must be handed back to their rightful owners - the children of South Africa.
I am compelled by mothers and caregivers like Mama Angie Saula, who is with us here today. Mama Angie Saula once said:
Even if you have to feed children starch with starch from the nothing you have, we are duty-bound to look after vulnerable and orphaned children as mothers of South Africa.
It is my privilege to table this Budget Vote two weeks after successful local government elections. Seventeen years into our democracy, the political outlook remains exceedingly positive. A solid foundation has been laid with the adoption of our deep, modern and widely respected Constitution and a firm commitment to the national priorities of government. We also continue to enjoy good standing in the global community because of our ongoing commitment to sustainable peace and development, particularly on the African continent.
Yet, this government and all South Africans need to do much more to ensure that our hard-won democracy is translated into tangible and significant improvements that will yield a better life for all South Africans.
His Excellency President Jacob Zuma, in his January 8 Statement, stated that 2011 will be a year of jobs through meaningful job creation. He was actually saying this to Public Works. This is the way we have approached the translation into reality of the budget which I present today.
In essence, the budget reflects the policy focus of government through the detailing of financing and expenditure programmes. It mirrors the necessity of accelerated service delivery, the promotion of economic growth, job creation, infrastructural development and the state's asset management by contributing to the realisation of, amongst others, the following government outcomes that are informed by a shift towards outcomes-based monitoring and evaluation. They are the creation of decent employment; an efficient, competitive and responsive infrastructure network; an efficient and effective development-oriented Public Service and an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship; a skilled and capable workforce to support an inclusive citizenship; and sustainable human settlements and an improved quality of household life.
In October 2010, the New Growth Path was launched as a policy framework to provide the economic trajectory of government. The New Growth Path is identified as one of the key drivers for economic growth, job creation, and infrastructural development through the development of public goods.
This growth path found emphasis in the state of the nation address of 11 February 2011. His Excellency the hon President Jacob Zuma reminded all of us that:
We want to have a country where millions more South Africans have decent employment opportunities, which has a modern infrastructure and a vibrant economy and where the quality of life is high.
In reflecting these policy directives, the strategic plan of the national Department of Public Works over the next three years gives a renewed sense of enthusiasm and direction for the provision of official accommodation for all national departments and all Members of Parliament, providing construction and property management services to client departments at the national level, and leading the successful implementation and management of the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP.
An amount of R7,8 billion has been allocated to the Department of Public Works in the fiscal year 2011-12. Of this allocation, almost R1,4 billion has been allocated for the improvement of state buildings and infrastructure, with up to 60% of it allocated to current commitments, while the remaining 40% is allocated to prioritised new projects which are at the core of service delivery.
Let me just mention that this morning the MEC for Public Works in the Western Cape and I were speaking at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, where we also committed to using some of this money to improve the state of the hospital. It was a wonderful opportunity, which unfortunately Members of Parliament missed.
The strategic planning and implementation of the Department of Public Works' plans are framed within the vital context of the statutory framework provided for in the Government Immovable Asset Management Act, which is commonly known as Giama, of 2007. The objective of the Government Immovable Asset Management Act is to ensure efficient and effective planning of immovable asset management in government, as well as to improve service delivery.
It is no coincidence, therefore, that one of our strategic priorities is to provide strategic leadership in effective and efficient immoveable asset management, while continuing to invest in infrastructure development through the delivery of essential public facilities and other amenities calculated to improve the quality of life of all South Africans today and in the future.
As the custodian of state immovable assets, the department has committed itself to using the state immovable asset footprint to realising government's key national priorities and the prescripts of the New Growth Path and the Industrial Policy Action Plan 2, Ipap 2.
In this regard, allow me to add emphasis to an increasing need for sufficient capacity for the continuous management and enhancement of the immovable asset register. To this end we will soon launch an amnesty campaign, aptly called Operation Bring Back, in order to encourage South Africans to restore lost and/or missing immovable assets. These properties, we believe, were insincerely wrested from the state in the turbulent transitional period following the demise of apartheid and have been unlawfully occupied. The significance of the state-owned real estate as a major revenue generator for government cannot be overemphasised. Upon recovery, these properties will either enhance our disposal programme or contribute positively to our inner city regeneration programme in revitalising the economy and allowing the value of state-owned properties to appreciate.
The leasing portfolio is costing the state a lot of money. The department has in the past year spent billions on leases and functional accommodation for client departments. Investment in repair, continuous maintenance and construction of new government buildings could generate major savings for the state, a process we will be embarking on in the next three years. This will also include ensuring the relocation of national departments to state- owned buildings where it is feasible to do so. We acknowledge that our lease portfolio will take a while to reduce, but in the interim the department will continue to find ways to structure its current leases so that the socio-economic goals of government are realised, including the economic empowerment of blacks, women and youth.
With regard to our own stock, we shall invoke the National Infrastructure Maintenance Strategy and the National Contractor Development Programme to target investment in this sector, much to the benefit of our small and emerging contractors. Linked to leasing management is the rehabilitation of underutilised and unutilised public buildings for alternative usage or utilisation. Hon members will have read that there are buildings in one of our areas in the Western Cape where we think that the buildings are being exploited, and this should be attended to with immediate effect. One will remember that just two days ago we saw that in Bishopscourt there is that kind of abuse of our buildings.
With many of our tertiary students around the country being exposed to accommodation that is not conducive to fair living, while being at high cost, the department, in collaboration with the Department of Higher Education, decided to convert unutilised and underutilised buildings to provide affordable student accommodation where it is possible. In Tshwane, the upgrading and refurbishment of the H G De Witt Building will yield accommodation for approximately 180 students. In Bloemfontein the upgrading and refurbishment of the Pelonomi Hospital will yield accommodation for approximately 700 students. Through this intervention the department is seeking to alleviate the problem of lack of decent student accommodation, whilst creating job opportunities.
We are currently drafting a disposal policy that embraces the social needs of a developmental state. This also requires the review of the State Land Disposal Act of 1961, and its alignment to current constitutional imperatives.
In addition to this there is the Immovable Asset Vesting Master Plan, a plan driven by an Interministerial Cabinet Committee chaired by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. The vesting of state immovable assets in the correct sphere of government is critical, not only for proper identification, ownership and geographical location of the assets, but for responding to the social objectives of the country. Chairperson, whilst I continue with my speech, I'm sure you'll allow someone to bring me a tissue. Proper vesting of state property will ensure that these assets are used optimally for service delivery. They can be accounted for in accordance with the prescripts of the Public Finance Management Act and the Government Immovable Asset Management Act.
We are mindful of the fact that we will always be judged by the standards according to which we treat our valued clients. In-depth consideration for the accommodation needs of our clients remains a top priority for the department in order to arrest the fast erosion of our mandate. This issue has encouraged the department to proactively engage with our clients, as successfully demonstrated by our recent visits to and continuing work at the military bases of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans. We are working with the Department of Defence and Military Veterans to rehabilitate selected military bases.
The department is also paying attention to the deteriorating state of the infrastructure in the harbours, beginning in Cape Town.
Facilities for Justice were recently completed and handed over at places like Galeshewe, Colesburg, Pietermaritzburg and Butterworth. The Department of Public Works needs to ensure that the client departments function in proper, decent facilities in discharging their constitutional mandate.
The accommodation needs of the SA Police Service in the year under review will be extensive, given the need to fast-track the goal of a safe and secure South African society. The communities of Botlokwa, Jane Furse, Chatsworth and Tsakane became witnesses of their development when facilities in these areas were officially handed over and opened, joining a long list of similar facilities being either built or renovated by Public Works.
Although very rarely covered by the media, these infrastructure projects and hundreds of others in our building programme stand as concrete beacons to the service delivery track record of government, and we take pride in them.
Furthermore and still with respect to the SAPS portfolio, I wish to announce that in the current financial year the department will complete the first ever state-of-the-art forensic laboratory for the SAPS in Cape Town.
With this realisation, we have recently embarked on an aggressive drive to intensify collaboration with the other spheres of government.
Also, supported by our public entities, we have sought to streamline new technologies aimed at delivering basic but essential social infrastructure and other services. Through one of the entities of the department, the Independent Development Trust, we are overseeing the implementation of an intensive programme for the construction of safe schools. The school building programme in the Eastern Cape has seen the rapid delivery of no fewer than 10 schools in the last six months in an effort to eradicate the lingering problem of mud schools and schools built from other inappropriate materials.
With us today as a witness to the success achieved in the Eastern Cape is the chairperson of the school governing body of Willowvale Senior Secondary School, uMakhulu [Grandmother] Nomandla Nongwane, whose leadership and relentless prayer saw the transformation of Willowvale Senior Secondary School from a mud structure to a state-of-the-art 18-classroom school. It is fully furnished, with 26 toilets, a resource centre, an administration office, sporting facilities, and a kitchen from which to feed pupils. Chairperson, in my past life as a presiding officer, Members of Parliament would usually be very excited to hear of such developments. I don't know what is happening now. [Applause.]
I am compelled by Grandmother Nongwane's testimony, and the testimony of Phathiswa Langeni, a Grade 12 learner at Willowvale Senior Secondary School, saying that more schools should be built in terms of the fundamental constitutional right children have to adequate access to education. Phathiswa is here with us today. Phathiswa, please rise. Thank you so much for coming. [Applause.]
Phathiswa, in her own words, said:
For years we learnt under the heat of the sun or got wet when it rained. But today we want to bury those old memories and get the best education from our new school.
We promised that if Phathiswa did well in Grade 12, she would have a bursary to further her studies in engineering, which is her passion. She already had this commitment, which she got earlier. [Applause.]
The budget I table today is about burying old, painful memories like the ones we have spoken about, as well as memories of many children who have lost their lives crossing flooded rivers trying to get to school. Our continued partnership with the Department of Defence and Military Veterans has meant that more bridges were built in the 2010-11 financial year. We have just opened a bridge in Cofimvaba - that was in April this year.
Madam, 72-year-old Makhulu Nosizwe Mxhaka broke down and cried when a bridge was unveiled in her village. She said to me that earlier this year she had lost her 9-year-old grandchild, who drowned while crossing the river on his way to school. Makhulu said she was grateful. She said:
We are blessed with a bridge today. I wish my grandchild was still alive to cross the bridge. I thank Nelson Mandela for shaping this government to work for its people.
[Applause.]
In partnership with provincial governments and municipalities, Public Works has also launched a Pothole Rehabilitation Programme in response to loud cries by our public road users about the poor state of our roads. The programme is aimed at reducing unemployment, beginning with the metropolitan municipalities and extending to the district and rural municipalities. The department has committed itself to creating 400 job opportunities per metropolitan district throughout the Pothole Rehabilitation Programme.
We will be going further and assisting in township rejuvenation plans, which include the fixing of street lights and fighting crime, as well as cleaning cemeteries. Our cemeteries are a disaster, ladies and gentlemen. I don't know when you last attended a funeral, but you are fortunate if you can navigate your way across the cemeteries! All this will be undertaken through labour-intensive methods to maximise job creation. We can announce that this project has long commenced in Tshwane.
Underpinning our building programme is the provision of accessibility of public buildings to disabled people in order to promote the letter and spirit of the Constitution. The programme is receiving priority attention from the department.
Energy efficiency in state buildings is central to the building programme for this fiscal year. As a strategic programme, it will respond to the energy shortage facing the country. It is already being implemented in all 11 of our regional offices.
Our maintenance record leaves much room for improvement. We are aware that as we make progress with our maintenance record, we continue to experience challenges brought by the ageing stock we own, most of which is of heritage value and this compounds the costs associated with maintenance. This has forced us to reconsider other options, which will be rolled out in this fiscal year.
Our contribution towards Africa's reconstruction remains on course. In this regard, in the current financial year we will begin with the construction of the Matola Museum and Interpretation Centre in Mozambique. Acting in collaboration with the Department of International Relations and Co- operation, we will also be proceeding with the construction of the South African Embassy offices in Kigali, Rwanda.
Ahead of the country's hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup Soccer tournament, the department successfully implemented massive infrastructure development projects at key land ports of entry, including Lebombo, Golela, Vioolsdrift and Skilpadhek in Botswana. With the work complete at the other ports of entry, the department introduced a facilities management initiative where unemployed local youth will be assisted to form co- operatives which will undertake cleaning and horticultural services on an ongoing basis at these border posts. The youth co-operative initiative is already under way at the Lebombo border post. Not only will the intervention contribute to job creation, but it will also encourage entrepreneurship and promote youth economic empowerment.
The New Growth Path expects the public investment to create 250 000 jobs a year in energy, transport, water and communications infrastructure, as well as in housing, through to 2015. We want to contribute the majority of those jobs.
It is with this compelling undertaking in mind, to create decent employment opportunities, particularly among the youth, that I present this budget to you here today. For us, infrastructure development and job creation lie at the centre of the mandate and the strategic plan of the national Department of Public Works. As the department leading the job creation efforts of government, Public Works took a strategic decision earlier to implement all its programmes, including the labour-intensive Capital Works Programme, to boost employment in South Africa.
Phase 2 of the Expanded Public Works Programme has just completed its second year. I know that hon members have become accustomed to hearing about the delivery milestones of the programme in job creation. The commitment is to upscale the programme in participating sectors and create new job opportunities through innovation and ingenuity. The partnership with nonstate entities continues to bear fruit, as nonprofit organisations are participating actively in the programme.
Chair, I must say that the removal of the clock has disturbed me. I don't know whether you were informed that the Deputy Minister is not available.
Hon Minister, I have been informed that the Deputy Minister is not available; therefore you may give two speeches in one.
Thank you.
The Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, is also assisting municipalities to deal with waste management backlogs. The Food for Waste programme is an innovative programme where communities collect their own waste and receive compensation in the form of food parcels. This is a food security programme and 10 municipalities are currently participating. Nineteen municipalities will be brought on board in this financial year to accelerate our performance in this programme.
As a lead department in the implementation of this programme, Public Works will continue to use the programme in the war against poverty. I want to invite you to be in a real war against poverty and unemployment, and not just leave it at talking about it. You will have people who will always say that EPWP opportunities are actually not jobs, but those are people who have choices. If you introduce the EPWP to the poorest people, it will make a difference.
Local government, in particular, requires a massive injection of relevant resources to fast-track the delivery of services. As a result, the department has decided to redeploy certain of our skilled human resources from the EPWP to local government in order to assist with capacity in the implementation, evaluation and monitoring of the EPWP programmes and their principals at that level of governance.
Since 2006, in aid of competitive service delivery, our rates and services budgets have been devolved to the next sphere of government to enable faster transfer of payments to the municipalities. In this current year, an amount of R1,8 billion has been allocated for Property Rates Grants. This amount has decreased by 3% from the 2010-11 allocation. Performance on this grant has improved notably in the past financial year, showing improved spending by provinces, of 92%. The department has developed a mechanism to ensure that this is accelerated in the current financial year and I will be working closely with all the stakeholders to meet our targets.
I want to emphasise the point that we need to move away from working in silos. For instance, in regard to my work in this province with the MEC for Public Works, we do not want to see any particular political party, but to see people who are committed to dealing with the national problems, and attacking those problems. We need to say that we have problems in our country. If we are South Africans who love South Africa, when there are problems in the Free State or the Western Cape regarding toilets, that should not be something to laugh at. We should rather look at ourselves as a department and work out who can contribute what in order to make sure that we solve the problems of our country. That is because, when people look at South Africa, they don't look at me or the MEC. They look at all of us and ask: What kind of a South Africa is this? [Applause.]
I will be doing that. I will work within my mandate of Public Works and I will also go into the mandates of other Ministers, because they have agreed to work with me. Therefore, you are going to see me in Human Settlements and in Education, because I serve one country and one South Africa. [Applause.]
I am not going to look at the unemployed youth of the Western Cape and say they belong to the DA province. The Western Cape belongs to South Africa. [Applause.] To me, the children in the Western Cape are South African children, and if I have to use my portfolio to assist them, I will do so. [Applause.]
Central to implementing the mandate of the department of Public Works is the need to practise effective co-operative governance and resource management. There are areas that need to be improved by Public Works. There are still problems in Public Works. But we have decided to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty, because it is only through doing that that we can correct what is wrong. [Applause.] We are going to deal with the work in this department as if we have only a one-year term of office. We are not going to have the pleasure of relaxing and only getting things done by 2014. We can reverse the backlog of schools in the Eastern Cape, whether there are 300 or 800 - we have the capacity.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have the capacity. We may not have had it on 1 November, but I tell you now that I have called on all South Africans - be they artisans or civil engineers - who want to contribute to the development of this country to come forward. I never mentioned the party they belonged to, but I said that if they were South Africans and wanted to contribute, they should come forward. I now have 9 000 CVs! Therefore, I will never say to anybody in South Africa - you are going to get your chance, sir - that we don't have the capacity; we now have the capacity!
I have men and women who are already spending sleepless nights because of this woman! These are all my duties. [Applause.] They say that when they get into a meeting, they check their notebooks - they take their notebooks because they don't know what new instructions they are going to get. We are driven by what the people want.
This morning we went to the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital! We did not know that we were going to make the number of commitments that we did. If the hospital's CEO tells you about the problems they are experiencing and you greet her and request a good breakfast and leave, she will think that you are crazy. You have to commit to things at the time and get to all the problems they have. [Applause.]
All the problems that they have in the hospital ended this morning during our breakfast with your MEC from the Western Cape. That is testimony to the excellent commitment he has made and it just goes to show that there are some people who go beyond party politics.
Furthermore, the MEC for Public Works in the Western Cape knows very well that the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital belongs to the national Department of Public Works, but he has paid over R200 million in maintenance even though it is a national Public Works project because he sees it as a project of the country. So, our Chief Financial Officers, CFOs, must come together and transfer the money, and not waste it. [Applause.]
So, Public Works can be used as a department to sweep away the past that we are all hanging onto. We did not choose to be where we are; we have found ourselves there because people made the wrong decisions. However, we are here as a new collective leadership to make the right directions. If it means that I should work with the IFP or the DA, I am ready to do that. I am doing a lot of good work already in this province of the DA, and I think I will do that everywhere. [Applause.]
We have launched another partnership in the Northern Cape. We have started with 100 learners and we are very happy that we are training them at the Pelindaba Technical Training Centre outside Tshwane. We don't want to train the young people only. What do we as Public Works do with them after we trained them, after their graduation? Public Works will make sure that they enter the job market! That's a commitment we are making to them, and they should be very happy about this. [Applause.]
We are going to open workshops, ladies and gentlemen. There were a lot of problems with workshops and the closing down of workshops. That's all nonsense. You must have a workshop closer to home, because by the time they come and fix the pipes a lot of water had been wasted. If you have workshops around villages and townships, you just pick up the phone and you have your department at your disposal. It is then no longer your problem; it becomes Public Works' problem. We promise you that whatever the problem is will be dealt within the hour and, for us to be able to do that, we need to deploy as many young people as possible to these workshops.
This is one of the things that I'll be doing. I don't want to sit down. I usually say to my officials that one day we will sleep, and it will be such a perfect sleep - nobody will ever disturb us. Why do you want to sleep now? Now we must work so that when that time comes, Deputy Minister Fransman, we are able to say that were resting peacefully. I can't rest peacefully when there is still so much prevailing poverty.
We make decisions, we trust officials and officials have another agenda. It is we the politicians who have a contract with the people, hon members. Our officials don't have that contract. Some of them actually say, "She will make a lot of noise, but she will come and go like the others came and went." We are staying here. I want to say to you that I am blessed with deputy directors-general, DDGs, and managers who think like I do.
It was very easy when I came because I fly. I don't want to hear lots and lots of debates in boardrooms, because my predecessors have done that. Why should I be wasting time like that? I don't have the luxury of time. I can't sleep well when children in the Eastern Cape are studying in mud schools or children in Mpumalanga study under trees. I make sure that I make a difference.
I really want to make sure that the President will be proud one day to say that he put a woman in charge in a certain department and that that woman managed to change the face of South Africa's Public Works. It's that machinery that we need to change the face of South Africa. You can do it very quickly. We can make sure.
I went to Baragwanath Hospital this weekend. My portfolio is that of Public Works. Wherever I walk around I see that we can fix this and we can do that, etc. I immediately said to the Minister of Health that we should work together. I am very happy that President Zuma said he didn't want a Minister of Public Works who walked around wearing "oogklappe" [blinkers], as they say in Afrikaans, who just looked one way. Even if you don't know the answer, you can find it out from Social Development. You don't go there because you want to boast and say that you are the Minister. We don't operate like that.
Wherever there are problem in South Africa ... [Interjections.] You're going to have an opportunity to talk about that.
I have spoken about skills development and I've shown you that we are serious about skills development. I often hear, "Minister, we can't find skilled people. They are not there; they are somewhere else." I took a Protea T-shirt and went on TV for two weeks. I got 9 000 of them. I'm told that they are still sending in their curricula vitae, CVs. I'm very grateful to have them and to make sure that we deal with this myth that we cannot find skilled people. We have them. We are also going to make sure that we continue skilling people. I'm very angry at times that our officials don't show us where we need to make improvements.
We have with us here an old man who has worked for Public Works for 36 years. His job has been to open and close the gate. I don't know whether at this late hour I can change his life. I said to him, "You have opened and closed this gate for many officials who took serious decisions, and I am one of them. I want to you to be my partner at my debate." U kayi ntate Maphuta? [Where is Mr Maphuta?] Oh! [Applause.] He decided to serve us with pride and he will make sure that we give back, because he has given us the best in 36 years. I have three minutes left.
Regarding the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, for as long as I'm in Public Works we will never have underspending. It's an insult to our people. We should rather run short of finances, but we should not underspend.
I'm told that this year more than 40% of the money has not yet been used. I am telling you that with all the programmes that we have now, in the next two months we should be running short of money. We should go back to the fiscus and say "Please, you said we must create jobs." We must be stopped by this country when they say that we have created too many jobs. As the person who is in the driver's seat, I've got the energy. You know that. I've got the energy and I am the driver, and I'm sure this is going to happen. I would like to thank you now as I finish.
We are also going to capacitate municipalities because they don't have the capacity to spend. So, we need to assist them. Assisting them is not criticising them. We are going to pick experts from the national sphere to make sure that they do their work correctly.
As I conclude, I thank the House for indulging me in my maiden budget speech. I am reminded of an old West African proverb that says, "He who walks alone may go fast, but he who walks with others goes further." I need to walk with people. May the House allow me to thank those who have walked with me. It has been very rough. It has not been easy. I call them at any time of the night. I send e-mails at 2 am, because when I have an idea I just rush to my computer and say, "Please attend to this. Do that quickly." They know very well that if it is the Minister, they have to take their pyjamas - PJs, as they are called by my grandchildren. They say they will stand there and make sure that they do what their Minister wants them to do.
They are not doing it for me, but for our fellow South Africans. Our people have suffered for a long time and we must make sure that we treat this budget as if it is the only budget we shall ever be given. We must make sure that every cent which is voted to us is going to be well-spent for the people of South Africa.
I thank the President of the Republic of South Africa for his vision - for making sure that those people in the "small corners" of South Africa that have been forgotten are remembered. I am using Public Works to go to those corners, even though it's not easy for me to find out where the "little girl" stays.
I would like to thank all the colleagues who have helped me, and also express appreciation for the support of the Deputy Minister. I also wish her a speedy recovery. I think that when I close the debate I'll be able to thank the other people. Thank you so much, Chairperson, for giving me an audience and making sure that my maiden speech is well accepted. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members, officials of the Department of Public Works, ladies and gentlemen, let me take this opportunity to acknowledge the policy statement of the Department of Public Works as made by the hon Minister.
This policy statement has been presented at a time when the national government has just adopted a new macroeconomic plan, the New Growth Path. The economic plan, as we all know, seeks to put the economy of South Africa on a higher developmental trajectory through infrastructure development, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, the green economy and tourism.
The plan is underpinned by the commitment of government to create five million jobs by the year 2020 and, more importantly, to build a developmental state. Moreover, government has introduced the second phase of the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, which undertakes to create 4,5 million work opportunities as part of the overall economic strategy of the country.
About two weeks ago we saw South Africans casting their votes to elect their public representatives to the local sphere of government. They overwhelmingly renewed the mandate of this government to continue to govern where they live. It is against this background that, as we debate the policy statement of the Department of Public Works, we should not lose sight of that mandate. Theirs is a call for living conditions to be improved for good.
In this regard the Department of Public Works, as the custodian and portfolio holder of government infrastructure, has a crucial role to play. The strategic plan of the department identifies critical areas of focus as infrastructure development, investment in skills development, job creation and poverty alleviation through the Expanded Public Works Programme. This is very important in that it shapes the content of their constitutional mandate and ensures specialised focus in the delivery of services. Infrastructure remains a major economic growth point in which government has a direct role to play. It is the backbone of economic activity and all other pillars of the economy are dependent on infrastructure.
The challenge, however, is that as a country we still have a lot to do regarding development and delivery of infrastructure to our people. This is largely attributed to a lack of synergy and integration in planning when it comes to infrastructure. This challenge cuts across all institutions of government and it must be confronted as a matter of urgency, Minister.
Insufficient institutional capacity of our systems is another challenge that is linked to this one. The shortage of professionals and artisans with requisite skills has a detrimental impact on the capacity of government to develop and deliver infrastructure.
The role of the private sector in the delivery of infrastructure should also be clearly defined. It is a strategic social partner of government in the delivery of services to the people. Our view is that the private sector should be brought on board through a variety of platforms. These could include such initiatives as the regional development funds in the mining sector. These initiatives have become a legal requirement on the part of the mining industry and they should be fully exploited. They are also part and parcel of their corporate social investment.
Given these persistent systemic challenges, government, and the Department of Public Works in particular, is called upon to establish a system or systems that will enable government to: firstly, build internal project preparation capability; secondly, ensure integrated planning amongst institutions of government; thirdly, maximise the effective and cost- effective use of the meagre resources of the state; fourthly, develop bankable infrastructure projects; fifthly, ensure the sourcing of external funding and financing of bigger infrastructure projects; and lastly, above all, streamline the role and involvement of the private sector in the work of government.
I have no doubt whatsoever in my mind that government as an institution can only function optimally if it has effective and efficient internal control systems. To that effect, the Department of Public Works should up the tempo in closing the gaps already identified in the departmental strategic plan of 2011 to 2014.
The areas that require special and urgent attention are risk management, contract management, legal services, human resource management, supply chain management and asset registration. This should cover the state entities that fall under the department. Once we have improved on these systems there will be no justification for unaccounted-for state assets, vacant funded posts, unresolved cases of fraud and corruption, maladministration, and, above all, qualified audit opinions.
The 2011 to 2014 strategic plan of the Department of Public Works indicates that there are no less than 1 375 vacant posts. This is a serious indictment of the department. It must move with the necessary speed to fill all those posts that are funded. It is also important to indicate that these posts must be filled with suitably qualified people. We need to do this if we are to deliver on our constitutional mandate. We cannot compromise quality for quantity.
We also welcome the technical assistance offered to other departments by the Department of Public Works with regard to the EPWP and the Infrastructure Development Integrated Plan, Idip.
In this regard we would also like to thank the Treasury for making available the services of transactional advisors to help the department with infrastructure development projects. Nevertheless, the Department of Public Works needs to develop effective and efficient monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for these programmes. This will help inculcate a culture of accountability for our plans and programmes.
Whilst we welcome the plan to rehabilitate and upgrade public buildings in Bloemfontein and Pretoria, the continuing huge backlog in the maintenance of infrastructure is a recipe for many more incidents of fraud and corruption, as reported.
In this regard, Minister, there is a need to refocus our spending and channel more resources to infrastructure maintenance. The approach must change, for it has been costly for government to rehabilitate and refurbish dilapidated and neglected infrastructure.
Some of the infrastructure in question could be used to house our people who are in need of affordable accommodation. In this regard, we welcome the initiative of the department and implore it to prioritise the poor as target tenants, particularly students and other categories of young people.
With a sense of renewed commitment and loyalty to the cause of serving our people, South Africa could see the previously disadvantaged people play a meaningful role in the mainstream economy through infrastructure.
Eka Mufambisinkulu wo Khomela, Tatana Vukela, ndzi khensa ntirhisano wa n'wina na vatirhikulobye. Hi ku tirhisana na ntwanano vusokoti bya swi kota ku hlengeleta madzanadzana ya swakudya leswikulu ku byi tlula hikuva byi tirhisana byi tlhela byi va na ntwanano. Rintiho rin'we a ri nusi hove. Hove yi nusiwa hi tintiho hinkwato. Tatana Vukela, nusani tihove mi va phamela hinkwavo leswaku mi ta kota ku tirhela tiko. Inkomu, Holobye. [Va phokotela.] (Translation of Xitsonga paragraph follows.)
[To the Acting Director-General, Mr Vukela, I thank you for your co- operation, as well as for that of your colleagues. People, like ants which gather their food during harvest, are able to achieve whatever goals they set for themselves through co-operation and unity. Work, which requires time, cannot be done by one man only. Work has to be shared amongst the people. Mr Vukela, divide the work amongst the people so that you can render efficient service to the nation. Thank you, Minister. [Applause.]]
Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister in absentia - I wish her a speedy recovery - and members of the committee, I greet you.
Hon Minister, this year, 2011, was declared a year of job creation by the President in his state of the nation address earlier this year. However, six months down the line it does not look like this year will be any different to all the other years as far as job creation is concerned.
The way the President said it in his address created hope for many unemployed citizens of this country. Unfortunately, it appears to be another year of shame for fellow South Africans who pinned their hopes on what the President said.
It is, however, important, Madam Minister, given the challenges that are facing the department, to first fill the vacant posts in the managerial areas so as to have the machinery going full steam ahead to enable the department to be equal to the challenges that it faces in order to successfully call this year the year of creating jobs.
There is also the challenge of 350 mud schools in the Eastern Cape, the worst case being that of a principal using a toilet as an office in one of the schools. It shows how crucial it is for this government, through this department, to fill all the vacant posts and then tackle the challenges.
The Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, which is supposed to be the face of the department in creating jobs, also has the challenge of municipalities' not being unable to claim the grant that is aimed at creating jobs on the ground. This is not happening because our municipalities are not capacitated enough to be able to claim this grant and create jobs.
Potholes are killing motorists as a result of the failure of our municipalities to provide skills to empower our people to repair our roads and have jobs. In other parts of our country, especially in the North West, bridges that were swept away by floods are still not being repaired, causing havoc in the lives of the people living on the other side. I feel that this budget must reflect the challenges that our people are facing out there.
This department is the custodian of all state buildings. Even though something is happening in this regard, it does not reflect what the President said in his address about work being better, faster and smarter - this is related to the maintenance of state buildings. Most of these buildings are very old and in a state of disrepair, especially in Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg, but also in many other areas of our country.
With regard to rural development, even though we have a department to deal with this, the EPWP is not really visible in most rural areas of our country. Madam Minister, you are from Pretoria yourself, and it is an area that neighbours a lot of rural areas which I feel are being neglected by your department. I urge you, Madam Minister, to drive to these rural areas and witness what I'm saying.
Expecting municipalities like Madibeng to take advantage of the opportunities created by this department is impossible, given their track record of managing the affairs of government. Something serious needs to happen in your department to enable municipalities to fully claim the EPWP grant in order to give our people skills and deliver the most needed services provided by this department.
According to the strategic plan of the department, it has a baseline budget of R7,8 billion, including EPWP transfers to provinces and local government to spend on job creation, which entails both EPWP work opportunities and permanent jobs that will be created from the implementation of the building programme. An Artisan Development Programme that will train young people in boilermaking, fitting and turning, and welding, amongst others, is a step in the right direction and I would like to commend the department on this in particular.
Regarding legislation, the mandate of the department is provided for in the Government Immovable Asset Management Act of 2007, Giama. The objective of the Act is to ensure efficient and effective planning of immovable asset management in government, as well as to improve service delivery. The department is responsible for the provision of official accommodation to all national department services, to client departments at the national level. The department is also responsible for providing leadership for co- ordinating the Expanded Public Works Programme, not the contrary.
This department, as a custodian of all government properties, in the previous financial year failed to manage 780 state-owned houses in Gauteng, which were being occupied by friends and relatives of government officials. This is according to the report of the department on infrastructure and the development of its immovable assets that was, presented to the legislative oversight committee in October last year. The report goes further, to say that some of the occupants had paid bribes to senior officials to gain access to the houses. The provincial government owns 826 state houses across six regions, but only 46 tenants have signed lease agreements according to the report.
The friends and relatives are also accused of defaulting on rates and taxes, as well as on rent. Also, occupants of the houses are paying less than market-related rentals for the properties. Most of the houses are in a state of decay and may cost an estimated R5 billion to restore. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Without ruling out the fact that there is some good in the work that the department is doing, management seems to be a challenge. [Applause.] Madam Minister, the management of the department is really failing the people of South Africa in regard to discharging its responsibilities, because of incompetency that leads to poor management. The DA strongly believes that no organisation or government will survive if competency and merit are compromised. I thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members of the House, and officials, this is one of the most important departments, because it is both a job creator and a driver of service delivery in South Africa. The mandate of the department produces a high expectation that the Department of Public Works will deliver. Time and again it is mentioned that South Africa is the most unequal society in the world. This department is mandated to alleviate poverty and unemployment and this must be addressed with focus and determination.
Youth development is vital in the development of the state. Ford Foundation research has shown that 2,8 million of the 18- to 24-year-olds are unemployed and not engaging in either education or training. In other words, over 40% of our youth are not productively engaged. The reality facing this department is that very few individuals are working, and this in itself poses a massive problem for the future of South Africa. We are a long way from alleviating poverty and unemployment.
We applaud the Minister for halting the multimillion rand upgrade of President Zuma's Pretoria residence. It is worrying that R192 million was budgeted to upgrade the President's home in the first place. The lavish lifestyles of the political elite show that the focus of this government has swayed from its original mandate. We have to reassess our priorities when it comes to utilising state resources, in order to use them in an efficient way.
Hon Minister, in line with President Zuma's state of the nation address, all vacancies must be filled within six months. We trust that the 1 348 vacant posts in the department will be filled within an appropriate time.
For 2011-12, agency and outsourced services increased by 69,1%. This fact alone shows that the department does not have the requisite skills to complete its work in-house. A turnout strategy is required in this regard.
The first technical agreement between South Africa and Cuba to address the shortage of technically skilled personnel is almost coming to an end. Did we fully utilise the skills that these professionals had to offer, and what does this department have to show for the past 3 years in terms of training and skills development? Assessment is required of the first term in order for us to fully utilise the second 3-year term of the agreement between South Africa and Cuba.
Hon Minister, this department also has to promote a human rights-orientated Public Service. Many children are still without transport to school and have to travel many kilometres to school in all weather conditions. Co- operation between the three spheres of government is required in this regard.
Government cannot afford not to spend the full budget allocated. Every cent unspent costs jobs. Government is the major client in the construction sector and therefore has the ability to make a significant impact on employment creation through investment in infrastructure. Zulch Ltter reported that the R12 billion of the budget unspent by government in the last year, excluding the state-owned enterprises, equated to a loss of 100 000 jobs. The year 2011 has being declared the year of job creation - it is therefore vital for the allocated budgets to be spent accordingly.
Last year the Minister stated that the goal was to raise the bar in service delivery and client relationship. Nevertheless, one of the greatest challenges is to expand the rural footprint of the EPWP, the Expanded Public Works Programme, and make the projects more accessible to rural communities and the municipalities that service them. The Expanded Public Works Programme must focus on establishing a sound support base in rural municipalities. The department has to engage fully with local government in order to ensure that its image is improved through better service delivery.
Furthermore, municipalities either own or control substantial amounts of real estate, yet there seems to be very little evidence to suggest that the country's local and municipal governments view their holdings as a portfolio that must be harnessed to better serve public objectives. This opportunity must be realised, and it is concerning that that Minister Mahlangu announced a couple of months ago that government had discovered 33 000 buildings that it owns but never knew about! Chairperson, thank you very much. R12 billion. [Laughter.] [Time expired.]
Chairperson, to the hon Minister, this department plays a vital role in different sectors in developing this country, in that it maintains the immovable assets of government, housing the various operations of the departments of government, who in turn rely upon it to provide the necessary safe, work infrastructure in which they can fulfil their assigned mandates. Like any other government department, it should be beyond reproach in all of its duties. Sadly that is not the case.
This department recently received a qualified audit report from the Auditor- General. It has also failed to lay its strategic plan before the Public Works Portfolio Committee in this House in time, which shows a total disrespect for the House, or at the very least negligence and carelessness of the highest order.
In the President's state of the nation address, he stated that all vacant posts had to be filled, but this department has failed to adequately budget for 707 vacant posts. This is totally unacceptable. A department cannot run competently when it has inadequate resources. This must be addressed immediately, and we would like the Minister to comment on how she plans to address the matter.
It also boasts of excessive salary payments, where senior managers and chief executive officers, CEOs, are earning more than the president of a country. This needs to be addressed by the Minister.
It has illegally occupied certain properties in the city of Johannesburg, which is not proper for any government department, that should at all times conduct its business in a manner that is beyond reproach.
The department has huge backlogs in its supply of basic services to many government buildings. The department failed to provide toilets and water for hawkers at our Mozambican border gate.
The eradication of mud schools in rural areas must also be prioritised. We are now in winter and students in the rural areas have to sit in very cold, wet classrooms, which is not at all conducive to learning. At the last count, we had approximately 2 000 mud schools countrywide. How many more winters must our students endure in such schools?
Regarding potholes in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal, why do we have to wait for the situation to get worse and cost us billions of rand to fix instead of our being proactive and maintaining our roads before they reach such a bad state of disrepair?
The Independent Development Trust has been delivering workmanship of the most inferior quality in rural areas. The causes of this poor workmanship must be investigated, with regard to the issuing of tenders, and they must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The Mpumalanga provincial department of public works has failed to register and manage its immovable assets. This is either through total incompetence or just negligence - both which have no place in this or any other government department.
The Minister should take responsibility for the messy affair of the police headquarters lease. Her persistence in going ahead with the lease, despite her own department's legal advice, speaks of poor judgment. Making sound judgment calls is at the very core of the responsibilities of a Minister.
The Government Immovable Asset Management Act requires forceful implementation by the department.
In summary, Madam Minister, this department has a great deal of work before it, and you have the difficult task of steering it back to being a fully operational entity. The IFP wishes you all the best with this portfolio. The IFP supports the Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members and guests; as a committee we have a mandate to call on the Department of Public Works to account for its work planned for a particular year. We thus provide an oversight function over the department and ensure that the needs of the poor are met.
For the department to be able to execute its mandate, it must have both human and financial resources. The approved staff establishment of the department is 6 283 posts, 4 935 posts are filled, and 1 348 posts are vacant. Madam, 641 vacant funded posts will be filled by the department. The department will therefore remain with 707 positions that are unfunded. The department has a plan in place to ensure that the vacant funded posts are filled. It has decreased the vacancy rate from 22% to 16%. Although this was insufficient, it was the right thing to do to strengthen internal controls and improve service delivery.
Section 77 of the Public Finance Management Act, PFMA, gives the department the responsibility to appoint an audit committee which will operate according to PFMA and Treasury regulation terms of reference. There was an improvement in the appointments to the audit committee and the filling of a vacant position when a member of the audit committee resigned to ensure proper control and compliance.
The Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, is an important source of job creation. It is a critical imperative, given the extraordinarily high rate of unemployment that faces our people.
The Expanded Public Works Programme has appropriated R1,6 billion for the 2011-12 financial year period, compared to the R1,5 billion allocation during the last year. Expenditure on this programme is expected to increase over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period, MTEF period, reaching R2 billion by the 2013-14 financial year, to respond to the President's call for job creation.
The Expanded Public Works Programme underspent by 17% in the last financial year. We commend the commitment made by the Minister to ensure that the EPWP spends 100% of its budget for the benefit of poor people.
The Council for the Built Environment, CBE, was established to regulate the professions of the built environment, which are the professions of engineers, architects, surveyors and others. The Council for the Built Environment is supported to drive, support and advise on transformation within the built industry.
However, transformation is currently moving at a snail's pace, which is of huge concern. There is poor representation of black people, especially women. Registration bottlenecks are of critical concern. The industry currently employs 30% Africans, which includes 3% coloured, 7% Indian, and 20% black, while 70% are white. Of all employees, 88% are men, and 12% women.
For the CBE to execute its mandate it needs to be properly funded. In the 2009-10 financial year, the CBE was allocated R24,2 million. In the 2010-11 financial year, there was an increase of R1,3 million, and the funding amounted to R25,5 million. In the 2011-12 financial year, this amount will rise to R27,4 million for the CBE to provide strategic leadership to professional councils.
The Council for the Built Environment has tried its best to provide sound and prudent financial control to address the concerns raised by the Auditor- General in the 2009-10 financial year.
The Council for the Built Environment has planned to provide bursaries to 68 learners from previously disadvantaged communities who wish to pursue a career in the building industry. During the MTEF period, the number of students to be assisted will increase to 102 in 2012-13, and 153 in 2013- 14.
The Council for the Built Environment has 32 approved posts, of which 28 were filled, and 4 posts are vacant. The review of the CBE staff establishment will assist the organisation to evaluate its performance with the existing personnel and fill the vacant posts if necessary.
There is a lot that has been done by the CBE, but there is still more that needs to be done to address the inequities that were created by apartheid, and to ensure that the built environment is accessible to everyone, as "South Africa belongs to all who live in it", and not just to some!
Agrment South Africa, ASA, is the natural centre for the assessment and certification of nonstandardised buildings and construction products and systems.
In the 2009-10 financial year ASA was allocated R8,5 million, which has been increased by R428 000 in 2010-11, to R8,9 million. There will be a further increase of R449 000 in the 2011-12 financial year. Then the budget for ASA will be R9,349 million.
The budget will enable ASA to execute its mandate and continue to support the construction sector in order to facilitate the introduction of cost- effective, innovative technology and nonstandardised building systems within the context of government's new priorities and policies.
Agrment South Africa is expected to submit strategic and annual performance plans after they have been approved by the Minister, as per the prescripts of section 29(1). The plans must be specific, measurable, accurate, realistic, and time bound for the committee to be able monitor whether Agrment South Africa is able to implement its planned activities. It is also important for annual performance plans to be submitted in time for the committee to have enough time to deliberate on planned activities.
There is a lot of good work that ASA is doing, but there is still more to be done, especially in public participation - engaging people through their active participation in the development and operation of services that affect their lives. Especially those who are in the construction industry need to clearly understand the role of ASA.
The Independent Development Trust, IDT, is the agency of the department which is responsible for the development of infrastructure delivery. A lot of work has been done by the IDT through infrastructural development in creating jobs and reducing poverty in the previously disadvantaged areas. The 2010-30 vision of the IDT will go a long way in ensuring integrated and sustainable development, and ensuring that women contractors' skills are improved.
The Independent Development Trust has 390 positions, of which 380 are filled. There are 10 vacant positions to be filled in 2011-12 to ensure that the IDT has enough capacity to execute its mandate and contribute to the creation of decent and sustainable jobs. The Independent Development Trust will be allocated R150 million in 2011-12 to ensure that it is viable, although the decline in IDT revenue is a concern.
The Construction Industry Development Board, CIDB, was established by Act 38 of 2000 to regulate the construction industry and to provide strategic leadership to the industry stakeholders to stimulate growth reform and improve service delivery.
The Construction Industry Development Board budget has been increasing for the past two financial years. In the 2009-10 financial year it was R59,2 million, which increased by R4,3 million in the 2010-11 financial year. In the 2011-12 financial year there will be an increase of R2,3 million and the budget will amount to R65,9 million.
This amount will enable the institution to execute its mandate in developing a reliable and accurate national contractor programme; ensuring that the construction sites are healthy, safe and environmentally friendly; and further enhancing infrastructure delivery skill. Small and medium enterprises, SMEs, play a major role in the economic growth of the country and in job creation. Therefore, they need to be fully supported that they may be able to grow and expand their businesses.
However, if they are not paid on time, their businesses will close down, there will be a high number of unemployed people, and the transformation agenda in the business industry will be a dream. Therefore, it is necessary for government departments and the private sector to pay the small, micro and medium enterprises, SMMEs, on time. We hope that the Re Ya Patala [We Pay] initiative launched by the department will address the delay in the payment of SMMEs.
There are a lot of good things that the department has done, such as: the improvement made in order to move from qualified opinions to unqualified opinions in 2008, and I think it needs to sustain that; the improvement in the spending trend, which was above 90%; the training of staff and assisting of learners who come from previously disadvantaged areas with bursaries, although still more needs to be done to address the skills shortages; improving the lives of rural people by building bridges and schools through working in partnership with the Departments of Basic Education and of Defence and Military Veterans; creating jobs through the EPWP to change the lives of poor people; disciplinary action taken against officials found guilty of misconduct in order to eradicate fraud and corruption; the ability to decrease the vacancy rate, although there is still more to be done; the ability to implement the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa, resolutions in order to ensure sound and prudent financial management; having proper information systems to facilitate the preparation of financial statements; the ability to submit financial statements for audit in previous years as per section 40 of the PFMA; and the increase of the total number of municipalities reporting on the EPWP from the 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10 financial years.
While the department is doing well, there are also challenges that need to be considered and attended to, such as the lack of compliance with financial governance standards, that is underspending, virements, and wasteful, fruitless and unauthorised expenditure; underspending in some programmes, especially the EPWP; the incomplete asset register for immovable assets; insufficient resources for employee wellness programmes, which results in a high cost of sick leave; the weak monitoring and evaluation unit; late transfers to entities, which impacts on their operation; delay in the submission of information or documents, so that they are not on time; and the delay in the payment of service providers.
Challenges do not mean that the department is failing; they are indications that there are gaps to be filled to ensure effective, efficient and sustainable service delivery.
In conclusion, according to research done by the SA Institute of Race Relations, there has been a lot of criticism of the government for failing to provide communities with basic services. However, figures from the latest South African surveys show that more South Africans have access to basic services, meaning that changes have been made by the ANC government to improve the lives of our citizens. [Interjections.] People can scream, but the ANC is the only organisation that can improve the lives of South African citizens. The ANC lives! The ANC leads! The ANC forever! I support the Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister and hon members, the Department of Public Works plays a crucial role in our economy by providing management of the infrastructure development needs of South Africa through its Expanded Public Works Programme. Since its inauguration, the Expanded Public Works Programme has created thousands of jobs.
It is altogether gratifying to see that the Expanded Public Works Programme has received a budget allocation increase of R96 million, from R1,5 billion the previous year to R1,6 billion in 2011-12. This is an indication that government is indeed serious about the creation of employment for the poor.
However, the UDM feels that there is still scope for government to do more to stimulate economic growth, create jobs and transfer skills. We need to increase our investment in infrastructure development in the rural and peri- urban areas, in order to create jobs and training opportunities for the unemployed, unskilled and marginalised members of our society. South Africa needs an inclusive economic growth.
The next challenge, in our view, for the Department of Public Works is to increase the percentage of short-term and temporary jobs that become or lead to long-term permanent jobs.
The skills shortage and connected issues are neither new nor unforeseen. For many years we listened to the Department of Public Works acknowledge that the main challenge it faced related to the skills shortage. By now we would have expected Public Works to have conducted a skills audit to establish a skills base. It is without a shadow of doubt the that, if not addressed, skills shortages will continue to undermine Public Works' eight priorities that guide the medium-term plan.
The tolerance of corruption is Public Works' Achilles heel. As long as Public Works does not impose sanctions on corrupt government officials who graft through dubious lease agreements and corrupt tenders, there will always be an unnecessary wastage of scarce resources. All the department's programmes on skills development and employment creation will amount to nothing. In response to the current corrupt tender system, the UDM proposes an independent tender board. [Interjections.]
Okokugqibela, Mphathiswa, sibayeke aba bangxolayo. [In conclusion, hon Minister ... let's ignore those who are making a noise.]
Hon Minister, we thank you for your intervention in the O R Tambo District by removing the official concerned. However, we are concerned when an official undermines you and is not prepared to move. We request your immediate intervention in this matter in order to boost the morale of the workers and also to engage with tender irregularities. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers present, hon Members of Parliament, treasured guests in the House, and ladies and gentlemen, before 1994 the apartheid regime suppressed and marginalised black entrepreneurs. The history that entrenched market and financial institutions, infrastructure and regulatory frameworks was inappropriate for smaller producers, who also lacked production, financial and management skills. They also faced difficulties in competing with well-established firms in concentrated markets and accessing affordable finance, and they often suffered disproportionately from crime.
The labour market policy left by apartheid, which shaped racially based inequality and exploitation, could not provide the basis for a more equitable, inclusive and competitive economy. Despite improved growth, South Africa remains one of the most unequal societies in the world.
Deep inequalities were associated with extraordinarily high levels of joblessness. Inequality and joblessness were also associated with the legacy of apartheid. Notwithstanding the economic growth achieved by the country, it has become increasingly evident that job creation, which is a primary source of income redistribution, remains inadequate. Creating more and better jobs must lie at the heart of any strategy to fight poverty, reduce inequality and address rural underdevelopment. The platform for transformation and redistribution should take into consideration the above social ills.
Cosatu General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, said in the Daily News of 27 May 2011 that South Africa risked another 1976 uprising unless there was drastic action to deal with the crisis of unemployment, particularly amongst young people. Seventeen years after the democratic breakthrough in 1994, South Africa has failed to make any real progress in reconciling the economic inequalities and injustices that were inherited from the colonial and apartheid era. Reconciliation was surely never intended to mean that the poor majority had to reconcile themselves to inherited poverty, mass unemployment and inequality.
These sentiments raised by the General Secretary of Cosatu have been supported by an academic study and 2007 Community Survey that found that being a young African reduces the odds of being employed by 90% compared to being white, despite similar qualifications, and that whites earned eight times more than Africans. The statement made by the general secretary clearly shows how impatient our people are at the slow pace of economic transformation and job creation. The blows of apartheid did not destroy only homes and families, but also the fibre of our society; that is why even today my colleague is talking about the vacancies that are not filled because of the apartheid that was entrenched during that time.
The President, His Excellency Mr J G Zuma, in his state of the nation address declared 2011 the year of job creation through meaningful economic transformation. The Department of Public Works is responsible for providing leadership here and it co-ordinates the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP. The Minister's performance agreement, which is central to the department's planning, covers three sections of outcomes, such as decent employment through inclusive economic growth.
The EPWP is one of the key components of the government's drive to alleviate poverty in South Africa. The programme is expected to create short-term and long-term job opportunities, and to provide training to unemployed and unskilled individuals, in order to increase the future employability of participants in the EPWP. The EPWP is a national programme covering all spheres of government and state-owned enterprises and is government's medium to long-term programme to address unemployment, including by increasing economic growth, improving skills level through education and training, and improving the energy environment for industry.
That is why we salute you, hon Minister, and we appreciate that we are all out to try to bring skills to the country. The EPWP will continue to exist until these medium to long-term programmes are successful in reducing unemployment. The programme also involves re-orientating line function budgets so that government expenditure results in more work opportunities, particularly for unskilled labour.
The South African government is committed to halving poverty and unemployment by 2014. This is a realistic challenge, but it is going to take a great deal of hard work and effort on the part of government to achieve this goal.
The adoption of the New Growth Path by Cabinet provides more opportunities for the EPWP in the area of job creation. South Africa is also committed to fulfilling its constitutional obligation to deliver socioeconomic rights within the context of its National Plan of Action, which is Vision 2014, and the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs.
In South Africa, one of the indicators of progress towards the achievement of the MDGs is the effective and equitable delivery of public services. Whilst significant achievements have already been made in areas such as access to basic water supply, improvement in service delivery remains a priority.
Since 1994 South Africa has set out to rigorously dismantle the apartheid system and create a democratic society based on the principles of equity, nonracialism and nonsexism. To achieve these objectives, the government of South Africa has pledged to promote equality and eradicate poverty. The 1994 Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP, defined the procedure, and its guidelines have informed all governmental policies post-1994. Through the RDP, a commitment was made to meet basic needs, invest in the economy, democratise the state and society, develop human resources and build a new South Africa.
The hon Minister has touched on the issue of the training some of the beneficiaries, in particular 100 young people in the Northern Cape. Hon Minister, we congratulate you. The future of these young people will never again be the same as today. I think you should continue with this work of focusing on our young people, because they are the future of the country. [Applause.]
South Africans must find work in fields and factories, in repairing roads and building houses, in caring for children and protecting the environment, as they are doing, hon Minister. That is why the children are here, because we take care of them. We must create jobs in every possible way that we can. Decent work is the foundation of the fight against poverty and equality, and its promotion should be the cornerstone of all our efforts. Decent work embraces the need for both more and better quality jobs. The creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods is central to the ANC government's agenda. We make maximum use of all the means at the disposal of the ANC government to achieve this.
We have to ensure that macroeconomic policy is informed by the priorities that have been set out in the manifesto. Fiscal and monetary policy mandates, including the management of interest rates and exchange rates, need to actively promote the creation of decent employment, economic growth and broad-based industrialisation, and deal with reduced income, inequality and other developmental imperatives. Economic policy will include measures to decisively address obstacles that limit the pace of employment creation and poverty eradication, and will intervene in favour of more sustainable and inclusive growth for all South Africans.
I think the hon Minister has noted the challenges that have been raised by my colleague in the department in order to focus on them, but I would like to mention some of the challenges there are outside, including the fact that the quality of the jobs that have been created has not yet met our goal of creating decent work.
We are also concerned about the minorities in the country, especially the white minority. We are concerned about giving confidence and security to those who are worried that because of these changes they are now going to be in a disadvantaged position.
Since 1994, the ANC government has made substantial progress in transforming the economy to benefit the majority, but serious challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality remain.
In order to avoid the exploitation of workers, especially because there are a lot of part-time jobs in the EPWP, we must guard against exploitation of workers and ensure decent work for all workers, as well as protect employment relationships. The ANC government has therefore introduced laws to regulate contract work, subcontracting and outsourcing; address the problem of labour broking; and prohibit certain abusive practices.
In summing up, let me say that South Africa needs a change in the way government relates to people, and in the delivery of services. The ANC government is committed to a service delivery culture that will put every elected official and public servant to work for South African citizens and ensure their accountability to our people. That is why you heard the hon Minister saying that they are really accountable to us as Parliament. Therefore, the ANC government will continue to develop social partnership and work with every citizen.
Hon Minister, we appreciate the work that you and the department are doing. We have seen you working very hard in the few months since you have been appointed. We can see that you are now restoring hope that this department will really achieve the objectives that it has set.
I want to indicate on the issue of the incentives grant that there were good intentions with this that the municipalities should pull up their socks in capital budget expenditure. However, hon Minister, there are unintended consequences around the issue of the incentives grant. Competition by nature is the survival of the fittest. Only municipalities with an adequate revenue base will benefit from the incentives grant, hon Minister. In order to strengthen and tighten the EPWP 2, we suggest that the hon Minister and the department revisit the EPWP approach so that it can benefit more municipalities with little or no revenue base.
Secondly, hon Minister, we support the call that you have made for development of a database for engineers and artisans, in order to address the shortage of scarce skills. We appreciate it greatly and further suggest, hon Minister, that we get a lot of people, particularly in the rural areas, to use the parliamentary constituency offices to hand in their curricula vitae so that you can get more people that are in those areas. Please consider that, hon Minister.
We will manage our economy in a manner that ensures that South Africa continues to grow, that all South Africans, black and white, benefit from that growth, and that we create decent work for the unemployed, the youth, women and the rural poor. The government of the ANC remains in touch with its people and listens to their needs.
We respect the rule of law and human rights, and we will defend the Constitution and uphold our multiparty democracy. Indeed, we have achieved much in the last 17 years, and we are committed to doing more. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon Members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, as public representatives mandated by the people of South Africa we need to continue to respond to the perspectives we spoke of as the ANC-led government began its term of office in 1994, fully conscious that none of the great social problems it had to solve is capable of resolution outside the context of job creation and the alleviation and eradication of poverty.
As public representatives, it is our duty to make sure that the dream of a better South Africa comes true, and working together we can and shall succeed in meeting the common objective that we have set ourselves as a nation, to build a better life for all. If only the departments and their entities would share the same vision as public representatives, achieving some of the goals would be much easier and much quicker.
The emphasis of the 2011 state of the nation address was on job creation through the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, Phase 2, capital works programmes, effective service delivery at municipal level, and the eradication of corruption, with more emphasis on greater monitoring and evaluation by Parliament.
The Department of Public Works was allocated a functional mandate in terms of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The department is mandated to provide land and accommodation, manage such land and accommodation, and act as custodian of national government immovable assets.
It must provide strategic leadership to the construction and property industries, and co-ordinate the implementation of the Expanded Public Works Programme. The Minister of Public Works should carry out functions related to land and accommodation in terms of the State Land Disposal Act, Act 48 of 1961.
The Department of Public Works is also responsible for poor entities who report to the Minister of Public Works as the executive authority.
The Government Immovable Asset Management Act, Act 19 of 2007, was assented to on 22 November 2007, and it came into effect on 1 April 2008. The Act was introduced to assist the Department of Public Works in the effective and efficient execution of its stated mandate, which is derived from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, and other relevant legislation.
The department's mandate includes custodianship and management of national government immovable assets, provision of accommodation requirements, and rendering expert built environment services to user departments. It also includes the acquisition, management, maintenance and disposal of such assets.
The creation of the nine provinces in 1994 resulted in the re-demarcation of the South African landscape. As of 27 April 1994, it was resolved that state immovable assets might only be registered in the name of the following: the national government of the Republic of South Africa; relevant commercial government; relevant municipalities, including local decision and metropolitans; and relevant state-owned enterprises.
The above resolution requires that the vesting process which constitutes the confirmation of ownership be finalised. A task team comprising representatives from the Departments of Rural Development and Land Reform and of Public Works and provincial custodians was established.
The task team undertook to visit all nine provinces and engaged different role-players to gather detailed information. It was after this exercise that the national vesting plan was completed.
The Act in its present form extends to only two spheres of government, namely the national and provincial levels. In 2006, when the Bill was first presented to Parliament, it was known as the Government-wide Immovable Asset Management Bill. The intention was to extend it to the national, provincial and local spheres of government.
Things started to change in the final deliberations on the Bill, when the portfolio committee members discovered that the Bill in its final form did not extend to the local sphere of government. It was after the committee members had raised serious concerns that the then Minister of Public Works, Ms T Didiza, in September 2006 presented a response from the then Minister for Provincial and Local Government, Mr F S Mufamadi. She indicated that adequate legislation provision was made in section 63 of the Municipal Finance Management Act, Act 56 of 2003, to ensure that municipal assets were adequately planned for and managed. Although the Bill was passed in its current form, an additional process would be undertaken to include the local level within three years - that was the agreement.
By the end of 2007, the Department of Public Works had managed to transfer 43 621 ha of land parcels to the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform for restitution and land distribution purposes. The Department of Public Works in March 2001 presented a progress report on the asset register to the portfolio committee. The total number of land parcels in the Department of Public Works asset register was 35 746; and the number of vested land parcels to target for 2010-11 was 12 653. The vesting target for 2010-11 is 19 660, which is 55%. To date, 8 288 land parcels have been vested by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. The area of land parcels vested by provinces to date is 17 554 ha. About 200 people were spread nationally to assist with the asset register.
The Department of Public Works has reported that the working relationship with the Deeds Office has improved, and as a result they meet regularly.
Regarding the Amnesty Call, Operation Buyisa, the Department of Public Works reported that in March 2011 the amnesty strategy was approved by the Minister. The appointment of call centre operators and investigators was completed on 28 February 2011. Call centre operators assumed duties on 1 March 2011. The call centre was fully operational from 1 March 2011 on 0800 782 542.
Bantu baseMzantsi Afrika ukuba ninabantu enibaziyo - isizalwane, umhlobo okanye ummelwane - abahlala kwizindlu okanye kwimihlaba engeyoyabo, abo bantu bayamenywa ukuba beze ngaphambili. Mabeze kusa ... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[People of South Africa, if you know people who are occupying houses or land illegally, whether they are relatives, friends or neighbours, ask them to come forward. They must come while ...]
Order! Could you kindly keep your voices down; it's very difficult to hear the speaker. That goes for this side of the House as well. Thank you.
Mabeze ngoku besacengwa kungade kufike ilixa apho kuya kuthiwa ixesha lokucenga liphelile, basuswe ngenkani. Usenokuthi wena urhulumente akakwazi kanti ummelwane wakho nezizalwane zakho ziyazi ukuba loo mhlaba okanye loo ndlu uhleli kuyo asiyoyakho, ngoko ke iyathetha kwaye ingasuka ikufake engxakini kwawena.
Simemelela kakhulu kumaphandle ayesakuba zii-TBVC States, Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, Ciskei, iGazankulu nezinye ezaziyinxalenye yoomaziphathe beloo xesha localucalulo. Othe akavela kwade kwafika ixesha lokuba kuyiwe emthethweni, uza kuzibona entyumpantyumpeka ematyaleni kuba umthetho uza kube ungasahleki namntu. Ngxama kungade kufike "u-Operation Gqogqa", ndiyakucebisa.
Singavuya ke ukuba esi sililo se-Giama singafikelela koorhulumente basemakhaya. Inga bangakhawulezisa kungade konakale ngaphezu kokuba sekonakele, kuba kaloku izinto zikarhulumente ziphaya koomasipala.
Ezaa zindlu zazihlala abaphathiswa bezaa palamante zamaphandle kufanele ukuba ziqwalaselwe nazo, kananjalo nezaaflethi zazihlala abameli-lizwe ababesuka kuloo maphandle. Ezo flethi zazise-Hillbrow eRhawutini, ukuba kuhlala bani kuzo ngoku kwazi ophezulu.
Okokugqibela, kukho ingxaki apha kweli Sebe lezeMisebenzi yoLuntu. Kuba lihlazo xa kuboniswa ingxaki yezikolo zodaka nezakhiwo zesikolo ezikekeleyo ezingathi ziza kuwela phezu kwabantwana nootitshala. Ezinye zihlala iibhokhwe kuba loo magumbi akanazingcango nazifestile. Elo hlazo aliyi kuMphathiswa weSebe leMfundo esiSiseko, liza ngqo kuMphathiswa wezeMisebenzi yoLuntu.
Iiklinikhi nezibhedlele ezingekhomgangathweni, ezifuna ukucocwa, yonke loo ngxaki ithunyelwa kwiSebe lezeMisebenzi yoLuntu. Nditsho mna nejele eneetephu ezivuzayo, ityala libekwa kwakweli Sebe lezeMisebenzi yoLuntu.
Kanti ke, xa la maSebe afana neleeNkonzo zoLuleko, elezeMpilo kunye nelezeMfundo enikwa imali ayayithatha nale yokwakha nokugcina izakhiwo zisemgangathweni ze xa umsebenzi ungenziwanga angatsho ukuba imali ayinikwanga iSebe lezeMisebenzi yoLuntu. Siyile komiti sithi lo mba mawuxoxwe banzi noMphathiswa wezeziMali, ukuze kucace ukuba ngubani ekufanalwe ukuba enze ntoni, nini, njani ukuze singakhombani emehlweni okanye kubekho odyojwa ngamafutha inyama engayityanga. [Kwaqhwatywa.]
ISebe lezeMisebenzi yoLuntu malenze umsebenzi walo ukuze abezempilo bajongane nezigulana, iititshala zijongane nokufundisa abantwana, hayi ukwakha izikolo; asingomsebenzi wazo lowo, ngoweSebe lezeMisebenzi yoLuntu.
Okunye okubalulekileyo kukuba kukho ezaa zindlu zazihlala amajoni ocalucalulo nala ombuso wentando yesininzi; ndingenza umzekelo ngezaseLimpopo kufutshane ne-Beite Bridge. Kukho ilali yonke yezindlu esele ikwimeko engancumisiyo konke. Ngoko sasiye khona kwakuhlala oonogoda kuphela begade ukuba zingamoshwa ngamasela, kuba angeba iifestile neengcango. Siyacela ukuba iSebe lezeMisebenzi yoLuntu, lisebenzisane neSebe lezoKhuselo namaGqala oMkhosi, libone ukuba lenza ntoni ngezoo zindlu. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[They must come forward now before the amnesty period expires and they are evicted. You might think that the government does not know you, but your neighbour and relatives know that the land or the house you are occupying does not belong to you, and the matter is questionable, which can lead to trouble.
We strongly appeal to the former TBVC homelands - Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda and Ciskei - and Gazankulu and others who were part of the independent states during the apartheid regime, to come forward. If someone does not come forward and the amnesty period expires, he will be prosecuted, because at that time the law will not be merciful to anyone. So a word of advice: Hurry now before "Operation Gqogqa" comes into full swing!
We will be glad if this Giama campaign also reaches the local government level. We wish they could speed up the processes before things get out of hand, as they are already in a bad situation, because government assets are with the municipalities.
We need to investigate the issue of the houses that the Ministers of the homeland parliaments were living in and those apartments that were used by their ambassadors. The apartments are in Hillbrow and God only knows who is occupying them.
Lastly, there is a problem in the Department of Public Works. It is a disgrace when the lopsided mud school buildings are shown, as they look as if they will fall over onto the learners and teachers. Some of them shelter goats because they don't have any doors or windows. The issue of this disgrace is not being directed at the Minister of Basic Education, but at the Minister of Public Works.
Clinics and hospitals which are not up to standard and which need to be maintained are referred to the Department of Public Works. Even the taps that are leaking in the Correctional Services facilities are referred to the Department of Public Works.
However, on the contrary, when departments like Correctional Services, Health, and Basic Education receive their funds, they also take the funds that are earmarked for building and maintenance. When the job is then not done, they do not reveal that the funds were not injected into the Department of Public Works. In the committee we proposed that the issue be discussed at length with the Minister of Finance, so that it is clear who does what, when and how, in order to stop the blaming act. [Applause.]
The Department of Public Works must do its job so that the Health Department can look after its patients and so that teachers can teach learners and not have to build schools. That is not their job description; it is the Department of Public Works' job.
Another important issue is that of the houses that the apartheid soldiers and the democratic government forces were using, for example those in Limpopo near Beit Bridge. There is an entire village consisting of those houses, which are now in a terrible condition. When we last visited them, there were only the security guards there, guarding against vandalism and theft, because thieves might even steal windows and doors. We appeal to the Department of Public Works to work with the Department of Defence and Military Veterans to see what they can do about those houses.]
There are four public entities reporting to the Department of Public Works: the Construction Industry Development Board, CIDB; Agrment South Africa, ASA; the Independent Development Trust, IDT; and the Council for the Built Environment, CBE.
The Construction Industry Development Board is a Schedule 3 public entity with the main objective of providing leadership to stakeholders and stimulating sustainable growth. It also needs to reform and improve the construction sector for effective delivery. We as portfolio committee members would like to see its mandate extended to assisting and supporting emerging contractors, with more emphasis on skills development of the youth and women.
The IDT was established in 1990, with a grant of R2 billon to carry out its mandate. For the past 20 years the entity has remained involved, reducing poverty in the most disadvantaged communities. The IDT has developed a model of developmental social infrastructure delivery, a contribution to the reduction of infrastructure backlog being experienced in the rural areas of South Africa. The IDT, heeding the call by the President, has committed itself to contributing 75 000 job opportunities to assist with poverty alleviation efforts in the 2011-12 financial year. This number could increase to 83 000 in 2012-13. To the IDT, the community would like to say:
"Huntshu! Ukwanda kwaliwa ngumthakathi nokucwangcisa." [Kwaqhwatywa.] [Congratulations! Well done! [Applause.]]
I would like to quote from the words of our icon, Tata Nelson Mandela, when he said:
If your attitude is to do things which are going to please the community and human beings, then of course you are likely to live a long life. To go to bed feeling that you have done some service to the community is very important.
He was just short of saying:
Xa usenza izinto ezimbi awulali nasebusuku. [Evil deeds deprive you of your sleep.]
Keep up the good work, IDT. We really appreciate what you are doing.
The CBE is a Schedule 3 public entity. One of its main roles is to oversee the six built environment professional councils that regulate the professions of architects, engineers, landscape architects, quantity surveyors, and project and construction managers, as well as property valuers.
My colleague has touched on some of the issues that deal with the CBE. We really appreciate the indaba that will be convened by the CBE, which will bring all professionals and stakeholders together to discuss issues in the built environment.
If we want this country to improve its skills development, we need to take drastic measures before the youth of the country curse our graves. The empowerment of the women and youth of this country cannot be compromised.
Again quoting from the wise words of our former President, Nelson Mandela:
Let us never be unmindful of our terrible past from which we come - that memory - not as a means to keep us shackled to the past in a negative manner, but rather as a joyous reminder of how far we have come and how much we have achieved. By joining hands South Africans have overcome problems others thought would forever haunt us.
The ANC supports the Budget Vote. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Can we have some quiet, please?
Chairperson, thank you. I thank you, chairperson of the portfolio committee, for the leadership that you always provide.
I want to start with the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP. Yes, we are aware that there are challenges. When it became very clear that local government - some municipalities - were struggling to access assistance and were unable to deal with the wage incentives, a technical support programme was put in place. So, rest assured that that matter is being attended to.
We have had a meeting with Salga. We waited patiently for the local government elections to end, and we made sure that we could work with the new leadership in local government to speed up this process. We don't have the luxury of time, ladies and gentlemen, so we cannot waste anybody's time. We really want to get into this work urgently.
On the vesting programme, yes, I have heard that. You know that there is an Interministerial Committee, IMC, that is led by the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform, and fortunately I also sit on that. So we will make sure that we look at the Promotion of Access to Information Act, the Giama Act, as the hon member has mentioned, with Salga, to see that the effect of the Act is felt in local government.
I am 100% in support of the fact that the Construction Industry Development Board, CIDB, should support emerging contractors, and I think in its mission statement the board also mentions how much it needs to do that.
Transformation is not something that we need to be shy about. We need to realise that we come from a past that divided us as South Africans, and we need to move on as a united force to make sure that we address the issues. If we are going to allow divisions at service delivery level, we won't be able to do anything, so let us work together.
We are all leaders of this big South Africa, and we have a country which is not poor, but does have has two faces. We see abject poverty and wealth in the same country, and I think we need to make sure that we bridge that divide.
The schools project in the Eastern Cape shows us what our intentions are and where we are headed. We know very well that the rural areas are hardest hit, and that is why our concentration is focused there.
Yes, it feels like we have been here for six years, and I know a number of people keep forgetting when I started. Just for the record, this is my sixth month. I started on 1 November 2010, and when I am quoted as having been here in July last year and so on, you must know that that is not correct. I don't have time to correct all the newspaper articles but, again just for the record, I started on 1 November. I operate with speed, and I am sure that that speed is confusing the people who think that I've been here for three years. [Laughter.] I've not been here. [Applause.]
I know very well that we are blamed for everything, but the money is not with us. We are blamed for the Eastern Cape schools but the money is not with us. The reason why we are in the Eastern Cape now is because Public Works in the Eastern Cape has asked us to come and assist.
We are showcasing the fact, ladies and gentlemen, that if we can do it in this short space of time - have 12 schools in less than 6 months - we are saying: Try us! We will be talking hundreds by the end of this year. Hundreds, ladies and gentlemen! [Applause.]
We are present in Lusikisiki. We are present in Mount Frere. We are present in Engcobo. We are present in a number of rural areas in the KwaZulu-Natal area. We are present in Mpumalanga. We are present in the Free State. We make sure that we go where people call us and, in the coming week, we are going to launch EPWP projects in the Northern Cape. We are in the North West province. I don't know where we need to be where we haven't been. We are working with Limpopo and all of these provinces because we think that when we are there - when Public Works is there - we will then be true to our own motto that people work in South Africa because of Public Works.
Hon Minister, can you wrap up, please.
The transportation of school children is something that I am against, hon member, because it actually tells us that we should be building schools where these children come from. It would be very cruel for us to wake children at 05:00 in order to put them on buses, for them to arrive at school only at 08:00. They would then be tired, and they could not be productive. Let us build schools where they live. [Applause.] I don't know why people are still talking about the R192 million. When it was mentioned, I was the first person to say that it could never happen. We will repair the President's house, which has not been repaired.
Hon Minister, your time has expired. Thank you.
Can I have just one second?
Two seconds!
I want to thank everybody. This is a journey we must all go on together, Ntate Rabotapi. Those people in the North West and everywhere else that there are people we are leading; those people in the Free State area and everywhere else there are people that we are leading. So I am actually calling on the portfolio committee, regardless of which parties the members come from, to work together. Take me to KwaZulu- Natal. Take me to Limpopo. Make sure that you open projects, because we serve one nation, which is South Africa.
In conclusion, I want to introduce you to two ladies, the ladies who make my tea and clean my office in Pretoria. I decided that if they were this good to me, they should please come and be my "very, very important persons" - my guests here. Can you please rise so that people can see you? [Applause.] They were so anxious. I told them to take their overalls and put them away today and to get into a "five star" aeroplane to come to Cape Town, because all of our people deserve the best. I thank you. [Applause.] Debate concluded.