Chairperson, Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ministers and Deputy Ministers here present, hon members, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, I know now what Marcus Brutus felt when, in urging his comrades to seize a fleeting opportunity in an armed conflict, he uttered the immortal words, and I quote:
There is a tide in the affairs of men Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat; And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures.
I do not only relate to this intellectually; I have been there, and I can attest that we took the tide at its height. After a number of difficult decisions, buttressed by a great deal of hard work, we can report to the soldiers and the country that we are now on such a full sea and we are now afloat.
We dedicate this year to our military veterans: men and women who have delivered us to this place in history. This year we celebrate the 50th year of the formation of the largest nonstatutory force, uMkhonto weSizwe, whose enormous sacrifice we will ensure is never removed from the minds of our people. We celebrate an even more eventful occasion, that of the 100th anniversary of the ruling party, the ANC, which, by some strange coincidence, is also the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the South African defence force, under whose banner World War I and World War II were fought, and under whose banner our men lost their lives when the SS Mendi sank, taking down with her some 616 men, who died singing; singing the selfsame song, no doubt, as Solomon Mahlangu would have sung as he ascended the gallows in Pretoria, and paraphrased it as ...
Hon Minister, could you please hold on for a moment. Hon Smuts and hon Rabie, we would appreciate it if you could please speak quietly. If you are not interested in the debate, you can leave the Chamber quietly, because your speaking has been incessant since you arrived.
Thank you very much, Chairperson ... particularly at that poignant point when we were remarking about how we lost our men in struggle to make sure that they can sit there today, the selfsame song that Solomon Mahlangu would have sung as he ascended the gallows in Pretoria. To paraphrase it he would have said: "I die that my sacrifice and my blood should feed the tree of freedom."
My staff and I are privileged that we live to witness, when historical events conspire to remind us of the enormous responsibility that history has imposed on us, the current generation. This is our "burden of the present". But we will make sure that we rise to that responsibility. The tree of freedom did not die when Solomon Mahlangu died; it has indeed blossomed and now we have a Defence Force that is united as one in its goal. On 27 April 2012, the SA National Defence Force came of age and we turned 18.
This Budget Vote is dedicated to all those who sacrificed their lives to bring about the democratic South Africa that we all live in and enjoy. This is a dedication to our military veterans and, in particular, former President Nelson Mandela, the first commander-in-chief of uMkhonto weSizwe and the first commander-in-chief of the SA National Defence Force of the democratic dispensation that we have; to the founding fathers of uMkhonto weSizwe, such as Chief Albert Luthuli and O R Tambo; to the Rivonia trialists and, in particular, in this case, the surviving trialists Mr Andrew Mlangeni and Mr Ahmed Kathrada; to the uMkhonto weSizwe commanders of the Luthuli Detachment, who fought two wars with the Rhodesian forces; to Joe Modise, the first Minister of the SA National Defence Force; to Comrade Chris Hani, our Moses, who led us home, but did not live to see the promised land; and to all our military veterans here present.
The vision of the Defence Force of our country has been inspired by such luminaries, and thus we celebrate their unwavering vision of the creation of that which we are today: ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things, creating an extraordinary country. South Africa owes a debt to her veterans that can never be repaid. Winston Churchill's words about the Battle of Britain come to mind at this point, and I quote: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."
During my address to this House last year, I indicated that the whole of this year would be dedicated to our military veterans. We have and continue to live every day of the year in their honour and have sought to reflect our gratitude in what we do. May they know that in our hands the democracy that we all fought for is safe; our soldiers are increasingly becoming disciplined and well taken care of. In our hands their dreams of a brighter future will be realised for generations to come.
We come here to report to the people of South Africa on the progress we have made on their behalf. It was in the detailing of this progress report that I myself was amazed by how much ground we have covered.
The first commitment I made as the Defence Minister upon assumption of the responsibility was the creation of a new dispensation that would ensure a better life for our soldiers. Today, I report that that dispensation is in place. Today I will also report that the Defence Force is once again a disciplined force. Today there is no stain on the integrity of the Defence Force, and that is how it should be, because they are the absolute and final guarantors of our democracy.
As a Defence Force we run an organisation of people whose very uniform is an indicator of that which is the best in our society. I am very proud of my soldiers. When they erred, I did not hesitate to put my foot down. When they do good, I am proud that South Africa has the kind of people that we have in them. [Applause.]
At this point, I would like to pay tribute to those who work tirelessly to help me shape the image and professionalism of the Defence Force and make it the pride of our country. I welcome to Parliament, for the first time as Chief of the Defence Force, Gen Solly Shoke, appointed Chief of the SA National Defence Force by the commander-in-chief last year in May. [Applause.] I welcome also Lieutenant-General V R Masondo, Chief of the SA Army. [Applause.] I welcome also Lieutenant-General T M Nkabinde, Chief of Human Resources, who is new to our ranks. [Applause.] I welcome to also Lieutenant-General J T Nkonyane, Chief of logistics, who is also new to our ranks. [Applause.] Together with the rest of the military command they are doing a fantastic job! [Applause.]
I also welcome into our fold, Dr Sam Gulube, the new Secretary of Defence, who was appointed in December last year. Already, sterling work has been done and our audit projections, in particular, are looking good. [Applause.] The people I have just introduced now are an addition to the senior team with whom we have been working tirelessly. It gives me great honour to say: We serve beyond the call of duty.
We can also report that we now have an institution in the Defence Force called the Military Ombud, led by retired Lieutenant-General T T Matanzima, a long-serving career soldier who was sworn in for the first time as the Military Ombudsperson on Monday, 14 March 2012. He will now become a civilian for the next seven years. We are joined today, Chairperson, by some of our young stars who have distinguished themselves as firsts in their areas, charting a new path and bringing hope. With your permission, I will ask them to stand up as I announce them. We have Captain Nandi Zama, the first female aircraft commander on the CASA 212 to be a display pilot. [Applause.]
HON MEMBERS: Malibongwe! [Praise!]
She is also the first female commander to be deployed operationally across our borders. I thank her. [Applause.]
We have Lieutenant Tessa Du Toit, the first female navigator on the Hawks'. [Applause.] She is also the first female navigator on SAAF fighter aircraft. [Applause.] We also have Lieutenant Tiro Tsotetsi, who is the first person in the history of the SA Air Force to be awarded all four floating trophies presented to top students at the Wings Parade graduation. [Applause.] Tsotetsi was born and raised in Vosloorus. Look where he is now! [Applause.]
We have Major General Catherine Labuschagne, and the first female Gripen pilot. Please stand up. There she is. [Applause.] We have Commander ... I don't know whether "Handsome" is his name ... Commander Handsome Thamsanqa Matsane ... [Laughter.] [Applause.] He is the first black submarine commander - from the dry and arid Mpumalanga to commander of the seas. Congratulations! [Applause.]
Chairperson, this is a sample of what we in the Defence Force are capable of. This is our future, our pride, the embodiment of our vision. [Applause.] This leads me to the other main thrust of my address today. We will give you the vision of the Defence Force for our country. While the President, in the state of the nation address, explained the vision of economic growth through infrastructural development, we will provide you with our vision of the security infrastructure that will underpin defence in the country, support economic growth in the national interest and protect the country against its most severe silent threat: that of unemployed youth.
Our vision is to provide a competent, committed soldier, with unquestionable patriotism; a soldier whose goal is to serve and to serve with pride beyond the call of duty. This soldier will be supported by a competent machinery that will make it possible for him to intervene and protect against all threats. Our vision is to raise the profile of the nobility of the role of the soldier in our society and to ensure that society understands and gives back, in equal measure, respect and gratitude for his work. Our vision is of the soldier who will take his place and play an important role in the economy of the country, to ensure that we can truly say: We are creating a better and safer life for all. Our vision is of a soldier who is contracted by the state, understanding his full responsibility to the Constitution that requires him to be disciplined. And a state that, in return, will commit itself to ensuring that the soldier is looked after, within the means available, in equal measure, as we demand of him to give to the state. In recognition of the fact that a soldier is in a profession that takes away some of his rights, the state will commit itself to ensuring that the soldier is protected and works in an environment that ensures his dignity, that ensures his growth and development, that ensures that his total wellbeing is cared for; that his work is recognised and honoured, and that the Defence Force becomes an employer of choice and prestige. Our vision is of a soldier who takes part in the development of cutting-edge technology; and a soldier who will serve with pride in Africa, raising our flag high, saving lives and creating a better continent.
We, as representatives of the state, will in turn commit ourselves to giving back what we demand of the soldier. We have created a different dispensation to enable us to do that. We have now concluded our first study, conducted by the Interim National Defence Force Service Commission, to benchmark against international best practice and which is based also on our own experience and research done in our own environment.
We have taken a number of decisions, which are enabled by the new dispensation, and which will come into effect in the next two financial years. The decisions are as follows. The first point is that the salaries of our soldiers will be adjusted to acknowledge years of service. [Applause.] Essentially, we are de-linking salaries from rank. Because of the sheer size of the Defence Force, a great number of our soldiers are trapped in particular ranks with no prospect whatsoever of improvement in their salaries.
The Defence Force Service Commission, the DFSC, is tasked to deal with this as a matter of priority. We expect that it will take eight months for them to work on this, but, by the end of this year and by the beginning of the next financial year, the salaries of soldiers will reflect all of that, within our budgetary limits. This is a much-needed breakthrough that soldiers have been burdened with. It is now within our sights. We are now afloat.
The second aspect is that a soldier gives his entire life to the state and the state takes on the responsibility to look after him, as a unit of his family. The children of the soldiers are therefore our responsibility. When their mothers are deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Sudan, we should ensure that the children's welfare is not compromised. To that effect, therefore, all children between the ages of three months and five years will be taken care of by the Department of Defence and Military Veterans - those that are our children ... [Applause.] ... within the existing framework of free primary school care criteria for deployed soldiers. Every base, every facility, will have to provide crches or pre- schools. Gone are the days when men were soldiers and women stayed behind to look after children. We have a responsibility to free our women soldiers to pursue their careers in the same way as men have always been free to do. [Applause.] The necessary policy to support this has already been drafted and approved. Therefore this takes effect in this financial year. [Applause.]
The third point is that every soldier will be able to convert his training into academic qualifications. We are restructuring our training programme to align it with the SA Qualifications Authority's requirements so that the totality of courses undertaken by soldiers will qualify as commensurate tertiary qualifications.
A system to ensure that all officers are academically developed as graduates will commence during the in-year. The professionalisation of an officer through a learning path of military professional education and training will result in all young officers being in possession of a bachelor degree by the time they are promoted to the rank of major by 2020. Subsequently, Joint Senior Command and Staff Programme graduates will attain a postgraduate diploma or honours degree that will pave the way for Executive National Security Programme graduates to be ranked at the level of a master's degree. These degrees will be awarded through institutions of higher education, accredited by the Council on Higher Education.
This means that no soldier will leave the Defence Force, should they choose to, unqualified. He or she will leave with a certificate that can advantage him or her, should he or she seek an alternative career. It also means that no colonel will be without a certificate and no general without a degree. The cumulative training will not have been in vain, and the net effect will be a professional defence force.
The fourth point is that the provision of high-quality, reliable and right- sized accommodation for our soldiers is the singularly most important and urgent priority for us. It is for this reason that I have commissioned a defence estate reforms programme that will rationalise defence estate and ensure that there is internal capability to plan, provide, operate and maintain all properties belonging to the Defence Force.
The final part of the implementation of this new dispensation will be the upgrading of the living conditions of our soldiers.
However, I need to stress that it is the responsibility of all soldiers to ensure that the environment where they stay represents their sense of pride. Soldiers are required to keep their bases in spotless condition. These are now our responsibility. We no longer have the excuse of blaming the Department of Public Works for broken windows. The commanding officers would therefore have to structure their bases in such a way as to ensure proper management of our properties and to ensure that they are kept in conditions that only soldiers can.
The fifth issue is that soldiers sacrifice enough with the unique nature of military life and the financial hardship that sometimes accompanies their careers. There are numerous soldiers in the SANDF who unknowingly sacrifice their financial future - in addition to all the other sacrifices they make - by not investing in an essential asset, such as owning a home.
A housing allowance scheme will be tailor-made to suit the organisational uniqueness of the SA National Defence Force, and a housing subsidy scheme will be investigated and implemented. A housing guarantee will be provided to all members applying to purchase property to the value of 20% of the home loan. Currently, members are negotiating interest rates with financial institutions for housing loans on an individual basis. Financial institutions are giving interest rates based on an individual member's financial profile. We intend to negotiate a pact with financial institutions where, as the employer, we can stand in part guarantee to negotiate more favourable rates with financial institutions in a collective manner. This means therefore that, Public Protector, no soldier will ever again retire without a house as an asset. [Applause.]
The sixth aspect, as I have indicated, we now have a Military Ombud, the first of its kind in our country and a product that was initiated by this Parliament. I am glad that we have the Public Protector here, because without her the Bill would not have seen the light of day. Thank you.
I also want to inform you about what the hon Koornhof has told me in that the Bill was actually hand-drafted by the then chairperson of the portfolio committee, Prof Kader Asmal, after his visit to Germany. He wrote it by hand, every single line of it, before it was given to you. Our gratitude goes to him and his honour. Military Ombud, we hope that we will be able to provide the necessary service. [Applause.]
We want to ensure that we have a healthy system for our soldiers. Therefore, all commanding officers, chiefs of services and chiefs of divisions have a responsibility that will be written into their annual performance agreement to ensure that the morale of soldiers is their responsibility. They are responsible for the wellbeing of the soldiers and answerable in that regard. The commanding officers , therefore, will be responsible for the entirety of what a soldier experiences at his base.
All these benefits that I have outlined, and many more that I could not put into my speech, accrue to the soldier through the new dispensation and are contained in a brochure that we are preparing for distribution. However, we are working on all these benefits for our soldiers, but I want to remind them that for every benefit there is a responsibility in democracy. I want to remind them that the compact that I enter into with them, on behalf of government, is that they will be the leading lights of society. I demand from them a service to the state that will honour the lives of those who paid the ultimate price for freedom.
In this new arrangement, we enter into an agreement that after soldiers' training, each soldier will take an oath, as already embodied in the code of conduct. Ordinary workers are not called upon to take an oath, but soldiers are called upon to take this oath. By taking an oath, we commit ourselves to being the calibre of a soldier we have in the Defence Force defending the Constitution.
I want to share with you, as I indicated earlier, our vision of a soldier who will take part in ensuring that he provides and supports the necessary infrastructure for economic development, already well enumerated by the President in his state of the nation address. As part of that contribution, the Chief of the SA National Defence Force has initiated an investigation on how the SANDF can appropriately support the development agenda of government with a particular focus on rural areas.
The dispensation of defence facilities leans towards an ability to interface with rural communities. In this regard, I have approved a concept in terms of which the Defence Force will use its footprint in rural and semi-rural areas in terms of units, land and spending of resources in conjunction with local communities, rural towns, provincial governments and other stakeholders to augment and catalyse rural developmental initiatives by providing nodal points or hubs from which community engagement, stakeholder co-ordination and structural requirements toward creating viable and sustainable local economies can take place.
To give effect to this, the department will revise the current procurement policy. The idea is to embed units in their local economies and thereby further strengthen the linkage between the elements of the Defence Force and their communities within which they reside. This will be to the benefit of small and micro businesses, as well as to large-scale commercial and emerging farmers in the rural areas. The SANDF involvement will be configured without adversely affecting their core business. The Chief of the Defence Force will appoint a project manager to pilot this.
We will use our bases as a footprint of development wherever we are. A few years ago, the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, invited the President of this country to hand over some facilities that were used by MK soldiers to the Ugandan Defence Force. When we did that, the President remarked how unique it was that in those bases that we were handing over, the local community benefited with a nursery school, a school and a clinic. He asked me if we too were doing the same. I was too embarrassed to tell the truth - that we were not.
Now, it is at the centre of our development programme. Wherever we are, we will ensure that the community around us benefits from our infrastructure, our schools and our clinics. We will empower them by training them in agriculture produce and we will purchase for our own use that which they produce. [Applause.] We will upgrade our roads, opening up rural areas to enjoy the benefits of development.
I indicated to you last year that maritime security remains one of our priority areas. South Africa's coastline spans a whole 3 000 kilometres and three oceans, located on a major strategic shipping route. Almost 80% of the country's trade volume is by sea. We also have extensive shoreline interests, namely islands, marines, offshore gas resources - you name them.
Our department has recognised the threat against the notion of innocent passage and the freedom of the seas. Thus, we have put before this House the maritime strategy, which was approved by the heads of state of the Southern African Development Community, SADC, in August 2011. This is by far the most advanced naval strategy that the continent has ever been involved in. So comprehensive is our maritime security strategy that we were even able - within the shortest possible time - to respond to a request by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to assist them with performing the shipping management function of their fleet.
The economic spin-offs from our maritime strategy are amazing. They range from the preservation of the livelihood of the fishermen to lowering the costs of doing business through our ports, to the creation of a ship- building industry in our country, to name but a few.
In my 2010 budget statement, I reminded Parliament about the long-standing policy directive to develop a national youth service, which would prepare and support our youth, youths whose normal social skills and competence were clearly lacking according to our own research. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Hon members, before I call the next person to speak, I'm rather intrigued with what is sitting on Mr Maynier's desk. I've never known him to bring so much stuff into the Chamber, especially a pair of pink slippers. [Laughter.] [Interjections.]
And I'm not quite sure what is in the box - whether it is harmful, or whether it is threatening, or whether it is benign. [Interjections.] How has he managed to bring all these things in, if indeed they are harmful? Could I receive some kind of reply from him?
Chairperson, the Opposition likes to come prepared. [Laughter.]
Well, Mr Maynier, according to the Rules, I might add, it's okay as long as the things are not threatening in any way - and there is a ruling to that effect. But if we suspect that they are not benign and are, in fact, threatening, then we'll have to ask the Serjeant-at-Arms to remove them. [Interjections.]
Chair, I give you the undertaking that, in fact, there is nothing inside the box. Indeed, the box is benign and poses no threat to national security.
Well, I sincerely hope so, sir. Shall we continue. I now call upon the hon M S Motimele. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon Members of Parliament and guests in the gallery, after the Minister introduced the young people up in the gallery and mentioned their extraordinary achievements, I decided to start my speech at the end, by saying that the ANC supports this Budget Vote. [Applause.]
Let me continue by saying that over the recent months, the Department of Defence and Military Veterans has once again made us proud. Our deployment in the Mozambique Channel, in an antipiracy role, on request of the Southern African Development Community, SADC, security organ, has shown that we do not shy away from our regional responsibilities.
Similarly, our commitment to aid the continent with peace-supporting operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Sudan shows our determination to contribute to continental peace and stability.
On the home front, rapid progress is being made to implement section 5 of the Military Veterans Act that deals with benefits to our military veterans, who contributed immensely to laying the ground for the democracy that we enjoy today. Let me therefore congratulate the department on this score.
There are, however, pertinent issues that require our support and attention, of which the allocated budget is a prominent one. National Treasury, in its 2012 Budget Estimates of National Expenditure, allocated an amount of R37,4 billion to Vote 22, the Department of Defence and Military Veterans. This constitutes 3,81% of the total appropriation of R969,4 billion for the financial year, for the country.
Although the budget allocation has increased by 9,5% in nominal terms in comparison to 2011-12, a commonly shared sentiment is that the Defence budget is not sufficient to cover its ordered commitments. This is especially true if we consider the newly added responsibilities, such as border safeguarding, maritime security in the Mozambique Channel, and furthering the establishment of the Department of Military Veterans.
In order to further illustrate the impact of the decrease in the Defence budget, let us consider two of the eight programmes of the Defence Force, namely Programme 1, which is Administration, and Programme 4, which is Air Defence.
The Administration programme consists of 15 subprogrammes, with the latest addition being that of the Department of Military Veterans. It covers 9,95% of the total Defence budget, is the fourth largest of the programmes, and executes the department's overall management, administration and policy development. In nominal terms it increased by 0,33% and in real terms it shows a decrease of 5,26%.
Within the Administration programme, the subprogramme Office Accommodation is the largest at 50,54%. This subprogramme manages the payment of accommodation charges, leases and municipal services. Human Resource Support Services and Financial Services are second and third respectively. It should be noted that this programme is unlike those of other departments, in the sense that it makes provision for subprogrammes such as Religious Services, Defence Reserve Direction and Office Accommodation.
Part of the increase in the Ministry's subprogramme is related to the establishment of the military ombud. This is an intervention that is sorely required by the Defence Force, as it will assist in resolving the grievances of soldiers. This is also indicative of the resolve of the department to improve the conditions of service of soldiers. This initiative will be backed up by the Defence Force Service Commission, the