Mutshamaxitulu, swirho swa Yindlu leyo hlonipheka, Holobye Lindiwe Sisulu, Xandla xa Holobye Ayanda Dlodlo, hi tsaka na wena eka siku ra wena ro velekiwa namuntlha. Hi tsakile hikuva namuntlha u kuma swilo swo tsakisa naswona u yimbelela risimu ra Happy Birthday [Siku ra ku Velekiwa] a wa ha yimbeleli rona ra Siyolala emahlathini [Hi ta etlela enhoveni]. Hi leswi hi swi tsakelaka sweswo. A wa ha Dliwi yi zingwenya [Dyiwa hi tingwenya]. Sweswi u tsakile. Eka vatirhelamfumo va Ndzawulo ya Vukorhokeri bya Vaaki na Mafambiselo ya, DPSA, lava fambaka na Mulawurinkulu Tatana Diphofa na vayeni va hina, hi ri, ri perile. (Translation of Xitsonga paragraph follows.)
[Mrs J M MALULEKE: Chairperson, hon members of this august House, Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, Deputy Minister Ayanda Dlodlo, we celebrate with you on your birthday today. We celebrate with you because today you receive different gifts and you sing a Happy Birthday song instead of Siyolala emahlathini. [We will sleep in the bush.] That is what we like most. You are no longer singing Dliwa yi zingwenya. [Devoured by the crocodiles.] You are now happy. To all government employees of the Department of Public Service and Administration, DPSA, the entourage of the Director-General, Mr Diphofa, and our guests, we say good evening.]
Hon Chairperson, it gives me great pleasure today to debate the Budget Vote of the Department of Public Service and Administration. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation for the work well done thus far by the department under the leadership of hon Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and Deputy Minister Ayanda Dlodlo.
As a member of the portfolio committee, I would also like to extend my appreciation to the staff of the department for executing the mandate to the best of their ability. However, we have acknowledged that there is more to be done to achieve the set performance objectives. When it comes to Outcome 12, I would just say ... ... ke la me leo, ka gonne o setse o fetile fao ke ne ke tshwanetse ke fete teng. Ke a leboga, Modulasetilo. [... that is my decision, I had to experience what you experienced. Thank you, Chairperson.]
Batho Pele, which means "people first", is an initiative that was launched in 1997 to transform the Public Service and make it efficient across the board and at all levels. It was launched because democratic South Africa inherited a Public Service that was not people-friendly.
In the struggle to transform the Public Service, the old culture has to be changed to ensure that our people are served properly, that all staff work to their full capacity and treat resources with respect. Batho Pele is an approach to get public servants committed to serving the people and finding ways to improve service delivery. The approach requires the involvement of the public in holding the Public Service accountable for the quality of the services provided.
Tona, diboto tse dikgolo tsa Batho Pele di beilwe kwa diofising, kwa Lefapheng la Boitekanelo le mo mafelong otlhe. Ke yona tirisanommogo e re e bonang ya Batho Pele ka diboto tse dikgolo tseo, fela se se kwadilweng mo dibotong tseo, ga re se bone mo badiring ba ba dirang ka fa diofising tsa rona. Re ne re kopa gore re gatelele gore fa re tsena ka fa diofising, re bone se boto e se buang se diragadiwa ka namana. Ke sona se re se kopang mo badiredipusong ba rona. [Legofi.] (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[Minister, big Batho Pele boards are hanging in on offices, at the Department of Health and everywhere. That is the Batho Pele partnership we see on those big boards, but what is written on those boards is not what we see from our government officials. We would like to emphasise the need for seeing what is written on those boards happen practically. That is what we request from our government officials. [Applause.]]
Batho Pele comprises key programmes aimed at ensuring improved service delivery in the Public Service. These programmes include Project Khaedu, through which 330 senior managers are being trained by the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama; service delivery improvement plans; a performance management and development system; a know your service rights campaign; and Public Service Week. All these programmes are efforts by the ANC-led government to ensure that Batho Pele is adhered to in the Public Service.
A lot of work has been done through Batho Pele. We would like to acknowledge the following achievements that are being made in implementing the Batho Pele programme. Fourteen provincial departments and five national departments were capacitated in the Batho Pele Change Management Engagement programme in the Public Service as part of the mainstreaming.
Ke tlile go le tsopolela fela ditemana di se kae, nka se kgone go di tlhalosa go ya ka nakonyana e ke e filweng. [I am going to touch on a few items, but I cannot elaborate further due to the short time I have been allocated.]
A geographic accessibility study was completed on the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme. A toolkit methodology on the costing business process and standard operating procedure was produced. In 2012, 63% of national and provincial departments submitted service delivery improvement plans to the DPSA. A Business Process Management Framework was developed and a total of 295 officials from health in Gauteng, North West and the Northern Cape were trained in Batho Pele. However, more still needs to be done to increase the number of services to the people through the key programmes of Batho Pele. The department should redouble its efforts and increase the number of frontline key supervisory staff that are trained, especially with regard to the Departments of Health, Home Affairs, Education, etc.
Thusong Service Centres are regarded as strategic service delivery access points for the government of the Republic. The Thusong Service Centre programme of government, formerly known as multipurpose community centres, was initiated in 1999 as a primary vehicle for connecting communities with government services. The objective was to address historical, social and economic factors which limited access to information services, particularly by citizens, as they had to travel long distances to access services. We noted that there were challenges facing the Thusong Service Centres in rural areas that need collaboration amongst departments. Limited resources is one of the major problems in ensuring that they fulfil their mandate of integrated government services by providing information. The department should therefore ensure that resources are prioritised for Thusong Service Centres in the rural areas. I'm saying this, Minister, that ...
... lefapha fa le tla go bega ka Thusong Service Centre, ba re begela ka tikwatikwe ya marekelo ya Maponya; ga ke ise ke utlwe ba bua ka Leretlhabetse kwa Moretele, kwa Lebotloane. Ba ikgantsha ka tikwatikwe ya marekelo ya Maponya. Re eletsa go ka utlwa pegelo, ka letsatsi lengwe, e bua ka metsemagae. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[... when the department comes to report about Thusong Service Centres they report about the business district of Maponya; I have never heard them talk about Leretlhabetse in the Moretele Municipality, in Lebotloane. They like to boast about the business district of Maponya. One day we would like to hear a report about townships.]
The objective of Thusong Service Centres was to address historical, social and economic factors that limit access to information services, particularly by citizens, as they had to travel long distances to access government services.
An integrated and collaborative approach is critical for an information communication technology-driven economy. The DPSA must see its programmes as part of an all-encompassing programme of government. Therefore, the department must collaborate with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and the Department of Communications in providing comprehensive solutions to the challenges facing Thusong Service Centres in rural areas, especially on information and communications technology matters.
In November 2012, the Governance of ICT Policy Framework was approved by Cabinet. As a member of the committee, I would like to thank the department for this achievement. The portfolio committee will play its oversight role on the implementation of the policy framework, including monitoring its performance and impact.
As the portfolio committee, we have adopted overarching oversight of the Public Service that will foster collaboration amongst departments charged with implementing common programmes such as the Thusong Service Centre programme.
In conclusion, I would like to inform the House that the Community Development Workers programme helps communities to bring about social change and improve the quality of life of the people in their local areas.
Ndzi twile eka mbulavulo wa n'wina, Xanda xa Holobye, mi khumba timhaka ta tiCDW. Swa hi vava swinene hi ku tiCDW tona ta tirha swinene. Loko mi languta eka buku ya Grassroots Innovation: A Handbook for Community Development Workers ya komba leswaku vanhu le makaya va tirha njhani.
Vanhu lava a va tivi leswaku va wela eka hofisi yihi. Loko va lava switirho a va tivi laha va swi kumaka kona. Loko va nghena eka DPSA, yi vula leswaku yona yi tirha ntsena hi ku endla tipholisi. Loko va hundzela eka Ndzawulo ya Mafumelo ya Vutirhisani na Timhaka ta Ndhavuko, Cogta, na vona va va byela leswaku n'wina mi wela ehansi ka timasipala. Ku laveka ndhawu ya vona laha va nga ta tiva leswaku va rhangeriwa eka ndzawulo yihi naswona varhangeri va vona hi vahi. [Va phokotela.] (Translation of Xitsonga paragraphs follows.)
[Deputy Minister, I heard in your speech that you touched on CDW matters. We are so touched because the CDWs are doing their work. If we can look at the book Grassroots Innovation: A Handbook for Community Development Workers, it shows how rural people work.
These people do not know the office they belong to. When they want tools, they do not know where to get them from. When they go to the DPSA, they are told that they deal only with policy formulation. When they go to the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Cogta, they are told they belong to municipalities. They need their own jurisdiction in which they will know in which department they belong and who their leaders are. [Applause.]]
Hon Chairperson, Members of Parliament and distinguished guests, let me take this opportunity to thank the Minister. The ANC supports the budget. [Time expired.]
Chairperson, may we, on behalf of the ACDP, also wish the Deputy Minister a very happy and blessed birthday.
One of the main goals of the National Development Plan, as has been pointed out, is to build a capable state to drive the country's development in order to address poverty and unemployment. Skilled public servants are needed to achieve this, public servants who are committed to the public good and capable of delivering high-quality services. We, as the ACDP, wish to commend those hardworking and dedicated public servants, many of them here in the gallery, who daily provide services and who do not line their own pockets. Well done, and keep up the good work! [Applause.]
Hon Minister, as you pointed out, however, this central engine of government, the Public Service, does need fixing. If it was working properly, we would most certainly not have the large number of service delivery protests, mostly at local government level, that we are experiencing at the moment.
We agree with you that one of the main problems is, of course, corruption. This must be addressed in both the public and the private sectors, hon Minister, as you pointed out. This is no easy task, however. The Minister of Finance, in his Budget Speech, acknowledged that rooting out corruption is "a difficult task with many points of resistance", and that "there are many people who have a stake in keeping the system the way it is".
Minister, we commend your plans to establish an anticorruption bureau, as well as your plans to prevent both current and former state employees from doing business with government. Banning government officials from doing business with the state is a significant step in the right direction. We, as the ADCP, look forward to studying the Public Administration Management Bill. The question arises whether the ban should also extend to close family members such as spouses. That is possibly included in the Bill, and we would like you to consider that.
Minister, you also mentioned the proposal to blacklist certain corrupt businesses. Now, we understand National Treasury already has such a blacklist, and we trust that this will amplify what you are suggesting, as well as cancelling the contracts where there is any corruption.
We would also like to suggest that the capacity of the Special Investigating Unit, SIU, and other law-enforcement agencies be increased. One of the members referred to the amount of R300 million that has been recovered, but the SIU estimates R30 billion is lost in state procurement. Now, that is 1% that we are recovering. We have given the SIU powers. They can recover the money speedily through civil litigation and we would suggest that if they were given increased capacity, we could reduce that R30 billion. We believe that is something we should look at. It will be a cost saving to the state.
We would also suggest we look at the Public Disclosures Act - the whistleblowers' Act - that needs to be strengthened to protect whistleblowers who divulge corruption and who are often victimised themselves.
Lastly, Minister, you are like a breath of fresh air to the Public Service Department. We in the ACDP trust you will fix this engine and turn it from an ailing Volkswagen Beetle to, possibly, a Toyota, or even a Ferrari. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister and all members, the success of any country depends on the calibre of officials in the employ of the government. If the officials are honest, diligent, dedicated and patriotic, that country will succeed, but if they are corrupt, mean, indolent, slack and are only pen-pushers, that country is doomed to failure, regardless of its wealth.
Public servants are the one and only best resource a government can boast of, because even if the country may have natural and industrial resources, if the government officials do not master the resources, that country is sure to fall. People in the employ of the Public Service should not be allowed to dabble in politics to the extent of holding office in political structures, otherwise they would not know their bounds and end up allowing foreign aircraft to land at unauthorised airports without authority.
We in the UCDP support the efforts of Minister Sisulu to breathe life into a somewhat moribund Public Service. We hope she will succeed in inspiring them with a spirit of fairness and impartiality. Officials in the Public Service should know they are there as servants of the public and not as masters or mistresses of the Public Service.
We note that the North West has a resident Public Service Commissioner at last, after not having had one since 2009 - a very long time. We look forward to this department succeeding, because, in this department, we can have our sons and daughters run the public administration because we do not need to import people to come and run our Public Service.
The consideration to appoint a shepherd of shepherds, that is, to appoint a senior director-general who will take charge of the other directors- general, is most welcome. We pray much strength for the Minister and the department to succeed in this appointment and realise it.
We note that the Public Service is bulging by the day, while we, in the UCDP, believe in a lean, mean machine in battle so that we can turn the government around.
In keeping with the National Development Plan, we in the UCDP envisage a Public Service insulated from political interference. We envisage the Public Service to be a career of choice where appointees do not hop, skip and jump from one post to the other or from one government level to another. We yearn for the day when an official disciplined in one department or at one government level should not find it easy to go to another, and even be appointed to a higher post, before sorting out issues with the previous employer.
The UCDP supports the Budget Vote. [Applause.]
Modulasetulo, mohl Tona Mt?ana Sisulu, mohl Motlat?atona Mme Dlodlo, maloko a a hlomphegago a Ntlo ye le baeng kamoka ke a le dumedi?a. Ke tla thoma ka gore ANC e thekga Kabotekanyet?o ye. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.)
[Ms M C MOHALE: Chairperson, hon Minister Ms Sisulu, hon Deputy Minister Ms Dlodlo, hon members and distinguished guests, I greet you all. Let me first indicate that the ANC supports this budget.]
Corruption destroys lives and communities and undermines the development of countries and institutions. It generates popular anger that threatens to further destabilise societies and to exacerbate violent conflicts. It leads to failure in the delivery of basic services like education and health care. It derails the building of essential infrastructure. It is an attack on the democratic state.
South Africa has joined the international community in adopting the United Nations Millennium Declaration and its Millennium Development Goals, in which we agreed to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. As a country, we are implementing many programmes aimed at achieving the objective of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. The dilemma we face as a country is that all our efforts towards achieving this goal will not be realised if corruption is allowed to siphon off state resources that are aimed at eradicating this poverty.
The fight against corruption is a fight in defence of the democratic gains. It is a fight to defend the democratic state and its institutions. In this regard, let us be strengthened in our resolve to fight crime by taking our cue from the ANC's 2009 election manifesto, which proclaimed that the ANC government would step up measures against crime in society, the state and the private sector, including measures to review the tendering system to ensure that politicians do not tamper with the adjudication of tenders and that it will establish a new, modernised and efficient justice system to enhance the capacity of the state for fighting and reducing crime in real terms.
The department should work with other departments so that a better impact can be made on corruption, as was resolved by delegates of the ruling party during the 53rd conference, when they said that there should be greater co- operation across the spheres of government in dealing with corruption and that corruption should be punished. Tona, bohodu ke bohodu. [Minister, theft is theft.]
We congratulate the Minister for her efforts aimed at expediting the establishment of the anticorruption bureau, which will be established in terms of Statute, to investigate corruption-related cases in the Public Service in all three spheres of government. The bureau will investigate high-level corruption, fraud cases and manage disciplinary hearings on behalf of departments where required. This is to be appreciated because one of the areas that we have been critical of is the long time it takes the Public Service to conclude disciplinary cases as well as the waste of resources in the form of continued payment of salaries to suspended officials who have no value to offer the people in return for the public's money.
We applaud the fact that public servants found guilty of misconduct will have their names and information stored in a central database and that they would soon be unable to change jobs within government. This is a good intervention which will ensure that the public outcry that officials who are facing corruption allegations seem to escape censure by being moved from one department to another is heeded. This is what has earned our democratic state the dubious honour of being soft on corruption. Through this step by the Minister, the ANC government is sending a clear message to the public that fraudsters and criminals are not allowed to hide behind the banner of the glorious people's movement, the ANC. [Applause.]
The incapacity of government departments to deal with misconduct cases has meant that, for a long time, officials suspected of misconduct remained suspended with pay for long periods. Now the cases of misconduct will be fast-tracked through the bureau. We have learned with appreciation that what is now outstanding is a final meeting with the department officials assigned to do this work so that they are informed of the approach and for them to submit the documents with whatever changes may be deemed necessary.
There are other measures aimed at assisting with the issues of corruption. For example, the Ethics and Integrity Framework regulating business and financial interest disclosure, remunerative work outside the Public Service, and receipt of gifts by public servants has been approved by Cabinet. We applaud the announcement by the Minister that a central database of cases of officials found guilty of corruption will be established. We also have the National Anti-Corruption Hotline, which is managed by the Public Service Commission.
The ANC government gives expression to its commitment to fighting corruption in a systematic way through institutionalised mechanisms. Another mechanism, namely the Office of Standards and Compliance, which the Minister has announced today, will strive to realise the following objectives: addressing areas of noncompliance with Public Service regulations and prescripts, conducting a compliance audit at national and provincial levels to provide credible information on the status of the Public Service and Administration, and monitoring of compliance and co- ordination of required interventions.
In conclusion, the government cannot fight corruption and its manifestation alone. It is a collective responsibility requiring the collective action of all stakeholders. It is the responsibility of each and every South African to contribute to an ethical society to prevent irregular activities from taking place.
Ke tla fet?a ka gore ke leboga ba Kgoro ya Ditirelo t?a Mmu?o le Taolo le makalana a yona. Ke leboga gape le Tona, Motlat?atona le Modulasetulo wa Komiti ya Kgoro ya Ditirelo t?a Mmu?o le Taolo. Ke re go lena t?a etwa ke basadi pele di nwa maswi. Ke a leboga. (Translation of Sepedi paragraph follows.) [I would like to end my speech by thanking the Department of Public Service and Administration together with its sectors. I would also like to thank the Minister, the Deputy Minister and the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration. Women are good leaders. Thank you.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers, friends, guests and most importantly, my fellow South Africans, President Zuma said, on the occasion of the state of the nation address on 16 February 2012:
Let us work together to promote clean governance and remove corruption in the Public Service and in society in general.
One way to ensure clean governance is through effective monitoring and ongoing evaluation of the Public Service. In this regard, the ANC-led government has established many organisations within government to assist with effective monitoring and evaluation. The Auditor-General of South Africa and the Public Service Commission are two such organisations. The Auditor-General's report on the national audit outcomes says:
Information security controls aimed at the prevention of unauthorised access to networks, operating systems and application systems that prepare financial information were inadequate in 81% of departments. The State Information Technology Agency has also implemented inadequate security controls over wide network areas of the departments.
Let us all take a moment to think about the implications of not having information security controls on systems that prepare financial information in 81% of the departments. Not only could this situation lead to a breach of our national security, but it basically opens up departments to computer fraud and corruption. Fundamentally, the best way to be corrupt at the moment is not to be a senior official in government, but to be an information technology expert, because, according to the Auditor-General's report, there is no protection on the financial controls of 81% of our departments. I'm quite surprised that the Opposition did not pick it up, but the ANC, as usual, had to pick it up. [Interjections.]
The motto of Parliament is, "We, the People". We, the people demand that those who continue to fail at their jobs and place the ANC's national democratic revolution in jeopardy in order to steal resources, be permanently removed from their positions in this, the South African people's government. [Interjections.] Those who think that this people's government is a place where there are no consequences for incompetence, mismanagement and fraud must realise that their days are numbered.
The State Information Technology Agency is an entity that has consistently failed to deliver services to this people's government, and by failing to deliver, the Sita has failed the South African people. This failure has directly contributed to a situation where 81% of government departments have no security on their financial systems. The Auditor-General's report further says:
Eighty-three per cent of public entities had not adequately implemented controls pertaining to IT services continuity. Deficiencies vary between back-ups not being performed, business continuity plans and disaster recovery plans not established and data not stored offsite.
The ANC, the oldest liberation movement in Africa, that is 101 years old and that led the peaceful liberation of all South Africans from an horrific system of apartheid to the peaceful democracy that we see today, will not tolerate this situation. The ANC will not stand for anyone who tries to sell out the people for their own personal gain. [Interjections.]
We, the people, demand that those in authority responsible for this mess immediately put mechanisms in place to address and reverse this situation. How can we possibly hope to prevent corruption and deliver effective services when there is no security of departments' financial information, and there are no credible back-ups? Fundamentally, what you need to do is when you leave here today, go to your laptop, hack into the department, release a little virus and, since there's no back-up, by next Tuesday, you'll be somewhere on a desert island with hundreds and hundreds of billions of rands, unless this is dealt with immediately.
We further call on the Public Service Commission to monitor this corrective action and report to Parliament within three months on which departments are failing to secure their financial data.
As I said earlier in the speech, the Sita has failed to effectively turn itself around and deliver on its mandate. In my 2011 Budget Vote speech on Public Service and Administration I said:
South Africa cannot afford to be waiting years and years for the turnaround strategy of Sita to be implemented.
We call on the Minister of Public Service and Administration to intervene and take all necessary action in order to correct this situation.
My fellow South Africans, monitoring and evaluation of government departments and entities can also highlight success within government. The Centre for Public Service Innovation, CPSI, is one such success. Over the years the CPSI has contributed enormously to the betterment of the services that government can deliver. On a relatively small budget of around R21,5 million per annum, this centre of excellence has identified and initiated numerous innovations across our beautiful country. The CPSI continues to identify innovation practices for replication through its Public Sector Innovation Awards. For example, the best practices at pharmacies in three hospitals in the North West, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal were shared, co-ordinated and replicated. We now have a model for all hospital pharmacies that is reducing queuing time at hospitals from hours to 30 minutes or less. The value and benefit to government and the people is in the saving in payment of overtime and quick access for the disabled and the aged.
Other innovations include the Honeydew Closed-Circuit Television Nerve Centre, which assists the SA Police Service to identify suspicious behaviour via cameras strategically placed in public areas.
It is achievements like these that should be applauded. [Applause.] We say well done to the CPSI. When peoples' ideas are shared, co-ordinated and replicated for the betterment of our society, the mechanism that achieves this should be replicated itself. The CPSI is one place where people can watch their ideas being implemented by their government. It is essentially public participation at its finest.
The Department of Public Service and Administration needs to establish mechanisms to grow this centre and expand its operation. The Centre for Public Service Innovation is an example of how, in working together, we can do more. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon members, officials of departments, last but not least, members of the public, hon Minister, I just love this debate. After one year in the committee I know my customers and being so far down on the list, I have rightly expected everybody to cover almost everything.
So, I want to focus on two aspects: professionalism and leadership. After four years in this House, I can say with certainty that I will not be surprised next year this time if the goals could not be achieved, simply because the root of the problem runs much deeper than the hon Minister and many of her colleagues can control.
The root cause is that politicians tolerate an unhealthy organisational culture, and that includes tolerating underperforming leadership. Instead of setting an example, people in leadership positions are pursuing their own selfish interests relentlessly.
We as the opposition are not in control of the country's administration, the ruling party is. Unless the ruling party introspectively, and as a collective, rids itself of the prevailing organisational culture, there will be no progress.
Hon Minister, I respect your earnest efforts to turn the Public Service around and we support your intentions. But regardless of all the good intentions, personal sacrifice and political will, there are things beyond your influence and control. When state officials and Members of Parliament are not placed in their fields of expertise, the professionalism is lost, mediocrity creeps in and the interests of the public are not served properly.
My biggest concern is what you are up against and how you will be able to overcome the prevailing organisational culture and instill professionalism, especially at leadership level.
Let me demonstrate my statement with two examples, as my time is limited. I have chosen two departments where lives are at stake and where lives are lost, the police and the military. For instance, will the Minister of Police work with you or against you? Some of his public servants think it is standard practice to drag a man behind a police vehicle and let him die in police custody. In the case of this incident at least high-ranking officers should have been brought to book and dismissed.
Having untrained and undisciplined forces armed with a licence to kill under you is a grave risk to the public and is nothing less than dereliction of duty.
Further examples are that you cannot shoot a man at point-blank range in the chest or the head with a rubber bullet and think he will not die. A high-ranking police officer admits before the Marikana inquiry that the police force is not trained for public unrest situations. The billions in damages that are claimed from the SA Police Service is an indictment in a police force seriously deficient of professional leadership and basic military discipline.
If the hon Minister succeeds in convincing the hon Minister of Police to professionalise his force, she's up against the Supreme Commander when we get to this National Defence Force. In Latin "paratus" means "ready".
So, we have paratroops in Africa, ready troops that weren't ready. We will never see a public inquiry over this shameful excuse for a military operation that is now referred to by the public as the bungee-jumpers' deployment - expensively trained troops, the cream of the crop, wasted in an almost carbon-copy disaster of what happened to the British at Isandlwana.
For a Supreme Commander that sings about his machine gun and who should know about the military history of that January day in the Zulu Kingdom, it is inconceivable that our troops were deployed in such a way in the Central African Republic.
There is no proof that the troops had a carefully prepared and properly dug- in main base, with bunkers, trenches, a properly set-up firebase, or adequate medical facilities.
Airborne troops without air support, without air transport, without air resupply, without air drones, without air reconnaissance, without air evaluation - airborne without any air. No proper mission, no proper planning, no foresight, no adjustment to changed circumstances, no intelligence-gathering, no idea.
Either it was clueless and unprofessional operational leadership, a strategic blunder where 300 generals could not work out how to deploy 300 troops, or the Supreme Commander, the President, should take full responsibility for his decisions if he cannot find the generals at fault.
In seven decades since the introduction of airborne troops, we have apparently either learned nothing or have forgotten everything, or perhaps the executive interfered or disregarded the advice of the generals.
More than 70 years ago, the first fully-fledged airborne force was incorporated into the Luftwaffe, the German air force. Doesn't that say something about the mobility and tactical deployment, communication, co- ordination, control and command that is required, an airborne force part of an air force. Weren't those Germans true professionals and just brilliant in their strategic vision and operational deployment of their airborne forces?
In fact, the German airborne assault on the Mediterranean Island of Crete happened exactly 72 years ago, from 20 May until 30 May 1941. On this day, at about this time, the German counter-attack takes Maleme airfield - not Malema - after two days of heavy fighting and heavy casualties on both sides, opening up the way for further reinforcements and a German victory. That didn't happen in the Central African Republic, CAR.
After 72 years, what a contrast with the SA National Defence Force's view of the deployment of airborne troops. That amounts to irresponsible leadership, either operational or political, and if a Supreme Commander cannot command or demand consequences, he should get out of the driver's seat and leave it to the professionals.
Like elsewhere in the Public Service and the executive, there are currently no proper consequences for the CAR disaster. What we really need is somebody accepting responsibility, accountability and suffering the consequences. We hope the hon Minister convinces the other members of the Cabinet and the Supreme Commander to dance to her tune, not to the tune of "bring me my machine gun", which turned out to be useless.
When the sun came out, it was called Waterkloof Air Force Base, but by the time the sun set, it was called Gupta International. [Interjections.]
Point of order, Chairperson.
What is the point of order? [Interjections.]
Chairperson, my point of order is that the whole speech has nothing to do with the Budget Vote of the Public Service. Could you ask the hon member to stick to the topic, please? Thank you.
Hon member, please ...
Thank you, Chairperson. When the sun came out in the short span of one day the Republic became a banana republic. But are we really a republic, except in name? [Interjections.]
If one looks at how the rulers of this country are acting, it is run more like a feudal state than a republic. [Interjections.]
Hon member, please stick to the debate.
Certainly. What this country needs is leadership unblemished by any rumours, skeletons in the closet or present and past scandals, supported by individuals of the same calibre and a change of organisational culture.
We cannot have silly excuses while the electorate and taxpayers are being insulted - yes, insulted - as it seems that often the intelligence of the electorate is being underestimated by leaders with silly excuses and silly explanations. Thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, Minister for the Public Service and Administration, Deputy Minister, Ministers who were here when the Budget Vote debate started, even though they are not here now, hon members, ladies and gentlemen in the public gallery, let me premise my debate by making a reference to the Reconstruction and Development Programme, which says, and I quote:
All people will have access to education and training throughout their lives to improve their skills and develop themselves. Priority will be given to the training of workers to meet the challenges of our new political and economic condition and our entry into the world's economy. Training will recognise and give credit to experience and skills.
I am starting with this quote with a view to linking it with the school of government that we spoke about earlier. That does not mean that there were no means and ways of skilling and equipping the Public Service, but what was happening is that there was no central co-ordination in relation to that. Therefore, the school of government will attempt to deal with what we could not do before.
The second point that I would like to refer to is the resolution that was taken by the ANC in its 51st conference in Stellenbosch. It said, and I quote:
Specific intervention instruments and programmes have to be developed and implemented in order to integrate women and people with disability into the mainstream of social development.
The ANC, in its own constitution, has a rule that makes reference to affirmative action and it says that at all levels of the structures of the organisation there will be no less than 50% who are women in leadership positions, starting from the branch level up to the level of the National Executive Council, the NEC. That's the ANC. The ANC took women and people with disabilities as human beings too. I know that on my left-hand side, it's like I am telling a folk story because they do not even want to know that.
For instance, if you look at the department, the Minister, the Deputy Minister, the chairperson of the portfolio committee, and the Whip of the ANC's study group are all women. That's the ANC. [Applause.] That's an indication and demonstration that the ANC does not say things that it cannot do. It starts at the level of the organisation and makes sure that even in areas of deployment, it does that. That's why we are doing that. Malibongwe! Unyanisile. [Let the name of women be praised. That is true.]
The area that needs special attention relates to employment equity. Yes, employment equity talks about balancing race, gender and people with disabilities. The ANC does look at that too, especially having said that there must be 2% of people with disabilities that are in the Public Service. It is important that it must not necessarily be located in the Department of Public Service and Administration in general. Let all government departments, whether it be Education, Police, and so forth, do likewise, because to me 2% is nothing. It is a minimum and not a maximum. It does not mean that if the department has achieved that 2% it has done everything. Two per cent is a minimum and we need to work on something more than that. That is the employment equity, which the DA does not want. [Applause.] With regard to ... [Interjections.]
Order! Order, hon members!
It is not for the first time the portfolio committee is hearing about the single Public Service that the Minister has spoken about. The members of the DA have been part of our meetings since they were redeployed by their leader, hon Mazibuko, to this portfolio committee.
The issue of the single Public Service has always been there, even when we had a strategic planning workshop at O R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. It was reported and they understood it. Even after that, the department came and explained what it meant by that because the committee had a number of questions. The department came back and continued answering the questions raised by the committee.
The Minister felt that she had to come herself and explain that, but until today, the DA does not know what the single Public Service means. It is clear that they won't know because they do not want to know. However, the department is expected to present the Bill to the portfolio committee no later than June. It is only then that we will look into the nitty-gritty of this Bill around the single Public Service.
You must not pre-empt that this Bill might come this way, because you won't have points to argue at that particular time. That's the ANC. The issue of the single Public Service is a resolution of the ANC. You must know that.
The school of government, which will be launched in October, is a good move, but at the same time there are Sector Education and Training Authorities, Setas, within the Public Service that are responsible for skills development within the Public Service, even if they are departmentally linked.
It is important to start bringing those Setas on board now, working together with the Department of Higher Education and Training. We must find out what problems they have and the impact those problems will have on the programme of the school of government moving forward. This will be done in order not to have a school of government and Setas with different programmes that would clash with each other. I think it will be fine if we are going to approach it that way. [Interjections.] It is an ANC resolution.
With regard to the Human Resource Development Strategic Framework, there are four pillars that I would like mention for the DA, because members of the ANC do know them. Pillar one is the capacity development initiatives; pillar two is the organisational support initiatives; pillar three is governance and institutional development initiatives; and pillar four is initiatives for government's economic growth and development. We are saying these things in order for you to copy what you can do if you want to be like the ANC. It's a dream. In fact, one day it will come true.
Let me assist the Minister so that when she comes, she does not have to deal with everything that was raised here. Let me start with discipline in the Public Service. With regard to discipline, there are procedures, dictated by the Constitution of the Republic, fair justice to workers. That means that you cannot just wake up and dismiss a worker just because, as an employer, you are saying that the worker has committed an offence.
If you want to do that, it must be in line with section 36 of the Constitution, which deals with limitations. Whatever you do must be accommodated in terms of section 36 of the Constitution. If not, then you can't just do as the DA wants the ANC to do. Who will then come up to the DA and say that the ANC government just dismisses workers without even following the procedures and legislation that it put in place. I thought it was important to raise that.
Hon Ramatlakana, in your absence, I think his leader wanted to be the only one debating on the Gupta debate in the House. Because he lost that opportunity, when we were dealing with Budget Vote No 12, Public Service and Administration, he put in Gupta. So, he does not know where Gupta belongs. Wherever he goes, it's Gupta. Even where he is sitting, it's Gupta. Even the water that he is drinking is Gupta. Everything to help him is Gupta. [Interjections.] That's an indication and confirmation of what the ANC's speakers said in the House at 2 o'clock, when they said that the opposition did not want to hear the truth. If what they are saying is not said, it must be said again and again. [Interjections.]
Minister, when you presented your budget, you made mention that ... [Laughter.] [Interjections.] ... as we are here, we came to Parliament through struggles. I was looking at the opposition when you said that. I thought that they would stand up and say no, don't count us, because during the struggle we were not there, because they were not there. I know that the DA was formed after 27 April 1994. Therefore, you were not there during the struggle. You are an organisation that was formed as a result of the democratic breakthrough for which the ANC fought for more than eight years. [Interjections.]
Order, order, hon members! You must listen and hear the speaker.
They must listen. [Laughter.] The same thing applies to Cope, the ACDP, including the UDM. All of them were formed after 27 April 1994. [Interjections.] Therefore, there can be no reference to the struggle that made this democracy that we are enjoying here today. [Applause.] [Interjections.] I'm responding to what you have said. [Applause.]
The DA raised disciplinary matters that have not been attended to in Limpopo, but they forgot to mention that those public servants who are charged as we speak are as a result of the intervention of the government, led by the ANC, in that province. You forgot to raise the fact that as a result of that intervention, many public servants were charged. [Interjections.] There are procedures and processes that have to be followed.
Chairperson, on a point of order: I think hon Williams accused the DA of something about apartheid, if I heard correctly. If that is the case, it is unparliamentary and unbecoming, offensive language because it was a crime against humanity, as you know. If you are accusing us of a crime against humanity, you have a problem, sir. I am just pointing it out and if that is what he said, it is a problem. Thank you.
Hon member, you may continue. As for the point of order, it is not necessarily unparliamentary, but we shall check.
The DA also made reference to daily protests. What they could not mention was that on Monday this week ... [Interjections.]
Hon Nyekemba, you have one minute left.
Thank you very much. Let me finish this one about the DA. They did not mention the fact that on Monday there was a protest where people could not reach the airport. Those who were coming from Johannesburg could not meet their appointments because of the protest where the DA governs. Thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, no, impossible. [Interjections.] On a point of order: There is a miscommunication here. [Interjections.] Okay.
Chairperson, ladies and gentlemen, members of the House, I would like to acknowledge members in the gallery. I did not have the opportunity to do so at the beginning. To begin with, we have with us here my son - I cannot see him from here. Welcome and thank you for your support. I would like to welcome members of the Public Service Commission, members of my advisory team; members of the team of academics who form part of the task team; the top management of my entities, without whom this particular Budget Vote would not have been possible. They all worked very hard to make sure that we are well represented today and we can put forward the successes that we have been able to notch up. Thank you very much for being here. [Applause.]
Allow me to apologise in advance for this display that you have seen here. Members of Parliament are normally quite well behaved. Today just seems to have been a bad day. [Laughter.] It is not their normal state. They are extremely appreciative of the work that you do do. I thought that they would express it very directly to you, but they do do that to me - they express their appreciation for your hard work. So, please, allow them this space. It is very late in the day and I think that is why you find them in this kind of mood. [Interjections.]
It will not be possible for me to deal with all the issues that were raised here, because I do not have the time. I would like to thank all the members of the portfolio committee who participated today, especially those who supported me. I am certain that the DA supports the Budget Vote as well. It is just that they have to grandstand from time to time, because it is part of their DNA. That is what they are expected to do. [Laughter.] [Interjections.] Yes, I have very strong DNA.
Hon Minister, the Table informs me that you have one more minute left.
Thank you very much. I needed to express this: The DA has taken the opportunity to cast aspersions on the integrity of my legal adviser. I want to say to the hon Marais it is unfortunate that you should do that in a Budget Vote. You should have made sure that you got your facts clear. The issue that had landed the President in court over the issue of Menzi Simelane was the appointment procedure, not Menzi Simelane himself.
Yes! [Applause.]
I have appointed him because of his skills. He has been the Director-General of Justice. He has worked very hard and has had outstanding results. He is a very capable man, and I am very proud that he is working with me. [Applause.] [Interjections.]
Thank you very much for this opportunity. To all the members here, to the UCDP, to the ACDP, this is a Rolls-Royce engine. Thank you very much, all of you, for your support. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Debate concluded.