Agb Voorsitter, dit is so dat wetenskap, tegnologie en innovasie een van daardie dryfkragte agter enige ekonomie is. In 'n ekonomie waar daar nie aandag aan die drie aspekte gegee word nie, kom so 'n ekonomie eintlik tot stilstand. Dit is dus goed dat hierdie en vorige regerings nogal aandag gegee het aan die totstandkoming van 'n hele aantal wetenskaplike instellings, waarvan nie almal in hierdie Ministerie saamgevat is nie, maar wel agt belangrikes. Hierdie agt het elkeen 'n ander agtergrond soos die RGN, die Raad vir Geesteswetenskaplike Navorsing, maar ook al die ander, wat op die menslike aspek van die ekonomie en die samelewing fokus.
Elkeen het op sy eie manier tot stand gekom en daarom is dit 'n goeie idee om 'n bietjie belyning in die organisasie van hierdie instellings te bring.
Dit is belangrik dat daar deur hierdie wetsontwerp erken word dat daar 'n geweldige skaarsheid - en die komitee het die woord "dearth" [skaarsheid] gebruik - aan vaardighede en kennis op die terrein van wetenskap, tegnologie en innovasie is. As 'n mens kan sien dat daar wel so 'n skaarsheid is, dan is dit eintlik onverstaanbaar dat 'n mens daardie skaarsheid kunsmatig vergroot deur middel van transformasieteikens en swart ekonomiese bemagtiging, deur te s dat soveel persent van die kundiges uit 'n bepaalde seksie van die demografie moet kom.
Dit verslaan eintlik die doelwit, want ons het reeds te min vaardighede. Ons moet elke persoon wat die kennis, die vaardighede of die ervaring het om in hierdie terrein te dien, betrek en verwelkom. Ons moet niemand onwelkom laat voel nie.
Daar is baie keer 'n opvatting aan die regterkant van die Huis, maar partykeer ook aan die ander kant dat, as die VF Plus homself teen swart ekonomiese bemagtiging as 'n ekonomiese maatrel uitspreek, dit is asof die VF Plus s dat swart mense nie in staat is om die werk te doen nie. Dit is baie ver van die waarheid af. Dit is nie die kwessie nie. Dit gaan daaroor dat enige mens, ongeag afkoms, nasionaliteit, opvoeding, ensovoorts, in 'n posisie gestel word, nie op grond van sy vaardighede, kennis of ervaring nie, maar op grond van 'n demografiese profiel.
Verder, as daardie persoon, as gevolg van sy demografiese profiel, ook nie uit die pos vewyder kan word nie, dan is so 'n persoon geneig om nie juis te presteer nie. Verder, 'n ander persoon wat wel oor die kennis, vaardighede en ervaring beskik, maar demografies verkeerd geplaas is, gaan doodgewoon land uit na waar daar 'n behoefte is aan dit wat hy weet.
Wat meer is, van die talle en talle en talle swart persone wat in oorvloed oor die kennis, ervaring en vaardighede beskik om hierdie poste te beklee, is so gesog, want elke staatsonderneming, elke privaatonderneming en elkeen wat sake in hierdie land van ons doen, wil daardie mense h om hul bemagtigingspunte op te stapel en te kan s dat hulle aan die wetlike vereistes voldoen. Dit beteken dat hierdie mense nooit lank genoeg in een pos bly om die ding werklik onder die knie te kry en dit tot sy reg te laat kom nie.
As die VF Plus s dat ons hierdie wetsontwerp ondersteun, maar dat ons dink dit moes verder gegaan het en ook ges het dat swart ekonomiese bemagtigingsteikens uit die terrein van wetenskap en tegnologie gehaal moet word, dan is dit nie omdat ons s dat dit mense is wat nie oor die vaardighede beskik nie. Inteendeel, dit is om erkenning te gee aan almal wat oor hierdie kennis en vaardighede beskik en die vermo het om Suid- Afrika verder te neem.
Mr W M THRING Dr W J BOSHOFF
Hon House Chair, the ACDP is cognisant of the fact that this Bill which deals with the amendment of the Scientific Research Council Act of 1988, the Academy of Science of South Africa Act of 2001, the Human Sciences Research Council Act of 2008, the Technology Innovation Agency Act of 2008, and the South African National Space Agency Act of 2008, essentially seeks to achieve the following: the harmonisation of the process for the terminisation of the membership of boards or councils, clarification of the requirements for the disqualification of persons from membership of boards or councils, as well as providing for circumstances where members of boards or councils are prohibited from participating or voting in the boards or councils meetings, amongst other things.
Hon House Chair, if South Africa is to meaningfully compete in the science and technology space, then it must have the administrative capacity and strength to do so, because any organisation is only as strong as its internal ability to plan, strategise, envision and then implement. There can be no external growth if the internal capacity or core of an organisation has rotted or become weak. The ACDP is aware that this Bill seeks to strengthen the core within the science and technology sector. It is our view that if this is done properly, efficiently and transparently, the external knock on effect of preparing our students to become global players and contributors to the science and technology space can indeed become a reality.
We, within the African Christian Democratic Party, believe that there is no lack of intelligence, ability and potential among the students of South Africa. To a large extent, however, there has been a mismatch with respect to the skills required by industry, and the skills produced within the education, science and technology sector. This is a recipe for disaster, and will continue to be a drain on our industrial and economic recovery, which is so desperately needed.
In conclusion, as this Bill has the noble intention of harmonising termination processes and, in general, strengthening the administration processes in the boards and councils of the relevant entities, the ACDP is cautiously optimistic that this internal administrative strengthening process will have the positive leveraging effect of strengthening our skills capacity, and thereby unlocking the enormous potential of our students who will be able to do us proud in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The ACDP supports this Bill. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mr S N AUGUST Mr W M THRING
Thank you, House Chair. Good notes the December 2019 recommendations from the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology that the National Assembly passes the Bill. We thank the multiparty committee for their work and welcome the amendments that aim to ensure that all public entities comply with the Public Finance Management Act. I also appreciate the submission received that anyone with a criminal record must be disqualified. However, from my own experience working in the justice sector, I know that, sometimes, criminals are able to be reformed.
The amendment to disqualify any person convicted for fraud, corruption or any other crime involving dishonesty from being considered for a board position for at least a decade is accepted. However, we all know even without a criminal record, the wrong people can still be appointed. We have seen how corruption and maladministration results in the waste or theft of taxpayers' money. To protect the poor and our country's finances, Good welcomes the stronger measures to ensure compliance with the Public Finance Management Act and the Bill's measures to clamp down on cadre deployment board appointments by requiring the disclosure of any conflicts of interests.
Cadre deployment must be stopped. There are many qualified skilled people with no party affiliation that can do the job. It is a fact that cadre deployment has destroyed the independence, and often functionality, of government institutions. Good welcomes all efforts to stop corruption and cadre deployment and supports the amendments. Thank you.
Ms J S MANANISO / SRC (Afr) 26/02/20 @9:55 / NN (Eng) / TAKE ENDS AT 14:50