Deputy Speaker, the DA will not support the Budget Vote for Labour this year because the director-general, Mr Jimmy Manyi, artificially created future expenditure to justify an additional R1 billion to the budget. The shortage of labour inspectors in all provinces is not adequately addressed in this budget. Currently, the inspectors are not adequately resourced to enable them to do their work.
The Compensation Fund does not deliver on its mandate of compensating injured workers. Instead, it admitted recently before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa, that the Fund has been defrauded to the amount of R24,6 million in false claims.
A contract agreement between Siemens and the Department of Labour for the amount of R1,7 billion resulted in fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
The Portfolio Committee on Labour did an oversight visit in provinces last week, and we have seen that the poor do not benefit from the services in labour centres, especially with the Compensation and Unemployment Insurance Fund. Thank you.