Deputy Speaker, amongst all the doom and gloom in the country currently, allow me to congratulate the Springboks on their well deserved win and making South Africa proud. [Applause.]
Deputy Speaker, the NFP welcomes the report of the Department of International Relations tabled here today. But allow me equally to express our disappointment at the qualified audit opinion that this department has received.
Once again, the issue of the asset register has not been dealt with and in visiting some of these countries, particularly in the SADEC regions, some of these countries tell us that some of these properties belongs to us and South Africa don't even have a record of it so I think it is quite a challenge and I think we need to deal with it.
Allow me agree with my colleagues from the EFF, yes indeed, the United States is the greatest monster on earth and unless we deal with them, there will be no peace and security anywhere in the world. So actually we should be boycotting them at every level, to be honest with you. [Interjections.] Deputy Speaker, a R298 million in irregular expenditure is totally unacceptable. Now the Auditor General has reported on the performance of the accounting officer and
What we would like to see as the NFP is, consequence management, because this accounting officer cannot be holding the post any longer while the Auditor General has indicated that he has failed in his duty. On the issue of the Palestinians, the NFP wants to express its
disappointment that, 23 months later this government has not implemented the downgrading of the South African embassy in Israel to liaison office.
Further more, we want to say that the issue of Southern African Development Community, SADC, we want you to relook at it, whether it is feasible. For us to go there twice a year with our entire team, we believe that once a year will be good enough because there is very little of benefit. The issue of the reduction in the diplomatic mission in terms of trying to reduce our costs is a matter that we need to deal with. But the NFP will support this. Thank you.