Chairperson, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and officials from all departments, our policy is premised on building a better Africa, a better South Africa and a better world. We are advocating for building south-south relations and advancing north-south relations. This will be carried out in the rule-based international system.
South Africa is a member of various international intergovernmental organisations which include the Southern African Customs Union, Sacu, Southern African Development Community, SADC, African Union, AU, UN, World Trade Organisation, WTO, and Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Brics, to mention just a few. The
participation of South Africa in these international bodies is guided by our policies as highlighted.
We advocating for an international system in which international disputes can be resolved within multilateral fora. In the recent past, the world has witnessed a shift from multilateralism to unilateralism. The big economies are imposing tariffs measures against each other outside the agreed rule-based international system. To illustrate this point, the US has imposed section 232 measures on the basis of national security. This has affected South Africa exports of steel, aluminium, autos and components. This will inevitably impact negatively on our steel industry and global productivity.
The tit-for-tat trade war between the US and China also put a burden on global productivity and worsens the commodity-based economies in the developing countries. Our view is that deviation from rule-based international system may lead to chaos in the international system.
Our trade policy is part of broad developmental strategies of government that aims to promote and accelerate economic growth along a path that generates sustainable decent jobs in order to reduce
poverty and extreme inequalities that characterise the present South African society and economy.
The integration of Africa was further intensified by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, AfCFTA, by South Africa earlier this year. The former Minister of Trade and Industry commented that the coming together of Africa comprises 55 African countries, and once entered into force, will constitute the largest free trade area globally. As a flagship project of the African Union's Agenda 2063, the AfCFTA aims to build an integrated market in Africa that will see a market that will cover one billion people with a combined GDP of approximately $3,3 trillion. It will create a single market for goods and services in Africa envisaged and it will be unlocked by 2022.
In advancing the south-south relations, South Africa participates in the Brics group. We have witnessed the signing of the Southern African Customs Union-India Preferential Trade Agreement, India- Sacu, and the Southern African Customs Union, and the Southern Common Market, Sacu-Mercusor Preferential Trade Area. These agreements create a legal basis for further integration and co- operation including through possible further exchange of tariff preference as well as co-operation in other areas.
We also commend our government for the pre-emptive steps is undertaking in the face of the Britain exit, Brexit, matter. The discussions around the roll-over of the economic partnership between Sacu and Mozambique and the UK is a step in the right direction that will ensure that in the event of the finalisation of Brexit, the partnership agreement will be rolled over. These discussions aim to maintain the effects of the existing Economic Partnership Agreement, EPA, provisions, focusing on technical amendments without necessarily amending the substance of the current agreement and to avoid trade disruption once the UK leaves the European Union, EU.
Coming closer to home, we all know that the economy can only grow and flourish in an environment of peace and the rule of law. Crime and corruption are impediments to our economic growth. We comment the steps taken by our government and other state institutions in dealing with corruption and crime. Violence has led to loss of lives of our people in various parts of our country and is a cause for concern. The intervention by the military to curb gangsterism in the areas of Cape Town is a welcomed move.
It should be concerning for the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape provincial government as to why there is such a high level of gangsterism and crime in the Cape Town metro. Is gangsterism and
crime not linked to the failure of the socioeconomic policies? And it is all our responsibility, and not only the Western Cape. Every one of our citizens is responsible for resolving this problem. We need a comprehensive approach to deal with crime in our country, and Cape Town in particular. These young people who are involved in crime might have lost hope. We need to revive their hopes for the future. We must in the context of social compact, as outlined by the President, call upon all role- players - government, civil society organisation and our people in general - to engage in a dialogue to find a lasting solution to the problems in our crime in our country. Young people cannot lie idle on our streets. We must use initiatives and programmes of our government, especially Small Business Development and Trade and Industry together with communities to find ways of supporting young entrepreneurs.
I cannot conclude without commenting on what some of the other people have said here. Minister, you spoke about changing the narrative in the country on the DTI. In fact, it is important that we change the negative narrative. Part of my past job was to invite people to invest in South Africa. The difficulty is the kind of perceptions that are created by some of the opposition people. They create a negative perception when they talk about the rand about investment. Fortunately, more investors look at the facts, they look
at the fundamentals and I not scared by the perceptions that are created.
The Minister of Small Business spoke about the cutting of the red tape and a less expensive way. The chairperson of the committee presented the view of this committee very successfully in supporting Vote 31, Vote 25 and Vote 34.
Hon member Boshoff spoke about the loss of jobs and people wanting to leave the country. I think I just need remind her that the Agricultural Revolution created jobs, the Industrial Revolution created jobs and gave rise to trade unions, and the Technological Revolution has made unemployment systemic throughout the world - whether you are in London, New York or Paris. All of these are because of the technological revolution. Have we dealt with the policy issues? We have to deal with that. Actually, the north is now considering a four-day working week to deal with this kind of issues because they are looking at the policy issues.
I want to say to my young fighters that there was an author who wrote that no person is an island; no country is an island; for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. South Africa is not by itself; South Africa is small and its economy is small. You must realise
that we are part of the larger world and we have to look at what the larger world is doing. Sometimes we compromise and look at how we actually fit into that. [Applause.]
The President said he buy his suits in Salt River. But some of the supermarkets buy tomatoes and cherries from somewhere in the Middle East and sell them to us. I think we should all become proudly South Africans and buy South Africans. And together with the trade union movements, we must go on a campaign and persuade the business community to buy South African. With those few words thank you very much, Madam Chair. [Aplause.]