Hon Chairperson, this department is the custodian of information and is responsible for the national communications policy and strategy, information dissemination and publicity; and the branding of our country. It is incredibly difficult to discuss only budgetary matters when 91,3 per cent or R4,6 billion of the department's total budget will be transferred to entities for the implementation of communications and broadcasting policies. It is no surprise who will receive the bulk of the billions, but the uncertainty around the sustainability of the South African Broadcasting Corporation and its current business model is what affects the work of this department most.
As the sole shareholder, Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams has not been doing a "stella" job. Without having to debate inconsistencies and the relationship of the department with National Treasury, we must never forget that the people who will bear the brunt due to a lack of financial certainty, poor management and lack of
oversight and blatant ineptitude - are the many faces behind the public broadcaster. They need to put food on the table. They need to ensure their children's school fees are paid and that they are able to cover their bonds, or their car payments or their credit.
The board's pockets are lined as they are getting paid per meeting, yet producing zero results. There is no bang for buck and if this were to be any company, it would be addressed. If key performance areas are not to be met over this medium term, all hope would be lost. We must never forget that when right at the top things are unravelling, the worst affected are the ones who put in the hours of work to make ends meet.
The situation at the SABC right now, is not something we should as a nation take lightly. There are many lessons which have been learnt over the years and there are many examples of state owned entities which have become successful enterprises by opening up to private sector investment and shareholdings. Such a public and private partnership is required to move the SABC forward and out of the red. It is a shame really, that we have found
ourselves in this position. The lack of consequences for gross neglect flies in the face of the millions of South Africans who rely on the SABC for their information, their entertainment and their upliftment.
It is unacceptable, it is a waste of public funds and it is grave shame that various Ministers have failed to fix and clean up the public broadcaster. The welcomed merger and rebranding of the department to include digital technologies is a step in the right direction. But face painting is meaningless without action. The state of the telecommunications industry in our country is a missed opportunity to unlock jobs for our people and to reach out to the millions of people who live in rural South Africa. Digital technologies and opportunities have been squandered due to the lack of policy certainty within that department and the political will has not been there to turnaround the entities of the department.
Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams certainly does have a challenging portfolio of entities, boards and industries to manage. It is important that she focuses and is able to navigate the industry
sharks in prioritising the creation of jobs and opportunities for young South Africans in the tech space. Chairperson, the IFP is extremely concerned over the possible adverse health effects associated with the roll out of 5G Communications. We urge government to exercise the utmost precaution as is mandatory in terms of international agreements to which we are party as well as in terms of our own constitution.
We must caution and conscientize this house of the many dangers which are posed by the radiation which are scientifically proven to be harmful when exposed to humans, particularly young people in the roll out of 5G. In this respect we have submitted a number of parliamentary questions to the Ministers of Health and Communications, Environment, and the JCPS cluster. We urge the Minister to conduct independent investigations into possible adverse health and well-being effects of 5G. The IFP supports this budget. I thank you.