Hon Speaker and Deputy Speaker, thank you very much for this opportunity. Hon President, Deputy President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, all important and hon members of this Joint Sitting, my greetings to you ...
IsiXhosa:
... ngale ntsasa.
This is a very special month where we honour the role that was played by young people to put the country where it is today. This debate on the first state of the nation address in the sixth term of Parliament comes soon after Members of Parliament have taken oath or affirmation to obey, respect and uphold the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. As the majority party, the ANC accepts the mandate to lead government in dealing with complex challenges that our country faces and to achieve a better life for all.
We have accepted this responsibility with humility knowing that our people have embraced our elections manifesto which they helped to shape. Ours is to implement, implement and implement and implement.
IsiXhosa:
Siyabulela kakhulu ukubona ukuba abavoti beli lizwe basathembele kakhulu kumbutho wesizwe. Icekwa ke lilele kuthi ukuba sikhawulezise ukuzisa ubomi obungcono nobomi ababulangazelelayo apha eMzantsi Afrika.
We believe that as we begin our walk in the Sixth Parliament we need to set a tone for the next five years during this debate. We must assert quite boldly that this is a new term and while there is continuity in many respects there will be change. Change is inevitable. Our President, the head of the state and the government of the Republic of South Africa has acknowledged quite candidly an enormity of the challenges facing our country, our continent as well as the world.
The President talked about the dream because there is no revolution without a dream. Any revolution without a dream is a dead revolution. [Applause.] The President has outlined more that 21 concrete plans on how to take South Africa. You may revisit your own state of the nation address document. He was very specific on how to grow economy.
IsiXhosa:
Uqoqosho alukhuli ngokomyinge ebesiwulindele. Loo nto uMongameli uyichaphazele...
... because as a country we must be honest to ourselves to say whilst we have a clear vision but we must also be practical on issues that are affecting our country and be realistic. Unemployment remains high particularly amongst young people. Our country endures unacceptable levels of income of wealth inequalities. Inequality has been proven in studies internationally to be a single most important driver of violent crime and social instability.
IsiXhosa:
Umsantsa ovulekileyo kumasilingane unyanzelisa ukuba sibhinqele phezulu ukwenza iinguqu ngokukhawulezileyo ukuze wonke ummi weli lizwe azibone enekamva elikhuselekileyo. Le Ndlu yoWiso-mthetho yeSizwe kufuneka iqinise izihlahla...
English:
... in strengthening our democratic state, we need a state that is developmental, effective and clean. We need a state that is embedded in the network with social partners but at the same time autonomous and not a state that can be captured.
IsiXhosa:
Sifuna ilizwe elingenakuphinda libanjwe ngobhongwana ngamaqothaqikili azingela ephethe ityuwa. Siza kukhokela nkalo zonke sincediswa nguMgaqo- siseko esiwuhloniphileyo xa besithatha izifungo apha ngaphakathi kule Ndlu yoWiso-mthetho yeSizwe.
English:
We are raising this matter based on the concerns that our people have expressed in our interactions with them over a past few months...
IsiXhosa:
... besixelela oko banqwenela ukuba umbutho wesizwe ungakwenza. Sibamamele bonke abantu xa bebesithi le Palamente mayimele bona.
English:
Our people said that they want this Parliament to be about them and their needs and not about the politicians. As the ANC we commit that this is going to be a Parliament about our people and not about the individual priorities. Indeed the people have
given us a mandate to restore the dignity and decorum of this institution.
IsiXhosa:
Bathe bagxininisa ukuba thina bathunyiweyo kufuneka sigcine isidima sale Ndlu yoWiso-mthetho yeSizwe.
English:
I therefore want to foreground my input to some fundamental principles. The principles that we will work tirelessly to restore the integrity and esteem with which Parliament is held by all are...
IsiXhosa:
... intembeko, imbeko, ukuzithoba nokuzinikela kumkhomba-ndlela okhoyo ekumeleni abantu boMzantsi Afrika.
English:
This Parliament must not be a conveyor belt but an activist Parliament that is going to deliver on the needs of our people. In South Africa the Constitution is the supreme law of the
republic. Any law or conduct inconsistent with it is invalid and the obligation imposed must be fulfilled.
Sesotho:
Ke kopa hore ha re bua mona kapa re etsa mosebetsi wa rona - rona bohle ba le teng ka mona - re hlomphe Molaotheo.
English:
A constitutional judgement once said this in 2016, and I quote:
Parliament is the voice of all South Africans especially the poor, the voiceless and the least remembered. It is the watchdog of the state resources, the enforcer of fiscal and cost-effectiveness of the common good of all our people. It fulfils a pre-eminently unique role of holding the executive accountable for the fulfilment of the promises made to the populace through the state of the nation address, budget speeches, policies, legislation and Constitution.
As the ANC, we wish to appeal to all members of this institution to uphold the Constitution by ensuring that Parliament is able to fulfil its constitutional obligation without fear, favour and prejudice. As members of the ANC we are going to hold our executive accountable in ensuring that they deliver on what they have committed. The Constitutional Court judgement continues:
The President is the head of the state and of the executive. The promotion of national unity and reconciliation falls squarely on his shoulders. To him the executive authority of the entire republic is primarily entrusted. He initiates and gives the final stamp of approval to all national legislations. He is a constitutional being by design, a national pathfinder, a commander-in chief of state affairs and a personification of the nation's constitutional project.
IsiXhosa:
Kuyenzeka ukuba sinike i-Ofisi kaMongameli oko kumele ukuba ikwenze ngokoMgaqo-siseko, njengoko kutyikityiwe kwaye thina bantu bakhoyo kufuneka xa senza izigxeko ibe zizigxeko
ezisisondezayo ekwakheni uMzantsi Afrika. Loo nto iza kwenza ukuba abo basichongileyo basibone sigxininisa kwintsebenziswano, kumanyano nokubheka phambili.
English:
There is a difference between robust debate and the undermining of a person's human dignity, denigration of a constitutional office on the matter.
IsiXhosa:
Isahluko sesibini salo Mgaqo-siseko sithetha ngamalungelo oluntu abantu baseMzantsi Afrika ekufuneka ukuba bawaxhamle. Loo nto ithetha ukuba nomnye okwenye i-ofisi kumele ukuba anikwe intlonipho nelungelo alifaneleyo. Kaloku sinemvelaphi apho izidima zabantu zazirhuqelwa eludakeni. Ngeli xesha lokukhokela kwethu sithi leyo into kufuneka ibeyinto yayizolo khona ukuze singaphindi sibanjwe yibandezelo nentlupheko.
English:
We have been elected on the basis of the manifesto of our political parties. However, there is only one political party
that overwhelmingly the majority of the South African citizens have elected to form government.
IsiXhosa:
Besiphume sonke apha sisithi ebantwini silungele ukukhokela kodwa abantu beli lizwe baye bayiqonda ukuba bafuna bani abakhokele ngeli xesha. Sithi ke masisebenzeni kunye kuba singakwazi ukuba senze lukhulu njengabemi boMzantsi Afrika. UKhongolose usathunyiwe ukuba athwale zonke iimfuno zakhe kwaye noxanduva lwesizwe lubekwe kuye.
English:
As the ANC we are committed to ensure that voices of all our constituencies are heard. ANC members are committed to become, once again, the tribunes of the people. We need to find new and better ways for organised people to come to public hearings and to take Parliament closer to our people through its activities. ANC is a leader of the society and has a track record that has spanned over a century.
IsiXhosa:
Umkhomba-ndlela ukhona kwaye nexwebhu lwezithembiso zolonyulo luyibeka elubala into eza kwenziwa. Besele nditshilo ukuba imigomo engama-21 ibonakalisiwe ukuba kuza kwenzeka ntoni na ngale minyaka mihlanu. Ezinye ziza kuthi zityakatywe mva kodwa uMongameli uyibeke yacaca ukuba umbutho wesizwe...
English:
... that led the campaign that culminated to the adoption of the Freedom Charter in Kliptown which was on this day...
IsiXhosa:
... awusayi kuyityeshela nanini na.
English:
The President has also highlighted government's commitment to place research and evidence at the centre of policy making and implementation. He further explained seven priorities for the sixth administration. As the ANC we affirm that the National Development Plan, NDP, which is supported by the overwhelming majority of parties, represented in this House and the most civil society formations. Our people have told us that they
expect government to tackle social and economic challenges in a much more efficient, cost-effective and decisive manner. That is why the President has moved swiftly to integrate departments because we are a listening organisation. We have listened to the South Africans, to other parties who proposed to us to cut down, integrate or merge the departments. The President has done exactly that. South Africans appreciate the determination by the various spheres of government to curb unnecessary spending.
To demonstrate, in the provincial legislatures we have seen how they have cut the expenditure on the state of the provincial address as well as in the state of the nation address.
IsiXhosa:
Siza kujika sibengookhala kwi-ANC abaza kuqinisekisa ukuba iKhabhinethi yenza zonke izibophelelo njengoko izithembiso zolonyulo zisiyalela khona ukuze kuncothulwe neengcambu izigidi zabantu kwintlupheko , ukuswela imisebenzi nokungalingani. Asisokuze sivume ukutsalelwa etshungwini.
English:
ANC will not descend into an arena of childishness and political vulgarity no matter how much we are provoked, like you are doing but...
IsiXhosa:
... thina siza kuhlala sizikise amehlo kuba kaloku sithunyiwe apha. [Kwahlekwa.]
English:
We cannot be throwing rhetoric insults. We challenge our colleagues from all parties to help us to profile our debates in these Houses. Our people have elected this Parliament...
IsiXhosa:
... ukuba sonke sikwazi ukusebenzisana kunye. Chairman Mao Zedong famously said:
Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend.
Ultimately, we would like to be judged by the manner in which the institution delivers to the aspirations of all people of South Africa. While the ANC has overwhelmingly majority in this House, we believe in building consensus by fostering a culture of mature political engagement on matters affecting Parliament. We call on all parties here that we must use all structures that are available at our disposal and most importantly the Chief Whips Forum as the most important platform to manage our strategic issues. This will allow the two Houses of Parliament to get on with their business of exercising oversight, making passing quality legislation and effectively representing our people.
As the ANC we fully endorse the manifesto that was presented here by the President and we are saying that we are ready to work and we are going to work together with all the people of South Africa. We know what is it that we have committed through the manifesto and we will be doing exactly that, notwithstanding the economic challenges of our country. Growing the economy is one of the most challenging aspects of our country. We are prepared to work together with all the South Africans to ensure
that we close the gap between the poor and the rich. South Africa, as a country must be the South Africa that has a South African that is also committed to come out and help the government. We must work in a social contract with the people of South Africa to ensure that we receive what our people have sent us to do here.
We must also take into cognisance that our public servants must also be the public servants that are ready to work as per the mandate of the budget speeches and the policy speeches that will be tabled in this Parliament. We therefore say that we fully support the manifesto and we are going to play our robust oversight to all the members of the executive council. We have a clear plan of action which is a five year manifesto. I thank you very much.