Mr Speaker, the Minister has now tabled three Budgets in extremely challenging global conditions. That our country remains fiscally resilient is acredit to the millions of South Africans who work to keep this economy going and to our well-managed national accounting system.
The DA welcomes the fact that, within this Fiscal Framework, there is a focus on public infrastructure investment. This was neglected by the former Finance Minister, who oversaw 10 years of inadequate public expenditure on infrastructure between 1996 and 2006. We welcome the stated commitment to fighting corruption and fixing procurement, and we welcome Treasury's new flexibility on tax incentives for special economic zones.
Overall, we support the Minister's vision of building a capable state, but we fear that this vision will continue to be ideologically undermined by Cosatu, compromised by deployed cadres, and eventually drowned in regulation imposed by various Ministers, each eager to intervene in the economy in a totally unco-ordinated way. [Interjections.]
HON MEMBERS: Hear! Hear!