Madam Deputy Speaker, Cope commends the Competition Commission. It has achieved outstanding results. The benefits of these results for South African consumers and poor people, in particular, have been considerable.
What is remarkable about this agency is that it works so efficiently with such limited resources at its disposal. Its key managers are performance oriented, and even though it has a budget of about R120 million, its output is huge.
The commission has scored major successes against monopolies, oligopolies and cartels. All of these distort market forces. Furthermore, they keep new entrants from emerging on the scene. Their influence on marginalised people has been as insidious as the apartheid-era politics. Therefore, we salute the settlement by the Competition Commission with Pioneer Foods.
However, the key question that we want to put is: How much of the settlement will cascade down to the Competition Commission? How much? We are asking this because at the present moment we have a problem of capacity with regard to the Competition Commission and the tribunal.
The second issue is with regard to the amount of money that the poor have been robbed of by the very same companies. How much of that money will find its way back to those communities?
Lastly, we would like to make a point about ArcelorMittal. Currently in South Africa manufacturing is shrinking. We have serious problems with regard to steel pricing. How much influence does the Industrial Development Corporation, IDC, in particular, have together with the relevant departments in ensuring that the price of steel is reduced?
Cope would like to salute the achievement of the Competition Commission. We say that it has to be assisted - and in many ways. Thank you. [Applause.]