Hon Chairperson of this House, our Ministers present here, hon members of this esteemed House, colleagues from provincial legislatures, comrades, friends and compatriots, let me start by expressing our appreciation for this platform of the NCOP which allows us to engage on the important subject of the relationship between infrastructure delivery and transformation and development of our economy.
Let me also recognise the colleagues who have already shared with us some of the rich perspectives on this important subject, especially those colleagues from the glorious movement of our people the ANC. [Applause.]
However Chair, after listening to the previous hon member who has just left, some misconceptions as alluded earlier. I felt hon Mokause I perhaps should start with this quote which is very, very important.
I must introduce this by the judicious word of the late revered and highly decorated Indian economist Dr V K R V Rao, who said and I quote:
The link between infrastructure and development is not a once for all affair. It is a continuous process and progress in development has to be preceded accompanied and followed by progress in infrastructure, if we are to fulfil our declared objectives of self-accelerating process of economic development.
House Chair, I dare say that infrastructure delivery is to any economy, what oxygen is to the human body. [Applause.]
Infrastructure is a magnetic force that attracts investments to towns and cities, whilst at the same time providing competitive edge to local economies.
Infrastructure hon Mokause, you must understand, is an axis upon which any functioning economy revolves. For us to breathe life to our ailing economy, we need to focus and deliberate investment in infrastructure projects.
We can only win the war against sluggish economic and the increasing phenomena of unemployment by investing more in the building of quality roads, rail networks, water infrastructure, effective and reliable public transport systems, energy infrastructure, airports, telecommunications, broadband infrastructure network and urban development.
Hence we want to say Chair; we find this question that we are debating today very, very relevant unlike others. We want to say, it will be very difficult to lead this country in the next coming five years if we cannot comprehend these basics that we have just said now. [Applause.]
This Chair is the only effective way through which we can support our industrialisation agenda while at the same time helping to improve the quality of life of our people.
We in this regard Chair; must commend the Presidential Infrastructure Co- ordinating Commission for its work in this regard and commend President Ramaphosa in being the champion of the work of the Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission.
Hon Chair, I must agree with the hon Frazer from the beautiful province of KwaZulu-Natal that we as people and as a nation we come from a history where infrastructure development was meant to service the minority, the selected few and predominantly the white previlleged males of South Africa. [Applause.]
The vast majority of our people were deliberately excluded from benefiting from the roll out of infrastructure developments, particularly the economic infrastructure. As a young person, growing up in the remote villages of Senwabarwana in the beautiful province of Limpopo, the only time I could see a tarred road was when I visited a beautiful city of Polokwane. The only time you will see a telephone line it would be probably passing through a chain of
villages to connect to some isolated farm stead, serving a particular white male farmer.
Hon members who are not allergic to facts would then agree that over the past 25 years the ANC government has invested significantly in various infrastructure projects along the length and breadth of our country. This infrastructure roll out has been in a form of state facility has been in the form of state-of-art health facilities quality road networks, higher education infrastructure, bulk water infrastructure supply, energy infrastructure bulk water infrastructure supply, energy infrastructure and innovative project such as the Square Kilometre Array.
Chair, we are the first to accept that there have been challenges in the implementation of some of these projects. We also accept that corruption and inefficiency have also contributed in undermining some of the efforts of our government in this regard.
The energy supply challenges we are experiencing which also undermine the growth and development of our economy are partly as a result of some of these manmade problems we alluded to. Our choices in this regard are well- defined. We can either choose to lament
about past mistakes or we can choose the other ways of fixing these mistakes.
We in the ANC have already made the choice. As part of the Project Grow South Africa, we have chosen to fix the mistakes of the past. [Applause.]
There is no better place to start fixing our challenges than fixing our public power utility Eskom. The challenges of Eskom are our national challenges and we need to confront these challenges as a nation and as people.
We need solutions that are effective and durable. Self-amputation cannot be a solution to our challenges. It is only when you reach intellectual cal-de- sac that amputation becomes a solution to everything.
I know that other colleagues in this august House always lament about the use of public resources in breathing life to Eskom. However the point is that we are in a process of rebuilding. Rebuilding is a naturally painful process that require particular sacrifice.
Lest we be misunderstood, that we are canvassing for an exercise to throw public monies into dark bottomless pit of mismanagement and corruption. What we are saying is that we cannot abdicate our responsibilities to help build these entities to get back on their feet.
Hon Chair, let me also say we have noted a tendency both inside and outside this House, a tendency of people correctly lamenting against what has gone wrong in the country.
However the strangest thing is that these are always the first people who lament on top of their tables opposing what becomes the proposed solution to the challenges that we face as a country when we want to resolve them. [Applause.]
Chair, I honestly cannot imagine any successful effort to rebuild our entities, particularly Eskom which effort, is not supported and accompanied by necessary resources. We cannot shout the challenges of Eskom away. We need to reinvest in their resuscitation and we must commend Minister Mboweni and his team for their relentless effort in trying to find everlasting solution to these challenges.
Over the years there has been an unsustainable pattern of investing more of our infrastructure budget in areas that are already well off when it comes to infrastructure. The essence of this pattern and approach to development is that developed areas become more developed while underdeveloped areas become even more desperate for development.
We must make deliberate effort to invest more of our national resources in those areas like the Limpopo province which so desperately yearns for these resources. We must take a conscious decision to work with the provincial government to fully commercialise the Hoedspruit Airport. We must support efforts such as the expansion of the Polokwane Gateway Airport.
The national government should invest resources in supporting projects such as the Leeto La Polokwane which is the city's Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network. We can only succeed if we are willing to be brave and break new ground.
One of the biggest projects currently taking places in Limpopo is the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone. There is already a huge investor appetite in this project.
As we conclude Chair, we want to say indeed through an oversight responsibility this House must play a critical role in ensuring that the executive continues to put infrastructure delivery at the centre of economic transformation of this country. Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, let us continue our wining partnership to grow South Africa and build a better country not only for our self, but for our children and many generations to come. Let the ANC live and live for ever. Thank you very much. [Applause.]