Voorsitter, swak administrasie en bestuur het 'n direkte invloed op mense se lewens en is veral sigbaar in die visbedryf. Verskonings van te min geld en te min mense is nie meer geldig nie. [Chairperson, poor administration and management have a direct impact on people's lives and are especially visible in the fishing industry. Excuses of a lack of money and too few people are no longer valid.]
It is no use having a so-called cheap government. At what cost?
Op die oomblik het ons ongeveer 55 heffings en belastings in die Hoofdirektoraat: Mariene- en Kusbestuur, maar ons het nie die mense om dit in te vorder nie. Wat help dit dus? [At the moment we have approximately 55 levies and taxes in the Chief Directorate: Marine and Coastal Management, but we do not have the people to collect the money. Of what use is that?]
The best way to have effective streamlined administration is to have a skills audit: What is needed? What have we got? For example, it has come to my attention that, although MCM spent a total number of 2 000 hours on the allocation on hake longline, MCM has no legal adviser. I am very glad to hear that the Minister said that he was going for a high-power legal entity. This post has been advertised but what is the salary of the person going to be?
Ek gaan nie ten opsigte van salarisse die gesegde gebruik van ``peanuts'' en ``monkeys'' nie. Ek sal liewer die staaltjie gebruik wat ons in die wynbedryf het. Iemand moes kies tussen twee bottels wyn. Hy besluit toe op die goedkoper een, toe s sy vriend vir hom: ``Jy sal proe wat jy nie betaal het nie.'' Dieselfde geld vir hierdie departement.
Die direkte gevolge van swak administrasie en bestuur verwoes die kusgemeenskappe, en ook nie net deur die toekenning van visvangregte nie. Daar is byvoorbeeld die seewierkonsessies, die netvispermitte en die sogenaamde ``subsistence fishermen''. Die seewierkonsessies het al in 1998 verval en daar is nog nie weer nuwes uitgereik nie, of dit is so onlangs soos hierdie week uitgereik, maar ek is nie bewus daarvan nie. Die netvispermitte is nou nog nie toegeken nie.
Dit bring my by die sogenaamde ``subsistence fishermen''. Ek het dokumente en bewyse in my besit: sedert 21 Maart stuur ek name deur, kry ons vorms, vul die mense in - die mense van Hawston, Langebaan ensovoorts ry en bring vir ons vorms in. Daar gebeur niks nie en die seisoen het gesluit. So vir sekere ``subsistence fishermen'' het dit wel gehelp, maar vir ander nie. Ek wonder waar word die lyn getrek.
Dit bring my ook by die persoon wat verantwoordelik is vir die ``subsistence fishermen''. Volgens antwoorde aan my gegee in 'n vraag gestel in hierdie Huis is daar tydelike aanstellings wat net intern geadverteer is. Ek wil vandag die vraag vra: hoe het mnr Noel Williams, 'n voormalige ANC-parlementslid, 'n pos in Seevisserye gekry as die pos net intern geadverteer is? Die agb Minister kan verseker wees dat die DP hierop sal ingaan.
Ek wil my vandag spesifiek bepaal by die hawens. Werkskepping is seker een van die belangrikste doelwitte van die Regering. ``Job summits'' word gehou en geld word afgetrek van mense se salarisse, maar as gevolg van swak administrasie en bestuur gaan werk by die hawens verlore, veral aan die Weskus - ek gaan grotendeels op die Weskus konsentreer. Die vervangingswaarde van Suid-Afrika se hawens is verlede jaar bereken op R1 miljard en dit sluit die Portnet-hawens uit. Samsa het die naweek nog 'n waarskuwing uitgereik dat hulle in die nuwe jaar geen lisensies of veiligheidsertifikate gaan toeken aan bote wat nie op die sleephellings was nie. Ons beskik nie op die oomblik oor sleephellings wat bedryf word nie. Hoe lank gaan dit nog vat voor hulle in werking kom? In die besigheidsplan wat die Minister vroer die jaar aan ons gegee het, maak hy ons daarop attent dat hy gaan konsentreer op ``public-private partnerships''.
Daar is egter ander goed waaraan ons intussen al kan aandag skenk, terwyl ons ons voorberei op hierdie proses. Op die oomblik is die privaatsektor besig om die sleephelling in Saldanhabaai op eie onkoste te herstel. Ek dink dit is 'n skande vir die staat dat die privaatsektor voel, ter wille van oorlewing, ter wille van werkskepping, ter wille van internasionale ooreenkomste, moet hulle maar inspring en dit self regmaak. Presies 'n jaar gelede het mnr Brown van die firma Boats getender om die sleephelling in Saldanha teen 'n koste van R104 000 te herstel. Dit is van die hand gewys, maar dan word daar R558 000 betaal aan 'n privaatspeurder vir 31 dae se werk.
Wat betref St Helenabaai en Sandy Point, asook die daarmee gepaardgaande werkskepping, verwys ek na Tully Marine, 'n voormalige pryswenner van die Argus-Sanlam Job Creator of the Year 1998-toekenning, asook een van die drie entrepreneurs van daardie jaar. In April vanjaar moes Tully Marine 40 van hul permanente geskoolde werkers afdank. Waarom? As gevolg van die feit dat daar nie meer 'n sleephelling in St Helenabaai en by Sandy Point is nie. Vyf jaar gelede het 80% van hul inkomste bestaan uit herstelwerk. Vandag is dit minimaal. Dit is slegs 7% omdat daar nie 'n sleephelling is nie. Die mense is op die oomblik besig om self 'n sleephelling te bou om die bote wat hul bou net uit die fabriek in die water te kry. Hulle mag nie bote van die water af inkry nie, want die staat het 'n sleephelling, maar dit werk nie.
Dit bring my by die hawetariewe. In 1999 is die hawetariewe aangepas met tot 4185%. Die verskoning is dat daar sedert 1993 geen tariewe gehef is nie, maar wie se skuld is dit? Dit is swak administrasie en bestuur, maar nou moet die gewone man daarvoor opdok. Wat meer is, die mense is bereid om te betaal. Die gemiddelde inflasie oor die tydperk is deur kundiges bereken op 72%. Hulle is bereid om dit te betaal, maar nie hierdie abnormale verhoging nie.
Hierdie hawe kan hulle nie eens ten volle benut nie. Daar is een kaai wat al twee jaar lank gesluit is. Een snoekkaai is al byna heeltemal verrot. Derdens is die toegangsfooi by St Helenabaai abnormaal hoog. Daar is nie eens ablusiegeriewe vir een mens nie. [Tussenwerpsels.]
Op die oomblik l daar in St Helenabaai 'n boot van Lambertsbaai. Sy herstelkoste beloop R60 000. Sy hawetariewe vir die maand beloop R88 000. Hierdie mense kry nie eens kwotas nie. Hoe moet hulle hul bote regmaak? [Tussenwerpsels.] Dit is 'n skande.
Dan is daar ook nog die driedubbele heffing op die herstel van buitelandse bote. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[With regard to salaries, I am not going to use the saying of ``peanuts'' and ``monkeys''. I would rather make use of the analogy we have in the wine industry. Somebody had to choose between two bottles of wine. When he decided on the cheaper one, his friend said to him: ``You will taste what you did not pay for.'' The same applies to this department.
The direct consequences of poor administration and management are destroying the coastal communities, and not only through the allocation of fishing rights. There are, for example, the concessions for seaweed, the netting permits and the so-called subsistence fishermen. The concessions for seaweed expired in 1998 and new ones have not yet been issued, or they have been issued as recently as this week, but I am not aware of that having happened. The netting permits have still not been allocated.
This brings me to the so-called subsistence fishermen. I have proof and documents in my possession: since 21 March I have sent names through, acquired forms, filled in by the people - the people of Hawston, Langebaan, and so forth, went and brought us forms. Nothing has happened and the season has come to an end. Thus, certain subsistence fishermen did benefit, whilst others did not. I wonder where the line is drawn.
This also brings me to the person responsible for the subsistence fishermen. In response to a question I had asked in this House I was given the reply that there were temporary appointments which were only advertised internally. Today I want to ask the question: How did Mr Noel Williams, a former ANC member, acquire a post in Sea Fisheries if that post was only advertised internally? The hon the Minister can be sure of the fact that the DP will investigate the matter.
Today I especially want to focus on ports. Job creation is certainly one of the most important aims of the Government. Job summits are held and money is deducted from people's salaries, but due to poor administration and management, jobs at ports are being lost, especially on the West Coast - I am mainly going to focus on the West Coast. The replacement value of South Africa's ports was calculated at R1 billion last year and this excluded the Portnet harbours. Samsa issued another warning this weekend that in the new year they will not be issuing any licences or safety certificates to boats that were not on the slipways. At present we do not have operational slipways. How long will it still be before they are operational? In the business plan that the Minister gave us earlier this year, he drew our attention to the fact that he will focus on public-private partnerships.
However, there are other matters to which we can in the meantime devote our attention, while we prepare ourselves for this process. At the moment the private sector is busy repairing the slipway at Saldanha Bay at its own expense. I think it is a disgrace for the state that the private sector feels that, for the sake of survival, job creation and international agreements, they have to jump in themselves and repair it.
Precisely a year ago Mr Brown of the firm Boats put in a tender to repair the slipway at Saldanha at a cost of R104 000. It was refused, but then a private investigator was paid R558 000 for 31 days' work.
With regard to St Helena Bay and Sandy Point, together with the concomitant job creation, I want to refer to Tully Marine, a former prize-winner of the Argus-Sanlam Job Creator of the Year 1998 award, as well as one of the three entrepreneurs of that year. In April this year Tully Marine had to dismiss 40 of their permanent skilled workers. Why? Owing to the fact that there are no longer slipways at St Helena Bay and at Sandy Point. Five years ago 80% of their income consisted of repairs. Today that is minimal. It is only 7%, because there is no slipway. At present the people are busy building a slipway themselves, just to get the boats which they are building out of the factory and into the water. They are not allowed to get boats out of the water and onto dry land, because the state has a slipway, but it is not working.
This brings me to port tariffs. In 1999 port tariffs were adjusted by as much as 4185%. The excuse was that since 1993 no tariffs were imposed, but whose fault is that? That is poor administration and management, but now the man in the street has to foot the bill. What is more, the people are prepared to pay. The average inflation over that period has been calculated by experts at 72%. They are prepared to pay, but not this abnormal increase.
They cannot even utilise this port fully. There is one quay that has been closed for two years now. One snoek quay has already almost rotted away. Thirdly, the entrance fee at St Helena Bay is abnormally high. There are not even ablution facilities for a single person. [Interjections.]
At the moment a boat from Lamberts Bay is lying at anchor at St Helena Bay. Its repair costs amount to R60 000. Its port tariffs amount to R88 000 for the month. These people do not even get quotas. How must they repair their boats? [Interjections.] It is a disgrace.
Then there is also the triple levy on the repair of foreign boats.]
I am not going to take a question.