House Chairperson, this Bill has substantially improved since the IFP's hon Dr Oriani-Ambrosini reacted to the presentation of its first draft to the committee by calling it an "ideological monstrosity." At that time the Bill revealed the premise that doing business in South Africa is too difficult and that special economic zones had to be established with different rules to make it easier.
Some of the issues of constitutionality raised by the IFP through Dr Oriani- Ambrosini in the committee have been addressed, which assures us the department can listen when it wants to. The Bill, however, does empower the Minister to give incentives and special measures to those enterprises located in the special economic zones and gives no indication of what this may be over and above subsidies. We are plainly giving the Minister a blank cheque without any measure of parliamentary input or approval. This is a major concern.
Government's involvement in the establishment of SEZs is important, but we do want to stress that the role of government should primarily be to create an enabling environment for businesses to operate in. And we hope that these SEZs will do just that to enable us to address the high levels of unemployment, which have been revealed as standing at a staggering 25,7%.
Our cost of doing business has increased, and we can no longer afford to industrialise solely large welfare programmes for industrialists that are underpinned not by economic reasons but by their quest to empower and to enrich the few. This Bill, if passed and not overseen properly, could become a conduit for a huge waste of taxpayers' money with little benefit to our real economy, which is capable of prospering and thriving without the benefit of the government's steroids.
Since 1992 the IFP has been proposing that Durban should be established as a free port. Southern Africa does need its own Singapore, Hong Kong or Macao. One would need to pursue this type of vision and provide Southern Africa with independent centres of growth and development.
As the IFP supports this Bill, we do want to stress that the most important thing would be to look at the issue of job creation. We should ensure that we are able to create self-help and self-reliant businesses which are sustainable and are able to improve the lives and collective sustainable livelihoods of the masses of our people who are plagued by poverty and are struggling every day to deal with and face it. I thank you. [Applause.]