Voorsitter, dit word algemeen erken dat die regering se swak prestasie en ontwikkeling van Suid-Afrikaners se vaardighede een van die belangrikste faktore is wat ekonomiese ontwikkeling strem. Die verband tussen groter vaardighede en 'n individu se kanse vir indiensneming word algemeen erken. Net soos in die geval van skoolonderwys, het die regering se eksperiment met vaardigheidsontwikkeling jammerlik gefaal. Derduisende Suid-Afrikaners is tans werkloos weens die regering se foute.
Die goeie nuus is dat die regering self besef dat sy pap op die grond val. Hierdie wetsontwerp is reeds die vyfde wysiging sedert die vaardigheidsheffing, die Nasionale Vaardigheidsfonds, en die stelsel van Sektoronderwys- en Opleidingsowerhede, Setas, net meer as 10 jaar gelede gepromulgeer is. Die slegte nuus is dat die wetsontwerp wat vandag voor u dien nie die oplossing verteenwoordig waarvoor soveel miljoene werklose Suid-Afrikaners hoop nie. Die wetsontwerp wat vandag voor die Huis dien verteenwoordig minder as een derde van die oorspronklike dokument wat voor Nedlac gedien het en wat vir openbare kommentaar gepubliseer is. Daardie dokument het net te veel dupliserings en inkonsekwenthede bevat. Ons glo dat die wetsontwerp in sy huidige formaat 'n veel beter stuk wetgewing verteenwoordig. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr A P VAN DER WESTHUIZEN: Chairperson, it is commonly recognised that government's poor performance and development of the skills of South Africans represent one of the major factors inhibiting economic development. The relationship between improved skills and an individual's chances of being employed is generally accepted. Similarly to school education, the government's experiment with skills development has failed miserably. Thousands of South Africans are currently out of work because of the government's mistakes.
The good news is that government itself has realised the slip-up. This Bill already marks the fifth amendment since the promulgation of the skills levy, the National Skills Fund, and the system of sector education and training authorities were promulgated just over 10 years ago. The bad news is that the Bill before you today does not represent the solution that so many millions of unemployed South Africans are hoping for. The Bill before the House today represents less than a third of the original document that came before Nedlac and was published for public commentary. That document contained just too many duplications and inconsistencies. We believe that the Bill in its current format represents a far better piece of legislation.]
For the vast improvements to the "A" version of the Bill, all credit should go to the chairperson of the portfolio committee, as well as to the members who made enormous contributions to improve this document. I want to give credit today to the leadership shown by the chairperson of the portfolio committee, the hon Ishmael Malale, for allowing all committee members ample opportunity to contribute and to make various improvements. I want to thank the chairperson, who has gone to great lengths to facilitate these improvements and who even succeeded in fitting in an additional meeting this past Monday.
However, this Bill represents the knee-jerk reaction of the hon Minister of Higher Education and Training after having lost six times in a row in the Labour Court earlier this year; this, when the Minister showed no regard for the existing legislation and tried to force his way onto the Setas. During the national skills conference last month, the Minister of Higher Education and Training threatened people and institutions not to take him to court, as this would only result in his changing the relevant legislation.
This is what is serving before us today.
Ongelukkig sien ons vandag dat die wetsontwerp voor ons nie ver genoeg gaan om die hervormings wat ons land se onderwys- en opleidinglandskap so nodig het, deur te voer nie. Die Departement van Hor Onderwys en Opleiding het 'n gulde geleentheid verspeel. Aspekte wat ongelukkig nie in hierdie wetsontwerp aangeraak word nie sluit in die bepalinge rakende die Nasionale Vaardigheidsfonds en die Nasionale Vaardigheidsowerheid.
Die Minister het al self erken dat die Nasionale Vaardigheidsowerheid in staat moet wees om 'n werklik onafhanklike raadgewingsliggaam te wees. Die Ouditeur-generaal is daarvan oortuig dat die Nasionale Vaardigheidsfonds hervorm moet word en nie langer soos 'n spaarvark voor Kersfees van sy fondse gestroop mag word vir die Departement van Hor Onderwys en Opleiding se onbegrote uitgawes nie. Ongelukkig is hierdie wetsontwerp stil op hierdie belangrike sake.
Soos dit tans gaan, bereik die Wet op Vaardigheidsontwikkeling presies die teenoorgestelde van wat dit veronderstel is om te doen. Hierdie wet skep nie werk nie; dit is verantwoordelik vir werksverliese. Die slegste ding wat 'n regering wat werk wil skep kan doen, is om die privaatsektor te belas en dan daardie geld in onbruik in die bankrekeninge van die Setas en die Nasionale Vaardigheidsfonds te laat l. Die Nasionale Vaardigheidsfonds het tans meer as R7 miljard se opgepotte belastinggeld; geld wat, indien dit in die ekonomie gelaat was, deur entrepreneurs gebruik sou kon word om derduisende werksgeleenthede te skep. Setas is veronderstel om diensvlak- ooreenkomste jaarliks met die departement te sluit, maar nog nie een Seta het die laaste jaar so 'n ooreenkoms onderteken nie. Dinge boer vinnig agteruit onder Minister Nzimande se beheer.
Ons is daarvan bewus dat daar tans gewerk word aan 'n Groenskrif wat die hele bedeling van hor onderwys en opleiding onder hersiening sal neem, want dit is duidelik dat daar groot fout is met die bedeling wat ons tans in terme van vaardigheidsontwikkeling het. Dit is jammer dat hierdie wetsontwerp nie gewag het totdat daardie proses afgehandel is nie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Unfortunately today we see that the Bill before us does not go far enough to carry through the reforms that our country's education and training landscape needs so badly. The Department of Higher Education and Training has missed a golden opportunity. Aspects that are unfortunately not touched upon in this Bill include the provisions regarding the National Skills Fund and the National Skills Authority.
The Minister himself has already admitted that the National Skills Authority should be able to be a truly independent advisory body. The Auditor-General is convinced that the National Skills Fund should be reconstituted and no longer be stripped of its funds like a piggy bank before Christmas for the unbudgeted expenditure of the Department of Higher Education and Training. Unfortunately, this Bill is silent on these important issues.
The way things are going at present, the Skills Development Act, Act No 97 of 1998, is achieving exactly the opposite of what it is supposed to. This Act does not create jobs; it is responsible for job losses. The worst thing a government that hopes to create jobs can do is to tax the private sector and then leave that money lying unused in the bank accounts of the Setas and the National Skills Fund. The National Skills Fund currently has more than R7 billion's worth of accumulated tax money; money which, if left in the economy, could have been used by entrepreneurs to create thousands of job opportunities. Setas are supposed to annually conclude service level agreements with the department, but in the past year not one Seta has signed such an agreement. Things are rapidly going downhill under Minister Nzimande's control. We are aware that a Green Paper is being drafted which will review the entire dispensation of higher education and training, because it is clear that there are major problems with the current dispensation in respect of skills development. It is a pity that this Bill could not wait until that process had been concluded.]
The DA wishes to put on record our objection to the poor standard of the document that was first published, as well as the interim versions that served before the portfolio committee. It should not be the task of public representatives to proofread and edit the work of highly paid senior government officials. Even the version of the Bill that was circulated amongst members this morning contained errors that did not reflect the decisions of the portfolio committee accurately. Even the reprinted version, which only a small number of members were privileged enough to see, contains various punctuation and typographical errors. This, unfortunately, also reflects the chaotic administration in the department.
This administrative bungling, linked to the DA's longstanding criticism of the Setas in their current format, forced us to change our position on this Bill. The DA will therefore be voting against this Bill today. I thank you. [Applause.]