Thank you Chairperson, shortly before the commencement of the Fifth Parliament, some government departments were restructured and this was done in order to expedite areas of service delivery. The Department of Communications now exist separately from that of Telecommunication and Postal Services, without any confusion. It is very clear and straightforward.
The President has already signed a proclamation that transferred the administration, the powers and the functions entrusted by legislation to the two Ministers. I'm actually trying to clarify this for members who appear to be lost, and confused particularly because they don't participate in the committee. Those who are in the committee understand this very well.
The ruling party has long noted the requirement and need for the restructuring and repositioning, particularly of the broadcasting system. You know, boss, when we talk about - we should not degenerate into just focusing on the SABC, but we need to look at the entire system as a whole. This is in order to prioritise services to the public and to respond to the digital age so that we are not left behind as South Africans. That is important.
The resolutions of our 53rd conference also directs that this whole process should be implemented over a reasonable period. That is what we are doing as the committee. We are doing our best to ensure that we reach that, so the public broadcaster will remain a priority. We agree. It is very critical, the entire public broadcaster. The SABC is very important to the committee. As the committee, we are dealing with all the issues of the SABC. We will ensure that at the end of the day it gets the credibility it deserves. I will object to a situation where everyone thinks that communication is reduced to only the SABC and only to one individual. Thank you, Chair. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Vote agreed to (Democratic Alliance, Economic Freedom Fighters, Inkatha Freedom Party and Freedom Front Plus dissenting).
Budget Vote No 10 - National Treasury - put.
Declarations of vote: