Chairperson, the National Council of Provinces has indeed delivered. It has delivered to the national executive, and to Ministers, who were nurtured, developed, and shaped by this House. [Applause.] So today you have, on the last day of this democratic period, the presence of two of your sons, as my colleague has correctly pointed out, who were largely influenced by the ability of this institution to contribute directly to their development. For that, both of us say thank you very much and, perhaps, our presence in the executive is a celebration of the outstanding achievement of this particular House. In doing so, we recognise the leadership of the presiding officers, the support of the Chief Whip and all other presiding officers.
What is interesting about this House, and this is a useful example in terms of a public education issue that was raised by you, Ms Letwaba, is that because we are drawn from the ranks of this particular House, we understand the importance of co-operative governance, the relationship between the three spheres of government, the need for collaboration, and the role of the National Council of Provinces and the National Assembly in giving effect to the implementation of legislation.
If we did not have a sense of this particular complex arrangement within our constitutional landscape, indeed the Minister for Provincial and Local Government - who is always in a hurry to get things done, full of energy, robust, and vibrant - would not have been able to achieve this. It meant that we had to collaborate as a Department of Provincial and Local Government and a Ministry of Justice or Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. It is in this regard that I would like to say thank you very much to Mr Rudman and his team for their commitment in ensuring that, as agents on behalf of the Ministry of Provincial and Local Government, we were able to deliver. So, you have delivered two Ministers who have indeed delivered the legislation on time to the people of Merafong and Khutsong.
This would not have been possible if it was not for the able, wise, experienced, capable, competent, proficient and well-endowed leadership of the two chairpersons, Kgoshi Mokoena and hon B J Mkhaliphi. For your leadership and collaboration, we say thank you very much. [Applause.] As the astounding leaders that you are, you would tell me that it would not have been possible without the participation of your very committed and passionate members of the committee. So, to the members of the select committee of all political parties, thank you very much for your co- operation.
I think the next lesson that can be drawn from this experience, and this has been indicated in the speech of Cllr Moloi from Salga, is that central to the tenets and the imperatives of our Constitution is the participatory nature of our democracy. We should engage with communities, and what hon Worth - who is normally very placid, very serene, and very calm - has said now, very passionately in a moment of excitement about the elections, is that we didn't listen attentively. We were not listening well enough to the voices of the people. What we are saying, and what he is saying - unfortunately, he is going to abstain - is indeed true. I think both my colleague and I would say quite unashamedly that the ANC apologises. We take the responsibility, as the leading party in government which certainly would influence the outcomes of political decisions, to say that to the people of Khutsong and Merafong.
However, this debate, and that is the next lesson, is not about provincial boundaries; it is not about competing fiefdoms; and it is not about where the line is drawn. It is a recognition of the nature of our societies as they evolve; of its diversity in terms of language; and of its linkages, as Ms Letwaba quite correctly pointed out, to the social and economic phenomenon that the community encounters in their day to day living. When I think of what Ms Vantura said, and she spoke quite correctly about the frustration of the community in terms of education, this House would know more than any other House about how we had to transport people physically to to and from Further Education and Training colleges and Khutsong to enable the Grade 12 learners to write the matric examination. That meant that something was not right, that there was resistance, and that people were unhappy.
However, the reality, and that is the next lesson, is that the people of Khutsong and Merafong did not go to the polling stations. They did not vote for the DA. They did not vote for the IFP. They said to the African National Congress: "We are disappointed. You have not heard our pleas for incorporation. You have not recognised the complex nature of our society and our linkages of yesteryear. Please reconsider." That plea was responded to by the African National Congress. That is why the ANC is saying that it is sorry and that it is neither proud nor condescending. It will not only admit where it has erred but will also rectify the error in a hurry.
To my colleague, the Minister for Provincial and Local Government, if you can please listen to me - I know this is his House - I wanted to speak to you directly to say thank you very much for the enthusiasm, spirit, and urgency with which you dealt with this matter. Thank you very much for doing so and for recognising that this is not the end of the journey. I know that, as I speak here in this House, the Minister has been to Mutse, the Minister has been to Matatiele, and the Minister is aware that even within the North West Province, hon Moseki, there are other areas which have to be looked at. In fact, his closing remark was that he is tasked with the responsibility of looking at the consolidation and alignment of provincial boundaries in its totality.
It is not about fragmentation, about Matatiele which must be attended to, and indeed is being attended to as we speak, or about Mutse as we look at it. It is about saying that, given our experience over the past 15 years, we recognise the challenges and the socioeconomic linkages. How do we do it? How do we create a unitary state with boundaries that make sense to the people, recognising their diversity and not intending to fragment them, to divide them or separate them, but really to unify them around issues of socioeconomic development? These notable points for development are going to be recognised, so we say thank you very much. I am very impressed with the quality of the contributions that have been made here. They certainly, in no uncertain terms, quite unequivocally, reflect a clear understanding of the challenges of local government, provincial government, and its interrelationship. Cllr Moloi, quite correctly again, raised the issue of the implementation of the protocol. We have an intergovernmental relationship framework. Protocols are critical and Salga as well as Ms Letwaba from Gauteng have indicated that the implementation of these protocols, these transitional arrangements that the Minister for Provincial and Local Government has spoken about, are critical and necessary.
Let me assure hon Ntuli that, indeed, Treasury is aware of its responsibility in providing resources to the community of Merafong, including Khutsong, and, indeed, National Treasury has allocated resources. So, in the realignment and the rearrangement of the provincial boundaries, there will not be any financial prejudice or hardship. What should, however, occur is a strong oversight and monitoring, and strong collaboration among provinces, and among cities, to ensure that delivery does take place and resources that have been earmarked are spent for the benefit of the people of Merafong, as well as the people of Khutsong.
What we are saying, which is another lesson that we have learned from this, is that there is no better teacher than experience and we learn from our mistakes. We are better able to understand the needs of communities in its great diversity if we interact. The party that I belong to does not only go to communities but goes door to door to listen to the concerns and the needs of our people, because a constitutional amendment is of no value and does not fulfil the objective of a developmental state unless it reflects, quite correctly, the aspirations and the ethos of a new democratic dispensation which says that our task as public representatives is to improve the quality of the lives of our people, especially the poorest of the poor. Today, what you are doing here is celebrating that commitment to ensure that we do indeed bring about a qualitative change in the lives of our people.
I will say, in conclusion, that an election period is imminent. We have responsibilities as public representatives. We have to be tolerant. We have to ensure all political parties have the right to participate without fear, without favour and without prejudice. We have a responsibility, as political leaders, to ensure that we instil discipline among our people and wish all political parties well in our new democratic elections.
To the members of this House and to its leadership, I can, as my colleague has correctly pointed out, only say thank you very much for contributing so significantly and so largely to our development to ensure that what we do, we do together, and we do it in a hurry, because together we can do much more. Thank you very much. Debate concluded. Question put: That the Constitution Sixteenth Amendment Bill be agreed to.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.
Bill accordingly agreed to in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Question put: That the Second Report of Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Affairs on Constitution Sixteenth Amendment Bill be adopted.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.
Report accordingly adopted in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
Cross-boundary Municipalities Laws Repeal and Related Matters Amendment Bill agreed to in accordance with section 75 of the Constitution.