Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon members, guests and fellow South Africans ...
... ndibona kuyimfuneko ukuba ndiyibeke icace gca eyokuba i-ANC ilwamkela ngezandla ezingenamikhinkqi uHlalo lwabiwo-mali lowama-2009, oluthiwe thaca kule Ndlu ibekekileyo ngohloniphekileyo uMphathiswa uManuel kwiintsukwana nje ezidlulileyo. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[... I feel it is necessary to state categorically that the ANC welcomes without reservations the 2009 budget, which has been presented in this august House by hon Minister Manuel in the past few days.]
The ANC-led government has always committed itself to a comprehensive support programme to ensure sustainable improvements in livelihoods for the rural poor, farm workers, farm dwellers and rural farmers, especially women as well as the youth. In addition, the ANC policy framework clearly expresses the importance of the implementation of a socioeconomic programme focused on economic growth and development, the restructuring and development of our economy, reducing unemployment and poverty and sharing the wealth of our country in terms of national class and gender categories.
The current Budget demonstrates that kind of commitment, which is in line with the ANC's approach. This can be illustrated by the fact that through the election's manifesto for the 2009 elections the ANC has clearly articulated the vision for land agrarian reform, food security and rural development.
Furthermore, the ANC has also set out its vision for food security to include an emergency food relief programme on a massive scale in the food assistance project to the poorest households and communities, including true partnerships with all stakeholders.
Agriculture and the development of rural areas are much higher on the agenda of the ANC-led government. The provision of infrastructure and other facilities in rural areas is also receiving attention as part of the attempt to stem migration to urban areas.
The current Budget has spelt out the commitment to the protection of the poor through employment and training, investment on infrastructure and building a competitive economy and sustainable public finance, and further places emphasis on the democratic right of all citizens to participate in their economy.
In response to that, the ANC-led government has a national framework for local economic development as a guide to advance Local Economic Development and put forward a strategic implementation approach that all spheres of government, state-owned enterprises, as well as communities, can use to improve.
The prominent preoccupation of the ANC's 52 national conference resolution is to fundamentally alter skewed ownership partnership of the agricultural sectors in South Africa and also to focus the agribusiness paradigm towards agriculture for rural development and food security. To ensure that this resolution is implemented, a clearly targeted programme and measures to build smallholder farming with the agricultural sector geared towards self- sustenance and food security is taken care of in the Budget.
Central to the ANC outlook of agrarian transformation, the Cabinet adopted a clear strategy in 2002 to implement the integrated food security plan. This will further ensure food security at all times, especially in times of vulnerability as a consequence of natural disasters and price hikes that directly impact on food prices for the poor, with a specific focus on women, the elderly, people with disabilities and children.
The national framework for Local Economic Development seeks to guide implementation on the Local Economic Development Programme's performance indicators of the five-year local government strategic agenda through suggested actions and further implementation of the policies and programmes, and is more integrated as a result of a cluster approach to a better service.
The framework was launched in 2006 and subsequently presented to the President's Co-ordinating Council. The introductory chapter describes shaping current thinking and practice on LED. The purpose is not to make a policy statement on LED, but rather to understand the evolving approaches to LED and how this may interact with practice in South Africa.
The other areas of focus in the Budget are - as we have seen - the rural transport services and infrastructure grants to improve rural infrastructure, to upgrade rural access to roads, construction of pedestrian bridges and walkways, rural freight logistic facilities and intermodal facilities. Those grants were allocated, and I am not going to deal with figures today.
Then we deal with the integrated international electrification programme grant to sustain the current programmes, particularly for the poor households and also the backlog in water and sanitation services at schools and clinics.
Furthermore, the EPWP incentive is a new grant aimed at providing municipalities with incentives to increase the number of employment opportunities in infrastructure programmes to maximise job creation and skills development.
On the industrial development strategy we have seen that the focus has also shifted to small, medium and micro enterprises, which are often more sustainable under local conditions. The promotion and intensifying of entrepreneurship programmes to strengthen economic development is one of the commitments indicated in this Budget. Therefore, it is important for the people or communities to identify such opportunities and exploit them. Hence, entrepreneurship is the driving force of economic growth.
Increased human development is a priority, hence it is the single most important determinant of the pace of economic development. Human development issues also include health, nutrition, education, and shelter.
Oogxa bam sele bezicacise ngokubanzi zonke ezo meko. [My colleagues have already extensively explained all those issues.]
The government strategy also includes reduction of the HIV and Aids epidemic as it slows population growth and imposes a great cost to the economy and society through a loss in productivity, skills and experience. Some of the rural development commitments include sport and recreation, tourism, social development, land distribution programmes and also arts and culture.
Yiloo nto sisithi uphuhliso lwamaphandle alunakukwazi ukwahlulwa ngoba luyinxalenye yamasebe karhulumente. Ngoko ke kunyanzelekile ukuba aqinisekise ukuba kwiinkqubo zawo abandakanya nophuhliso lwamaphandle. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[That is the reason we maintain that rural development is an integral part of the work of government departments. Therefore, government departments must ensure that they incorporate rural development in their programmes.]
It is worth noting that the greatest challenge facing our nation is to conquer poverty, joblessness, illiteracy and ignorance. Such commitments have been expressed. This challenge has no colour, it faces both black and white. Therefore, skills-based programmes should be broadened to improve productivity and make the country's goods more competitive in a world that is growing increasingly smaller.
We need to mobilise communities not to despair. It is time for the rural society to construct and build their future.
Malungu abekekileyo, kuye kube kuhle xa simana sikhumbuzana imvelaphi yabantu beli lizwe kunye memibandela abathi bahlangabezane nayo ukuze sikwazi ukulungisa ikamva leli lizwe. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Hon members, it is appropriate that we should, from time to time, remind one another about the background of the people of this country and the issues they are confronted with, in order to be able to address the future of this country.]
South Africa is a country where various cultures merge to form a unique nation that is proud of its heritage. The country's biggest asset is its people - a rainbow nation with rich and diverse cultures. Therefore, when we relate to our country's economic development we need to take that into cognisance.
Although South Africans come from many traditions they belong to one nation - a dynamic blend of ages, customs and modern ways of building a South African society to create a better life for all. When one refers to rural communities it is important to properly understand exactly the context we are talking about.
We know that during the 1940s the apartheid system designed a policy termed "separate development", which divided the African population into artificial ethnic nations, each with its homeland and the prospect of independence, supposedly in keeping with trends elsewhere on the continent.
Yiyo loo nto namhlanje urhulumente enoxanduva lokuba athathe inxaxheba ekuzameni ukuvuselela uluntu lwasemaphandleni. Kwaye akululanga njengokuba namhlanje, xa sithetha simi apha kweli qonga, sithetha ngathi urhulumente ufike yonke into ingumthebelele ekubeni eqale phantsi ehamba ebunzimeni. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[That is why today government has the responsibility to get involved in rehabilitating rural areas. And this is not as easy as we make it out to be. When we stand on this podium, we speak as if, when this government came to power, it was smooth sailing, even though it started from scratch.]
This "divide and rule" strategy was designed to disguise the racial basis of official policy-making by the substitution of the language of ethnicity. This was further accompanied by technographic engineering as efforts were made to resurrect tribal structures; in the process government sought to create a significant collaborating class. The truth was that the rural reserves were by this time thoroughly degraded by overpopulation and soil erosion. This did not prevent four of the homelands structures being declared independent, a status which the vast majority of South Africans and also international communities declined to recognise.
Forceful removals from the white areas affected approximately 3,5 million people and vast rural fields were created in the homelands, which were used as dumping grounds. The pass laws and influx control were extended and harshly enforced and labour was set up to channel labour to where it was required.
Asisayibali ke into yokubanjwa nokutshutshiswa kwamawaka ngamawaka abantu ngenxa yale mithetho. [Needless to say, thousands of the people were persecuted because of these laws.]
Industrial decentralisation to growth points on the borders of homelands was promoted as a means of keeping blacks out of the then white South Africa. In virtually every sphere from housing and education to health care, central government took control over black people's lives with a view to reinforcing their allotted roles as temporary sojourners in white South Africa.
Sihlalo, bendicela ukuba sibulele uQabane uMphathiswa ngoHlalo-lwabiwo-mali lwakhe oluquka wonke ubani, sisithi ...] [Chairperson, I would like us to thank Comrade Minister Manuel for a Budget that is all-inclusive ...] [Time expired.]