Ndiyabulisa Sihlalo. Phambi kokuba ndithethe, ndiza kwenza ilizwi lovelwano kootishala ababini bengingqi endiyimeleyo eNoupoort abathe bafumana ingozi yemoto basweleka ngoko nangoko. Imiphefumlo yabo inga ingalala ukuphumla.
Mandithezele emnxebeni. Ngokubhekisele kuMqulu weNkululeko, i-Freedom Charter, bathetha ookhokho bethu nootat'omkhulu besithi akuyi kuba kho rhulumente ngaphandle korhulumente oya kuthi usekwe phezu kweziseko zoluntu, oya kwanezisa iimfuno zabantu. Ngoko ke, siyayicela le Ndlu ibekekileyo ukuba iwamkele lo Mthetho uYilwayo kuba ufezekisa ezinye zeemfuno zabantu.
Inkqubo yePalamente ithetha ngokukhuthaza ukuthatha inxaxheba kukawonke- wonke. Njengokuba namanye amalungu ebesetshilo, le yeyona Ndlu imele abantu, ngoko ke yeyona Ndlu inokukwazi ukuthi ibize abantu ukuza kuxoxa ngezezimali. Iphelile laa nto yokuba kuthi xa kuxoxwa ngezezimali, kuphelelwe nje phaya kuNongxowa okanye kuMphathiswa wezeziMali. Namhlanje sinika le Ndlu igunya okanye sicela ukuba le Ndlu izinike igunya ukuze ingenelele ixoxe ngezeziMali.
Kodwa kuyo yonke loo nto, ndihlaba ikhwelo kumalungu ale Ndlu ngelithi lo Mthetho uYilwayo angawusebenziseli ukuphazamisa iinkqubo zikarhulumente. Kufuneka kujongwe kakuhle ukuba iinkqubo zezimali zihamba njani na, njengoko sele betshilo oogxa bam. Kukho amasebe esithi gqolo siwanika imali, kodwa afumana ukulan dulwa yiOfisi yoMphicothi-ziNcwadi. Kambe thina asikwazi, sibopheke izandla neenyawo ngenxa yokuba sihloniphe uMgaqo- siseko.
Ngoko ke masizame siguqule izinto kula masebe. Lo Mthetho uYilwayo uyasivumela ukuba senze kanye loo nto, ngokoMgaqo-siseko.
Kambe njengamalungu, asisinyanga isixhobo esinaso, zininzi. Kodwa asizisebenzisi ngokufanelekileyo ezinye zazo, ezinjenge-Public Finance Management Act, i-Treasury Instructions nezinye. Xa siqulunqa lo Mthetho uYilwayo, songeza kwezo zixhobo ukuze sifumane amandla.
Loo nto ayithethi ukuba le komiti okanye iikom iti ezikhoyo apha ziza kuthatha umsebenzi kaNondyebo. UNondyebo uza kuthi gqolo esenza umsebenzi wakhe. Thina njengabantu abase iso kumasebe nezinye iziseko, kufuneka sithi gqolo sijonga ukuba ngaba izinto zenzeka ngokohlobo ebekufanele ukuba zibe zenzeke ngalo na.
Kwakhona, ndifuna ukuhlaba ikhwelo kwiKomiti yoHlahlo lwAbiwo-mali, lokuba xa amasebe esiya kuyo esithi afuna imali eninzana, kufuneka iwancede ingajongi into yokuba la masebe anemali angakhange ayisebenzise - ezi mali kuthiwa zii-roll o ver.
Ngoko, ndiphakamisa ukuba, nokuba isekiwe laa komiti kunye nala ofisi yohlahlo lwabiwo-mali, kufuneka sithathwe sisiwe kuqeqesho olufana noluya kubonelelwa ngalo i-Standing Committee on Public Accounts nguMphicothi- ziNcwadi. Siza kutsho sazi sonke siziikomiti ukuba iimali zamasebe ziluxanduva lwethu, aziloxanduva lwe-Scopa okanye lweSebe lezeziMali okanye lweKomiti yoHlahlo lwAbiwo-Mali.
Ngoko ke, thina kufuneka sithathe inyathelo, nePalamente isincedise, sikwazi ukulwa le nto. Ndifuna ukuphinda nditsho koosihlalo, ukuba bangasebenzisi esi sixhobo ukuze bazame ukufumana imali eninzana kuba kuseza kufuneka ukuba baxambule kuqala phambi kokuba kuguqulwe imicimbi yezezimali.
Ndiyayicela le Ndlu yoWiso-Mthetho ukuba ijonge kakuhle ngoba sinaso isixhobo sokukhawulezisa iingxelo nezigqibo esiye sizithi thaca apha. Kodwa oko akwenzeki. Ngaloo magama, umbutho wesizwe uyawamkela lo Mthetho uYilwayo uthiwe thaca kule ndawo.
Xa ndivala, mandivale ngelithi onke amasebe okanye zonke iikomiti kufuneka zijonge ezi zinto ndiza kuzibiza ngokuba ziingxelo zonyaka ze ekomiti, i- strategic plans nee-key performance indicator. Zizo eziza kukwazi ukusichazela ukuba isibane esibomvu siyalayita na, oko kukuthi, eli sebe lisebenzisa imali kakhulu okanye hayi, ukuze nikwazi ukuwabiza.
Masingalindi de babhu ...- ndiza kuthi kuyabhudwa xa ndingenawo amanye amagama okuchaza le meko - ukuze emveni konyaka babizwe kuthiwe hayi apha anenzanga kakuhle; apha nenze kakuhle. Kanti ukuba besihamba nabo inyanga nenyanga, besiya kukwazi ukulungisa izinto phambi kokuba zibe sisifo. Kufuneka unyange umkhuhlane ungekenzi ubhubhane. Enkosi. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa speech follows.)
[Mr S E ASIYA: Greetings Chairperson. I would first like to pass my condolences to the families of the two teachers from my constituency in Noupoort, who were involved in a car accident and died instantly. May their souls rest in peace.
Let me go straight to the point. Regarding the Freedom Charter, our forefathers mentioned therein that there wouldn't be any viable government without the involvement of people's civic structures; a government that is aiming at providing for people's needs. Therefore, we urge this House to pass this Bill as it fulfils some of the needs of the people. Parliamentary programmes encourage public participation. As some of the hon members pointed out, this is the more representative of the two Houses, and therefore the House that should call for people's participation when financial issues are discussed. These discussions should not be the sole preserve of the Treasury or the Minister of Finance. Today we are mandating this House or rather we are urging this House to use its powers by participating in budget discussions.
Be that as it may, I appeal to members of this House not to use this Bill to disrupt government programmes. As my colleagues have already stated, we should monitor the monetary policies. There are departments that we recommend for funding, but which are then denied funding by the Auditor- General's office, and there is nothing that we can do because our hands are tied in terms of the Constitution.
Let us turn things around in these departments. The Constitution allows us, through this Bill, to do just that.
However, as members, this is not the only tool that we have at our disposal, we have plenty of other measures. But, some of these measures we do not use efficiently, such as the Public Finance Management Act, Treasury Instructions and others. With this Bill, we are adding to those measures and also empowering ourselves. That does not mean that this committee or other committees of Parliament will take over the duties of the Treasury. The Treasury will continue with its duties. We, as people who have to perform oversight duties over departments and other structures, have to continue monitoring that things are going according to plan.
Furthermore, I would like to appeal to the budget committee, that when departments approach it with an increased budget, to assist them instead of looking at the fact that they are asking for an increased budget, yet they are underspending and having roll-overs.
I therefore suggest that even if the committee and the budget allocation office are put in place, we should be provided with the same training as that offered to members of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. This will ensure that as committees we all realise that departmental finances are our responsibility, and not only Scopa's responsibility, or that of the Department of Finance or of the finance committee.
We therefore have to take the initiative, with the help of Parliament, to take up this fight. I would also like to urge the committee chairpersons not to misuse this opportunity by asking for increased budgets because they will still have to motivate for them before the issue of their finances is reviewed.
I also urge this House to take note that we do have measures speeding up the implementation of resolutions that have been taken here. But that is not happening. And when we want that to happen, we will not be able to do so. With those words, the ANC supports the Bill tabled before this House.
In conclusion, all the departments and the committees will have to keep an eye on the annual reports, strategic plans and key performance indicators. These are the things that will tell us whether or not we should start pressing the panic buttons with regard to overspending.
We should not wait until there is a huge problem; and then after a year, they are hauled over the coals and told where they have done well and where they haven't. If we worked closely with departments on a monthly basis, we would be able to curb some of the problems as soon as they appear. Prevention is better than cure. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Debate concluded.