Agb Voorsitter, die afgelope jaar is waarskynlik die jaar wat die Minister van Arbeid baie gou sal wil vergeet. Die afgelope jaar was die jaar waarin die Nelspruitse kantoor van die Departement van Arbeid gesluit is weens gesondheidsredes. Dit was ook die jaar waartydens die Minister 'n swartlys gepubliseer het van maatskappye wat nie voldoen aan die vereistes van regstellende aksie en waaruit dit toe geblyk het dat die meeste staatsdepartemente self nalaat om te voldoen aan die vereistes van die wet. Dit is ook die jaar wat geteister is deur totale chaos in die Seta's, die wanaanwending van fondse en grootskaalse korrupsie.
Om dit alles te kroon, glo ons dat die Departement van Arbeid 'n beleid volg wat die verkeerde medisyne vir die problem van werkloosheid is. Ons glo dat die koek groter gemaak moet word, dat die ekonomie moet groei en dat meer mense 'n geleentheid moet kry, en die Departement van Arbeid doen in di stadium niks meer nie as om bloot die koek te herverdeel, om witmense, sogenaamde nie-aangewese mense, uit die arbeidsmark te druk en te vervang met mense wat aan die vereistes voldoen.
Wat ons betref, is dit nie die volhoubare pad nie, die VF Plus kan nie die beleidsrigting steun nie, en gegewe di feite, kan ons ook nie die begroting steun nie. Baie dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans declaration of vote follows.)
[Mr W D SPIES: Hon Chairperson, the past year is probably one which the Minister of Labour would want to forget very quickly. The past year was the year in which the Department of Labour's offices in Nelspruit were closed for health reasons. It was also the year during which the Minister published a black list of companies that are not complying with the requirements of affirmative action, and from the list it then became apparent that most state departments are also failing to comply with the law. It was also the year that was marked by total chaos in the Setas, the misappropriation of funds and large-scale corruption.
To crown it all, we believe that the Department of Labour is following a policy that does not offer a solution to the unemployment problem. We believe that the cake must be made larger, that the economy has to grow and that more people should be given a chance whereas, at this stage the Department of Labour is, doing nothing more than merely redividing the cake in order to force white people - so-called nondesignated people - out of the labour market and replace them with people who meet the requirements.
As far as we are concerned, this is not a sustainable route. The FF Plus cannot support this policy and, in light of the facts, we cannot support the Budget either. Thank you.]