Chair, Deputy Chair, hon MEC ... Mphathiswa, namagosa eli sebe ... [Minister and the officials of the department ...] ... apartheid has left the legacy that is the cause of us engaging in this debate today. We cannot rest until the dignity of our people has been restored. The binding principle of our movement is to deliver a better life for all. When millions of our people are still homeless and their dignity has not been restored, that poses a challenge and gives us sleepless nights.
Sihlalo, yinyani emsulwa le yokuba xa sasithabatha ilizwe ngowe-1994 salifumana lineengxaki ezininzi ezinje ngale sithetha ngayo namhlanje. Yiyo loo nto namhlanje ndime apha ndithetha ngale ngxaki ye-N2 Gateway. Andoyiki ukuthi nditsho ukuba kaloku lo N2 Gateway siphumeze imibono kaKhongolozi yoMqulu wamaLungelo, hayi ekaNomaindia. Ukuze abantu babenezindlu eziphucukileyo kuza kuba ngenxa yalo Mqulu wamaLungelo wethu. Nina DA anizi kukwazi ukuthi sithi sikhona, singayanga ndawo njengoKhongolozi nivukele izivumelwano zobuRhulumente bobuthathu.
Sele etshilo apha uMphathiswa, Mam'uRobinson ukuba, ... lo mba awunanto yokwenza nesiqu somntu, uNomaidia. URhulumente kaZwelonke, wamaPhondo, kunye noweZekhaya kumabhunga bathatha isigqibo sokuvuma esi sivumelwano kodwa namhlanje xa sininika isandla niyasala, nisinqumle. Andazi ukuba niyenza njani loo nto. URhulumente kaZwelonke uthi nantsi indlela yokwenza, kumaphondo, abaPhathiswa, ooMasipala, ooSodolophu, nokuba ngowaliphina iqela, yile yokuba makuhlanganwe kuncediswane ngalo mba we-Gateway. Lowo ngumbono woMphathiswa okhokelayo kaKhongolozi, hayi okaNomaindia.
Nina ke DA, lo mkhuba wenu wokusoloko nifuna ukubuyisela emva izinto zabantu asinako ukuwuvumela. Abantu boMzantsi Afrika baye bazenza ezi zivumelwano koMasipala bonke, kodwa nina namhlanje nakuphatha, okwethutyana ke phofu nifika nimise inkqubo yokuphuhlisa izindlu. Niyamosha ngoba uMphathiswa wezeZindlu kazwelonke utshilo apha ePalamente ukuba ucele ukuba kuphengululwe iincwadi. Nto leyo enisoloko ningxola ngayo nathi esiyikhuthazayo ke phofu esingayigxekiyo. Sithi ke siyancoma nakuMphathiswa ngeli nyathelo alithethe kanye ekungeneni kwakhe kwilinge uthe wabona ukuba lihamba okonwabu.
Nathi siye sayibona loo nto, asiyivanga ngani, noMphathiswa uyinbonile yilaa nto athe makhe kuphengululwe iincwadi. Uphengululo-ziincwadi ke Mam'uRobinson phaya kuMgaqo-siseko lukwiCandelo le-188 apho uthi khona, umphengululi uyakwazi ukuba ayokujonga phaya kuRhumente kaZwelonke, abuye eze apha kwiphondo kuwe Mphathiswa, asuke aye kuSodolophu uMam'u Zille afike athi ndiyaphengulula ngoku. UMphathiswa ke kaKhongolozi umnikile imvume yokuba ayenze loo nto, akhange athi, "hayi ndiyamfihla lo Nomaindia enimtyhola ngokwenza oku noku ekunye nabaPhathiswa", kodwa uthe, "ngena ngoba liyakuvumela icandelo l88 lo Mgaqo-siseko".
Nina ke ningoobani xa sihambe ngokoMgaqosiseko, simfakile umphengululi, nithi nina nifuna olwenu uphengululo? Ngokwentetho ephandle kodwa niyadelela. Kaloku xa ningakwazi ukulandela okutshiwo nguMgaqosiseko, nifuna ukuzifunela owenu umntu, yenzani, asinangxaki, kodwa zeziyazi ukuba eli lizwe liphethwe nguKhongolozi, inkunzi ibanye esibayeni. Ndithi ke asiyonyani lento beniyithetha apha ngezi zindlu ze-N2 Gateway phaya kwaLanga. Niyazazi kaloku ukuba aninyanisekanga. Niyazi ukuba eza zindlu ziqala phi, emva kwesikhululo seenqwelomoya zizokuqhina nge-District Six, ngoko ke le beniyithetha apha asiyonyaniso, kufuneka sinilungise.
Yekani ukuthi sithi xa sizama ukulungiselela abantu bakuthi emva kweminyaka engama-48 yolawulo lwengcinezelo, abantu bakuthi bengenayo nendawo yokufihla intloko, niphazamise. Zonke ezi zinto noyaziphazamiso asingo-N2 Gateway esithetha ngaye apha. Naba abanye abantu sele behlala ezindlwini zabo, natsiya imihlaba ngaphaya kooDelft. Izolo bendimmamele uMphathiswa kunye naye uNksz Zille bethetha ebusuku, nabantu bephendula besithi bona babehlala emva kwezindlu zabantu iminyaka engama-30 ukuya kuma 40 bengezo ezabo. Abanye bathi i-Peoples' Housing Project, PHP, ithe yancediswa ziimali zikaKhongolozi ukwakhela abantu. Abantu bonwabile bebesitsho apha eKapa ukuthi, "ngoku sineezindlu ezinamagumbi okutyela" besithi bebeqala nokuyibona into enjalo kuba beqhele oovezinyawo bezindlu.
Thina sibakhupha ematyotyombeni kuba ngexesha lenu nanilibele ngabo, ukuba nisakuna ukubalibala nangoku. Asoze sinivumele nenze lo nto. Xa ndiza kuhlala phantsi Sihlalo, mandithi, DA masiyiyekeni le nto bantakwethu, ingakumbi kule Ndlu yokuthi sithi xa kukho umba otya umzi siwenze owezopolitiko. Ndicela ukuba kubanjiswane kwakhelwe abantu izindlu. Yekani ukulwa ulwakhiwo lwezindlu. Yilwani ubuqhophololo kuleyo siyanivumela, kodwa kule yezindlu inkqubela niyibambile imile oko nithe nangena andiyazi esele niyenzile into. Nithanda amaphepha ngaphezulu kokwenza umsebenzi wenu. [Kwaqhwatya.]
La maphepha awasoze anincedise emsebenzini, ayesibulala kwakudala, yiloo nto abanye bethu side singakwazi nokuwamamela, ngoba amanye awo aye ezizixhobo zengcinezelo. Andiyazi ke nina ukuba kutheni niwathanda kangaka. Masike sakheleni abantu izindlu. Siyayamkela Mphathiswa, nomama ongekhoyo apha ukuba le nkqubo oze nayo uthe mayithi xha. Bona bayamosha, kufuneka uyithathele kuwe siza kukuncedisa thina siyikomiti enyonyuliweyo, namalungu ePalamente anyanisekileyo wonke. Siza kumane sisiya kujonga ukuba uyalwenza ulwabiwo lwezindlu ngokufanelekileyo. Uze uzisebenzise ke eza zixhobo zokusebenza ozinikwe nguRhulumente kazwelonke ezifana nee-database.
Siyazi ukuba asoze ibe yinto encinci ukufunela abantu ababaleka phaya eTranskei, eCofimvaba naseMthatha izindlu, besithi baze kufuna umsebenzi abangawufumaniyo, baphela sele besakha amatyotyombe ngoku sele bebaninzi kakhulu. Asazi ukuba uza kuyisombulula njani loo ngxaki kodwa sikhuthembile, kodwa ukuba ufuna uncedo ikhona le komiti ikhokelwe ngulaa mntana kaTau, ngamanye amazwi sikhona. Enkosi. [Kwaqhwatywa.] (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, it is the honest truth that when we took over the running of this country in 1994, we also inherited problems like the one that we are talking about today. That is why I am standing here today talking about the N2 Gateway problem. I am consequently not afraid to mention that it is through this Gateway project that we have successfully fulfilled the mission and vision enshrined in the ANC's Human Rights Charter, and not Nomaindia Mfeketo's vision. Included in this is that people shall have better houses. You, as DA members, will under no circumstances be allowed, as long as we the ANC is still in power, to revolt against an agreement that has been reached by the three spheres of government.
As the Minister and Ms Robinson have indicated, this is not about an individual, Nomaindia Mfeketo. This has nothing to do with Nomaindia Mfeketo. The three spheres of government reached this agreement. We are extending a hand of friendship to you, but you seem to be rejecting our gesture. I don't know how you could do that. The national government has paved the way forward for the way in which the provinces should work together. Ministers, municipalities, mayors and all political parties should work together with regard to the N2 Gateway project. That's the ANC national Minister's vision and not Nomaindia's.
You, the DA members, have this bad habit of undermining whatever rights our people have attained, and this will not be tolerated any longer. The people of South Africa have reached these agreements in all municipalities, but the day that you take over the running of the City of Cape Town for a little while you stop the progress of housing development.
You are causing problems because the national Minister made a request in Parliament for a financial audit - something that you have always been asking for and which we are supporting and not criticising. We commend the Minister for the steps she has taken, after taking over from her predecessor, of requesting an investigation into the project that was moving at a snail's pace.
We have also seen that; we never got it from you. The Minister has also seen that, and consequently asked for an audit. This, Mrs Robinson, is contained in section 188 of the Constitution. This section gives the Auditor-General the right to audit the national departments, go back to provincial and local governments, and move on to the mayor, Mrs Zille, and say, "I am investigating now".
The ANC's national Minister has given her the go-ahead to do that. She did not say: "No, I am hiding away Nomaindia, whom you alleged has done this and that, together with the Minister." She said: "Go ahead, because section 188 of the Constitution does allow you to."
And who are you, after we have followed the Constitution and involved the Auditor-General, to say that you want your own investigation? I want to tell you that you are cheeky. And so, if you cannot follow what the Constitution says, and want to appoint your own person, carry on. We don't have a problem, but you must know that this country is ruled by the ANC, and there is only one bull in the kraal. You are not telling the truth about the N2 Gateway houses in Langa; you know very well that you are not telling the truth. You know that these houses start just behind the Cape Town International Airport and stretch to District Six. You are not telling the truth here, on a point of correction. You need to stop interfering when we are trying to provide housing to destitute people who were subjected to apartheid for more than 48 years. You stick your nose into everything we do, and not only the N2 Gateway project that we are discussing here now.
Some people are already staying in their houses in Delft. Yesterday I was listening to the Minister and Mrs Zille's phone-in programme, when people were saying that they had been living in shacks for about 30 to 40 years. Some indicated that the People's Housing Project, PHP, has financially helped this ANC-led government to build houses for the people. They even said: "Now we have houses with kitchens and this is the first time that we have something like that, because we were used to small houses."
When we built small houses for our people, we were taking them out of the shacks, because you forgot about them when you were in power. Even now you still want to forget about them. We will never allow you to do that.
In conclusion, Chairperson, let me sound a very strong word of warning to our DA colleagues, and that is that we should refrain, especially in this House, from politicising issues when answers are needed. I request that we work together in building houses for the people. Stop fighting housing development and instead channel your energies to fighting corruption; we allow you to do that. But in as far as the project concerning the construction of houses is concerned, you are retarding the progress, leaving it stationary. Since you took over, what have you done? You like the media publicity more than service delivery. These newspapers will never help you in executing your duties. We do not read some of them because they were used in the dark days of apartheid to suppress information. I don't know why you like them so much.
Let us start building houses for the people. Minister, we welcome your programme. Let's leave behind those who oppose it. Take it over and we'll help you, the select committee and the honest Members of Parliament.
We will always monitor whether the distribution of houses is done in the correct manner. You must please use the information like the database that you get from the government.
We know that it's not child's play to provide houses to people who ran away from Transkei and places like Cofimvaba and Mthatha and relocated to Cape Town in pursuit of job opportunities, and ended up building shacks, of which the number has now increased. We don't know how you will solve this problem, but we trust you and if you need assistance, don't hesitate to consult this committee, led by hon Tau. In other words, we'll always be there for you. I thank you. [Applause.]]