Voorsitter, die Minister van Verdediging het nie sulke uitlatings gemaak soos die Minister van Korrektiewe Dienste nie, so ek sal my binne perke hou. In Januarie 2005 kom die agb Minister van Verdediging en hy doen 'n beroep op veral blankes om aan te sluit by die weermag. Dit is in die media waar hy dit gevra het en ook ges het dat Suid-Afrika ook die blankes nodig het in die SA Nasionale Weermag.
Hierdie week moet ons verneem dat 'n offisiervormingskursus wat aangebied word in die ler, uitsluitlik is vir swart, bruin en Indirs, en dat blankes uitgesluit is daarvan. Hoe kan die agb Minister verwag dat blankes by die SA Nasionale Weermag moet aansluit, maar hulle mag nie offisierskursusse bywoon nie? Daar is nie bevorderingsmoontlikhede vir hulle nie. Geen regdenkende mens sal by 'n instelling aansluit, as daar geen bevorderingsmoontlikhede is nie. Dit is blatante rassisme en dit moet gestaak word. Voordat dit nie gebeur nie, sal die VF Plus nie hierdie begrotingspos ondersteun nie. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Chairperson, the Minister of Defence did not make the kind of statements that the Minister of Correctional Services did, so I shall contain myself. In January 2005 the hon Minister of Defence made an appeal, especially to whites, to join the defence force. It was in the media that he made this request and also said that South Africa also needed the whites in the SA Defence Force.
This week we were informed that an officers' course being offered in the army is exclusively for blacks, coloureds and Indians, and that whites are excluded from this. How can the hon Minister expect whites to join the SA Defence Force without being allowed to attend officers' courses? There are no promotion opportunities for them. No right-minded person would join an institution if there are no promotion opportunities. This is blatant racism and must be stopped. Until such time as this happens the FF Plus will not support this Budget Vote.]