Chairperson, I thank the ANC for giving me this opportunity to participate in this debate on poverty, which has particularly been my experience as a youth in South Africa. [Interjections.] I lived in poverty in my youth and I'm very thankful, despite this lot sounding off on my left.
I want to believe that poverty is a worldwide problem. Indeed, there is therefore no need to moan about it. Instead, we have to combat it. The purpose is not to alleviate it, but to eradicate it. By the look of things it is a dream that cannot come true in light of the status quo. It is a daily experience to see people who have built shelters under bridges and others who have built fragile shelters on pavements, especially here when you walk around the urban areas of Cape Town.
We seem to stand by and look on helplessly, but this is because of the magnitude of the problem. We must therefore answer the following question: What is the world doing about it and what is South Africa doing about it?
The world, through the United Nations' Habitat programme, has pledged that nobody should be without a roof over his or her head. Housing as a shelter is not meant for the rich only, but for the poor as well. The Global Forum of Parliamentarians on Habitat is meeting on a yearly basis to resolve this worldwide problem of housing. According to the World Bank study on poverty, people flock to cities and cause congestion that aggravates poverty. The answer is to develop rural areas to diminish the flocking to the cities.
Leano la tsa Matlo le supa hore, matlo a bafutsana le a basebetsi a tshwanela ho ba haufi le dibaka tsa mosebetsi. Ho na le bo-Mmasepala ba phethahatsang leano lena. Mane ho la Foreisetata, metsana e kang bo- Ngoathe, bo-Matlwangtlwang, le boMmamahabane, kaho ya matlo e atameditswe haholo mesebetsing, le ha di-indasteri di eso ka di ba teng metseng eo ha jwale.
Moralo ona o supa maikemisetso a ho bontsha hore Afrika Borwa ke naha ya bohle ba dulang ho yona, ba batsho le ba basweu, ho ya ka lengolo la tokoloho. (Translation of Sesotho paragraphs follows.) [The strategy on housing shows that the poor and the working masses should be housed near their places of employment. Already there are municipalities who are implementing this plan. In the Free State, in small towns such as Ngoathe, Matlwangtlwang and Mmamahabane, housing has been developed near places of employment, even though industrialisation has not yet started.
This strategy indicates the intention to show that South Africa is a place for all who live in it, both black and white, as outlined in the Freedom Charter.]
As ons oor die hele wreld kyk, dan sien ons dat armoede geen kleur ken nie. Baie mense is maar brandarm, ongeag hulle kleur. Ons moet dus saamwerk om armoede te bekamp. Die ANC het genoeg programme om armoede te bekamp, maar ons moet saamstem dat onbekwaamheid 'n groot rol speel om dienslewering te vertraag. Dis waarom Asgisa die antwoord is.
Die President het onderneem om sommige bekwame amptenare weer aan te stel, soos die VF Plus versoek het. Ons weet dit sal nooit genoeg wees nie. Almal sal saamstem dat swartmense ook opgelei moet word om regstellende optrede te bewerkstellig. Dit moenie beskou word as diskriminasie, soos sommiges dink nie. Ons kan nie die onregverdigheid van die vorige bedeling teenoor swartmense verontagsaam nie. Dit is die waarheid en dit moet definitief sevier. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[If we look all over the world, we see that poverty knows no colour. Many people are indeed very poor, irrespective of colour. We therefore have to work together to combat poverty. The ANC has ample programmes in place to combat poverty, but we should agree that incompetence plays a major role in retarding service delivery. That is why Asgisa is the answer.
The President has undertaken to reappoint some competent officials, as requested by the FF Plus. We know that it will never be sufficient. We will all agree that Blacks should also be trained to effect affirmative action. It should not be regarded as discrimination, as some people think. We cannot ignore the injustices of the previous regime towards black people. That is the truth and it must definitely reign supreme.]
Ha ke tadima bahlomphehi ka ho le letshehadi ka mona, ke fumana hore ba a lla, ebile sello sa bona se thiba letsatsi, empa mme Weber ke yena ya batlileng a bua, hobane o bua ka tsela ya mokgatlo wa hae hantle.
Ke ne ke maketse ha ntate Masango a eme mona, a bua ntho e kareng e na le kelello, empa ba hlaha nqa e le nngwe. Jwale mme Weber o bontshitse hore seo a se bonang ke lefifi feela la bo-nka-ntjana ka hare ho naha ena ya Afrika Borwa, ha ho letho leo a le boneng le letle le entsweng. Ha a bone matlo a ahetsweng mafutsana, ha a bone mesebetsi e ntseng e etswa, ha a bone letho, le hore dintho di fetohile ka hare ho naha ena, hobane o tsamaya moo a ratang teng hobane o re o tsamaya bofutsaneng.
Jwale rona bafutsana re tseba hore mme Weber ha a soka a matha ka mochupu wa metsi ha ntlo ya hae e nela. Ha a soka a matha ka sekotlolo sa ho hlapela ntlo ya hae e nela. Haesale a robala dikobong tse majabajaba tseo a sa tsebeng le ho itlhatswetsa tsona, tse hlatsuwang ke motho e mong. Jwale ke kahoo a tla tla bua mona ka bofutsana boo a sa bo tsebeng, boo a sokang a bo phela le ho bo phela.
Ho bontsha feela hore o mpa a lelekisa letsetse ka terene ha a nahana hore bafutsana ba tla mo sala morao. Ba a tseba hore hohang ha ho na sebaka sa bona pelong ya hae. Le hona jwale o ntse a itshupa ka ho bua mona. O tlameletsa ntate Hanekom ka leano la hae leo a neng a tshwanetse hore o le sebedisitse, jwalo ka ha batho ba mo tshehetsang haholo e le barui. (Translation of Sesotho paragraphs follows.)
[Therefore when I look at the hon members on my left, I see that they are in a grievous mood, and yet Mrs Weber is the one who chooses to speak because she sounds like a typical member of her party. I was really surprised when Mr Masango stood up here, saying something that nearly made sense, and yet they belong to the same party. Therefore, Mrs Weber has shown us that what she sees in South Africa is darkness only, she does not see anything good or positive that has been done. She does not see the houses which have been built for the poor, nor the fact that things have changed in this country, because she goes to some places which she believes to be poverty-stricken areas.
However, we, the poor, know that Mrs Weber has never run around with a bucket of water when her house is leaking during the rain. She has never run around with a small basin when her house takes in water. She has always slept under expensive blankets which she doesn't even know how to wash, which are washed for her by someone else. And yet she comes here and talks about poverty which she knows nothing about and has never experienced at all.
What it shows is that she is attempting the impossible if she thinks that the poor will buy her story. They know very well that she does not have their interests at heart. Even now she is busy railing, putting the blame on Mr Hanekom for the strategy which she was supposed to implement as a result of the support that she enjoys from the rich.]
Ja, die mense wat haar steun, is die ryk mense. Nou begin sy haar party ontwrig deur na die mense te hardloop wat niks van haar dink nie. Dit is die probleem. Aan die "Minister van Travelgate" wil ek s: Dit is jou storie oor Travelgate, en jy sal dit ook een van die warm dae eet en sluk! Baie dankie. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Yes, those supporting her are the rich. Now she is starting to disrupt her party by running to the people who have no regard for her. That is the problem! To the "Minister of Travelgate", I wish to state that it is your version of Travelgate and that one of these hot days you will also have to eat and swallow it! Thank you. [Applause.]]
Debate concluded.