Hon Chairperson and members of the House, thank you for the very vibrant debate and engagement. Firstly, I want to express my appreciation of some of the statements made by the chairperson of the portfolio committee and members of the ANC in the portfolio committee on the assertion of section 68 and that we should all look at the role of Public Works in a developmental state. In so doing, government will have sufficient skills to help us in the area of construction and will reduce the cost of doing business.
Secondly, we acknowledge the issues that we have to deal with regarding recruitment, training, the creation of work opportunities, including business opportunities, for those who have been disenfranchised over time.
I also want to acknowledge what came from members of the ANC in the debate, namely that there is a need to accelerate water allocation reform so that we can ensure that South Africa indeed belongs to all those who live in it. Doing that, our own communities that have been historically disadvantaged will be able to access and have quality water, in both the rural areas and the agricultural sector.
I also agree with members of the ANC in this House who say that there is a need for us to revisit the role of water associations. We know some of them came into being through a negotiated settlement. Twenty years down the line, is it a good story to tell that water associations are constituted on the basis of race and those who felt they were vulnerable when negotiations were taking place in Kempton Park? [Interjections.] We also have to deal with the issues of farmers ...