Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers as well as hon members, the UDM supports Budget Vote No 5. [Applause.] We wish to thank the department for all the good things it has done. I will, however, leave the enumeration of the department's achievements to its praise singers.
During our oversight visit to the department's head offices in Pretoria at the beginning of the year, we were shocked to learn that the director- general of the department and his senior officials had not been briefed about the 2012 agreement to deploy South African troops in the Central African Republic, CAR. Yet, they are the first line of defence with respect to our foreign policy. While still on the subject of the CAR deployment, could the hon Minister take the nation into her confidence and explain Operation Morero and its implications?
It would be interesting to know whether the President briefed the hon Minister timeously about the 2012 CAR deployment. If yes, why did she not brief her director-general and his deputies? If not, would she not agree with someone who says that her mandate as the head of our foreign policy was hijacked?
We ask these questions because the President is duty-bound to consult with the departments of Defence and Military Veterans, State Security and International Relations and Co-operation, as well as with Parliament on all foreign military deployments. Could it be that the Minister's department was also bypassed in government's dubious decision to support the regime change in Libya?
If this is the norm, then there is a possibility that the Presidency also bypassed the Minister's office and gave direct instructions to the Chief of State Protocol, Ambassador Bruce Koloane, during the Guptagate scandal. Would the hon Minister deny this?
In conclusion, I am still wondering, in any event, why a person who is supposed to have delegated powers should require permission from the executive to authorise the landing of an aeroplane at an unclassified airport. Finally, I hope that the proposed reaction force will not suppress uprisings against leaders who loot state resources with impunity in their countries. I thank you. [Applause.]