Chairperson, Deputy Minister Thabang Makwetla, fellow Cabinet colleagues, chairpersons of committees, hon members, Secretary of Defence, Chief of the SA National Defence Force, the Military Command, our soldiers watching from the bases and our honoured guests, good afternoon.
We welcome the opportunity to introduce the first Budget Vote debate since my appointment as Minister of Defence and Military Veterans. We dedicate this occasion of our Budget Vote debate to the women and men, members of our armed forces, who lost their lives in the service of our country during the previous year. May their souls rest in peace, while the memory of their love for their country should never be lost to us.
The Budget Vote debate of the department takes place against the backdrop of this ongoing public discourse on various matters within the defence and security environment. Whatever the differences in public opinion on these matters, the discourse has created a rare opportunity for our country, the Ministry and the SA National Defence Force to pay urgent attention to some of the weaknesses that gave rise to such challenges.
I must say, however, that given the rapid nature of developments in our environment in the past two months, the country, including all of us here, has had very little time to convey due appreciation for the sterling work done on a daily basis by members of the SA National Defence Force to ensure the security and sovereignty of our country. [Applause.]
Despite the recent incidences that are in the public domain, our men and women in uniform continue to display selfless and loyal determination in executing their various tasks in the service of this great nation. While some of us have resigned ourselves to the despondence and gloom of the moment, the continued selfless dedication and sacrifice of our soldiers should be celebrated. On an occasion such as this, we should not miss the opportunity to let them know the extent of our indebtedness to them.
The Department of Defence and Military Veterans is a unique organisation populated by a special calibre of South Africans, soldiers and civilians alike, who have elected to put their lives on the line so that we and future generations can live in conditions of peace. Each one of them is an everyday hero. The country should not be ashamed to associate itself with them and show pride in their heroism, even during times of challenges and despondency. [Applause.]
Ms Susette Gates sits in the public gallery - and I would like her to stand - as our invited guest. [Applause.] She herself is not a soldier, but a civilian who works in our financial management division. She is in her mid- 40s, a white South African, and was deployed as the financial officer of our mission to the Central African Republic, CAR.
When she and the other contingent of civilians became aware of the imminent attack by the rebels, they vacated their accommodation and were relocated to a safer place. During this rush, she had to leave behind the cash contingency supporting the mission, amounting to millions of rands. She knew that, should the money be discovered, it would fall into the wrong hands and be used to fund rebel activity. At the height of the battle she returned to the base to fetch the money and accounting documents at great risk to her life. [Applause.]
She was confronted by the rebels who wanted to take the bags in which she had hid the money. She managed to convince them that she was carrying clothes and hitchhiked with French troops to the airport. She brought back into South Africa the total amount of R3 million in foreign currency. [Applause.]
HON MEMBERS: Malibongwe! [Praise!]