I understand when there is difficulty in understanding the responsibility that we are dealing with. I say with ease that I am still consistent in interpreting what I understand. The hon member then took responsibility and talked about economics, development and militarisation. We don't understand where he got his explanation of how the economy reflects within the military. You came here and made a joke of yourself. I take responsibility, because that's how the Ministry and all of us were able to crunch figures, in the 1%. You know exactly what we are talking about.
He has not been able to say what type of model he has used, economically speaking. And he tested it against what? He has not been able to tell us what the nature of the economy has been over some time. They left the legacy within the economy and they compare that with the military. He comes here and makes a noise. We are economists and we know what we are talking about. He barely understands.
I will prove it by showing how little he understands the African continent. That is why, as a party, they are asking and appealing that we should go to Manenberg. He comes and plays around with our people's lives, because he doesn't understand that there is a huge responsibility that was taken on by these men and women in our country. He doesn't understand the deaths and the pain that we have gone through as a country. He doesn't understand that any soldier that dies receives the greatest respect. Let us listen to what Minister Cwele said in terms of Africa. Within that African analysis, I'll prove to him that he has been misleading us, because his information is based on what the rebels have been providing him with. This information has not been provided to him by anybody else. I will tell you that. As we stand here, we know that whatever happens today in the lives of our soldiers has not been an easy trip.
These military commanders have done more work to be able to help preserve what we have decided as being the policy arrangements of the ANC. We have accepted that responsibility and done that assessment. People who are dealing with this operation have taken the huge responsibility of seeing to it that the policies of this government are being implemented. That is why we have a high regard for them.
There is no stage at which they are able to provide. They come here and make a lot of noise about the Guptas. We are not interested in that. We were trying to find out from them if the way that they have not been able to understand the environment is correct. The audit that we are talking about, on which the Minister has been able to give clarity long ago, is about the Waterkloof Air Force Base. As the Minister, she rejected that and took a principled stance. However, they all want her to be a traffic officer, to run around and be a metro officer. She is not. The Constitution doesn't require her to become a metro officer and run around asking how many traffic police are in the convoy. [Applause.] That is not her responsibility. However, because they don't understand her responsibilities, they come here and make a lot of noise.
Let us listen to what Minister Cwele said, and I quote:
Global security remains stable but fragile due to pockets of conflict in some regions of the world. One of the most noticeable trends since 2012 is the increase in the threat of terrorism in Africa.
That is how the Minister put it. Further on he said:
In West Africa, the destabilising activities of extremist or militant groups such as Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, Boko Haram in Nigeria and Tuareg Militia in Mali attest to this. In North Africa there is a proliferation of small arms, the availability of well-trained fighters, and weakened regional security structures. Al-Shabaab is determined to wage a jihad against countries that are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia.
Central Africa, where the Central African Republic is, has experienced a resurgence of instability as a result of the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. We are concerned about the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic. As a nation, we may not turn a blind eye to the evolving humanitarian crisis. The primary objective is to urgently restore security in order to allow inflows of humanitarian assistance and economic reconstruction.
I have quoted the Minister of State Security. Where did the hon Maynier get his information from? He presented stories from the rebels and told stories that M23 provided him with information. There will be a moment where our own soldiers will be provided with information by people who killed them; and then you come and make a lot of noise in Parliament and start jumping up and down.
Pertinent to that matter is that what hon Esau of the DA talked about when he came up here mentioning mistakes in a book. I have been trying to ask what kind of policy measures the DA has. It has not been developing any. We have tried to check on what they were basing their analysis and policies. Maynier has just been thumb-sucking all the time, and the next thing he talks as if there was panic or crisis in our country. There is no crisis here.
The commander-in-chief is in charge. He is in charge. [Laughter.] [Interjections.] He is in charge. [Applause.] He is giving command and hope. The Minister is in charge. He knows exactly what is happening. He is not a socialite or running weddings. The Defence Force was not created to run weddings. We don't run weddings here. He is in charge. We are in charge of a military force that is supposed to be able to defend our people. We are fulfilling that particular responsibility with diligence.
The laws that are put in place cannot even resolve the gangster problem in Manenberg. The gangster problem is growing under their own leadership. They make a lot of noise. They went to Khayelitsha and everywhere, trying to deal with the police. The police can't listen to them. They created some metro structures, but they are not functioning. The reality is that they have no understanding of the operation of the security forces. [Applause.] That is detrimental to the existence of our own country.
That type of structure or party can't be seen to be taking responsibility for the lives of our people. I must be able to say to the military forces that the ANC remains solidly behind them. You have worked with us. We have been able to build the democracy together. We are not going to shrink from that responsibility. The commander-in-chief has been able to give us commands. [Interjections.]
It's only Gedleyihlekisa Zuma who gives commands, not you. You are not elected. I am saying that what he has been able to do, you can't! After you brought this flurry of non-information and talked about a lot of things, engaging with different forces, like the rebels, you come back and expect the commander-in-chief to come here and tell the portfolio committee what he is going to do. The commander-in-chief doesn't work like that. Maynier, you must read the Constitution properly. It will guide you to understand the role of the commander-in-chief, the role of the Ministry within the department and the role of the Military command, and not individuals who go out, shouting, without knowing what they are talking about.
As the ANC, we are still saying to you, meet us in the portfolio committee. [Applause.] Provide us with this information that you are asking about, and we will deal with you there. We don't shrink from our responsibility. We don't shout like sissies. Dinge gaan later vir jou oorloop, my broer. [Things are going to get worse for you later.] You don't understand what we are dealing with here. [Interjections.] We have been in the underground structures. We understand what we are dealing with, and we know where we are going.