No, no, no! Take it easy, hon Groenewald, take it easy! Let us come to another point: the personnel complement of Denel. How many people are manning Denel? It has a core group of 4 000 people. These people are spread across different categories. There are labourers, artisans, apprentices, interns, engineers and scientists of note! [Applause.]
Apart from that, Denel works with many companies whose staff complement is close to 30 000 in its value chain - all these people dip into the expertise of Denel. I know there is the view, held by the opposition, that because Denel and other state-owned companies were battling at one stage, government should have sold them and got rid of them. [Interjections.] If we had succumbed to that pressure, we would not be standing here with pride as a member of Brics. [Interjections.]
Recently, in March, the SA government hosted a high-profile meeting of six heads of state from the Brics countries who came to Durban. Among them, we have a memorandum of understanding, MOU, which was signed by Russia, for Denel to upgrade and run what is called a centre for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of 1 000 Russian helicopters. These helicopters will be flying all over Africa to assist. [Applause.] That is the point!
We know that the Russians were seen as enemies in the past. Today, they have come out to extend a hand of friendship and say, "South Africa, because you are a democratic and open society and you have come up with a miracle, we are going to hold your hand and incorporate you in Brics." So, South Africa has been elevated. This is a direct contract; one that is deliverable. Denel managed to get it and is the envy of the world. By contrast, other manufacturers all over the world have collapsed in the area of weaponry and artillery, but not Denel. That is because the ANC-led government is progressive and is leading a developmental state. [Applause.]
The government adopted a policy of countercyclical fiscal budgeting. This means that when the economy is down, the government must come forward to pick it up! [Applause.] However, when the economy is performing well, the government can hydraulically pull back. [Interjections.] The government was able to do that by injecting money into Denel so that Denel would not be closed.
The Russian MOU is a very significant milestone. Not only that; Denel is also training a lot of young engineers and they are playing a meaningful role. This is because, when it comes to transformation, not only Denel but many other companies are unfortunately faced with ageing expertise. These are white males - very good guys with excellent brains, but they happen to be stereotyped as whites - nonetheless, they are male and they are ageing! [Laughter.] As they age and atrophy, nature does not allow a vacuum. There must be replenishment. [Interjections.] I, for one, do not want to suggest that all the people who work for Denel are members of the ANC. I am not going to suggest that. However, I must say that the programmes they are running there are very progressive and you can see that the spirit of the ANC is ruling in them. [Applause.] [Interjections.] You can see the heart of the Freedom Charter when they train these young people. It is reminiscent of the Freedom Charter, which says, "The doors of culture and learning must be open to all."
We are not discriminating, saying "whites" and "blacks", because South Africa is a country that belongs to everybody. However, the reality is that, as much as we appreciate the expertise of these white males - and very few white women, for that matter - we are unapologetically saying that black people must come to the fore. We agree with you, hon Minister, that BEE is not a mistake.
There is no party that should understand BEE better than Mr Groenewald's party. You are the people who understood affirmative action better, but what the ANC did in its magnanimity ... [Interjections.] Hold on! The ANC did not want to be vindictive. It didn't want to stereotype and be vindictive. Mandela was very magnanimous. He said we must never have those dark days of apartheid coming back. Never again will racism prevail in this country!
Ke a e tshehetsa Tekanyetso ena ya Ditjhelete, Modulasetulo. Ke a leboha. [I support this Budget Vote, Chairperson. Thank you.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]