Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon MEC, director-general of the department, chief executive officer of the SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, and the National Development Agency, NDA, allow me to quote our former President, Nelson Mandela. He said: I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended. [Applause.]
When the great icon of our liberation struggle, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, uttered these words many years ago, he was reflecting on the material conditions of the poor and marginalised at that time. These prophetic words have resonance for our situation today and sound a clarion call for all of us to march forward with a sense of purpose and stewardship. Indeed, the long walk has not ended.
The gallant heroes and heroines of our struggle envisaged a democratic dispensation that we will improve the overall quality of life of our people, regardless of the geographic space they find themselves in. They envisioned that all citizens will enjoy the fruits of liberation and would not be called refugees in their own land of birth. They laid down their lives for a united, indivisible South Africa where all citizens have equal opportunities. They would have indeed frowned upon the new terminology of professional blacks, which delegitimises the rights of black people to raise legitimate issues in provinces where they feel unwanted. It was really a disgrace to hear the Premier of the Western Cape calling people refugees in their own land. We don't have refugees here; everyone has the right to move wherever they want. South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black or white. She should be grateful that in the end we have included them. Refugees are those who arrived with Jan van Riebeeck here in South Africa. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
There are those among us who do not have the experience of going to bed hungry by virtue of their middle-class and privileged upbringing. They tell us that the National Development Agency has no business focusing on issues of food security, but offer no credible alternative for the food insecurity problem in our country, particularly in the rural areas.
They speak from the vantage of Stellenbosch and could not care less about the African child from Muyexe in Giyani, Mncwasa in Elliotdale, uMsinga in KwaZulu-Natal and Verena in KwaMhlanga. This is hypocritical of the DA. How can you say that the NDA is not important? In Setswana we say ...
... "seilakgaka senwa moro." [You are hypocrites.]
You amended the report, but you do not adopt it. How dare you do that?
O seilakgaka senwa moro; bo mabina go tsholwa. [You are a hypocrite; you want to reap what you did not sow.] [Applause.]
The NDA has a significant role in working with the civil society organisations, CSOs, to alleviate poverty in poor communities. In fulfilling this role, the NDA has allocated from its budget R186 million to support CSOs for the next three years. In addition, the NDA will mobilise R165 million from partners for this purpose over the same period. During the previous financial year, the NDA managed to mobilise over R80 million from partnerships with various development partners.
Modulasetulo, go na le bopaki jo bo tletseng, jo bo supang gore batlhoki ba dirisa madi a bone a bofelo go reka dijo. Ga jaana, NDA e tsweletse go diragatsa lenaneo leo le bidiwang Go nna gona ga Dijo Mo matlong le mo Set?habeng, eo e leng karolo ya letsholo la Dijo go Botlhe. Maitlhomo a lenaneo leno, mo gare ga a mangwe, ke go atolosa dijo tse di nang le dikotla mo disenthareng tsa kgolo ya bana ba ba potlana, le go dira botsalano ba batsayakarolo go fokotsa seelo sa tlala mo ditlhopheng tsa batho tseo di nang le matshosetsi a go amiwa ke tlala jaaka e le karolo ya Leano la Mokopanelwa la Go nna gona ga Dijo, eleng leano la mmuso. "Sejo sennye ga se fete molomo." (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[Chairperson, there is evidence that proves that poor people use their last cent to buy food. Currently, the NDA is continuing to roll out the Household and Community Food Security programme, which is part of the Food for All campaign. The aim of this programme, amongst others, is to increase the amount of nutritious food in the early childhood development centres, and to have partnerships with participants to decrease the extent of hunger in the groups of people who are in danger of being affected by hunger, as part of Integrated Food Security, which is a government plan. Half a bread is better than nothing.]
In the 2012-13 financial year alone, the NDA impacted on 3 768 beneficiaries of food security programmes. Apart from working with the provincial departments of social development, the agency is working closely with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to source capital, expertise and collaboration in project implementation.
Freedom from hunger represents one of the greatest gains of our liberation struggle. We can only rest when the nutritional status of the women and children of Taung in North West, Mbashe in the Eastern Cape, and Nkqubela Township in Langeberg in the Western Cape improves.
Yes, hon members, the Western Cape is still part of South Africa. Unfortunately, whilst everybody is talking about increasing the democratic space for critical engagement, the Western Cape government is closing the space for civil society participation in policy formulation. Whilst the country celebrates the social accords that have been brokered at Nedlac ... [Interjections.]