Hon Speaker, President of the Republic of South Africa, Deputy President, Cabinet, colleagues, Deputy Ministers, hon members, fellow South Africans and friends, Mr President, there are many who have already described your 2013 state of the nation address as both honest in its assessment of our nation's progress in the 20 years of freedom, and as a useful basis for our plans going forward. As the ANC, we can't agree more.
On the occasion of this debate, therefore, we are presented with an opportunity to pause and go back to the basics; to take a step back and remind ourselves of the foundation that forms the basis of our task in building and sustaining the democratic state.
In conceptualising the national democratic revolution, the ANC recognised that the first challenge facing our society was the need to build a nation out of the divisions created by years of colonialisation, and sustained later through the system of apartheid.
The recognition that the racial and class stratification of our society has meant that South Africa entered into its democratic breakthrough in 1994 not as one nation. This might have resulted in a situation where that political breakthrough could represent different meanings to different sections of our society, hence the call for nation-building as a rallying point to unite our people and forge a common vision for South Africa. It is these basics that I want us to look back to in this debate.
Hon Speaker, as our country edges towards the third decade of freedom, the imperative for us as a nation is to build national consensus on what should constitute the absolute priorities for our country. This national consensus should be able to assist the country across political and other divides to unite on a minimum programme that transcends all sectors of our society.
In his address the President urged us to look at some of the essential priorities on which we can agree, including, and not limited to, issues of education, health, poverty and the safety of our children. He went on to present the National Development Plan as an embodiment of our shared set of objectives, a common vision for a different South Africa.
In line with this, we need to develop a programme of essentials on which we can agree. The National Development Plan commits us as a nation to accelerating progress, deepening democracy and building a more inclusive society. It calls on South Africans to translate political emancipation into economic wellbeing for all. Most importantly, it strongly asserts that it is up to all South Africans to fix the future by starting today.
The President reported in his address last week that the government has accepted the thrust of the National Development Plan and offers it as a basis on which we should unite as a country despite our political affiliations. He has called for a collective effort when he reminded us that no single force acting individually can achieve the objectives we have set for ourselves.
Hon members, over the past four years or so the departments constituting government's Justice Crime Prevention and Security cluster have engaged with the processes and made inputs into the development of the National Development Plan. As part of the cluster, the Department of Defence has had a unique opportunity and we were fortunate that the development of the National Development Plan, NDP, coincided with the process of the Defence Review, ensuring alignment between the two. The Defence Review, which was initiated by my predecessor, and which will be finalised by the end of the financial year, already positions the role of our Defence Force as a key national asset that can, without detriment to its primary functions, carry out directed actions to support national development. In this regard the Review also acknowledges that the inherent potential of the Defence Force to support national development can be realised almost automatically as a direct result of its normal peacetime activities.
It is, however, also important to understand South Africa's international defence obligations within the context of its support to development. The role of the military in supporting peace and stability on the continent is in line with our foreign policy objectives. These objectives recognise the fact that South Africa's own development cannot happen outside that of the continent and that our fortunes as a country are dependent on and linked to the success of the African story.
Situations of war and instability in any part of the continent are detrimental to effective development and as a result may pose a direct or indirect threat to South Africa's own national interest. As part of this national consensus it is important for all of us to understand and appreciate this principle and have consideration for the role played by our Defence Force in supporting peace and development on the continent.
Deputy Speaker, I am aware that recently there have been attempts to present this important role as unnecessary, wasteful and without benefit to South Africa. This assertion, in particular with regard to our engagements in the Mozambique Channel, the Central African Republic and most recently the troops' contribution to the Southern African Development Community's neutral force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has at times been deliberately misleading and dishonest. As unconventional as it is, I thought that I should use this opportunity of this debate to clarify some of these issues.
On Mali; in line with our commitment to democracy and stability on the continent, South Africa has on more than one occasion condemned the unconstitutional changes in government that took place in Mali in March 2012. We remain extremely concerned about the control exerted by the armed groups in northern Mali and their thwarted advance towards the south.
In particular, we have expressed concern at the senseless violation and destruction of the museums and other critical parts of the historical heritage sites. These included the holy shrines, infrastructure and manuscripts in Timbuktu, including the damage caused to the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research. As South Africa, we welcome efforts made by Economic Community of West African States, Ecowas, together with the African Union, AU, and the United Nations in providing a platform for mediation to find a lasting political solution to the Mali crisis. South Africa was part of the donors' conference held in Addis Ababa in January, where we pledged to give support in whatever way we can. As a matter of record, South Africa will not be contributing any troops to the African-led International Support Mission to Mali, Afisma, as troops have been pledged by the Ecowas region.
On the Central African Republic - South Africa's engagement in this country is based on a Bilateral Defence Corporation Agreement and the AU Peace and Security Council resolutions on requiring member states to provide support for the socioeconomic recovery and the consolidation of peace and stability in the Central African Republic. In line with this, South Africa signed a Defence Co-operation with the Central African Republic, CAR, to assist in building the capacity of the CAR army. This military training assistance includes provision of equipment.
As we are all aware, towards the end of last year there were reports of rebel activity and military threats to depose the government of the CAR. In January this year, we extended the memorandum of understanding, MoU, for another 5 years and authorised the deployment of up to 400 soldiers as part of the military co-operation agreement.
The additional South African soldiers were sent to the CAR as protectors should the need arise for the 26 trainers to be defended. Of course, we had to ensure that the assets that we have in the Central African Republic are also protected and that they do not fall into the wrong hands and are used in the conflict that was developing in that country. We have since welcomed the deal reached between the president of that country and the rebels, who had sought to overthrow him, to create a coalition government.
On the insistence of South Africa, we have not moved out of the CAR because, amongst others, there has been a request by the UN representatives to that country, that countries that are on the ground in the Central African Republic should remain on the ground lest we see another Mali evolving.
On the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we have been actively involved on a bilateral as well as multilateral level in striving to bring peace and stability in the eastern DRC. In the multilateral fora South Africa at present continues to support the Monusco deployment in the DRC through the contribution of 1 250 forces.
Following the March 23 Movement, M23, rebel group takeover of Goma city in the eastern DRC on 20 November 2012, South Africa has been actively involved as a member state of the Southern African Development Community in finding a lasting solution for the situation in the DRC. A joint strategy was developed by the chiefs of the Defence Forces of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, ICGLR, and SADC proposed that an intervention force be sent to the eastern DRC. The AU is currently engaging the UN on the strategy and only following this engagement will it be implemented. Recent reports of South Africa having sent troops to go and fight in the DRC are therefore misplaced.
Should the strategy go ahead, South Africa will not be sending additional troops to the DRC. We have pledged to contribute a brigade to the intervention force by removing our current brigade from Monusco so as to serve under the intervention force. I, therefore, want to categorically reject recent allegations made in our local newspapers that we are endangering the lives of our troops by moving them to the intervention force.
It must also be mentioned that our troops have been deployed in the eastern DRC for a number of years and are familiar with the terrain and the forces on the ground. South Africa remains committed to finding a lasting political solution to the problems that result in the destabilisation of the DRC as a whole.
Hon Speaker, it is important that the Defence Force continues to be seen by all of us as an essential national asset that should be protected from political postulations or used to achieve sectarian political interest. All of us should give careful consideration to avoiding the dangerous temptation to play political football with issues of our Defence Force. Keep it free from the influences of varying and competing political interests. On our part, as government, we will continue to ensure that the primary functions of our Defence Force will remain those of deterrence, defence and the protection of key national interests.
In a similar vein, it is important for all of us, both within and outside government, to desist from the trend of viewing the Defence Force as merely a cost centre that consumes enormous resources without any substantial reciprocal benefits to the country, and for it to be seen for its true value to the nation and its national interest.
Informed by the requirements of the Defence Review, we will continue to engage with both the National Treasury and the Cabinet on the appropriate resourcing of the Defence Force. It is our view that given the centrality of the defence mandate to the development of our national interest in general, the state should ensure that the capabilities of our Defence Force are not compromised by rolling budget cuts to the detriment of South Africa's role and position in the geopolitical setup.
It is, however, also a key mandate of the Defence Force to create conditions of peace and stability so indispensable to economic development and the safety of citizens. We therefore, in line with the requirements of the Constitution, deploy its members in support of the SA Police Service, SAPS, when it is necessary.
The maintenance of law and order and the fight against crime still remains the central responsibility of the SA Police Service. Only in exceptional circumstances of a serious threat to law and order should the Defence Force be called upon to assist the police. It is important that all of us resist the temptation easily to call on the Defence Force to conduct normal policing work as this could easily gravitate us into a militarised state reminiscent of the perpetual state of mergency.
As experienced in the past, this kind of action has the potential to erode the public confidence and trust in the Defence Force; a situation that can have dire consequences for the stability of the country.
Madam Deputy Speaker, following Mr Nxesi's release of the report of the task team that investigated the process followed in effecting security upgrades at the President's residence, we decided to pay attention to those matters in the report in which the South African National Defence Force, SANDF, or the Department of Defence and Military Veterans played a direct role. We are of the view that those matters that are the subject of further investigation as recommended by the task team, including if any that involve the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, should continue to be dealt with through that process. It is important that this investigation continues unhindered in order to ensure that we can account to the South African public about the corrective measures that are being taken in cases where any wrongdoing is established.
From an operational point of view, we have reviewed the work done in relation to the support that the SANDF provides to the President and made the following observations. Firstly, a clinic facility has been built as part of the operational requirements of the presidential medical unit under SA Military Health Service, SAMHS. Secondly, a helipad facility has been erected for the specific operational requirements of the South African Air Force. Thirdly, accommodation units for the various members of the SANDF who are required to perform duties in support of the President have been built
This work and the costs associated with it is part of the operational requirements requested by various government departments involved in support of the President. The cost of these departmental requirements constituted the bulk of the total spend of R206 million on the project, calculated at over R135 million. In terms of the report the rest of the expenditure, just over R71 million, was accounted for as having been used for security upgrades as per the assessment of security agencies. These security requirements included physical security, evacuation systems and fire-fighting capabilities.
The investigation found no evidence that any of these funds were used to build the actual houses of the President, which were at completion level at the time of his appointment in 2009. This is very important, hon members. [Applause.] There has also been no evidence suggesting that the conclusion of the task team investigation was wrong except for general statements of painful accusation and baseless suspicion.
As I have indicated, the process of approval and procurement related to the operational requirements of departments, including the Department of Defence, will also be the subject of the same investigation announced by the Minister last month.
For now, it is our decision to increase the initial size of the medical facility in the residence to a bigger clinic outside given that the perimeter of the residence was wrong and miscalculated. [Interjections.] Listen so that you can understand what I'm saying. In this regard, having assessed both the location and the size of the clinic facility, it is our view that, save for minor adjustments, the clinic has adequate capacity to serve both the requirements of the Presidency whenever necessary, as well as provide a service for the community of Nkandla. [Applause.]
Discussions amongst the various role-players, including the KwaZulu-Natal department of health, have already started to put this decision into effect. It is also important for me to indicate that even with the pending investigation on these matters, government has already acknowledged lessons learnt from some of the mistakes reported by the task team.
I must, however, indicate in general terms that the burden of where the buck stops has meant, as far as politicians are concerned, that even in cases where you may not be directly responsible for certain matters associated with your work, you nevertheless are expected to take final responsibility. I have commented to some of my colleagues about the extent to which they personally get involved, or are aware of various work that is being done at their residences through the Department of Public Works.
It is common cause that works such as upgrades and general maintenance on properties, including costing and acquisition of contractors, is entirely under the direct care of Public Works officials at national and regional offices. The Minister is on record about his concerns regarding the weaknesses and levels of collusion that have resulted in inflation costs, and the poor financial controls in the department.
Speaking for all of us, including you, hon members who also live in state accommodation here in Cape Town, we can agree that none of us is ever consulted about the work done at any of our official residences where we live as well as the costs and the budgets associated with it ... [Interjections.]