Hon Speaker, well, I hope the hon member could explain to me why people at Nkandla, 3 km away from where Zuma stays, must starve. Why must they be isolated? Why should others who are in other areas be more important than those; are they different people? Should they be punished because they are neighbours to Zuma? I do not think so. I think it is not a correct approach.
Among the few areas that are well known as being poverty-stricken in the province of KwaZulu-Natal is Nkandla - counting in Msinga and KwaNongoma. There are very few places, and Nkandla is one of them. Why should it be ostracised and be made to suffer simply because Zuma comes from there? Zuma grew up in that poverty-stricken area. [Interjections.]
I do not think there can be a conference that seeks to decide to which area development must go. Development goes to where it is supposed to go at a given time. That is why I gave a list of these areas that are throughout the country so that it can assist you. [Interjections.] It is not only one place; there are many, many other places. [Interjections.] No, there are many, many other places that are being attended to. Why should this one not be developed? Why, unless you explain to me that these people are condemned to remain in poverty forever, and that it is therefore wrong and a crime to happen to be a neighbour of somebody who could become a president some day. I would then understand your argument.
I think members of this House should be encouraged when development goes to the rural areas, irrespective of the area. That is what we want. We have created these particular programmes to assist people in the rural areas. I have counted the majority of provinces where there is rural development - where money is spent. The money will never be the same. We cannot say that it should be the same - we cannot apply the one-size-fits-all principle. The developments are not the same.
With regard to agriculture, agriculture is not supporting this centre. It is misinformation. Agriculture is supporting the rural agricultural development that is done by a huge community. That is what happened. It is not done only at Mlalazi-Nkandla. It is actually doing it in the Eastern Cape and in Mpumalanga. You do not talk about those, you instead pretend as though you do not know. The question is therefore very selective. That is what is happening. Agriculture has not gone into that project, it deals with agriculture, which has helped the poor people. There have been some areas that have produced a surplus that has helped other poor people. That is the job of agriculture; that is what they must do. So there is nothing to question. We should actually be saying that we are so happy that we can see something happening - people receiving something. Absolutely. [Applause.]