... that some in this House who characterise grants that are given to the poor ... for them to go and connect them with jobs as grants for the poor. But if it's a grant given to the rich it's regarded as a subsidy. That's an anomaly that we have to expose.
Hon Qaba from Cope asks where the President is. I wonder if he asks that question in Cope, "where is the president?" You have to ask that question in your own political party, the one about where the president is. Millions of South Africans know who they voted for and know who they will continue to vote for, the next elections in 2014.
I think what is also more important, and quite disheartening, is the fact that many members come to this podium to speak and rubbish social dialogues that have been created by this very same House, including the National Economic Development and Labour Council, Nedlac. Nedlac is an institution that has been established as a result of an Act of Parliament by means of which the Congress of South African Trade Unions, Cosatu, as part of labour, business and government negotiate all policies.
The President does not pronounce policy. The President, as a result of those discussions, and after listening to all the social partners then ensures that he announces polices. To rubbish the discussions that are taking place at Nedlac about this youth wage subsidy and of whatever other points the Minister of Economic Development raised is basically to suggest that we must ignore all other sectors in our community and active role- players in the economy and only listen to the so-called "sea of blue" or "rented blue T-shirts" that marches on a daily basis.
Hon Chair, the historical manifestation of unemployment in our country has been doggedly ignored by many in this debate and in this House. To touch on that history, we are told, is to ignore our failures and seek refuge in litany of excuses in order to explain our re-election. But yet those of us who do so are themselves seeking to depose the government of the day at the ballot on account of the historical injustices committed against our people for some time.
In September 1948 H F Verwoerd in this same House, as a member of the Senate, participated in the debate on a motion of no confidence against his government for the introduction of apartheid. In the same debate Verwoerd argued how sustainable and reasonable the policy of apartheid is and quoted his political mentor, J G Strijdom, in an address Strijdom gave in 1942. He said that:
The native should not be allowed to own land among white people rather they should be confined to the various native reserves.
Strijdom went on to declare that -
The native and coloured people in our towns and villages should not live in European residential areas, but that there should be separate areas for them.
We all know about these atrocious separate development policies that Verwoerd was later to be known for and that dominated much of the last half century of our economy. These policies ... [Interjections.]