Hon Deputy Speaker, besides the fact that the hon Oriani-Ambrosini asks the same question in every Budget Vote and gets the same answer, the following year, he will come back and ask the same question again. The fact of the matter is that for a country such as South Africa, the ownership of a facility, of an institution such as Denel is strategic. We cannot dispose of a company with the capabilities that Denel possesses and then say the provision of defence equipment, particularly to the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, is going to be thrown to the private sector as their responsibility. Now, it is important that we should firstly be clear about that.
Secondly, it is inaccurate to say that Denel is a drain on the taxpayer. Denel's finances have been improving. The problem with Denel in the past was the Denel Saab Aerostructures contracts that they had entered into. Since the conclusion of the agreement between Denel and Airbus, Denel Aerostructures has been on a positive financial footing.
The company is improving and therefore contributing positively to the finances of the Denel group as a whole. Therefore, this company is making an important contribution to the South African economy and is critical in terms of the programmes that it supplies our country with, for example the development of skills and localisation. This answers what the question sought to ask - how it will contribute to the advancement of the aerostructures industry in our country. Thank you. [Applause.]