Chairperson and hon Minister, I must say that I am really disappointed in this debate today. The reason why I am disappointed, Chair, is because of the incident - and the reaction of hon members of this House to the incident of the colonel with the pink slippers. This is a serious matter.
The reason why I say that it is a serious matter, is that this specific person is a disgrace to the South African National Defence Force. She is not only an embarrassment to the Minister; she is not only an embarrassment to the senior generals.
She is, in fact, an embarrassment to each and every South African citizen who takes pride in the South African National Defence Force. That is the fact of the matter, and I sincerely hope that the beautiful dress that the hon Minister is wearing is not to make a statement, because then I will even be more disappointed.
Today, I want to talk about discipline in the SA National Defence Force. I want to say to the hon Minister that if we are serious about discipline, this specific colonel should have been put on a parade ground and stripped of all her ranks, to make an example of her, as she has no respect for her uniform. She has no respect for the Defence Force. In fact, she doesn't have respect as a soldier. If our soldiers don't have respect, how can they have respect for the authority and the state of South Africa?
As ons verder na dissipline kyk, wil ek ook s dat die leiers die voorbeeld stel. Agb Minister, ek wil vir u s dat as u regsadviseurs nalaat om dokumente betyds by 'n hof in te dien, as u regsadviseurs minagtend teenoor die hof optree, dan toon hulle disrespek teenoor die reg van hierdie land. Hoe kan 'n Departement van Verdediging en Militre Veterane, wat die integriteit van Suid-Afrika moet beskerm, met minagting teenoor die reg optree? Dit is totaal onaanvaarbaar.
As ek oor discipline praat, agb Minister, hoe is dit dat u dan die bevelvoerder oor die jeugontwikkelingsprogram, 'n senior offisier, aanstel terwyl sy 'n kriminele rekord het vir diefstal en aanranding het? [Tussenwerpsels.] Ek hoef dit nie te bewys nie; dit is in die hof. Word wakker. Hoe kan u so 'n persoon aanstel? Sy is klaar skuldig bevind. Dit, agb Minister, stel 'n swak voorbeeld. Die voorbeeld wat ons aan ons mense moet stel, is dat ons 'n gedissiplineerde Weermag het wat in staat is om my en u regte en ons integriteit te kan beskerm.
Dit bring my, agb Minister, ook by u optrede. U is die Minister. U moet die voorbeeld stel. Ek wil regtig vir u s, agb Minister, die manier waarop u vrae in die Parlement beantwoord, is nie dit wat van 'n agb Minister met u integriteit verwag word nie, en u het integriteit.
Ek het baie respek vir u - u weet dit, maar 'n Minister daal nie tot die vlak van sarkasme as daar antwoorde verskaf moet word op agb lede se vrae nie. U is bo dit verhewe. In Afrikaans s ons dat 'n generaal nie van sy perd afklim vir elke brakkie wat vir hom blaf nie. U is veronderstel om die generaal op die perd te wees.
Ek kom by die ombudsman. Ek wil vir die ombudsman s ... (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[When we look at discipline in greater depth, I also want to say that the leaders set the example. Hon Minister, I want to inform you that when your legal advisors fail to submit documentation to court on time, and when your legal advisors act in contempt of court, then they are showing disrespect for the justice system of this country. How can a Department of Defence and Military Veterans, that is supposed to protect the integrity of South Africa, act with contempt for the justice system? That is totally unacceptable.
When I talk about discipline, hon Minister, how is it possible for you to appoint the commanding officer of the youth development programme, a senior officer, whilst she has a criminal record for theft and assault? [Interjections.] I do not need to prove this; it is in the courts. Wake up. How could you appoint such a person? She has already been found guilty. That, hon Minister, is setting a bad example. The example that we have to set for our people is that we have a disciplined Defence Force that is capable of protecting your rights and mine, and our integrity
That, hon Minister, also brings me to your actions. You are the Minister. You need to set the example. I really want to say to you, hon Minister, that the way in which you reply to questions in Parliament is not what is expected of an hon Minister with your integrity, and you do have integrity.
I have a lot of respect for you - you know that, but a Minister should not resort to sarcasm when responding to questions posed by hon members. You rise above that. In Afrikaans we say that a general does not dismount his horse every time a little mongrel barks at him. You are supposed to be the general on the horse. And now I am getting to the ombudsman. I want to say to the ombudsman ...]
... and I want to say to Mr Matanzima - he is not a general -