Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, hon Members of Parliament, guests in the gallery, let me take this opportunity to acknowledge the presence of my mother, my veteran for my vision for my province, Mama Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati.
Let me quote this first:
Friends and compatriots; By our presence here today, we solemnly honour the pledge we made to ourselves and to the world, that South Africa shall redeem herself and thereby widen the frontiers of human freedom.
As we close a chapter of exclusion and a chapter of heroic struggle, we reaffirm our determination to build a society of which each of us can be proud, as South Africans, as Africans, and as citizens of the world.
These are words uttered by His Excellency, Former President Nelson Mandela, on the occasion of the signing of the Constitution Act into law, the prevailing Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, in Sharpeville. It is clear from this extract that when the South African government, led by the ANC, affirmed its freedom through the passing of a new constitution based on respect for human rights, it did so conscious of the underlying responsibility to promote and seek to achieve the same for the continent of Africa and the world.
The force employment is the deployment of members of the Defence Force for the purposes of interdepartmental or international exercises in humanitarian or peacekeeping missions. The Defence Force may only be deployed by the President of the Republic of South Africa as its Commander in Chief, through powers vested in him by section 201(2) of the Constitution.
South Africa plays a significant role in promoting maintenance of peace across the world owing to the nature of its foreign policy. The government's diplomatic engagements are supported through participation in multilateral institutions such as the African Union, the Southern African Development Community, and the United Nations. This therefore places a moral obligation on South Africa to deploy its Defence Force where necessary, either in defence of peace and stability or for humanitarian purposes in disaster-stricken areas.
Modulasetilo yo o tlotlegang, Ntlo e e tla lemoga gore Molao wa Dikamano tsa Bodit?haba o ikaegile ka moono wa puisano bobedi le tharabololo ya dithulano ka kagiso. Ke ka jalo re romelang Matsholo TshireletsoSesole sa rona go sireletsa matshelo a batho, go tlisa kagiso le go rarolola dithulano ka kagiso. Se ga se reye gore Matsholo TshireletstsoSesole sa ro na ga a tshwanela go nna a eme sejaro go itshereletsa le go sireletsa baagi ba ba se nang molato ka tsela ee nepagetseng. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[Hon Chairperson, this House should realise that our International Relations Act relies on negotiations and peace resolutions. That is the reason why we send our Defence Force to protect civilians, to maintain peace and come up with peace resolutions. This does not mean that our Defence Force is not supposed to protect itself and the innocent civilians in the correct manner.]
We are happy to recognise the stunning work done by our Defence Force in this regard. As indicated by the hon Minister in her speech during the celebration of 10 years of peace-support operations by the SA National Defence Force, "The SA National Defence Force discharges its responsibilities with great distinction and loyalty to the national cause." We wish to indicate that we are with you, Minister, in extending these words of gratitude to all force members who are currently deployed or who have served force deployment duties.
Ga re a tshwanela go lebala re le mokgatlho wa ANC go fetisa ditebogo go malapa a bomme le borre ba masole ka e bile re lemoga gore go sa nneng teng ga motsadi mo lelapeng ka ntlha ya tiro, ke kgwetlo e kgolo mo lelapeng le mo set?habeng. Se ke lona lerato le le tseneletseng la go rata, go jala le go rotloetsa naga ya gaeno, segolo thata mo ba?eng. Botlhale ba phala bo tswa phalaneng e bile kgakakgolo ga e na mebala, mebala e bonwa dikgakaneng. [Legofi.] (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[As the ANC, we should not forget to send a word of thanks to the families of our soldiers because we know that it is a huge challenge to the families and to the nation when a parent is absent at home due to work. This is the deep love of inspiring our nation that we should pass on to our youth. A tree is known by its fruit. [Applause.]]
Through you, hon Chairperson, I convey profound gratitude to the staff deployed at Simon's Town who welcomed me at the recent navy festival held at Simon's Town on 17 March 2012. I wish the hon Maynier was there. He could have danced. This is not the platform to dance. The proper platform to dance was supposed to be at the navy festival. [Applause.] I want to thank Lieutenant Portia Ndanjana,who played an instrumental role in showing the services offered by our maritime forces. I urge hon members to visit Simon's Town and learn a lot about our defence. This programme provides prepared and supported maritime defence capabilities for the defence and protection of South Africa and its maritime zones. The navy plays a leading role in carrying out its task through the provision and operation of support vessels, submarines and naval personnel in our territorial waters and harbours. The department has made maritime security one of its strategic focuses.
In the 2010-11 annual report, the department noted the challenges of critical shortages of personnel in the technical, combat, diver, submariner and logistics domains. The report also acknowledges that there are sufficient newly recruited candidates, but that it will take time before these candidates acquire the requisite skills, knowledge and experience to counter the loss of experienced personnel and meet the prevailing needs.
In addition hereto, in its annual performance plan, the department acceded that maritime security was a concern on the east coast of Africa with the incidents of piracy that have moved as far as Mozambique Channel; hence South Africa will be required to assist and participate in piracy patrols. The challenge identified is that such operations have not been budgeted for. Additional funding will have to be obtained. We support the utilisation of the maritime capability in these security initiatives, but call on the department to ensure that we equip ourselves for the anticipated participation in such missions.
Tiro e e dirilweng ke Matsholo TshireletsoSesole sa rona mo nageng e le kwa dinageng tsa kwa ntle, ke e e itumedisang eo lefapha le e dirang go diragatsa maitlhomo le tiro e e maleba go ya ka Molaotheo wa Aforikaborwa. Kgetsi ya tsie e kgonwa ka go tshwaraganelwa. Mabogo dinku a thebana. A re dirisaneng mmogo go sireletsa naga ya rona. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[The satisfactory job done by our Defence Force in our country and other countries is ensuring that the department is in line with the purpose of the Constitution of South Africa in doing things correctly. Unity is power, so let's work together to protect our country.]
In conclusion, we thank the SA National Defence Force members, current and retired, for their heroic services rendered in defence of the country and the world. We, the ANC, support this Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]