Hon Chair, the task of assuring a nation that its territory and citizenry are safe is among the most essential duties of government. Currently, in South Africa, this is even more the case owing to external and internal threats to peace and stability.
North of our borders a large chunk of the African continent is in a state of volatility, particularly in Eastern and Western Africa. Piracy in the Gulf of Somali is gathering momentum. Reports are that, in their southward thrust, pirates have reached the waters of our neighbours, Mozambique. Another external threat comes with the demand by China and other countries for the horns of our rhino. The onslaught on these helpless beasts is carried out in the most ruthless manner imaginable. Regrettably, even our rangers who should rise to the protection of these prized animals are colluding with foreign poachers to accelerate their demise.
The IFP is also concerned about the porous borders, which allow illegal entry of foreigners into our land. This results in the unfair competition for jobs which are primarily intended for local citizens. South African citizens view this as unfair usurpation of their jobs and are reacting in an offensive and violent way, which leads to sporadic xenophobic attacks. More influx of these immigrants can easily change the situation into a ticking time bomb which could explode at any time.
Turning now to internal threats, the IFP is extremely disturbed by media reports which reflect a state of instability in intelligence entities. News of senior directors resigning from intelligence services sends a negative message that there is no harmony in these entities. If this is the case, how can the citizenry feel safe? Other disconcerting news articles are those fingering senior generals in crime intelligence as the ones who are perpetrating acts of corruption. If those persons that are charged with stamping out corruption in the country are themselves corrupt, there is no chance in hell that the war against corruption will ever be won in South Africa.
Finally, one must turn to the thorny issue of reactions to the Protection of State Information Bill. No matter how much the ruling party is convinced that the Bill is in the best interest of the nation, when everybody else is up in arms against the Bill, then the ruling party should rethink its position.
There are very few occasions in the history of our Parliament since 1994 when all the opposition parties spoke with one voice and voted against the ANC. It not only happens now in Parliament but even outside Parliament, where the majority of role players are dead against this Bill. A strong argument can be made that this time around, the ANC has served its own party interest rather than the interest, of the majority which voted them into power. However, in view of the critical mandate of the Department of State Security and the challenges it is facing, the IFP supports the Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]