Chairperson, hon Minister and hon members, in respect of holding the executive to account, Parliament is the ultimate authority and voice of the people of South Africa. The Constitution and other relevant legislation enjoin Parliament to oversee and play an effective oversight role.
Upon the tabling of the national Budget, the Minister of Finance and both the National Council of Provinces and the National Assembly must refer the fiscal framework and revenue proposals to the relevant respective committees of finance.
On this occasion, therefore, we appreciate the massive infrastructure investment our government has made. The budgeted and approved public sector projects constitute a variety of new and upgraded projects including maintenance of existing infrastructure across the country. Megaprojects under consideration for the 2012 to 2020 financial periods are telecommunications infrastructure, water, transport, electricity, human settlements, education, health and other projects.
The estimated total cost is a whopping R3,2 trillion. Of this total, about a quarter is being financed and implemented. The remaining three quarters is under assessment.
I would like to pick up on a few projects - water and sanitation, for instance. Our situation as a water-stressed country adds to our desperate condition. Household water requirements compete with agriculture, mining and electricity generation, which all depend on large volumes of water.
During the oversight committee work in Limpopo and Free State provinces, we discovered that municipalities at the local government level struggle to access water to build houses and distribute water to the households for use. This is so despite rivers flowing near those municipalities. The neighbouring white farmers built private dams to irrigate their farms and to make more water available for their stock. All these farmers refuse to share their dams with their neighbouring communities. A natural resource had become a private entity used as a bargaining tool.
We applaud the R75 billion allocated over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period for water infrastructure quality management, resource planning and support to local government. The Olifants River Water Resource Development Project will provide water for domestic use to semiurban and rural communities of Limpopo and will support new mining projects to boost economic development in the area.
The 2010 Fifa World Cup has exposed South Africa's deficiency in skilled personnel. Given the massive investment in infrastructure, can we ensure that the labour - technical and unskilled - that is going to participate in the building of this infrastructure will be derived from within South Africa's borders? Can we rest assured that the Minister of Higher Education and Training has identified the weaknesses that may cause low economic growth now and in the future?
Transport investments account for R262 billion over the next three years. The national Budget as well as provincial budgets include funding for road construction and maintenance. The fiscus also contributes to the capital costs and subsidies of public transport systems such as Metrorail and bus commuter services.
Provinces will spend a projected R25,5 billion to maintain provincial and rural roads. Transnet, on the other hand, will spend R107,7 billion in approved plans over the next three years. These investments focus on the freight rail network and large capacity upgrades on the iron ore and coal export lines. This will boost general freight, mining exports and investment in the Richards Bay port, which will increase bulk export and cargo capacity.
The bus rapid transit system that began to operate in Johannesburg and Cape Town in 2010 continues to expand. The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has completed plans for its public transport network and has purchased a fleet of buses for that purpose. On the other hand, Tshwane, Rustenburg and eThekwini are finalising their operational plans for transport.These projects therefore constitute an opportunity and have huge potential for job creation in the economy.
The National Rural Youth Service Corps has been allocated an additional R200 million. This translates to a total of R900 million over the next three years. The objective of this fund is to contribute to job creation in the rural as well as semiurban areas.
A skills audit of municipalities, including certain departments and provinces, leaves much to be desired. The problem of corruption needs to be confronted head-on. We no longer require resolutions, but rather require decisive action to nip it in the bud.
The Midvaal municipality in Gauteng, under a DA administration, has been investigated by the Office of the Public Protector for mismanagement of funds. The report will be out soon.
All municipalities, irrespective of control, and all departments, irrespective of control, should be subjected to investigation. I thank you.