I have said we are dealing with this matter responsibly. That does not change the facts of history, but it says we are a responsible leadership today ... [Interjections.] ... and that is what we do. [Applause.] [Interjections.]
As I was saying, it is in the interest of all South Africans, black and white, and in the interest of national reconciliation that we proceed faster, guided by the Constitution, to transform our policy framework. What guides us through these matters is the Constitution, which we all adopted. All we are saying is that no one must go and deviate from the Constitution, because if that is allowed, then we have a problem on our hands. [Interjections.] Compatriots, our leader and father, the hon Mlangeni, emphasised the need to improve the education of African working class children. We are working tirelessly to bring about change in education and to make our education system pro-poor, as outlined by the hon Minister Motshekga. The Eastern Cape education intervention is clearly of great interest, to hon members in the opposition benches in particular. We are assisting the province in dealing with the following urgent matters: the National School Nutrition Programme; the allocation and appointment of teachers; the supply of stationery and textbooks, especially to nonsection 21 schools; the provision of scholar transport; and infrastructure development, especially the eradication of mud, inappropriate and unsafe school structures.
We sent the Deputy Ministers of Basic Education, Finance, Justice and Constitutional Development, Public Service and Administration, and Higher Education to the province recently to monitor progress and evaluate. They will facilitate the implementation of the recommendations in a problem- solving and solution-oriented manner, working with the Presidential Task Team on the Eastern Cape intervention.
In promoting our pro-poor education policies, we are investing in children and the youth, from toddlers to tertiary level. In addition to the Grade R enrolments, which have doubled - and which we mentioned in the state of the nation address - our Early Childhood Development Programme is also growing. The number of centres registered with the Department of Social Development have increased from 16 250 to 19 331 last year. This programme now reaches more than 800 000 children, with government subsidising more than 500 000 children at between R12 and R15 per child per day, depending on the province. The subsidies enable children from poor households to also benefit from early childhood support and education. May I take this opportunity to inform hon members about the marking of Child Protection Week, from 28 May to 1 June? We invite all to participate in this worthwhile campaign.
Minister Patel pointed out the scarce skills that could impact on the infrastructure programme, such as engineering, project management, financing and procurement, and technical skills such as artisans, technologists and technicians. It is for this reason that we have programmes such as the Youth into Science Strategy to encourage learners to pursue science, engineering, technology and mathematics studies at tertiary level. In particular, we need to increase the number of graduates in engineering and the sciences.
The Department of Higher Education is working with the deans of the relevant faculties at tertiary institutions to determine short- to medium- term strategies to achieve the 2014 graduate output targets for these scarce skills. I will meet with the principals of further education and training colleges in April to discuss their role in producing the skills that will make our economy grow faster and be sustainable. Hon Pandor shared the work we are doing to promote a knowledge economy and innovation. Government set itself the task of increasing broadband penetration, reducing information communication technology costs, developing national broadband legislation, developing wholesale backbone infrastructure, rolling out digital terrestrial television and local loop unbundling. To date, more than 6 000 rural and urban schools in South Africa have access to the Internet. [Applause.]
Hon Bhoola and hon Lekota, proposals for a youth employment incentive were published in February 2011. Discussions are currently in progress under the auspices of the National Economic Development and Labour Council, Nedlac. We trust that stakeholders will find an appropriate design quickly because this is an urgent and important matter.
We announced an extensive heritage programme to contribute towards shared values and a common national identity in the country. The programme will also boost cultural tourism and economic activity in the areas where the monuments will be located.
Hon Mphahlele questioned the representativity of the heritage sites selected and argued that government had not honoured PAC heroes, including the youngest prisoner to be hanged by the Pretoria regime, Bhekaphansi Vulindlela, who was tragically executed at the age of 18 on 3 July 1964. Hon members will recall that on 15 December 2011 we launched the Gallows Museum in Pretoria, honouring 134 former political prisoners. The names of all, including Bhekaphansi Vulindlela, are engraved at that museum for generations to know their contribution to the attainment of the democracy we enjoy today. [Applause.]
The process of proclaiming heritage sites is inclusive and involves extensive public participation. Anybody can approach the SA Heritage Resource Agency with suggestions on the naming and proclaiming of memorial sites.
I want to say to my Comrade Mphahlele, the leader of the PAC, that I have not come across an occasion where the PAC remembered its heroes - never. [Applause.] If my good comrade would like to make an application to the ANC for it to celebrate their heroes, including the battles he was quoting, which were fought in Mozambique, it would be very important for him to do so.
It is the PAC that must tell the country what it did during the struggle. [Interjections.] Ours is to remember all heroes. We cannot be blamed for the lack of information about what the PAC did. If there are processes that you can go through in order to honour your heroes, why don't you go through them - unless you lived in a neighbouring country called Azania ... [Laughter.] ... in which case you wouldn't know what happened in South Africa; unless you had the phone numbers of these institutions. [Laughter.] I'm just making this point because it is important that the PAC tells this country what it did during the struggle and tells us about the heroes who fell. We will certainly respond to that and respect them. We mention those that we know, as we did with the leader who founded the PAC, Robert Sobukwe. We will do so with others as well. So, let us maybe engage a little bit more.
Hon Dikobo and hon Godi, we are indeed determined to change the leadership of the African Union Commission and we thank you for your support. [Applause.] Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, as a candidate for chairperson of the AU Commission, carries a mandate from the Southern African Development Community, SADC. Since the formation, in May 1963, of the Organisation of African Unity, the SADC region has never been represented in the continental body at the level of chairperson of the commission. Secondly, South Africa has never before made an attempt to hold this position. We believe our candidate can build on the good work done by previous leaders, as well as consolidate achievements made in the last 10 years of the existence of the AU.
There are many things that we want to do in this organisation. [Applause.] There is indeed a need to consolidate the institution of the AU as a formidable and premier Pan-African institution. We must ensure that Africa's developmental agenda is collectively advanced. Issues relating to the integration and operationalisation of the African Peace and Security Architecture and enhancing co-operation between the AU and the United Nations in conflict resolution need to be attended to. We have to ensure that Nepad programmes are implemented. We also believe that the AU, having declared 2010 to 2020 the decade of women, must ensure full implementation and consolidation of programmes aimed at ensuring the emancipation of women.
Our candidature will also enhance the health, education and skills development of children and youth in Africa to ensure adequate future human resources for Africa's economic development. I am sure we are not paying lip service when we talk about women's empowerment. We will certainly vote for this candidate. [Applause.]
We also want to remain vigilant on Africa's continued advocacy for the reform of the global governance architecture and for a global deal on climate change. More importantly, we seek to reaffirm the independence of Africa from neocolonial influences and interference from outside the continent, particularly by former colonial powers and other parties. It is for these reasons, among others, that as South Africa we are going ahead with standing for the position of AU Commission chair.
Let me take this opportunity to thank you for supporting Census 2011. The results of this massive operation will be released in November 2012. We congratulate Minister Manuel and his team, the Yellow Men, on the success of this huge project. I invite you to join me in extending good wishes to Mama Epainette Mbeki, who turns 96 today. [Applause.] We wish her a very happy birthday indeed.
While on the subject of anniversaries, the legendary Alexandra Township in Johannesburg is marking 100 years of existence this year. [Applause.] The SA Hindu Maha Sabha, the representative body of Hindus in South Africa, is also marking 100 years of existence. [Applause.]
Hon members and compatriots, the Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission has developed a roadmap to finalise the components of each infrastructure project, relying on the results of technical and feasibility studies. We are meeting tomorrow, the 17th, to work further on the implementation plan. There is no time to waste. I will convene a presidential infrastructure summit in April to brief potential investors and social partners. We will also draft a new infrastructure development law to simplify administrative requirements and promote co-operative governance across the three spheres of government, building on the Soccer World Cup experience. [Applause.]
Hon members, I am making this point, taking into account what the opposition benches, particularly, were saying, namely that the speech lacked detail and a lot was left unsaid. They, including uMntwana, went on to say a lot about how much things have gone wrong and that this was not mentioned in the speech. You can imagine that if I had stood here to recount all of that, it would have taken the whole week. [Laughter.] I'm sure you would then have said: "Why tell us about the history? We want to know where the country is going!" That is what would have happened. [Laughter.] Now, when I say this is the way we are going, our colleagues say: "No, we know that, but what about the history? What about this? What about that?"
You know, I dealt with these matters - even today, with Home Affairs. An experienced Minister, who once ran a homeland, could not turn it around. We turned it around - absolutely! [Laughter.] [Applause.] I could not stand here and go back to history, because you do not know what I would have said if I did so. We are looking forward. We want to develop South Africa to become a better country. [Applause.]
My colleague and brother, the hon uMncwango, spent a lot of time here asking why we are not saying anything about the contribution that uMntwana has made. We have always mentioned it. We could count the occasions. Once, in Thokoza in Johannesburg, former President Mbeki held uMntwana by the hand and said that "we worked together" and that uMntwana was, in fact, sent by us to form Inkatha. But when you talk, you forget about all of that! [Laughter.] That's a problem.
You can imagine, then, that if I were to stand here and talk about all of that - the history of the ANC, the IFP, how the discussions went on in London, how ... Hey! Uyayibon' indaba? [Do you realise that?] [Laughter.] My view is that we should look forward. Let us look forward. I can't stand here, for example, and talk about my interactions with uMntwana because I don't think it is useful. There are things we discussed that are highly confidential and I wouldn't want them to be spoken about in the manner in which things are spoken about here. I'm not about competition. I am about going forward. [Applause.] I have discussed going forward as well. [Applause.]
In those confidential discussions, I have discussed how we move forward. I wouldn't want to do so again. Even last December I was keen to meet uMntwana, but I just didn't have time, unfortunately. I had already warned him that we should meet but I did not have the time. I am still going to meet him. That is what the ANC believes in. We need to move forward. We need to discuss certain things before it is too late.
However, I must ask the hon Mncwango why they don't take the time to praise uMntwana themselves, as a party, and tell the world what he has been doing all this time. [Interjections.] They shouldn't only make use of the opportunity afforded them by Parliament. You can stand here and say "this is what uMntwana did", instead of blaming people for not saying what they have been saying anyway, in the majority of cases.
You can imagine if I stood here with tons and tons of paper and talked about the DA when it was still the Progressive Party and then became something else ... [Laughter.] ... and then it became the DA. [Interjections.] When, for example, I recognised the contribution by a person who was a lone voice here, Mrs Suzman, I was talking about how we move forward, because she always talked about moving forward. She was alone in this Parliament, arguing against the male Parliament of apartheid. [Interjections.] I absolutely did recognise her. [Applause.] It's a fact that she was forward-looking and we need to be forward-looking. That's important. I'm just saying if we were to go into government details, we would sit here for weeks on end because there is a lot I could say. [Laughter.]
Allow me to thank the South African public for their participation in the state of the nation address development process through the Presidential Hotline, social media and mainstream media. We also thank those who joined us during the broadcast. Almost 3 million people watched the state of the nation address on SABC2 and more than 1,3 million on e.tv. This is an increase from 1,5 million for the SABC and just under 500 000 for e.tv in 2009, when the state of the nation address was delivered during the day. [Applause.]
The address was also broadcast live by SABC radio stations, reaching even more people in the most remote areas of our country. Community radio stations also participated. This means that more people participated in their own state of the nation address.
We have chartered a new course for our country. We want to see cranes and workers in every corner. We want to see dams, bridges, roads and railway lines mushrooming around the country. We must be a working country in order to develop ourselves. We want to see the infrastructure that enables the rural areas to have water, electricity and roads. We want to see an improved quality of life for all. Together, we can successfully drive back poverty, unemployment and inequality. The former ANC President, Oliver Reginald Tambo, said as much at the ANC rally that closed the Second National Consultative Conference in Kabwe, Zambia in 1985. He said, and I quote:
Working together as fellow South Africans, we have it within our power to transform this country into the land of plenty for all, where the nightmare of apartheid will just be a faint memory of the past.
Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Debate concluded.