Hon Deputy Speaker, President and hon members, we thank the President for a well-measured, profound address.
One thing that will strain and polarise relations between South Africa and Botswana is not necessarily Julius Malema's utterances, but the lack of potable water in Zeerust because the people out there are wont to demonstrate, vandalise roads and stone vehicles, most of which belong to Botswana citizens along the three roads that pass through the area. For this, Mr President, unlike the Ngobi issue, there is no need to investigate, as the hon Minister of Water Affairs left the matter while she was premier of the province. It would be very helpful if this water problem could be resolved to honour women who marched against carrying passes in 1957.
No one can dispute that the Grade 12 results are better than in past years. The issue around the matter is the quality of those results. We should desist from celebrating mediocrity and quantity. Our education system prides itself on churning out semiliterate and seminumerate products that can't make the grade at tertiary level. We have to question why some schools conduct classes from Monday to Saturday, yet do not produce good results.
As far as co-operation with teacher unions is concerned, one may believe what the President has said, but thousands of people would not. There is a notoriously influential union, SADTU, which tends to be the tail that wags the dog. If they do not dispute appointments, they are either out at a meeting during school time or on a go-slow. That cannot be good for education, let alone that of black disadvantaged children.
The vetting of supply chain managers is long overdue. We have to rid ourselves of charlatans to ensure that state resources are cared for.
Most importantly, government must employ deserving people, regardless of their political affiliation. They just have to be loyal to the government. Government should eliminate forms of abusive employment practices among their ranks. They should desist from advertising posts for conformity when they know who they want to employ, or when the post is already occupied.
The word on the improvement of infrastructure came like sweet music to those of us who come from the forsaken North West province. We shall watch this space with keen interest on the 10 priority roads as some of them ought to have been ready for use during the 2010 World Cup, but have yet to see the light of day.
Care has to be exercised that the intended infrastructure projects do not benefit tenderpreneurs as opposed to the citizens. The government must come to a situation in which it governs, and in which the Department of Public Works does all the work that it is meant to do to get rid of the intermediary.
In his state of the nation address in 2009, the President promised to approach Telkom to consider reducing their charges. This has yet to happen as their charges rise almost daily, and most homesteads have resorted to the use of cellular phones.
The President was audibly quiet on the heated topic of e-tolling some roads. The nation expects reassurances, as neither the former nor the current Minister of Transport is keen to speak on this matter.
We can't agree more with the President on keeping fit. This can also be passed on to government and the bloated executive, yet the country is suffering from diseases such as lack of service delivery. We need a lean, mean, sharp and task-oriented executive ...
... bangalokhu banda kodwa umsebenzi ube wona ungahambi. [... that will get the job done and not just fill offices in large numbers.]
We share the President's concern about the lackadaisical performance by Bafana Bafana. But, I have to advise and warn colleagues here that in 2008, when I raised this matter from this podium in this House, the now Minister of Police, the then Chief Whip, said I was unpatriotic. Therefore, because of his current portfolio, we have to be careful lest we be incarcerated. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]