Hon Chairperson and hon members, the complexity of the budget expenditure process necessitates that at times we gather here to discuss and make important amendments to the original division of revenue.
Necessarily, a large portion of revenue should be allocated to provinces and municipalities, because the nearness to the people of this government supposedly serves to make it more attuned to their needs. The service delivery mandate of national government resides in these two spheres of government.
It makes one despondent that these spheres have thus far, since the inception of our democratic dispensation, proven to be government's weakest link. Irregular expenditure in some of the poorest provinces, such as the Eastern Cape, and across the country has increased exponentially from just a few million rand a couple of years ago to billions of rand by 2011. Corrupt government officials appropriate public funds for private use with impunity. This negatively affects both the pace and quality of the service delivery our people receive. As we have noted many times before, at the heart of the problem is a severe lack of skills, coupled with an institutional culture that celebrates ineptitude and turns a blind eye to cronyism and tender fraud.
With the economy still reeling from the effects of the recent global economic downturn, national government initiatives to strictly monitor and improve expenditure at provincial and local government level would be a welcome reprieve. Government is there to deliver value for the tax we are paying. We, the taxpayers of this country, are not getting value for our money.
As the UDM has indicated before, and still does, government is missing an opportunity to improve service delivery by providing jobs to qualified and skilled professionals and reducing reliance on expensive consultants. However, the UDM supports the Bill.
Die ADJUNKMINISTER VAN LANDBOU, BOSBOU EN VISSERYE: Geagte Voorsitter, rooi ligte en alarms oor die Suid-Afrikaanse begroting en die Regering se fiskale bestuur het die afgelope paar weke afgegaan. Dit was duidelik uit die agb Minister se toespraak, asook uit die reaksie van finansile kundiges in Suid-Afrika en die buiteland. Die kernprobleem blyk te wees die herhalende verhoging in lopende uitgawes, insluitend die groei in die salaris- en lonerekening van die openbare sektor. Dit lei tot al hoe meer beperkinge op geld wat beskikbaar is vir kapitaal- en infrastruktuurbesteding aan die anderkant.
Ons word vandag in hierdie Huis gevra om deur hierdie wetsontwerp verskeie aanpassings aan die Begroting goed te keur wat presies hierdie punt illustreer. Kom ek gee vir u een voorbeelde. Aanvanklik het die Minister begroot vir 'n 5,5% salarisverhoging in die Staatsdiens. N onderhandelinge en druk is ooreengekom op 'n salarisverhoging van 6,8%. Die 1,3% wat die verhoging meer is as wat begroot is, klink onskuldig, maar die feit is dat dit daartoe gelei het dat ons vandag net vir die provinsies 'n bedrag van R3,2 miljard ekstra moet goedkeur om hierdie salarisse te kan betaal.
'n Nog groter probleem is dat baie staatsdepartemente nie daarin slaag om die kapitaalbedrae wat wel vir hulle begroot is, te bestee nie, so ons bestee aan salarisse, maar ons bestee nie kapitaal aan die anderkant nie. Hierdie wetsontwerp maak ook daarvoor voorsiening dat van daardie bedrae nou oorgedra kan word.
Die VF Plus wil die Minister bedank vir die bedrae wat wel vir oorstromingshulp aan boere begroot is. Di hulp is uiters noodsaaklik, veral om infrastruktuur in die landbou te kan herstel. Natuurlik is dit nie genoeg nie, maar sonder di hulp was die situasie baie slegter.
Ons bekommernis is egter dat die provinsies wat dit moet bestee hierdie geld nie altyd vinnig en doeltreffend genoeg bestee nie. Kom ek gee vir u een voorbeelde. Die oorstromings aan die begin van die jaar by Upington in die Noord-Kaap het meeste van die vloedkeerwalle langs die rivier weggespoel. Dit het baie skade veroorsaak. Binne enkele maande kom die renseisoen weer en meer oorstromings kan plaasvind, maar die keerwalle is nog nie herstel nie. In my hoedanigheid as Adjunkminister sal ek my bes doen om hierdie probleme te probeer oplos, maar ek vra ook die Minister om te help ten einde te verseker dat hierdie finansile hulp so spoedig en effektief moontlik met die nodige kontroles aangewend word. (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[The DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES: Hon Chairperson, red lights have lit up and alarm bells have been going off during the past few weeks because of South Africa's budget and the Government's fiscal management. This was clear from the Minister's speech, as well as from the reaction by South African and foreign financial experts. The central problem seems to be the recurring escalation in running costs, including the increase in the salary and wages account of the public sector. On the other hand, this is leading to more and more restrictions on the funds available for capital and infrastructure expenditure.
Today in this House, by way of this Bill, we are being asked to approve various adjustments to the Budget, illustrating this very point. Let me give you one example. Initially the Minister budgeted for a 5,5% salary increase in the Public Service. After negotiations and pressure, a salary increase of 6,8% was agreed upon. The increase of 1,3% above what had been budgeted for may sound harmless, but this is what has really caused our having to pass, just for the provinces, an extra R3,2 billion in order to be able to pay these salaries.
An even bigger problem is that many state departments are unable to spend the capital amounts that have been budgeted for them, so that we are spending on salaries, but on the other hand we are not spending capital. This Bill also provides that some of those amounts can be transferred.
The FF wants to thank the Minister for the funds that have been budgeted for flood relief to farmers. This aid is absolutely essential in order to enable, in particular, the rehabilitation of infrastructure in agriculture. Of course it is not enough, but without this aid the situation would have been a lot worse.
We are concerned, however, that the provinces that are supposed to distribute this money are not always able to do so quickly and efficiently enough. Let me give you an example. The floods at the beginning of the year near Upington in the Northern Cape washed away most of the flood weirs along the river. This caused a lot of damage. In a few months the rainy season will be back and there may be more floods, but the weirs have not yet been repaired. In my capacity as Deputy Minister I will do my best to try to solve these problems, but I'm also asking the Minister's help in order to ensure that this financial aid is allocated as speedily and effectively as possible, with the necessary controls.]