Hon Chair, hon Minister, hon MECs and all protocol observed, let me start by responding to what hon Groenewald has said. He said the ANC- led government has no political will to transform the transport system. Maybe he was fast asleep when the Minister was reading his speech. I will request the Minister to leave the document with him so that he can read what strides the ANC-led government has made and still anticipates making.
Secondly, he said the ANC-led government has allowed the railway system to collapse. But where did the rot start? It started with the previous government, where he had the right to vote. The ANC government is trying to pick up the pieces.
In his example, he cited Cape Town. Who built Cape Town? It was built with the sweat, blood and hard labour of our people, who were exploited. [Applause.] Even today those people still do not enjoy the fruits of their labour. These people are born and bred in Cape Town yet they have never gone to either Robben Island or Table Mountain. So, they still do not enjoy the fruits of their labour. This debate comes at an opportune time against the backdrop of the high number of road accidents that we experience on our roads. Our roads have become death traps. Our roads have become gallows where people are arbitrarily guillotined. Are we a nation that has lost its conscience, soul and respect for human life?
This debate comes at an appropriate time for discussion. It calls upon us to come up with remedial programmes and preventive measures that should be put in place to resolve this problem. The discussion should also include the guilty parties involved in fatal accidents that cause people to lose their lives.