Speaker, I don't want to be part of a Cope-bashing process, but the other hon member of Cope, who raised the matter around the GFIP, the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, was, of course, barking completely up the wrong tree.
The South African Roads Agency Limited, Sanral, is not seeking to downplay some of the structural problems that have now become apparent on a significant but small stretch of the 180 kilometres of Phase A1 of the GFIP programme. There are clearly problems, and these problems have almost certainly been caused by poor construction. Therefore, the costs will not be borne by the public or by Sanral, but by the construction company.
Secondly, it is absolutely wrong to suggest that these are shoddy roads. Anyone who has travelled on them will concede that they may be very expensive and maybe the problem is that there is too much of the First World in these roads, in a country in which we are suffering many other developmental challenges. The problem with them is not that they are shoddy or third class.
The hon member called for an independent investigation to check the tender. That has already been done. It has been done in the last two months by KPMG, which has said that not only has it been compliant with the Public Finance Management Act, PFMA, but it, in fact, surpasses best practice in the world. [Applause.]
None of this should detract from the important public discussion, which government has certainly undertaken to take forward, about whether we should proceed with the second phase, Phase A2, and Phases B and C of GFIP in a country in which there are many other strategic priorities, like public transport, getting our rail system working more effectively, and township and rural roads. So that is an important discussion.
The hon member from Cope is barking up completely the wrong tree. Those are the real debates, and not this particular issue, as he has opportunistically tried to claim. [Applause.]