Hon Chairperson, the DA has promised to keep quiet now. Hon members, let me first thank the hon Sogoni and the Appropriations Committee for, once again, a job well done, very careful analysis and sound leadership provided in terms of analysing the budget, which is a massive piece of work, and for collecting their thoughts in the way he actually presented them.
The Appropriation Bill and the processes of examining the budget, interacting with departments and Ministers, and explaining to the public where the taxpayer's money is going, is central to a working democracy. Parliament is a key instrument of democracy and the Money Bills Amendment Act and the provisions in there for Parliament's role are absolutely crucial. Each year over the past few years we've seen this role expand and the kind of analysis and contributions provided from Parliament improving. We look forward to the next few years, when you will continue to do that.
The Appropriation Bill and this process is about how we will spend taxpayers' money and the impact that spending is going to have. Let's remind ourselves that the R889 billion that Mr Swart referred to is money largely, apart from the borrowing, that comes from the taxpayers of South Africa. When we talk about allocating that money for whatever purpose, to whatever department and, indeed, to whatever province, we are talking about how do we spend the public's money, improve the public's life, and ensure that year by year, post-1994, we improve the conditions in which our people actually live.
There is no doubt, as several speakers have pointed out, that what the budget is doing is indeed living up to the expectation - and that is a key policy tool of the ruling party - that it is here to address its priorities of jobs, health, education and training, rural development and, indeed, crime as well.
Mr Sogoni has raised several questions about the affordability of this budget. As the National Treasury together with the Cabinet as a whole, we have made sure that what we are pursuing and will continue to pursue is a sound fiscal path that ensures that over the next few years we undertake responsible fiscal consolidation. We continue to do what we can to expand the economy and the revenue base, minimise our reliance on the deficit and borrowing, and ensure that even if we reach the point, as the other Mr Swart pointed out, of a R1,4 trillion of debt in the next few years, we can afford and pay that debt and our creditors can rely upon ... [Interjections.]