Mr Speaker, comrades and hon member, Comrade President, as the APC we want first and foremost to indicate our support for the budget, so that your office can continue with the important work of supervising and directing the work of government. [Applause.]
The APC would like to congratulate our government on the successful hosting of the conference of the three African regional economic blocks over the past weekend. As Pan-Africanists, we welcome this long-overdue integration process. It has been argued all along that for Africa to develop and have a strong voice on the international stage, it must unite or integrate economically, politically and militarily. We need courage and determination to take the process forward. The cause of Africa must triumph.
The unity of Africa is important if we are to be the captains of our souls and masters of our destiny. Our position of weakness as a continent sees the continued advocacy of foreign agendas in Africa. We have seen this in the recent case of the Ivory Coast and we are witnessing it now in the case of Libya, where the AU is only consulted to be told what to do. It is regrettable that the AU is completely sidelined in the case of Libya and the negative forces of regime change have become the frontline combatants of the rebels. Only through unity can Africa have a zone of manoeuvre and resistance to foreign pressures.
The APC congratulates and supports your efforts, Comrade President, in seeking to find peaceful solutions to conflicts in Africa. Your efforts in the Ivory Coast and Libya have been frustrated by powerful countries of the north. We believe that Africans must be given the space to solve African problems.
However, Comrade President, the APC would like to make a call that the African Renaissance Fund in The Presidency be revived and strengthened. That fund was a powerful statement of Pan-African solidarity and the desire on our part to fund our own people's development and assist each other.
Comrade President, the APC appreciate that your statement on local government this afternoon is as focused and intense as when we were campaigning. We agree with you that municipalities must be responsive and efficient. Our worry, however, is that Operation Clean Audit seems to have lost its steam and direction. It is our contention that one of the most critical areas of intervention is in developing capacity in municipalities for oversight, especially on financial expenditure. As things stand, there is no consistency in municipalities about the composition, powers and functions of Municipal Public Accounts Committees. We believe that National Treasury and the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs need to urgently create the requisite guidelines or frameworks to enhance oversight.
Comrade President, there is a lot of confusion and frustration in municipalities on this one. Our people deserve better. We promised them better service delivery during our election campaigns. The material conditions of the majority of our people need to change for the better, and that needs to happen sooner rather than later.
In the fight for freedom, the masses were not fighting for ideas or things in anyone's head, but they fought for material benefits and to see their lives move forward. They fought for better health and better education for their children. Thank you. [Applause.]