Chairperson, I'm beginning to think that the economic recession being felt all over the world is starting to become an excuse employed by different departments that have failed to deliver on their given mandates. I'm happy that this afternoon this particular department did not make such an excuse. [Applause.]
In saying that, I acknowledge the efforts of the National Language Service and the editing of 1 000 official documents. However, this has not been felt at many other levels and has not been advocated well. More often than not you will find official government documents written only in English and Afrikaans, 17 years after our attainment of freedom and democracy. I say that this is absolutely unacceptable and it is the continuation of the legacy of a colonial and apartheid past.
Building on this point, I have not witnessed any progress in the promotion of South African literature written in indigenous South African languages. It is almost as if indigenous South Africans have no role in the development of literature and have no stories to tell.
I would therefore love to know what the department is doing to promote South African black languages in literature. I would like to urge the department to embark on the promotion of our own storytelling as part of the preservation of our heritage. I would like to walk into a bookshop and find children's stories in Setswana, Sepedi, isiXhosa, etc.
I acknowledge that the department awarded bursaries to 102 postgraduate students to enrol in language studies. This is commendable, but more needs to be done. [Applause.]
I noted the director-general's utterances in the annual report that the department practises a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and that several officials have been suspended. However, I submit that zero tolerance cannot be practised as an aftereffect, as that changes very little. I would like to know what systems the department has established in order to ensure, for instance, that the irregular expenditure of R60 million does not happen again.
Why was there a deviation from the set rules in the first place? Has the investigating by the Special Investigations Unit been completed and what has come out of it?
The Auditor-General's opinion is that the accounting officer did not comply with the Public Finance Management Act and that there are no effective and transparent control systems in the department. This is a very serious state of affairs for any department and I would hope that this has been remedied.
The UCDP suggests that Mmabana Centres be established in the different provinces of South Africa in order to promote arts and culture, and in order to add to the number of good artists such as Seiphemo, Chweneemang and Mogotsi, who are the products of Mmabana.
We support this Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]