Thank you, Chairperson.
Letona le kgabane, Motlatsaletona, Ditho tsa Ntlo ya Ketsamolao tsa naha, ere ke nke monyetla ona ka ho thoholetsa le ho mamiella ho hlokahala ha ditho tsa ANC mane motseng wa Rammulotsi ka di 19 Mmesa 1990. Kajeno lena ke selemo sa 21 ditho tsena tsa ANC di le mobung o thotseng. (Translation of Sesotho paragraph follows.)
[Hon Minister, Deputy Minister, Members of the House, let me take this opportunity to take my hat off in remembrance of the death of ANC members in Rammulotsi on 19 April 1990. Today marks the 21st anniversary of the death of these ANC members.]
I would like to dedicate my speech to the fallen heroes who died in my town, Viljoenskroon, on 19 April 1990. Those are Comrades Senkie Ndzeku - my ANC branch is named after him - Mmoledi Tsotsotso, Ndoda Radebe, Pitso Belo and Jerry Moholo.
Chairperson, the ANC has supported this Budget Vote from the beginning. In his state of the nation address His Excellency the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, alluded to the fact that tourism can play a major role in job creation. He further outlined the measures, both direct and indirect, needed to boost this sector. He said that statistics suggest that for every 16 tourists one job is created. Some of the measures include flexible visa requirements.
In the Freedom Charter there is a clause that says the wealth of this country shall be shared among those who work for it.
The department has identified key priorities in line with their vision, which will be aligned with the government growth path. Among others, these are to increase investment in the tourism sector, develop tourism infrastructure, promote decent work, and ensure value for money for customers. These priorities are well aligned with the national priorities to create jobs, significantly reduce the high rate of unemployment, and create an environment that contributes to increased economic growth.
Some of the targets and objectives were achieved as a result of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. These are accommodation, transport, rural roads and signage.
The total allocation of this department for the 2011-12 financial year is R1,24 billion, compared to last year's which was R1,18 billion. In this regard I want to talk about the two programmes of the department - Tourism Development and Tourism Growth.
Tourism Development has increased by 1,4%. It is the programme with the second largest allocation in this department. The programme is entrusted with the facilitation and development of an equitable tourism sector. The social responsibility implementation subprogramme, which is tasked with the management and development of tourism infrastructure projects under the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, consumes 87% of the programme's budget. The emphasis in spending will be on supporting tourism development in rural areas. Less will be invested in provinces to promote industry compliance with black economic empowerment in the tourism sector.
On Tourism Growth, this programme is responsible for tourism growth and competitiveness for the tourism sector. It received the highest allocation, 56% of the total budget. Even though you see that this allocation has increased, rural tourism development is still a challenge.
The committee would like to prioritise the implementation of infrastructure development aligned to rural development. One should also make sure whether there are any support facilities in the rural areas for the tourism sector.
Having considered the Budget and Medium-Term Strategic Framework, MTSF, the committee would like to recommend the following. Firstly, the department is encouraged to double its efforts to ensure that the notion of public- private partnerships is a well-endorsed practice for building capacity to deliver in the tourism sector. Secondly, the committee welcomes the new relationship between South Africa and Britain, Russia, India and China. Thirdly, local government is an important contributor to successful tourism activities and provinces must also play an important role. Lastly, the department must work with other departments like Arts and Culture to promote tourism, culture and ecotourism.
South Africa has a number of heritage icons like Moshoeshoe, Shaka, Sekhukhune, Gandhi, Mzilikazi, Luthuli and Tambo. These icons could be used to promote local and international tourism.
Finally I want to say that the committee supports Budget Vote No 35. Thank you. [Applause.]