Chairperson, please forgive the condition of my voice; I have a cold. I urge the hon Oriani-Ambrosini to listen very carefully. I can see that he is moving around.
This budget debate takes place in a very crucial month, the month in which we celebrate the 17th year of our democratic dispensation. I would hereby like to congratulate the ANC on being the leader of the liberation struggle of the South African people for a period of 99 years. [Applause.] I wish them well when they celebrate their centenary next year as the only long- serving party of the people in the whole world. Indeed, they have achieved a milestone and we hope that they will continue to be torchbearers for the betterment of the lives of the South African masses.
As we move towards local government elections, we take stock of the work done in the previous year, but also look into the future to see what still needs to be done, taking cognisance of our strengths and weaknesses. We appreciate the continued support of our people during these trying times of governance and the ever-changing global political environment. These realities have made it difficult for the economic development of emerging countries, as the big players continue to dominate the global economic markets and continue to exploit the vulnerable economies. Therefore the support of our masses for their government becomes imperative.
As we continue to implement our election promises, our department has provided industrial financing through the Industrial Policy Action Plan, Ipap 2, and will continue to support programmes for industrial innovation through the localisation of production by developing supplies of industrial financing. An amount of almost R70 billion to R100 billion has been allocated so far for a period of five years. That is the work that this government is doing.
The Department of Trade and Industry has finalised the automotive investment scheme, and investment commitments of over R13 billion have been made so far. These mechanisms have created 24 000 jobs, ladies and gentlemen. [Applause.] We rolled out the clothing and textile programme and 200 companies thus far have benefited from our incentives.
We have increased economic activity by ensuring that there are procurement processes that will benefit not the so-called cronies, like the DA always says, but ordinary South Africans. As a developmental state we will implement black economic empowerment to its fullest capacity. People will drive governmental action.
The state can't be responsible for trade facilitation only; it also has the responsibility of creating jobs, as opposed to the hypocrisy advanced by the DA when they speak out of both sides of their mouth. One moment they identify the state as a responsible party in job creation, but the next they don't want government to be a player in economic activities, and relegate it to policy formulation. That is the argument that was advanced now, hon Chair.
They continue to undermine our fiscal policy through this so-called open opportunity society. They actually advocate against BEE and transformation by giving the impression that all are equal. These policies, they claim, will threaten investor confidence. It is interesting to hear this assertion from an international trade perspective.
Hon members, let me reiterate this: We, as government, are the trade facilitators, not the DA. We can't be told by non-negotiators, who have never negotiated for investment elsewhere except in their minds, that we threaten investor confidence. [Interjections.]
So far I can positively report that the South African government continues to be engaged by foreign investors for foreign direct investment. In fact, it is an open secret that South Africa is the industrial hub for the continent as a whole. We don't base our argument on pen and paper research work, but on practical business transactions that South Africans have clinched through our trade missions, which are sometimes led by our President himself, owing to his passion for economic beneficiation.
If business were allowed to give live testimony in this debate, they would have given a full account of how many strategic economic partnerships they have engaged in thus far. Maybe it is high time that organisations like Business Unity South Africa, Busa, created public forums to report on such matters because I don't think it would be ethical for government to report on behalf of private companies and isolate their work from the overall economic activities of the country.
Today we are expected to shy away from explaining that if it were not for separate development introduced by the apartheid system, we would not have these serious backlogs in capacity and skills. [Applause.] In moving forward without forgetting where we come from, we are not going to be whipped into submission by racist tendencies that want us to pretend that the past racist regime did not disempower the black majority in favour of the white minority, hence we are saddled with this huge monster of poverty.
Our approach going forward to address the latter was to craft a New Growth Path, to be implemented through Ipap 2, which intends to increase jobs in the economy. Government will be engaging in a massive skills development programme, especially among the youth. We have already increased our social spending budget by continuing to provide housing and social grants, and through the infrastructure programme of road maintenance in terms of the Expanded Public Works Programme.
We have put clear programmes in place on how to increase productivity and competitiveness by incentivising innovation. Clear action plans have been adopted for implementation. We have set measurable objectives, which the Auditor-General will audit through the new performance auditing system that he introduced. We have indentified our social partners who play a pivotal role in infrastructure development. Our track record in the development of stadia and roads for the 2010 Fifa World Cup is a case in point.
We will deal with challenges of procurement, as identified by our people, not the DA. That's the problem, hon members. Today we will be cross- examined about how many jobs we have created. Are they sustainable? Who are the main drivers of these jobs - government or the private sector? We will also be accused of not having the requisite skills and capacity to implement our programme. We will also be reminded of the grinding poverty in our society. All this will be put in such a way that it sounds as if government is represented by headless chickens that do not have a plan. [Interjections.]
Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me take this opportunity to further articulate the work of our department. One hundred billion rand is projected for investment in the automotive investment scheme - that's work - as a return on investment. Therefore 24 000 jobs, as I said, have already been created. Forty million rand is allocated to business process services and this has already created 950 jobs. Thirty-four thousand recruits are also benefiting from the Monyetla Work Readiness Programme, with guaranteed jobs. When they leave that programme, they walk into jobs. It's guaranteed.
We will also hear how fraud and corruption has affected us. But, ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to report that, as part of fighting piracy and clamping down on corruption, we have successfully worked together with the creative industry - as mandated by our President, His Excellency President Jacob Zuma - and launched the antipiracy campaign. You should know that we have launched it. In fact, the ambassadors of the antipiracy campaign are here now. Deborah Fraser, please stand up; they need to see you. [Applause.] All these people sitting here will make sure that you combat corruption.
This campaign was launched last year and we further established a commission chaired by Judge Ian Farlam - everyone should know who Judge Farlam is - and he will receive submissions on the extent to which our people are robbed of their daily bread by those companies on whose behalf the DA is talking here today.
As I have said, I am proud to introduce our ambassadors, and they have shown themselves here already. As government, we are committed to clamping down on corruption.
[Time expired.] [Applause.]