Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members, chairs and CEOs of department entities, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen ...
... kubuhlungu kum ukuva ilungu elibekekileyo okaBorman, ehlasela ilungu kweli cala ngoba kaloku kungekudala nje indawo yoogobityholo eyaziwa ngokuba yi-Bhagdad - ndiye ndabuza umbuzo mayela noko - apho kungekho zindlu zangasese, abantu bazenzele ezi zindlwana ngokwabo, bazibekela amabhakethi nezitulo, ngoko ke ndiyayoyika into yokuba sihlaselane kule Ndlu. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[... it is so sad to hear hon G M Borman attacking a member of the opposition because not long ago, I had asked a question about the refugee centre named Baghdad, where there are no toilets. This has prompted the refugees to construct them and put in the buckets and seats. Therefore, it scares me when we attack each other in this House.]
The dangerous demons confronting this department need to be exorcised. The first one is the renovation of poorly built houses and the second is the Independent Development Trust for its poor performance, failure to create decent jobs, and being marred by corruption. The entity needs a leadership change ...
... ngoba ingxaki esinayo yeyokuba imali asiyilandeli. [Kwahlekwa.] [... because the problem we have is that we do not follow up on the monies allocated. [Laughter.]]
They could not even make good use of monies that were allocated to them. Out of a budget of R52 million they spent only 38%. They are not fit for their purpose. They are very arrogant towards the community even though they are supposed to create jobs for the community. The IDT could not even liaise with the municipalities, and the sanitation provided was not even up to standard. As the DA, we cannot promote this.
Mphathiswa okokuqala, kulo nyaka uphelileyo waye wathembisa ukuba izindlu ziya kulungiswa, kangangento yokuba siye sancoma sivuya, ukuba ezo zinto ziya kwenzeka, kodwa kusaqhutyekwa kulungiswa izindlu unangoku nje. Phaya eTakasitati, endaweni yokuba zilungiswe kwakhiwa ezinye kwazezi nkampani zimoshileyo. Ndiyacela ke Mphathiswa ukuba uyise iso loo ndawo.
Okwesibini, ndifuna ukuncoma, kwaye ndivuyisane nesebe lakho, ngoba liye ekuqgibeleni lanceda iMpuma Koloni kwicala lokulungiswa kwezindlu. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Firstly, Minister, last year you promised to renovate the houses that were poorly built. We commended you and we were happy thinking that that will happen. Until today the houses have not been renovated. In Tarkastad, instead of renovating them, new houses are being built by the very same companies which had done shoddy work. I request, hon Minister, that you monitor that.
Secondly, I want to commend and congratulate your department for eventually helping the Eastern Cape with the renovation of the poorly built houses.]
While the DA welcomes the reported progress made on the matter, we have yet to witness such progress ourselves on the ground. I need to put it to you, hon Minister, that at Zola in Tarkastad in the Eastern Cape, there is a place known as Sweet Waters. There, more than a thousand houses remain the same even after many years since I first raised the matter with you.
Many informal settlements remain at great risk of disease and other social ills, despite the commitment by the government last year that more than 2 700 informal settlements in the country are receiving quality care and access to basic services. We would like to differ with that statement. At Mafela, for example, a group of about five families are sharing one plot.
Elo ke lihlazo Mphathiswa, into yokuba abantu abaziintsapho ezintlanu bahlale kwindawo encinci kangako. [It is a disgrace, hon Minister, that five families have been allocated a small plot like that.]
In Baghdad there are no toilets, except for handmade ones made out of a black bag and a chair. There is lack of access to clean water. Please note that this is a serious problem in Gauteng as well, due to a huge services backlog. When we visited the province, the department said that there was adequate service delivery, but strangely enough, at ground level the opposite is true. There is a lack of access to clean water. Many people are now sure who to vote into power because they have been made promises for many years with no change. We want to say to these people, yes, the DA is the choice.
Sihlalo wekomiti, ngowona mbutho wabantu ke lo. [Chairperson of the committee, this is the real people's party.]
The death of Mr Meleke Andries Tatane, a father, teacher and activist, is one of the biggest blows this country has suffered since the advent of democracy 17 years ago. It reminds many of us of the darkest days and brutal forces of apartheid. The murder of one person is one too many. I thank you. [Applause.]