Thank you, Chairperson. Our youth are currently one of the largest segments of our unemployed people and should be encouraged to spend at least one or two years in service in defence of their country. Training, discipline, travel, remuneration, a sense of responsibility, and the knowledge that one has been part of and contributed to something bigger than oneself are just some of the benefits of military service and, as such, must be encouraged.
In this respect, the National Youth Service concept must remain one of the department's key priorities. Budgets should be made immediately available for this and a concrete plan for its implementation should be debated and agreed upon.
The issue of trade unions operating within the Defence Force is another issue that must be dealt with immediately and decisively. Trade unions have no place no place - in any Defence Force as they undermine military discipline, divide members and have the overall net effect of weakening the military. There can only be one commander in chief in any army. In our case, it is the President, represented by the hon Minister. Soldiers have to be wholly loyal to the chain of command. Trade unions weaken that loyalty and, by so doing, place the lives, not only of soldiers but also of civilians at great risk. For that reason alone, trade unions cannot and should not have any place whatsoever in the military personnel structure. [Applause.] They should not and must not, by any means.
The sale of arms and ammunition to regimes guilty or even reasonably suspected of committing human rights atrocities must not be allowed to take place under any circumstances. The IFP urges the Ministry to carefully scrutinise any requests for arms sales, lest South Africa becomes a part of human rights abuses by states that we have supplied with arms.
In this regard, the IFP would like to request the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Chairperson of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee to keep an eye on what is happening in the NCACC as the committee's oversight controls - which should prohibit the sale of weapons to countries where they may contribute to international repression, human rights violations or are likely to escalate regional military conflicts - seem to be nonexistent, as evidenced in the R70 million in arms sales by South Africa to Libya in 2010.
Regarding border control, the IFP welcomes the deployment of troops along our borders, which have become so porous in the past 10 years. This will greatly assist in reducing illicit movement across our borders of humans, animals and goods, and, it is hoped, reduce the instance of rhino poaching in our national parks situated along our borders. Syndicates operating ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]