Hon Chairperson, Deputy Ministers, members and guests, a Provincial Week for members from provincial legislatures and permanent delegates of the NCOP must have the outcome of resolutions being taken to better the situation at the various visit points touched on by them. If we are not able to achieve this, it will be a waste of time and money, and a failure in the oversight mandate that we as Members of Parliament have. If we are serious about our work and the mandate given by the electorate, we cannot allow this to happen without definite measures being taken.
An excellent institution we visited was the Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology in the Western Cape. That institution does not have a structured face compared to the Model C schools we are used to seeing. It is an institution of excellence. It teaches mathematics and science to disadvantaged but talented learners.
The principal, teachers and learners showed us as South Africans that if you are dedicated, motivated and competent in the course followed, you can achieve excellent success. This is an example of an open opportunity society. They need our support to address the problem of high electricity bills and to provide learners with better classrooms and accommodation. I think the Western Cape government must see to that.
Corruption and maladministration are the root of destruction and the collapse of a community. The Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa, in the Western Cape Legislature interrogated the officials and mayors of the Kannaland and Swellendam Local Municipalities respectively about their administration and financial status for 2007-08.
Can you believe that the officials and mayor of the Kannaland Local Municipality burnt all the documents with the financial information? The ANC administration in the province then, and the national government, did nothing to bring them to book. Now the DA administration in government has to deal with this issue and address their wrongdoings. The cherry on top of this corruption and maladministration is that the official who was responsible for the corruption and maladministration in Kannaland Local Municipality was appointed by another council. Hon Chairperson, can one be so stupid and arrogant? There must be something wrong.
A light in this dark and evil tunnel is that the current and previous officials have now been summoned to appear before Scopa in the Western Cape and to explain to them. We hope that those responsible for the ill practices will now be brought to book and pay for their actions. I think that in the next two weeks there will be a meeting with those officials and the mayors in the Western Cape. I hope this will be brought to an end. I thank you.