Hon Chairperson, Members of the House and distinguished guests, our Taking Parliament to the People programme is a commitment to ensure that our communities have access to deepening participatory democracy and a people-centred government. Through the Taking Parliament to the People programme our people have the power to hold public representatives and public servants accountable in a constructive manner to ensure access to social services.
In this regard, members of the NCOP should not just conduct the programme as directed by section 72 of the Constitution, but on a continuous basis seek to meet the people's needs and aspirations through a mutual connection with them, with the purpose of alleviating poverty and accelerating service delivery.
Our movement declared this year a year for consolidating people's power for the national democratic society as we move towards 100 years of selfless people's struggle. As indicated in our January 8 Statement, we must make the decisive shift to a meaningful transformation and implement a programme that will ensure that the fruits of our political liberation are shared amongst all our people.
Our Fourth Parliament is expected to be more effective with regard to the Taking Parliament to the People programme. This is so in the context of transforming Parliament towards the notion of an activist Parliament. As Members of Parliament we need to have a shared understanding of what constitutes this activist Parliament.
From the Freedom Charter to the Reconstruction and Development Programme, RDP, until the present juncture, our movement has regarded health as a priority. It remains a basic need for our people and therefore it has been enshrined in our Constitution. What is critical is that we ensure that the majority of our people have access to quality health care, particularly the youth, women and children and people with disabilities.
We have never regarded health as a commodity and it should not be treated as such. Section 27(1) of the Constitution states that:
1) Everyone has the right to have access to -
a) health care services; including reproductive health care; b) sufficient food and water; and c) social security ...
The ANC seeks to ensure the necessary funding and delivery of health services for an efficient, equitable and sustainable health system. This is premised on the principle of the right to health, social solidarity and universal coverage. In 2010, all provinces vigorously promoted and conducted male circumcision, with KwaZulu-Natal taking the lead under the stewardship of the king himself.
In 2011 it has been reported that the Department of Health awarded a tender for the supply of antiretroviral medicines to the value of R4,2 billion over two years. This has resulted in savings of R4,7 billion which will enable the health sector to place more people on ARVs. Given our renewed campaign, we have made substantial progress in the fight against HIV and Aids. Communities in Phuthaditjhaba have attested to those successes and efforts.
In the 2011 state of the nation address, Comrade President Zuma proposed that this year the health sector will emphasise the appointment of appropriate and qualified personnel to the right positions. Our observation with the Taking Parliament to the People of the Free State confirmed some gaps in the area. The President seemed to be informed when he made the commitment to address them in his state of the nation address.
Our movement places Home Affairs as one of the key organs of the state in promoting constitutional multiparty democracy. Issuance of identity documents seeks to make our multiparty democracy vibrant and enable our people to access basic services. In a multiparty democracy the state becomes an important institution. It seeks to represent competing parties and individuals. Our Constitution is firm on citizens' right to vote. You know how we have struggled for the fundamental right of all citizens to exercise their right to vote for the government of their choice.
Our Taking Parliament to the People programme has revealed that some buildings of Home Affairs are located in awkward places, particularly for people with disabilities and the rural masses. We need to change this difficulty.
Our government is committed to expanding the child support grant to children over 14 years of age. We are committed to ensuring that in the next few years significant numbers of children from poor households aged between 15 and 18 years will benefit from the child support grant. We acknowledge that South Africa aspires to be a developmental state and not a welfare state; hence innovative means should be created to ensure that our people are financially self-reliant. The Free State communities have largely benefited from all these endeavours.
Last year we made a commitment to ensure that the girl-child should have equal access and opportunity to education and to minimise the dropout rate among girls. The South African Schools Act of 1996 made schooling compulsory for all children for a period of 10 years. It stated that there should be no discrimination between boys and girls. We then called for creative ways to empower the girl-child.
The president of the ANC Women's League argued that the Take a Girl-Child to Work campaign is one of many ways of achieving those goals, and that if you educate a woman, you educate a nation. We are still committed to those broader principles. Again the Free State visit is a good example of the work we have done on this front.
President Zuma stated that this year our focus on basic education is going to be on the Triple T - Teachers, Textbooks and Time. He reiterated the call that teachers should be at school, in class, on time, and teaching for at least seven hours a day. There is a renewed focus on higher education to expand access, especially for children of the poor, by providing loans and bursaries for qualifying final year students.
In conclusion, we must strengthen the Taking Parliament to the People programme for the benefit of our democracy. Popular participation of our people in governance could lead to greater transformation towards the goal of a better life for all to ensure a united democratic prosperous society. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mev A MARAIS (Wes-Kaap): Agb Adjunkvoorsitter, agb Sesele, die Speaker van die provinsiale wetgewer in die Vrystaat, het met insette verwys na die verskillende denkwyses rondom dienslewering voor 1994 en hoe die effek daarvan vandag nog gevoel word. Dit is daarom belangrik dat daar nie bloot net gekyk word na hoe om die huidige probleme op te los nie, maar ook na hoe om te verseker dat die besluite wat geneem word om die probleme aan te pak nie onnodige uitdagings in die toekoms tot gevolg sal h nie.
Dit verg verantwoordelike leiers wat hulself aanspreeklik en verantwoordbaar hou tot die gemeenskap wat hulle dien en wat binne die oppergesag van die reg funksioneer.
Vanuit die openbare verhore is dit skokkend om te sien hoe erg daar 'n gebrek aan dienslewering op verskeie terreine is. Die rimpeleffek hiervan word gevoel, nie net deur die verskeie departemente nie, maar meer belangrik het dit ook 'n daadwerklike nadelige effek op mense se lewens.
'n Voorbeeld hiervan is die gebrek aan padinfrastruktuur. As paaie ontoeganklik is vir voertuie, beteken dit ook dat nooddienste, ambulanse, brandweer- en beskermingsdienste nie betyds by mense kan uitkom nie. Mense met gestremdhede geniet ook nie dieselfde geleenthede as ander nie omdat hulle nie voldoende toegang het nie.
Die oplossing wat voorgestel word vir die spesifieke probleem is gereelde instandhouding deur die onderskeie verantwoordelike departmente. Gereelde instandhouding verg nie net die samewerking en kordinering van die verskillende departemente op die die regte tyd nie, maar ook voortdurende politieke wilskrag om te verseker dat probleme aangepak word.
Wanneer ? mens kyk na gesondheidsdienslewering is dit 'n probleem wat noodlottige gevolge kan h. In wyk 9 is daar geen kliniek in die gebied nie. Mense word nie net van hul toegang tot basiese gesondheidsorg ontneem nie, maar ook van die moontlikheid om proaktief te kan optree om hul algemene gesondheid te verbeter.
Klinieke sowel as streekshospitale sukkel met die bestryding van die MIV/Vigs-pandemie. Op die grondvlak blyk dit 'n bestuursprobleem te wees, terwyl dit by die streekshospitaal blyk 'n vraag-en-aanbod-probleem te wees, waar hulle sukkel om aan die vraag na 'n diens van 24 uur per dag in sekere mediese dissiplines te voldoen.
Onvoldoende personeel of oneffektiewe personeel, soos in wyk 6 in Harrismith, waar gesondheidspersoneel nie toegewyd is nie en net tot 12h30 werk in plaas van normale werksure, is onaanvaarbaar en ongehoord. Dit is onaanvaarbaar, want hulle is nie effektief tot diens van die gemeenskap nie. Dit is 'n ongehoorde vlak van dienslewering vir enige gemeenskap.
Die voortdurende marginalisering van minderheidsgroepe, veral mense met gestremdhede, moet beveg word deur die Departement van Maatskaplike Ontwikkeling met 'n interdepartementele aanslag. Dit is skandelik dat mense met gestremdhede nie toegang het tot regeringsgeboue nie, dat hulle verder gemarginaliseer word wanneer dit kom by werkgeleenthede en dat hul behoefte aan vervoer nie op 'n afdoende manier aangepak word nie.
In 'n samelewing is gelyke toegang en gelyke geleenthede net so belangrik soos gelyke regte. Dieselfde geld vir geslagsgelykheid. In 'n bevolklng van 49 000 mense is daar slegs agt vroulike polisiebeamptes. So 'n situasie maak dit moeilik, veral vir vrouens, om misdade van 'n sensitiewe en persoonlike aard te rapporteer.
Verskeie beloftes word deurentyd gemaak in reaksie op die probleme wat openbaar gemaak is. Dit is belangrik om voortdurend aan te dring nie net op die beloftes wat gemaak is nie, maar ook op die vordering daarmee; dat die prosesse wat die beloftes voorafgaan, korrek is; dat die finansiering van die projekte deursigtig is sodat ander projekte nie van geld ontneem word of benadeel word nie; en dat tenderprosesse reg geskied om korrupsie te voorkom.
Tydens die President se onlangse staatsrede het hy 'n beroep gedoen om mense aan te stel met die toepaslike vaardighede op die toepaslike vlakke. Dit mag nie gebeur dat raadslede familielede in poste aanstel nie, ongeag hul ervaring of kwalifikasies. Effektiewe en doeltreffende bestuur kan aangespoor word deur die groot hoeveelheid vakatures te vul met mense wat vir die doel geskik is.
Daar is geleenthede wat onderbenut word. Die moontlikhede van private vennootskappe om die doeltreffende ontwikkeling van vaardighede en bemagtiging teweeg te bring, moet nie onderskat word nie. 'n Voorbeeld hiervan is die Departement van Landbou, Bosbou en Visserye se vennootskap met 'n bekende kettingwinkel as afsetpunt vir produkte wat deur die Diyatalawa-landbougemeenskap gekweek word.
Gemeenskapsamewerking moet nagestreef word. Die volhoubaarheid van sulke programme vereis dit. Die beskerming van openbare geriewe teen vandalisme is in die beste belang van die gemeenskap om die optimale nut uit fasiliteite te verkry.
Gemeenskapsamewerking, private belegging en die herbou van die sosiale weefsel kan net plaasvind wanneer daar 'n regering aan bewind is wat bewys dat hulle ernstig is oor hul gemeenskap, ernstig is oor verantwoordbaarheid, en ernstig is oor dienslewering. Daar moet 'n regering wees wat verantwoordelike, "fit for purpose", oftewel doelgeskikte mense aanstel om die gemeenskap te dien, wat aan die gemeenskap verantwoordbaar is en binne die oppergesag van die reg funksioneer. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans speech follows.)
[Mrs A MARAIS (Western Cape): Hon Deputy Chairperson, hon Sesele, the Speaker of the Free State provincial legislature referred by way of input to the various schools of thought around service delivery prior to 1994, and how the effect thereof is still being felt today. It is therefore important not only to look at how we can solve current problems, but also to look at how to ensure that the decisions taken to address these problems do not result in unnecessary challenges in the future.
This requires responsible leaders who hold themselves accountable to the community they serve and who function within the supreme authority of the law.
It is shocking to learn from the public hearings how serious the lack of service delivery is in various fields. The ripple effect of this is not only felt in the different departments, but more importantly, it is having a detrimental effect on people's lives.
An example of this is the lack of road infrastructure. When roads are inaccessible to vehicles, this also means that emergency services, ambulances, fire and rescue services cannot reach people in time. People with disabilities also don't enjoy the same opportunities as others, because they have insufficient access.
The proposed solution to this specific problem is regular maintenance by the various departments responsible. Regular maintenance not only requires co-operation from and co-ordination with the different departments at the right time, but also a sustained political will to ensure that problems are addressed.
Looking at health service delivery, this is a problem that could have fatal consequences. There are no clinics in the vicinity of ward 9. People are not only denied access to their basic health care, but also to the opportunity of acting proactively in improving their general state of health.
Clinics as well as district hospitals are struggling to combat the HIV/Aids pandemic. At grass-roots level it appears to be a management problem, while at the level of district hospitals it appears to be a supply-and-demand problem, where they are struggling to meet the demands of delivering a service for 24 hours a day in certain medical disciplines.
Insufficient or ineffective staff members, such as in ward 6 in Harrismith, where health staff are not dedicated and only work until 12h30 instead of normal working hours, depict something unacceptable and unprecedented. This is unacceptable, because they are effectively not at the service of the community. This is an unprecedented level of service delivery for any community.
The continued marginalisation of minority groups, especially people with disabilities, must be combated by the Department of Social Development by way of an interdepartmental approach. It is a shame that people with disabilities have no access to government buildings, that they are further marginalised when it comes to job opportunities, and that their transport requirements are not effectively addressed.
Equal access and equal opportunities are just as important as equal rights in a society. The same applies to gender equality. In a population of 49 000 people there are only eight female police officers. Such a situation makes it difficult, especially for women, to report crimes of a sensitive and personal nature.
Various promises keep being made in reaction to the problems that have been uncovered. It is important to insist constantly not only on the promises that have been made, but also upon progress made; that the processes preceding these promises are correct; that funding of projects is transparent so that other projects are not deprived of money and are not disadvantaged; and that tender processes are properly followed in order to prevent corruption.
During the President's recent state of the nation address he made an appeal for the appointment of people with relevant skills at suitable levels. Councillors should not be appointing family members to posts, irrespective of their experience or qualifications. Effective and efficient management can be promoted by way of filling the large number of vacancies with persons who are fit for the purpose.
There are opportunities that are being underutilised. The opportunity for private partnerships to bring about effective skills development and empowerment should not be underestimated. An example of this is the partnership of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries with a well-known chain store as drop-off point for the products that are cultivated by the Diyatalawa agricultural community.
Community collaboration should be pursued. The sustainability of such programmes requires this. The protection of public spaces from vandalism is in the best interest of the community in order to obtain optimal benefit from these facilities. Community collaboration, private investment and the reconstruction of the fabric of society can only take place when there is a government in charge that proves to be serious about its community, serious about accountability, and serious about service delivery. There should be a government that appoints responsible people who are fit for the purpose of serving the community, that is accountable to the community, and that functions within the supreme authority of the law. [Applause.]]
UMntwana M M M ZULU: Phini likaSihlalo wale Ndlu namalungu ale Ndlu ahloniphekile, bab'umnumzane uMahlangu, ukuthatha iPhalamende liye kubantu kusiza indlela yokusebenza nokunikeza abantu bonke izwi, kanye nethuba lokubuka indlela izinsiza ezifinyelela ngayo kubantu okungukuthi abantu bayakwazi yini ukusizakala kohulumeni bezifundazwe noma kohulumeni basekhaya.
Ukubaluleka kwale Ndlu sikubona ngokuba yenze zonke lezi zidingo, ihlanganisa yonke imikhakha emithathu kahulumeni waleli lizwe. Le Ndlu ikwazi ukuthatha ndawonye imikhakha emithathu kahulumeni iyihlanganise ibhekane nezidingo zabantu.
Mhlonishwa noma nje ngidumele ngokushiwo uNdunankulu wesifundazwe sikababomkhulu lapha KwaZulu-Natali ekhuluma ngezinto ebezikhulunywa kuleya Ndlu engale zikhulunywa abaholi abathile. Lezi zinto zinezincwadi ezifungelwe bengingafuni ukuba ngiyeke ukuba yinkosana yakaMpande noma ngomunye wezinkosana zendlu kaMpande ngingene ezindabeni ezingcolile zezombusazwe.
Ngenxa yokuthi ngiphoxwa yisimo ukuthi ngingene kukho, ikhansela uMavundla ophethe isifunda okuthiwa yiBhambatha,uzazi kahle izinto ebezikade ziphikwa nguDokotela uMkhize. Umnumzane uMeshack Radebe wezokuThuthukiswa komPhakathi ukwazi ngamabizo akho lokhu, ngisho uMongameli wezwe! Mhlonishwa Mahlangu akukwazi ukuthi umuzi wenye indoda usha ubusuzobeka umbono kuyo ngento engahlangene nawe.
KwaZulu kwakungenziwa lokho. Ngisho obabomkhulu bethu thina balwa izimpi, kodwa kwakungasuki omunye umuntu azobatshela ukuthi kufanele benzeni. Akekho-ke ongebone ukuthi kulobo bugxobhogxobho obukhona ngeke kungakhonjwana ngezinhlamvu zamehlo. Mina ngiyihlonipha kakhulu le Ndlu ngoba obabomkhulu bonke balwa. Le Ndlu ngiyihloniphela ukuthi inakekele izifundazwe, imikhandlu yomasipala nohulumeni kaZwelonke ukuthi ziyalethwa yini izidingo zabantu.
Umhlonishwa uMkhize, uNdunankulu wami ngikhuluma kabi esehambile bekufuneka lezi zinto azishoyo kule Ndlu bekufuneka azikhuluma kwisifundazwe ngqo...[Ubuwelewele.]... kodwa-ke uma esezozikhuluma lapha kufuneka sikuphonsele inselele ngoba lezi zinto zifungelwe; uma-ke zifungelwe kumele zikhulunywe ngendlela.
Njengezithunywa ezimele izifundazwe kufuneka silethe izinhlupheko zabantu balezo zifundazwe, hhayi ukungcola kwezepolitiki ngoba kusha indlu nje, kukhona okuthile phakathi. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.]
IPHINI LIKASIHLALO WOMKHANDLU KAZWELONKE WEZIFUNDAZWE (Nkz T C Memela): Umntwana uZulu sizoyixoxa ekhaya, baba. Sizozilandela. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Prince M M M ZULU: Deputy Chairperson of this House and hon members of this House, Mr Mahlangu, Taking Parliament to the People assists it in doing its work and gives people an opportunity to have a say and to view the way in which services are delivered to the people in regard to whether people are receiving services from the provincial and local governments.
The importance of this House is seen through performing all these tasks, incorporating all the three spheres of this country's government. This House is able to bring together all the three government spheres in order to address the people's needs.
Hon members, I am disappointed about what was said by the premier of my grandfather's province of KwaZulu-Natal, when he talked about issues raised by certain leaders in that House. These issues have affidavits; I didn't want to abandon my seniority as the Prince of the house of Mpande or one of the first-borns of the houses of Mpande and involve myself in dirty political affairs. I am compelled by the circumstances to get into them; Councillor Mavundla who is in charge of the Bhambatha region, knows well about the issues denied by Dr Mkhize. Mr Meshack Radebe of Social Development knows about all these issues, even the President of the country knows! Hon Mahlangu, it can't be proper that when another man's homestead is burning, you come and have an opinion about something which is none of your business.
In the olden days in KwaZulu that was not done. Even our grandfathers fought the wars, but no person could just come in and instruct them on what to do. It is clear then to everyone that in this conflict it is impossible that people are not going to be blaming one another. I respect this House because all my grandfathers fought. I respect this House and expect it to ensure that services are delivered to people by the provinces, local councils and national government.
I unfortunately mention all these things at a time when the hon Mkhize, my premier, has already departed, whereas all he said in this House, he should be saying directly to the province... [Interjections.]... but then, if he says them here we have to challenge them because these issues have sworn affidavits, hence they must be dealt with properly.
As representatives of the provinces, we must bring here the frustrations of the people of our provinces, not political dirt, because as the house burns, there is something inside. I thank you. [Applause.]