Speaker, hon President, Deputy President, and members of the House, when we approach the debates in this House, and especially this debate, we must do so with a measure of trepidation.
The direction our nation is taking is worrisome. I am very glad that the President, in dealing with the state of the nation address, declared this year "the year of job creation", because if there is one single grave and serious problem confronting our country, it is that of unemployment.
When people are out of jobs, Mr President, it has a deep psychological impact on them. They lose their self-respect and dignity. Physically they suffer the pangs of hunger and deprivation. Eventually they lose control of their cognitive capacity. Eventually this degradation leads to a situation in which people resort to desperate means, and then all of us may find ourselves engulfed by disaster.
Nevertheless, it is important to say, sir, that following so many promises you have made to our nation about job creation, the situation you left us in last week was not inspiring. First of all, the moment that you suggested to us to wait for the budget speeches of Cabinet members, it created the impression that you were promising us something that even you yourself did not know about. [Applause.]
We came to the state of the nation address to hear you tell us what decisions had been made, what plans and programmes had been adopted that were now to be implemented. So, now we have to wait for another promise to hear about those speeches some time in future. That was really unfortunate.
Secondly, it was exciting to hear of the billions of rands R9 billion set aside by government, R10 billion by the IDC. These figures are exciting, but what do they mean? In practice we didn't hear what they were going to do and who was going to do what with this money.
How much of this money is going to go into government programmes? How much of it is going to incentivise the private sector because that is what we needed to hear? We had heard the same promises the two previous years or so. Now we wanted to hear practical steps that needed to be taken urgently because we cannot afford the excitement of promises and then the disappointment later on, year after year.
I speak on these issues, and on this particular issue I speak as one who has also been part of these processes. I do believe that it is important that promises are translated into reality and are not repeated again and again.
Job creation is a function of entrepreneurship, but what we have been seeing in the economy of the country is that tenderpreneurs have been created, but no entrepreneurs. [Applause.] We are not seeing men and women who take money, men and women who take capital and invest it in ventures that grow into their own and generate a profit of their own.
I speak of these issues because all of us in our communities are faced with the difficulties where money seems to be going to tenders, but there are no bridges, there are no roads, there is nothing. [Applause.] So I have to speak out on these issues. Only where there are entrepreneurs - competent entrepreneurs - who receive those tenders, if there are tenders given out, can we see production that actually changes people's lives. I mean, all of us could have said let's go for the tenders and get the money, but you do not know what to do with the money, and that money is then lost to our people.
Now, the rise of destructive tenderpreneurs seeking short-term gains for themselves through tender manipulation is a tragedy. As a result our country is going down the slippery slope rather than rising from the poverty and squalor in which large numbers of our communities find themselves.
We should be building on that which we inherited from our cruel past. We shouldn't be making worse that which we inherited earlier on. Roads that used to be without potholes are now full of potholes. Traffic lights that used to work no longer work. That is the work of the tenderpreneurs that I am talking about. It makes no sense.
On the day that democracy arose in this land, the people of our communities expected that we would take taxpayers' money and use it. They expected we would save our salaries in our pockets and the rest of the budget should have begun to address the needs of the rest of the people in society. But that is not what happened. [Applause.] So, Mr President, I support your position that this must be the year of job creation.
This is a correct call, Mr President. Jobs have to be created, but they will not be created if the money you have set aside goes to those in positions of power instead of making it available to competent, knowledgeable, trained entrepreneurs. They take that money to their family, friends and so on.
Therefore, during the course of your speech, Mr President, one should have heard your address speak more about how this capital you are talking about, these funds that you promised the nation, would find their way to those men and women in the private sector who have the necessary discipline and the commitment to create jobs. That is because they know that if they do not create those jobs, if their companies don't make a profit, they will have no food to eat tonight.
Those who are in government positions and are manipulating these tenders know that, whether they do their work or not, they will still get their salaries. [Applause.] This is a disaster that the country is confronted with.