Deputy Speaker, hon President and Deputy President, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, guests, there is general agreement in the country that poverty and underdevelopment are some of the biggest challenges facing South Africa.
In the build-up to the state of the nation address, a lot had been said about job creation, and many of us had expected details on how the country would create half a million jobs in the coming financial year. Mr President, you declared 2011 as the year of job creation, and directed us to the budget speeches of the Ministers for details. We will wait.
Azapo welcomes your undertaking that all funded vacant posts in the Public Service sector would be filled. We want to explain why we are sceptical, Mr President.
In 2007, the state as employer and trade union parties to the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council, PSCBC, signed Resolution 1 of 2007. The resolution included the filling of all funded vacant posts in the public sector. There were problems with implementation because some of the government departments were either unable or unwilling to provide information on where the vacancies existed, so implementation became a nightmare. In the context of joblessness, it is impossible to explain why a post, for which there is a budget, is vacant.
We welcome the setting aside of several millions of rands for new job creation initiatives, tax allowances to promote investments and tax deductible allowances. There is, however, a need to monitor the use of such funds to ensure that they are used for job creation and not to pay hefty bonuses to executives. We have witnessed this happening during the economic meltdown, when companies in the West used some of the bail-out money to reward their executives.
You have told this House that the focus in basic education this year would be "Triple T" - teachers, textbooks, time. Azapo would like to add proper classrooms, chairs, tables and desks.
It is a sad state of affairs that in this country we still have learners who learn under trees and in mud classrooms. We do not know how they must have felt when their plight could not find space in the state of the nation address. It is also very sad that some of the schools had to approach the courts in order to have the Ministry of Basic Education agree to erect proper schools and classrooms for them.
Yes, teachers must be at school, in class, on time, teaching for at least seven hours per day. Azapo supports this clarion call.
In October 2008, the then Education Minister, the hon Naledi Pandor, launched the Quality Learning and Teaching Campaign, the QLTC. It is a social compact by stakeholders in education. The QLTC identifies in very clear terms what the departmental officials, teachers, learners, parents and communities need to do to make our education system work. The compact calls upon teachers to be in class, on time, teaching.
Teachers, particularly those who work very hard, feel aggrieved that most of the time they are singled out and that very little, if anything, is said about departmental officials, learners, parents and communities.
So, as you call upon teachers to be in class, on time and teaching, it would be helpful to say a line about other stakeholders, otherwise we might be communicating a message to teachers that they are solely responsible for all the problems in our education.
We have seen pictures in newspapers of learners who drink during school hours and are in the streets during school time. We have heard of one school in Limpopo where about 57 learners are pregnant, and we are glad that you have said something about learner pregnancy. This, we can assure you, does not happen at school; it happens elsewhere, and something must be said to our communities, our parents and to communities that sell alcohol to learners and juveniles.
We agree with you that there is a need to appoint suitably qualified people to the right positions and we are saying this should have happened a long time ago.
In Azapo's view, some of the problems of the country are caused by downright incompetence, which is a result of nepotism in appointments, where people were appointed because of family and/or political connections. We hope that there will be action to match your undertakings in this regard. The continent has expressed confidence in, and has given a huge responsibility, to South Africa.
South Africa has again been elected as a nonpermanent member of the United Nations Security Council. You have informed this House that South Africa will serve a two-year term on the African Union's Peace and Security Council, and that we will chair the Southern African Development Community, SADC, Organ on Politics, Defence and Security from August 2011. Good news, indeed, good news! We have noted your assurance to this House that South Africa would use these positions to promote the African agenda, peace and security. We are saying that in this responsibility, we should stay away from populist positions that lead to instant gratification. We agree with you that regime change is the preserve of the citizens of a country.
As we said previously, cowboys moved into Somalia and removed Siad Barre and later Farrah Aidid, more than 30 years ago. Somalia is still on fire. They went to Afghanistan and removed the Taliban. Afghanistan is still on fire. They did the same to Saddam Hussein. There are still problems in Iraq.
We have also noted the list of countries in which you said South Africa would be involved. We call upon you not to forget the people of Palestine as they struggle for national self-determination. Their plight must be put back very high on the international agenda.
In conclusion, the last word about corruption and nepotism: We have echoed your words that people should be appointed to positions without regard to family or political affiliations. Now we hear that you have promised people heaven if they belong to or vote for your party, and that they will be voting for the devil if they vote for other political parties! I thank you. [Interjections.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]