Deputy Chairperson, and Your Excellency Mr President, given the fact that our time has been cut, I table my prepared speech. In essence the concept of my speech is a tribute to two people: the first one is the doctor who was recently raped in Pelonomi Hospital. It is a tribute to the nurses, doctors and personnel that provide health services to our people in the province and in South Africa.
The second tribute is to a Grade 2 learner, called Sibongile Zwane, a learner at Teboho Primary School. She fractured her arm last week Tuesday; 10 days later she has not been attended to by a doctor at the local hospital. Ten days, no doctor; and for little Sibongile, no service delivery. She is an example of what hundreds of citizens of this area attested to as everyday experiences trying to manage their day-to-day lives in this area.
This is certainly not what Thabo Mofutsanyana stood for. He once said, "All we were fighting for was to live like people in the country of our birth." We heard this week many stories of people complaining. As one lady said, "We are treated as if we are not South African citizens." Sibongile was, this week, treated as one of those.
In presenting alternatives, it is the Congress of the People's considered view that drastic measures will be the only way to resolve addressing these challenges. [Interjections.]
Firstly, the NCOP must do serious introspection in terms of our functionality in dealing with our core function.
Secondly, the executive needs to take the activities of the NCOP more seriously. The hon President and the Deputy President must honour their commitments to the NCOP. Unfortunately, as once again experienced this week, the Ministers do not have the same contributions. In terms of co- operative governance, the roles and responsibilities of the various spheres of government need to be synchronised. There are too many chiefs and too few Indians; there is too much talk and too little action.
Lastly, the constitutional imperative of organised local government needs to be enhanced. Currently, Salga is only part of the high profile activities like today. We must increase their activity in the NCOP. If government does not act swiftly and implement some of these proposals, the experience of Sibongile Zwane this week, as echoed by many others, will become the norm. The people of this area certainly deserve better. I thank you.