Voorsitter, die hoop en drome van die armes vir 'n beter lewe het in 'n groot nagmerrie verander. Na 16 jaar van demokrasie is daar ontnugtering. Dag na dag word die swaarkry net meer. Die werkloses staan in al hoe langer toue op soek na werk.
Mense het nie die nodige vaardighede nie. Alhoewel ons in die informasie- era leef, is miljoene mense nie rekenaargeletterd nie. Die regering bied geen oplossing vir hierdie mense aan nie. Elke jaar word die uitwissing van armoede beloof, maar jaar na jaar eindig hierdie belofte met geen oplossings.
Elke jaar word tydlyne gestel vir dieselfde beloftes. Hierdie jaar het die Ministers ondernemings geteken met die President. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr O DE BEER: Chairperson, the hopes and dreams of the poor for a better life have turned into a terrible nightmare. After 16 years of democracy there is disillusionment. The hardship is increasing day after day. The unemployed find themselves looking for work in queues that continue to get longer.
People do not have the necessary skills. Even though we are living in the information age, millions of people are not computer literate. The government does not offer a solution for these people. Every year a promise is made that poverty will be eradicated, but every year this promise ends without it being resolved.
Every year time frames are set for the same promises. This year the Ministers have signed agreements with the President.]
Which promise will government honour this year? Which communities is government going to uplift? Vast amounts of money are being squandered. Expenditure that is wasteful, fruitless, unauthorised and irregular continues to take place.
Prof Haroon Bhorat asserts that we are now the most unequal society in the world. We recently overtook Brazil in this regard. This is bad for growth. It is a ticking time bomb. Our society is going to be torn apart.
Die regering se belangrikste prioriteit is om armoede te verminder. Op 28 Julie 2008 het voormalige President Mbeki 'n landswye veldtog gestig om armoede onder die land se armste burgers te verminder. Die veldtog was gemik op die armste wyke en swakste huishoudings in the land. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[The government's main priority is to reduce poverty. On 28 July 2008, former President Mbeki launched a countrywide campaign to reduce poverty amongst the country's poorest citizens. The campaign was aimed at the poorest wards and the most impoverished households in the country.]
The long-term goal was for South Africa's poorest households to receive assistance and support in a co-ordinated and sustainable way, with a national war room on poverty leading the campaign from the office of the Deputy President.
Chair, as we as a nation spend this time debating measures to fight poverty under the theme "Working together to intensify the war on poverty, hunger and socioeconomic marginalisation", there are people out there saying: "Where did these words come from?"
'n Mens sou gedink het dat alle Suid Afrikaners teen hierdie tyd al water in hul huise sou h. Dit het nie gebeur nie. Baie van die mense het nie eens 'n basiese toilet nie. Informele wonings, die gevaar van huise wat afbrand en basiese gesondheidsgevare is enorm. "Shack farming" is aan die orde van die dag.
Hierdie gebrek aan sanitasie het klaar 'n reuse uitwerking op die beswaarde openbare gesondheidstelsel. Dit veroorsaak ook omgewings-, maatskaplike, ekonomiese en sielkundige probleme. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[One would have thought that all South Africans would have had running water in their homes by now. This has not happened. Many people do not even have a basic toilet. Informal houses, the danger of houses being destroyed by fires, and basic health risks are enormous. Shack farming is the order of the day.
This lack of sanitation already has a big impact on the overburdened public health system. It is also causing environmental, social, economic and psychological problems.]
Recycling strategies will not make poverty go away. Playing with terms such as "mandates" and "Polokwane resolution" is going to fool no one. South Africa is going nowhere very slowly. We are not using our resources to eradicate poverty. [Interjections.]
Voorsitter, Suid-Afrika het 'n baie ho koers van werkloosheid, en die inskrywings vir maatskaplike toelaes styg dramaties. As Cope glo ons dat maatskaplike bystand nie in fiskale terme volhoubaar is nie, want dit het geen einde nie.
As 'n land is ons grootste uitdaging om onderwys op te hef. Wreldwyd is ons een van die 14 lande uit 139 lande wat reg onder aan die lys is ten opsigte van primre onderwys. Die kwaliteit van die voorsiende programme wat mik op die vroe kinderontwikkelingsfase tussen nul en nege jaar is baie swak. Die kwalifikasies vir en opleiding van onderwysers in "early childhood development" bestaan nie.
Ons voorstel, as Cope, aan die regering, veral aan die Ministers van onderwys, is om onderrig as 'n nasionale diens ... [Tyd verstreke.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, South Africa has a very high unemployment rate, and the number of applications for social grants is increasing dramatically. As Cope we believe that social support is not sustainable in fiscal terms because there is no end to it.
As a country one of our greatest challenges is to raise the level of education. Regarding primary education, we are one of 14 countries at the bottom of a list of 139 worldwide. The quality of existing programmes aimed at the early childhood development phase between zero and nine years of age is very poor. There are no qualifications or training for teachers with regard to early childhood development.
We as Cope want to recommend to the government, especially to the Ministers of education, to regard education as a national service ... [Time expired.]]