Madam Deputy Speaker, depending on the decision of leaders of public sector unions tomorrow, South Africa could be faced with a huge public sector strike. We have no intention of doing collective bargaining in this House, but we want to raise the following: The country cannot afford to have a strike at this sensitive stage, particularly in respect of the education sector.
The strike will have a crippling effect on the lives of ordinary people. We still want to urge the parties to try and find each other. It will be unfortunate if, as in the 2007 public sector strike, the state as employer comes up with a revised offer after disruptions and loss of valuable time.
We are seeing the same approach in Tlakgameng in the North West province where government somehow found the money to construct the tarred road. We are told that things will go back to normal in Tlakgameng, but the reality is that schools have been destroyed in the process. Why did it take all the time and damage for the relevant authorities to "find the money"? That is why we are telling the employer to go and find the money to avert the strike, if it can be found. I thank you. [Applause.]