Chairperson, hon Minister Dr Cwele and other Ministers present, hon Members of Parliament, the director-general, members of the intelligence community and distinguished guests, as the ANC we believe that our budget debate should be premised on our policies.
We believe there is no budget that takes place in a political and economic vacuum. It takes place at a time when crime and criminality have become sophisticated, with wider criminal networks. The Freedom Charter's clarion call that "there shall be peace and friendship" is relevant at our political juncture, for our hopes and the realisation of our achievements.
Indeed, we have achieved peace in the last 16 years. We need to deepen such peace and friendship among ourselves in our nation and with all nations. We must ensure peaceful conditions during this forthcoming 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup.
Peace and stability is one of the priorities of the state security and intelligence community. Equally, it is the priority of the ANC. In this regard we need to improve the co-ordination and use of intelligence. This budget needs to strengthen all intelligence structures as part of the state security apparatus in the prevention of crime and criminality. Intelligence capability needs to be improved across the peace and stability cluster to ensure better investigations, prosecutions and prevention of cybercrime, in particular. Networking with other law enforcement agencies should be enhanced.
In the context of investigating and prosecuting organised crime, it is important that different law enforcement agencies network in terms of jurisdictions and across government. This would involve formal and informal networks based on targeting specific types of crime and their prevalence. This has to be a diverse process due to the diverse nature of cases and their circumstances.
Consequently, our restructuring and capacity-building must develop effective and efficient intelligence architecture, improve the quality of intelligence products and build a professional civilian intelligence service. This will require that both the National Communications Centre and other services invest more in their technical capacities.
The SA National Academy of Intelligence is crucial in terms of the kind of training it offers to the intelligence community. There is a need for both cadet and advanced operational training. This restructuring must enhance output for the academy. It should not impact negatively on the training offered by the academy; it should rather bring the best human skills to the fore. No doubt, capacity-building and restructuring require more resources to effect the required changes.
The Minister, Dr Cwele, last year informed this House that they will open up their recruitment processes and inject new blood into their workforce. His department will tap into the best of South Africa's brains, ensuring that their expertise is used to reinforce the department's knowledge of strategic fields. This commitment is important if the State Security Agency is to succeed in this process of renewal after 16 years.
We all know that intelligence is a sensitive area and that it demands a deep level of patriotism, hence the prerequisite that only South Africans can join our intelligence services. The implications of this for capacity- building are enormous in that, for the requisite expert human capital, the State Security Agency can only depend on the limited South African skills market. It would be commendable therefore to come up with a plan to not only attract the best brains in South Africa, but also to encourage the development of this scarce resource, particularly in the area of research and analysis. It needs to look at ways of mobilising our young people into the intelligence profession, with a sensitivity towards and representation of our people in terms of race, gender and disability.
The ANC manifesto identifies five priorities. I will only mention those that are relevant to the cluster: All people in South Africa are to feel and be safe. This will be achieved by building a skilled and capable workforce that can support an inclusive growth path.
The intelligence services' best mechanism to support government in implementing these priorities is through strengthening its capacity. The ANC is committed to the building of a well-resourced intelligence capacity of motivated, loyal and professional officers. We are committed to a career path and a human capital utilisation programme built into it.
This budget must talk to a better-organised State Security Agency with the requisite capacity to deal proactively with matters that pose a threat to the peace and security of the country. It should therefore enhance the integrity of state information and promote anticrime preventive measures to ensure that sensitive state information is managed and protected from theft and manipulation.
Furthermore, through this budget we must strengthen the protection of information from cyber attacks, unauthorised disclosure, corrupt officials, criminal syndicates and foreign information pedlars. This includes the establishment of early warning systems to monitor and identify risks in national infrastructure. Above all, so as to elicit maximum co-operation and support from communities, we must continue with the promotion of the awareness of the role of intelligence.
The management and security surrounding the border environment impact on the territorial integrity of our Republic. We were therefore comforted by the declaration of our President, Jacob Zuma, during his state of the nation address, that plans were under way regarding the establishment of a border management agency. We are therefore pleased to hear that intelligence is leading the interdepartmental work to ensure that the agency is realised this year.
We indeed urge our Minister to ensure that his department continues to work with the Department of Home Affairs, the SA Police Service and the Department of Defence and Military Veterans to ensure that our borders are secured.
There is an urgent need for the clarification of the mandate of the border management agency, with a special focus on stakeholder roles. This will assist all operatives to perform their duties with enthusiasm and efficiency.
Our recent oversight as the Defence and Military Veterans' portfolio committee revealed serious challenges around the lack of capacity to secure our borders. The situation can be exploited by all criminal elements due to movements of people in and out. Our Constitution is very clear about the role of state security services to ensure national security.
In conclusion, in the context of building a developmental state, the state security apparatus needs to be strengthened for conditions which favour the overarching role of the state to lead development for a better life for all.
This task calls for intelligence agencies to be capacitated with relevant infrastructure and human resources. It calls for intelligence networks to be strengthened in relation to other law enforcement agencies in a co- ordinated manner.
Peace cannot be achieved through violence. It can only be attained through understanding. Let us therefore not be crybabies, but rather understand the challenges that this department and country face.
Without a doubt, our available resources must be used appropriately to accomplish this task and overcome these challenges. As the ANC we support the Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]