Agb Voorsitter, ek gaan Afrikaans praat.
Militre opleiding, militre dissipline, militre akkuraatheid, insluitend strategiese beplanning, is sleutelkonsepte en aksies tot militre paraatheid, asook militre professionalisme.
Die skaduminister van verdediging, David Maynier, het vandag goed daarin geslaag om die leemtes in die militre paraatheid van ons verdedigingsmag aan die Departement van Verdediging uit te wys.
Aan die ander kant het die agb Minister klaaglik misluk om die burgers van Suid-Afrika te oortuig dat Suid-Afrika se militre paraatheid in orde en in plek is.
Ons sien vandag dat daar 'n departement van militre veterane is wat gestig gaan word. Militre professionalisme kondisioneer aktiewe militre personeel in so 'n mate dat dit, soos in baie ander lande, nodig is dat 'n agentskap of 'n volle departement van die regering van die dag die oorgang van soldate vanaf aktiewe militre diens na die gewone burgerlike samelewing moet behartig.(Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr D C SMILES: Hon Chairperson, military training, military discipline, military precision, including strategic planning, are key components and actions to military preparedness as well as military professionalism.
The shadow minister of defence, David Maynier, today successfully identified the gaps in the military preparedness of our Defence Force to our Department of Defence.
On the other hand, the hon Minister was alarmingly unsuccessful in convincing the citizens of South Africa that South Africa's military preparedness is in order and in place.
Today we see that a department of military veterans is going to be established. Military professionalism conditions active military personnel in such a way that, as is the case in other countries, it is necessary for an agency or a full department of the ruling government to handle the transition of soldiers from active military service to common civil society.]
Now we see that the Department of Military Veterans was proclaimed in December 2009, but since then there has been a lot of secrecy and a lack of transparency. Let me try to describe what has happened: R20 million has been allocated for this new department and there has been a new appointment of a director-general. A task team was established last year. They reported to the hon Minister in January of this year about their recommendations, and there was a launch on Friday last week. The picture that we get from the department is that the launching and everything else is important, but that the processes and procedures of Parliament are not. That is not acceptable.
Why am I saying this? This portfolio committee of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans has yet to see the report. In addition, we have not been briefed on the contents of that report. But what we see is the hon Booi standing up here today trying to defend the hon Minister, when the hon Minister was supposed to appear before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa. I don't think that the hon Booi should behave in that manner. I think he needs to be investigated for his behaviour. [Interjections.] [Laughter.]
We are very concerned that the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans has not yet seen a Green Paper. Even this Parliament has never dmelled Green Paper from the Department of Military Veterans.
So, what is happening in this department? What is happening is precisely what my colleague has said: There is a tendency towards secrecy ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]