Thank you, Chairperson. I would like to thank the chair of the portfolio committee for the leadership he has shown, and also the members for supporting our budget. This is the first of its kind.
I know that it is not sufficient, hon members, but we also need to bear in mind we have just come out of a recession. The recession is not only out there; it is all over. It also had an impact on our budgets, hence we don't have enough. But, as people, I think we all know that there's never been enough in life. Even your individual salaries are never enough. I want to hear a person who says, now I am satisfied with my salary. You get an increase today, you think you are satisfied, next week it's no longer enough. Unfortunately, that's the law of nature.
I just want to deal with the issue of the conditions in the mining industry. I think it is an area we are looking into with the Department of Labour. It is very important for us, as we deal with issues of conditions of employment, that we understand the context in a broader way. I agree that issues of human rights are a critical matter, but those issues also reside with the Department of Labour.
If I had to deal with them, this House would come back and say: This Minister is a power-monger; she wants more power for herself; she is taking on competencies which belong to other departments. So, we are working and bringing some of the issues to the attention of the Department of Labour.
I just want to say that there are people who are not entitled to do business in this country, and there are those who are or have automatic rights to do business. You know, whether individuals are ANC or DA, there are laws on how to do business in South Africa. And there is no stipulation anywhere in the Constitution of South Africa which says others are excluded.
But, I must also indicate that, when we get applications as a department, we don't look at your profile, where you come from, which party you support. There's nothing in the law which says we must look at that. The law clearly stipulates and says: these are the criteria we must apply to you, Mr Smith, to participate. The applications state that. I'm not looking to do business with someone's relative. It's not my business. [Interjections.]