I approach this House with some trepidation. I am due to debate the Budget Vote for a department that we believe should not exist at all. Essentially we believe that there should be no funds appropriated for the Department of Economic Development and that the department should be stillborn and fade into history as soon as possible.
A year ago this department did not exist at all. Is there something new, as hon Adams seems to say, that this department is doing, or is it simply making up for the dysfunctionality of the Department of Trade and Industry? There is no place in a modern global economy for the kind of centralised economic planning and consequent economic ruin that characterised the now defunct Soviet bloc, and still lingers on in today's failed states such as North Korea and Zimbabwe. There is far too much regulation already in our economy.
Hon Chairperson, the more you treat people like children unable to control their own destiny, the more they will behave like children and require the services of a nanny state. This approach stifles initiative and condemns people to lives of mediocrity.
What is required is a deregulation of the economy in such a way that opportunities are created for people to take control of their own lives and become drivers of economic growth and thus wealth in South Africa.
We have no doubt that South Africans of all communities and backgrounds are capable of initiating new ideas and hard work. What they need are the opportunities for them to achieve their potential. Few, if any, of our people, wish to be dependent on social grants with no real hope of any chance of self-fulfilment or advancement. All our people want a better life for themselves and in particular for their children.
It should be self-evident that there are key areas which the state should prioritise. Probably the most important of these areas is education. There is no way in which we, as a country, can possibly compete globally with the largely abysmal education system that we have in South Africa today.
There can be no doubt that economic development can only take place on the scale that is required in South Africa if our people are healthy and an excellent health system is in place. We agree wholeheartedly with the ANC on this. Unfortunately the ANC has reduced health care in South Africa to a state of near collapse with whoever can afford it clamouring for the services of the private health care sector.
Then there is the rampant crime which our people face every day of their lives. This includes fraud and corruption as well as violent crimes such as hijackings, assault, rape and murder. No amount of gung-ho, "shoot to kill" bravado will solve this crime crisis.
Hon Chair, the Department of Energy has as a result of poor planning had to concentrate on stabilising and increasing the supply of electricity. In order to achieve this ability and increase the supply of electricity, Eskom was given the authority to build coal-fired power stations as well as the Ingula Power Station near Ladysmith.
We are all aware of the involvement of Hitachi in the coal-fired power stations, but we have been informed that Hitachi is also a supplier for the Ingula Power Station. If this is true then this is an additional source of profit for the ANC through Chancellor House, and yet another conflict of interest.
The ANC must come clean with the people of South Africa and tell us exactly the extent to which Hitachi is involved in the Eskom projects. In addition, Hitachi must divulge the extent of dividends which will likely accrue to Chancellor House, and thus the ANC, as a result of all the contracts awarded by Eskom to Hitachi.
It is irrelevant what the ANC wants done with these dividends as it is Chancellor House, as the shareholder, who will be due these dividends and not any third parties who may or may not be nominated by the ANC to receive them.
Eskom has also been given the authority to proceed with a concentrated solar power, CSP, project, a commendable source of clean and renewable energy. However, this simply puts more generation of electricity in the hands of Eskom which already has a monopoly. If the CSP project is a condition of the World Bank loan then it should be put on the market for other players to enter the electricity-generation industry.
The most obvious solution for new generation capacity would be the sale of existing power generators. However, this has been rejected and as a result consumers are going to have to pay massive increases in the cost of electricity.
Hon Chair, I have another four or five pages, but I see my time is now down to 23 seconds and I cannot say much more. Thank you so much. [Applause.]