Hon Chairperson and Ministers, according to Prof Haroon Bhorat, using the Gini coefficient index as an indicator, South Africa has overtaken Brazil as the country with the widest gap between the rich and the poor. South Africa is now the most unequal society in the world and the gap continues to increase.
This must be a wake-up call for all of us, especially the ANC government. The government is doing something wrong and certainly failing the mandate given to them by the electorate, a year ago today.
Chairperson, what are the realities of South Africa today? First, South Africa moved in 16 years from a race-based to a class-based society, with a majority of poor, neglected and forgotten citizens, who only become important during the run-up to elections.
Secondly, South Africa is no longer a developmental state but a welfare state, where the majority of especially the rural poor survive only on the monthly grants paid by the SA Social Security Agency, Sassa.
Thirdly, the current spatial development frameworks and patterns are not addressing or supporting the urgent and dire challenges of especially the poor and the rural areas.
In striving to address these challenges, economic development and energy are the flipsides of the same coin. This ANC has the privilege to decide if this coin can be a valuable gold coin or a meagre 50c coin. Currently, according to Bhorat, this coin is not even a 10c coin.
These two departments are indeed central and instrumental in building a sustainable and prosperous nation. These strategic plans have the ability in theory to enhance the five priorities in government's electoral mandate.
Chairperson, the current realities, however, remind us that if the government continues on the road they have embarked on, especially regarding energy, more questions will remain than answers. The Eskom monopoly, blackouts, secret deals, the Chancellor House debacle and the World Bank loan are proof of that unfortunate legacy that seems to haunt South Africa.
Alan Zarembo said, and I quote:
Coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, is the crackcocaine of the developing world.
On World Earth Day that we celebrate today, it is essential to acknowledge that the future must be green. Alternate thinking and energy resources must be the guiding imperatives that abort fossil fuels as the considered form of energy.
The key focus of economic development on partnership-building with social partners and within sectors is the right one, but productivity, entrepreneurship, innovation and social dialogue must be the cornerstones of these activities. Key to these developmental opportunities, Chairperson, must be the energy needs of our country and region.
A relook at the spatial developmental framework of South Africa must put the Northern Cape, as an example, on par with Gauteng in terms of economic development. Gauteng's economy must be stabilised, but we need to grow the rural and marginalised areas of our country. Chairperson, only then will the 10c coin that we currently have, according to Bhorat, be transformed into a gold coin - even with a Mandela face on it! Collectively we owe that to the poor and forgotten people of our country. I thank you. [Applause.]