Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, hon members and guests, 50 days to go - we are currently in the middle of much excitement over the Fifa World Cup. We have a daily countdown, people are wearing their T-shirts, and the relevant portfolio committees have been exercising their oversight to make sure everything is in place.
Last Friday offices opened for over-the-counter ticket sales. People who already had their tickets went along just to be part of the vibe. Yes, there were some problems but, as Danny Jordan pointed out, 53 000 tickets were sold in eight hours.
I was struck by a gentleman who treated himself to tickets worth R30 000 that day. Contrast that with the millions of people struggling to feed their families, people in the unemployment queue or sitting on the side of the road, hoping for somebody to give them a day's work. Every day we are confronted with the reality of millions who are unemployed, unskilled and desperate for work, which highlights the huge inequality in our country.
Nowhere is this more starkly revealed than in our informal settlements, where the cry of the people goes up: "I need a job! I need a house!" In this speech I will focus my attention on housing being a catalyst in the creation of jobs.
In his state of the nation address, President Jacob Zuma - this was referred to by the hon Steyn - said:
We are working to upgrade well-located informal settlements and provide proper service and land tenure to at least 500 000 households by 2014. We plan to set aside over 6 000 hectares of well-located public land for low- income and affordable housing.
Minister, the Department of Human Settlements, in rolling out this delivery, has the responsibility to contribute substantially to the creation of jobs, both directly and indirectly, in the economy. This portfolio committee - under our very capable chairperson - will exercise vigorous oversight over this building programme.
Decent work is the foundation of the fight against poverty and inequality. The creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods is central to the ANC-led government's agenda. The 2010 Budget acknowledges that people want action on jobs, growth and poverty and that a new common purpose must be established so that all the talents, skills and resources to tackle socioeconomic challenges can be used to improve the lives of all our people. The ANC believes that good-quality employment remains the best option for our country. We will continue the major job opportunity programmes through the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, as a key intervention.
Our focus on employment is based on our understanding that while grants are important to stabilise society and support educational and job-search outcomes, the sustainable transition out of poverty, particularly for the young, will be in widening opportunities for employment.
The 2009 National Housing Code states that:
The Expanded Public Works Programme gives effect to government's commitment to address unemployment and increase economic growth. As the housing sector represents a substantial contributor towards employment creation and economic growth, the housing programme has been aligned with the objectives of the Expanded Public Works Programme.
In his state of the nation address, President Zuma announced that government is planning to spend R846 billion on infrastructure programmes in the next four years. A big slice of this will go into developing human settlements.
Last year, I asked the Minister this question: How many (a) jobs will the department create towards the 500 000 envisaged by 2009; and (b) will be sustainable jobs? His response was as follows:
By the end of the specified period, the department is expected to have delivered 170 000 houses. In the process of that delivery, 44 015 direct jobs will be created, whilst 41 069 will constitute indirect jobs. Whilst the jobs are created for the duration of the construction period, skills gained in the process can be utilised beyond this period. The direct jobs emanate from the direct construction of houses while indirect jobs are created through spill-over effects of our investments to other industries like material suppliers, etc. Altogether 85 084 jobs will be created when combining both direct and indirect jobs.
Servicing sites, building houses, schools and clinics, constructing roads and sidewalks, laying pipes for electricity and water, painting, digging, carpentry, plumbing and greening the new developments must result in substantial job creation.
The problem is that many people living in informal settlements have never had a job since they left school and are unskilled or semi-skilled. Emerging contractors will arrive on the job with nothing - no tools, no ladder and no scaffolding. In fact, many of them do not have a clue about building.
When I was a ward councillor in Durban - not long ago - the Cato Crest informal settlement fell under my jurisdiction. The first 40 houses we delivered were a shocking mess, I am ashamed to say. Windows and doors were badly fitted. Floors and walls were uneven. Rubble was piled up outside the door. There were broken handles on windows and broken windowpanes. The message was loud and clear; it seemed to say that we did not care.
However, the fact is that these contractors need our support, training and proper skilling. As Parliament, we will be far more vigilant in the quality of housing we are delivering, and, as the portfolio committee, we have committed ourselves to regular oversight visits and going to see for ourselves.
It cannot be business as usual, Minister. We need to find a new way of ensuring that people benefit from the programmes in place to gain skills and that we develop a people with a passion for work, people who will take pride in the work they do, whether that is digging a hole, building a house or building a stadium.
Minister, it is good that you have been doing audits and holding people to account but for us to end up with having to rectify 40 000 houses is not acceptable. Quite apart from the waste of very limited resources and the 1,2 million people who are still waiting for their first house, it is a huge inconvenience for the beneficiaries.
The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements has spent a considerable amount of time engaging with the department, making sure that the budget and the targeted delivery align with the programmes in the provinces and municipalities. The result is that we now have a document with outcomes that we, as Parliament, will be able to monitor responsibly.
In his state of the nation address President Zuma recalled these words of Madiba, spoken on his release:
I stand before you, not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands.
Commenting on these words, President Zuma said:
These words inspire us not to rest until we achieve the ideals of a society free of poverty and deprivation.
Minister, Human Settlements has a huge build programme and must play a major role in creating jobs and providing people, particularly young people, with the requisite skills so that they too will contribute in a meaningful way to the growth of the economy. Working together we will achieve the ideals of a society free of poverty and deprivation. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. [Applause.]