Chairperson, hon members, good afternoon. Chairperson, allow me to forward my apology in advance to hon George, as I'm going to be revisiting the past now and again in my speech. [Laughter.]
It is 17 years since Comrade Martin Thembisile Hani, the secretary-general of the SACP and a member of the national executive committee of the ANC, was assassinated outside his home by the right-wingers. Comrade Hani was murdered on Saturday morning, 10 April 1993, as he returned to his home in Boksburg.
Those who were convicted of the crime admitted that their intention was to fuel a violent racial confrontation. However, due to the discipline of our people and the leadership of the ANC, their plan did not work.
Today we see some of these tendencies trying to show their ugly face again. We want to assure our people out there that this did not happen in 1993. Their plan did not work in 1993. It's not going to work today, and it will never work for as long as the ANC exists. [Interjections.] Our people must feel free and safe; their lives are safe in the hands of the ANC. [Applause.]
Statistics SA tabled its revised strategic plan before the Standing Committee on Finance on 13 April 2010. In terms of the Statistics Act, No 6 of 1999, the functions of Statistics SA are outlined as follows. Statistics SA is responsible for the collection, production and dissemination of official and other statistics, including conducting a population census, and for the co-ordination of statistics among producers of statistics. This mandate therefore places Statistics SA at the centre of the government's development agenda.
The strategic plan of Statistics SA presented before the committee outlines a shift or a move from the normal way of doing things. This new way of doing things is a direct response to the increased demand for reliable and accurate information by government, business, NGOs and public stakeholders. Over and above this is the commitment of this government, led by the ANC, to evidence-based policy-making.
Hon Mufamadi, you can put on your gadgets now. [Laughter.]
Mhlalingaphambili, ukuze umbutho wesizwe ukwazi ukuphucula impilo zabantu kuyanyanzeleka senze isiqinisekiso sokuthi ulwazi oluthi luqokelelwe licandelo lenkcukacha-manani lulwazi oluphangaleleyo nolunyanisekileyo. Kwinkomfa yakhe ukhongolose ePolokwane ngowama-2007 wagqiba ekubeni ugxininise kakhulu kule mibandela iphathelene nempilo yoluntu, ikakhulukazi uluntu oluhlelelekileyo. Le mibandela ihlelwe ngolu hlobo: ukuphuculwa kwempilo yoluntu jikelele; ukuphuculwa kwemfundo; ukhuselo loluntu kunye nokulwa norhwaphilizo; uphuculo lwezasemaphandleni; kunye nokudala imisebenzi nezinye.
Ngaphandle kolu lwazi, singurhulumente wabantu asoze sikwazi ukufikelela kuluntu lonke jikelele. Loo nto iyakuthi ikhokelele ekubeni urhulumente angakwazi ukufezekisa izithembiso zakhe awathi wazenza ebantwini ngonyaka wama-2009. Eli candelo sithetha ngalo namhlanje lijongene nobunzima obungummangaliso ekufezeni iinjongo elakhelwa zona. UMphathiswa sele ezibalile ezinye, mna ndiza kuthi gqaba-gqaba nje kwezimbalwa.
Ezinye ezingumceli-mngeni elithi eli candelo lihlangabezane nazo zezi zilandelayo. Eyokuqala, uluntu lwethu, ikakhulukazi indlu emnyama, alikabinakho ukuthi lilithembe eli candelo. Uyakukhumbula Mhlalingaphambili ukuba phambili phaya ngexesha localucalulo eli candelo lalisetyenziselwa ukuhlukumeza abantu bethu. Uyakukhumbula ohloniphekileyo uSwart ukuba ngaloo maxesha kwakuthi emva kokuba kungene amagosa eli candelo kwiindawo zethu zokuhlala kulandele amapolisa ezobandlululo eze kutshabalalisa imizi yabo babekrokrelwa okanye abo babesaziwa njengabagrogrisi.
Eyesibini ebaluleke kakhulu bubuchwepheshe obungekhoyo obubangelwa ngulaa mngxengwa wemfundo esasiyinikwa ngurhulumente wegcuntswana. Omnye wale miceli-mngeni ngulowo wokuba amasebe ngamasebe karhulumente anokuthandabuza ukuba iinkcukacha-manani ziyinxalenye yokusebenza kwawo kwaye okungenza khaphukhaphu umsebenzi wawo. Okunye kukuba uluntu aluwathembanga amagqobhoka neencwadi zawo xa ejikeleza kwiindawo oluhlala kuzo befuna iinkcukacha zabo. Basuke babe namanwele ngokuthi ezi nkcukacha zingasetyenziselwa ulwaphulo-mthetho ngakubo.
Emva kokuba siwondlale onke la mabakala ayingxaki kweli candelo, singumbutho wesizwe sithi kucace okwekati emhlophe ehlungwini ukuba kunyembelekile. Kufanele ukuba siphume ngendlu sonke singamalungu ale Ndlu namasebe onke karhulumente kuyiwe eluntwini lufundiswe ngokuqulethwe lubalo lwabo nokuba urhulumente angahlangabezana njani neengxaki zabo xa nabo bewenza khaphukhaphu lo msebenzi. Uluntu lungawenza khaphukhaphu lo msebenzi ngokuthi lusebenzisane nathi namagosa eli candelo kunye nezinye izakhiwo zikarhulumente.
Ukungabikho kolwazi malunga namanani achanekileyo oluntu esinalo kunye neengxaki zalo njengorhulumente lwenza kube nzima ukucwangcisa iimfuno zalo kwezophuhliso, intlalo, ulwaphulo-mthetho nako konke okuchaphazela abantu jikelele. Urhulumente akakwazi ukusuka avuthuze nje okwegqirha lilahlekwe ngumhlola, engazi ukuba ngoobani, bephi, bebangaphi, befuna ntoni, kanjani, nini, nangayiphi na indlela abafuna ukulungiselwa ngayo. Kungeso sizathu urhulumente kufanelekile ukuba abe nolwazi olucace gca ngamanani abantu neemfuno zabo kwiindawo abahlala kuzo.
Kungoko ke sihlaba umkhosi kuwo onke amasebe karhulumente kumabakala omathathu ukuba mabayithathe ngocoselelo ngenxa yokubaluleka kwayo. Futhi kufuneka bakwenze uxanduva lwabo ukugcinwa kwamanani oluntu. Oku ke kuya kwenza lula umsebenzi karhulumente okwecephe lisiya emlonyeni ukuhlangabezana nokuphumeza izibophelelo esazenzayo njengombutho wesizwe kumqulu wokugaya wonyulo lonyaka ogqithileyo.
Kwakhona urhulumente wethu wathi wazibophelela ukuba uya kudlala inxaxheba ephambili apha ekhaya, kwi-Afrika iyonke kunye nelizwe liphela ekucutheni indlala, ekuphuhlisweni kwemfundo, uphuhliso lwezempilo njalonjalo. Nokuba konke oku kwenzeke ngexesha ekwakuvunyelwene ngalo ngaphantsi kwenkqubo ye- MDGs ngokolwimi lwasemzini. Kungoko ke kubaluleke kanobom ukuba urhulumente wethu abenolwazi olucacileyo noluthe ngqo lomyinge wabantu ajongene nabo. Zimpula zikalujaca ke ezo sithetha ngazo.
Ngethuba evele phambi kwekomiti, uMphathiswa ojongene neli candelo uye wasiqinisekisa ukuba zikhona iinkqubo abaziyilileyo eziza kuqinisekisa ukuba ubalo kunye nokugcinwa kweenkcukacha-manani luza kuba semgangathweni ophezulu. Ezi nkqubo ziya kuthi kwakho zikhuthaze urhulumente kunye noluntu jikelele ukuba lukwazi ukunikezela ngolw azi lwabo kurhulumente ngaphandle kokoyika. Nabo baya kuthi basebenzise olu lwazi baya kukwazi ukuyithemba le nkqubo karhulumente.
Sithi huntshu kwinkqubo yokuphuhliswa kwezakhono kubasebenzi beSebe leNkcukacha-manani laseMzantsi Afrika nakuwo onke amasebe karhulumente njengoko oku kuya kuthi kuncede kuphuhliso loluntu.
UMphathiswa uphinde wasithembisa, Mnumzana Singh, ukuba eminyakeni embalwa ezayo eli candelo liya kuthi litshintshe indlela elenza ngayo izinto ukwenzela ukuba sikwazi ukudlulisa imiyalezo ekufuneka ifikelele kubantu bethu. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, in order for the ruling party to be able to improve the lives of the people, we are compelled to ensure that the information gathered by Statistics SA is general and reliable. At its conference in Polokwane in 2007, the congress decided to put great emphasis on issues pertaining to health, especially that of the poorest of the poor. These issues have been arranged as follows: health improvement of the population in general, improvement of education, improvement of safety and security of the public and the fight against corruption, improvement of the rural areas and the creation of jobs, etc.
Without this information, the people's government will not be able to reach all the people. That will lead to the government not being able to achieve and fulfil what it promised the people in 2009. This department we are talking about today faces incredible challenges in achieving the goals for which it was established. The Minister has already pointed out the challenges the department is facing, therefore I shall just briefly refer to a few of them.
The following are some of the challenges that this department faces: Firstly, the public, especially black people, do not trust this department. You will remember, Chairperson, that during apartheid this department was used to abuse our people. Hon Swart will remember that at that time, after the officials of this department had arrived in our communities, the police of the apartheid regime would follow to destroy the homes of those they regarded as suspicious or those they classified as terrorists.
Secondly, there is a lack of skills that was caused by the inferior education that we were given by the minority government. Another challenge is that the other departments doubt that statistics form part of their responsibilities and could make their work easier. The other challenge is that people do not trust strangers who carry books, and who move around in their communities taking down their details. They become suspicious as if their details will be used for criminal activities.
Having tabled all the problematic issues in this department, the people's party says it is crystal clear that the situation is really hopeless. We, as members of this House and all government departments, are supposed to go out to the people and educate them about statistics and how the government can assist them with their problems if they are also making the task easy. The public can make this task easy by co-operating with the officials of this department and other government facilities.
The lack of correct statistical information about the number of people in our country and their problems makes it difficult for the government to plan for their developmental and social needs, to fight crime and to deal with everything that affects them. The government cannot just do things haphazardly, without knowing who to assist and how many to assist, and what needs to be fixed where and when. It is for that reason that the government is supposed to have information that is crystal clear about the statistics with regard to the people and their needs in their communities.
That is why we are appealing to all government departments, in the three spheres of government, to pay close attention to it because of its importance. In addition to that they must make the safekeeping of statistical records their responsibility. This will make the government's task of fulfilling the promises it made as the ruling party in the election manifesto of the previous year as easy as ABC.
Furthermore, our government committed itself to play a leading role here at home in Africa and in the whole world in the reduction of hunger, the development of education, and the development of healthcare, etc. Also, this must take place within the agreed timeframes under the MDG programme. It is therefore very important that our government has direct and correct information about the average number of people it is responsible for. I'm referring to the poorest of the poor.
When the Minister responsible for this department appeared before the committee, he assured us that they have designed programmes which will ensure that the population census and statistics will be of the highest quality. These programmes will encourage the government, and the public in general, to give their details voluntarily and without fear. Even those who will be using this information will trust the programme of the government.
We commend the programme for skills development at Statistics SA and all the government departments as this will help in public development.
The Minister has also promised, hon Singh, that in the years to come this department will change the way in which it does things so that we will be able to convey the messages that we need to, to our people.]
In conclusion, we want to encourage all parliamentary oversight committees to ensure that all government departments and institutions have a plan of how they are going to collect and keep information that relates to their area of functioning, as well as how human and financial resources are allocated to this function.
Chairperson, the ANC supports this Budget. Thank you. [Applause.]