Chairperson, Minister, the director-general of the department and the staff in their various positions, deputy directors- general, chief directors, the chief executive officers of our entities and all the guests in the gallery, including my children, my four girls upstairs there ... [Applause.] ... Minister, boys are coming later, but it's girls now.
Igama lamakhosikazi! [Hail the name of women!]
Minister, let me start with a brief report on the 2010 readiness in terms of energy. We as the energy committee were privileged that I was their induna; I was leading them - men and women from this Parliament, from seven committees, and we visited all nine the host cities. It is with great pleasure that - Minister, I am sure you will sleep better tonight, because of the preparations. As far as the committee is concerned, we are on board concerning many issues; it can be the hospitality area, roads, etc, but also includes hotels and airports. Well, there are a few airports that still have to do the touch-ups, and some airports are still finishing their infrastructure. With regard to energy and the stadiums that we visited, most of them are unbelievable, especially if you visit them at night. You can really see that we've got beautiful stadiums and the good legacy that the 2010 Fifa World Cup is going to leave behind. All of these hinge on energy, because if you don't have energy, your hotels, and so forth, all of them, even your cars on the road, will be stationary.
So, regarding the energy supply, as well as what contingency plans are in place, we were assured. We also visited some power stations. Some of them have been upgraded and we were quite happy, all of us, that in terms of energy, we are not going to be short regard to 2010. I am sure that we are not going to experience any load shedding but, of course, you might never know.
Mhlawumbe uma kukhona labo abasiphonsayo - laba abathakathayo. [There might be people who are throwing some evil spells at us - people who are witches.]
Mr Ross, I'm not sure what you call them, those who don't sleep at night, who carry a broom. Are they "tooring" [bewitching] or what? [Laughter.] Something like that. If you have that, then I am sure we may have problems, but otherwise we were quite happy to have such a good energy supply when testing those stadiums.
Coming back to the debate, the fundamental challenge of every developing country like South Africa is how it mobilises its resources in a way that will bring the structural change necessary to stimulate a sustained and balanced growth for the entire economy and effect economic redistribution. I am sure we all know our Gini coefficient. I don't have to repeat that, but the economic path advocated by the ANC embraces economic growth, and shared economic growth, economic development and redistribution.
Our view as legislators is that this Budget Vote must be able to speak to the transformational and developmental imperatives that we advocate as the ANC, as we reject a growth path that seeks to marginalise the poor. We believe that whilst advancing the economic development agenda, the fulfilment of basic needs remains a priority. Surely, the Polokwane conference asked, amongst other things, for government to be directly involved with the creation of decent jobs, an expanded role for the Expanded Public Works Programme and for job opportunities to directly target vulnerable groups such as the rural poor, women and youth. Poverty and unemployment remain a challenge, and we believe that government should plan accordingly and increase allocations in order to address these challenges. Surely, we still have energy poverty in South Africa.
Primary to the development and growth of every economy is the availability of a strong and reliable electricity grid and sustainable supply of liquid fuels. Hence, it is our view that the Integrated Energy Planning Strategy should be introduced soon and make sure that we can provide the framework for a broader energy plan for South Africa, on which we were briefed during the strategic plan and Budget Vote deliberations on how far and when. The reality is that all the plans that are intended to stimulate the economic development will fall flat if the security of an energy supply cannot be guaranteed.
In acknowledging the significance of the energy sector in economic growth and development, substantial investments will have to be made on the capital expansion programme, especially within the context of seeking to increase the current electricity margins which have narrowed drastically, and we need to act swiftly. These investments will give impetus to the 52nd ANC Conference resolutions, as it is our view that infrastructure investment will add the necessary boost to the economy and will stimulate activity in connected sectors, thus creating and preserving jobs, and speeding up the process to build infrastructure.
We need to achieve our economic and social goals, consistent with our manifesto commitments. It is no secret that the ruling party, the ANC, has got a manifesto - that we all know - with the five priorities, and we hope, Minister that, your department is not going to fail us in implementing those, because we believe in all five; the energy aspect is there. You cannot achieve any of them without making sure that you've got energy policy implementation.
Investment on the massification of solar water heating, as you have just said, Minister, will have to be increased as a way of contributing to energy efficiency, but we also intend to voice our dissatisfaction about the failure of the department to massify the roll-out of solar water heaters in the past financial year. I am sure you remember that you announced this last year - about the one million solar water heaters - and we, as the committee, were given figures that were not satisfactory. However, we were assured that this financial year would bring about a minimum of 200 000. We can have a maximum, but we will make sure that we pin the department down to what they have agreed upon because it was not only one meeting; it was more than three meetings, where we really interrogated them, and they said that they were going to do it.
So, we are going to make sure that we perform our oversight role, as the President said, as an activist Parliament. We will make sure that these things happen. We will not resort to Committee Room V227 all the time; we will go out there and have a look. If we don't find them, I am sorry, I am not sure whether dust will fly or what - ash will fly.
We also wish to call on the department to speed up the process of cogeneration, as alluded to by the Minister on the independent power producers, IPPs. I take it that it was an instruction from the President, because in his state of the nation address he raised that issue and said we must deal with the IPPs. So, I take it, Minister, that you are endorsing what the President has said, and we want to see implementation this financial year, not next year.
This will signify the seriousness of the energy sector as a key driver of the South African economy. We are also of the firm view that the time is opportune to make sure that we can contribute to the energy mix policy, as the Minister has just advocated, through increasing renewable energy and clean energy sources.
We believe that the commitments to the energy mix should be confined to policy documents and resolutions of the ruling party, as I said, as we believe that it is going to be practical to do so. As much as we can talk about the renewable energy, Minister, I want to remind you of what the President said in Copenhagen in December. I was fortunate, together with Lance Greyling, to be part of the delegation of parliamentarians who went to Copenhagen where we dealt with MPs and our role as MPs in terms of climate change.
Whilst addressing the conference, the President acknowledged the importance of having regard for responsible energy utilisation and the imperative to grow the economy, and said:
Climate change is a practical matter for the developing world. Developed countries are historically responsible for around 80% of the current emissions in the atmosphere. Developing countries are the most affected by climate change and are the least capable to adapt to the impact, as they justifiably pursue their own development path. It is expected that developing countries' emissions will increase.
That was on 18 December in Copenhagen. So, I believe that within your department you will make sure that we adhere to this so that we can then move to renewable energy with speed. In the same vein, the President also talked about electricity that is not reaching our people. However, on the question that he raised, which I also raised last year ...
... angicaphune ukuthi wathini: "Bakwethu ngonyaka odlule sathi abantu basemakhaya nabo banelungelo lokuba nogesi, amanzi, izindlu zangasese ezisebenzisa amanzi, nemigwaqo. Sathi kufanele babe nezindawo zemidlalo, izindawo zokuthenga ezinkulukazi eziphucukile njengezase madolobheni." (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[... let me quote what he has said: "Good people, last year we said that rural people too have rights to electricity, running water, healthy sanitation and roads. We also said that they need to have sports fields and big modern shopping malls that look just like the ones in the cities."] I'm sure he was talking about the malls and the stadiums. Surely we have those now in terms of the 2010 legacy, but regarding access to energy, we still have a problem, so we hope that ...
... unyango wakho Ngqongqoshe, uzoqinisekisa ukuthi abantu basemakhaya bayahlomula kulo nyaka ngoba uma bengahlomuli, sizoba nenkinga enkulu yokuthi sithembisa abantu sijike bangasakutholi lokho, kanti uMongameli ukhulumile kulo nyaka, waphinda futhi wakhuluma yona lento abeyikhulumile onyakeni ophelile. Ngithemba ukuthi uzoyithatha uyisebenzise, sibone ukuthi kuyaghubeka yini. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[... your department, hon Minister, will ensure that rural people benefit this year, because if they do not benefit, we will have a big problem for making promises that we do not keep; and yet the President has spoken about the very same thing he did the previous year. I hope that you will take that and use it, and will then see if there is any progress.]
Coming to EDI Holdings, the Minister congratulated them on a job well done, and I also want to thank the chairperson, Duma Nkosi, and the chief executive officer, Phindile Nzimande, for allowing Mbulelo Musi to be part of the teams that were assessing the stadiums. He was of good use, and he also made good contacts with his counterparts. Keep it up, EDI, and we hope that you will be able to get more from him. Concerning the question of the regional electricity distributors, Reds, we believe that we need to move with speed, and we need to support the 17 constitutional amendments that are before the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. We believe that we will be able to make sure that those amendments are adhered to, because part of the problem is the equipment or what we have in terms of electricity in most of the municipalities - the ailing infrastructure. I am not sure why there are utterances when I say constitutional amendments, because to me it is a priority if you want to make sure that you deal with this particular issue, and this is the only way to do it.
Surely, this is not the baby of the ANC? We inherited these things from the people who planned for 13% of the population and left out 87%. [Applause.] So, people must never ever stand here and tell us that it is the ANC-led government after 16 years. In order to deal with the legacy, you don't need 16 years; you need years. So, I believe that with this we will be able to move fast and make sure that we can deal with these issues.
I now come to the National Energy Regulator of SA. I think Nersa estimated that the country's loss in electricity was no less than R2,8 billion per annum. This is owing to, among other things, fragmentation, duplication and inefficient use of resources, and, not the least of these, poor maintenance. The EDI did the research and submitted it to the department and to the portfolio committee. We believe that the use of it is telling us that we need to act swiftly in order to deal with the question of Reds.
As the ANC, we therefore urge all the members, various stakeholders, businesses, labour, civil society and, indeed, the government as a whole to work closely in ensuring that this important transformation is accelerated as a matter of urgency.
We believe that this is one matter that will empower the poor and will make sure that electricity can then be accessed cheaply and with speed. We also believe that the Regional Electricity Distributors Establishment Bill, which will create the necessary enabling environment for the establishment of Reds, is expected as a matter of urgency, Minister. I'm not sure whether it was part of your priorities or not, but if that is not the case, we want to see this happening and make sure that we can deal with this.
Coming to nuclear power, today we were briefed at committee level by Nersa, the SA National Nuclear Regulator, NNR, and the department. Minister, a matter of concern was raised by other members and me. We seem to have budgeted less for these institutions, but we've got an energy mix policy. We fail to understand then how one can budget less if one talks about renewable energy and about the President's participation at Copenhagen - and ensuring that we can think globally and act locally at the same time in order to make sure that we don't lose out in terms of what we must do as a country. So, to us, it was really a concern from the briefings we had and even now. We believe that we have to make sure that we deal with those issues that we need to deal with with speed. Otherwise, we support the Budget Vote ...
Sizokusiza Ngqogqoshe sisebenzisane nawe kahle. Siyethemba ukuthi aboMnyango bazokwenza lokhu okudingekayo. Kodwa-ke uma bengakwenzi, hhayi ukukusekela kwethu sizokugudluza kancane. Ngoba, sifuna ukubona ukuthi umsebenzi uyenziwa yini. Kuphelile ukuthi sikhulume nje, sesinikezwe amandla phela manje, nalesisabelo-mali singayishitsha, noma siyibeke phambili, noma senze nomayini. Akusekona lokuya kwasekuqaleni, ngakho ke siyethemba ukuthi wena noMnyango wakho nizokwazi ukuthi nenze lokho. Siyabonga. [Kuphele isikhathi.] [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[We will assist you by working well with you. We also hope that the department's staff will do what is expected of them. But if they do not do that, then we will stop supporting you a bit. We want to see oversight work being done. The time of talking and not doing work is over; since we are empowered now, we can even change this budget, or we can increase it or do anything we like with it. What was practice before is no longer the norm now; therefore, we hope that you and your department will be able to do that. Thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]