Agb Adjunkspeaker, agb lede, die fiskale raamwerk gaan nie net om syfers nie, maar wel ook om mense met begeertes, behoeftes en verwagtinge. Dit is 'n monetre uitdrukking van die ANC se politieke voorkeure en hoe daardie voorkeure op 'n fiskaal volhoubare wyse nagekom kan word. Dit is beide 'n politieke en finansile instrument wat aangewend word om te verseker dat die beleidsprogramme deur die toekenning van finansile bronne aan die onderskeie regeringsvlakke uitgevoer kan word.
Die Polokwane-resolusies is die grondslag van die ANC se mediumtermyn- prioriteite en is sy mandaat om die wense van die mense ten uitvoer te bring. Die fiskale raamwerk vloei voort uit die ANC se resolusies, asook uit die mediumtermyn-begrotingbeleidsverklaring en die mediumtermyn- bestedingsraamwerk. Die prioriteite is die vertrekpunt by die bepaling van die 2010 Begrotingstoekennings.
Die politieke voorkeure ten opsigte van insameling en besteding van inkomste word bepaal deur die aanwending daarvan in die rekonstruksie en ontwikkeling van die samelewing. Die sukses van enige fiskale raamwerk moet dus gemeet word aan die mate waarvolgens Suid-Afrika uit onderontwikkeling beweeg na die punt waar sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling en die stryd teen armoede begin vrugte afwerp.
Deurdagte besluite moet geneem word en die fiskale raamwerk moet aangewend word om ekonomiese deelname en patrone van eienaarskap in die samelewing te lei. In di proses moet die staat 'n sentrale en strategiese rol speel by die direkte investering in onderontwikkelde gebiede en die staat moet rigting gee aan beleggings uit die privaatsektor.
Een van die onmiddellike uitdagings wat Suid-Afrika in die gesig staar, is die inwerkingstelling van belangrike infrastruktuurprogramme wat ons organisatoriese, tegniese en strategiese vermons sal toets. Ons vermons om te verseker dat sulke programme en projekte as katalisator sal dien vir die brer ontwikkeling van die ekonomie en ons ekonomiese transformasiedoelwitte, sal 'n kritiese aanduider wees van die vordering wat ons maak in die bou van 'n ontwikkelingsstaat wat as 'n instrument van ekonomiese bevryding sal dien.
Sleutelelemente van die beleggingsprogramme sluit onder meer in: die opgradering van 'n infrastruktuur vir massa waterlewering; die opgradering van die kapasiteit van elektrisiteitsvoorsiening; groot projekte vir die opgradering van ons vervoer infrastruktuur; en die verbreding van die omvang van behuisingsprogramme.
Sodanige programme, asook deurlopende infrastruktuuronderhoud, is nie eenmalige gebeurtenisse nie. Na die suksesvolle voltooiing van die 2010 Sokker-Wreldbeker se infrastruktuurprojekte wag daar weer nuwe programme wat tussen nou en die einde van die tweede dekade van vryheid ontwikkel moet word.
Die hoofdoel is om te verseker dat infrastruktuurprojekte gentegreer is en dat 'n onderlinge ondersteunende verhouding tussen projekte en ander beleidsdoelwitte, soos die ontwikkeling van vaardighede, nywerheidsstrategie en makro-ekonomiese bestuur, bestaan.
Die hooftake wat in die fiskale raamwerk in onskou geneem moet word, word gereflekteer in die vyf prioriteitsgebiede vir die volgende vyf jaar, soos vervat in die ANC se 2009 verkiesingsmanifes, naamlik: die skepping van goeie werk en volhoubare lewensbestaan; opvoeding; gesondheid; landelike ontwikkeling; voedselsekerheid en grondhervorming; en die stryd teen misdaad en korrupsie.
Hierdie prioriteite sal met alle middele tot ons beskikking, soos staatsbronne, die visie van die Vryheidsmanifes en die energie en verbintenis van ons mense, aangepak word. Op hierdie wyse sal die behoeftes van die jeug, vroue, die landelikes, armes, bejaardes en mense met gestremdhede, aangespreek word.
Dit is duidelik dat ons die aandag sal moet toespits op die direkte en indirekte bydrae wat infrastruktuurontwikkeling kan maak ter bereiking van ons doelwitte om goeie werk en 'n volhoubare lewensbestaan te skep. Werkgeleenthede wat geskep word, vereis weer op hul beurt die ontwikkeling van ons vermo om die nodige ambagslui, ingenieurs- en projekbestuurders op te lei. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Ms P E ADAMS: Hon Deputy Speaker, hon members, the fiscal framework is not only about figures, but also about people with aspirations, needs and expectations. It is a monetary expression of the ANC's political preferences and how those preferences can be fulfilled in a fiscally sustainable manner. It is both a political and financial instrument that can be applied so as to ensure the execution of the policy programmes by way of the allocation of financial resources to the respective levels of government.
The Polokwane resolutions form the basis of the ANC's medium-term priorities and are its mandate to execute the will of the people. The fiscal framework arises from the ANC's resolutions as well as from the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement and the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. These priorities form the point of departure when determining the 2010 Budget allocations.
Political preferences regarding the collection and expenditure of revenue are determined by the utilisation thereof in the reconstruction and development of society. The success of any fiscal framework should therefore be measured according to the rate at which South Africa is moving from underdevelopment to the point where socioeconomic development and the fight against poverty start to bear fruit.
Well-considered decisions must be taken and the fiscal framework must be utilised to guide economic participation and patterns of ownership in society. In this process the state must play a central and strategic role in direct investment in underdeveloped areas and the state must give direction to the investments from the private sector.
One of the immediate challenges facing South Africa is the putting into operation of important infrastructure programmes that will test our organisational, technical and strategic abilities. Our ability to ensure that such programmes and projects will serve as a catalyst for the broader development of the economy and our economic transformation targets will be a critical indicator of the progress we are making in establishing a developmental state that will serve as an instrument of economic liberation.
Key elements of the investment programmes include, among others: the upgrading of infrastructure for mass water supply; the upgrading of the capacity to supply electricity; large projects for the upgrading of our transport infrastructure; and the expansion of the scope of housing programmes.
Such programmes, as well as continuous infrastructure maintenance, are not one-off events. After the successful completion of the infrastructure projects of the 2010 Soccer World Cup new projects now await, which have to be developed between now and the end of the second decade of freedom.
The main aim is to ensure that infrastructure projects are integrated and that a mutually supportive relationship exists between projects and other policy objectives, such as skills development, industrial strategy and macroeconomic management.
The main tasks to be considered in the fiscal framework are reflected in the five priority areas for the next five years, as contained in the ANC's 2009 election manifesto, namely: the creation of proper jobs and a sustainable livelihood; education; health; rural development; food security and land reform; and the fight against crime and corruption.
These priorities will be tackled with every means at our disposal such as state resources, the vision of the Freedom Charter and the energy and commitment of our people. In this way the needs of the youth, women, the rural people, the poor, the aged and people with disabilities will be addressed. It is clear that we will have to focus on the direct and indirect contributions that infrastructure development can make in the attainment of our objectives to create proper jobs and a sustainable livelihood. The job opportunities that we create will, in turn, require the development of our ability to train the requisite artisans, engineers and project managers.]
Referring to the priority of education, it is noted that this sector remains the largest item of spending in the 2010 Budget, giving meaning to the commitment that it is the ANC's number-one priority.
The ANC's election manifesto stated that education is a means of promoting good citizenship as well as preparing our people for the needs of a modern economy and a democratic society, and it called for an increase in output in areas of skills shortages. A framework for the development of skills in the workplace was identified as a key requirement for economic growth in South Africa and for the economic empowerment of our previously disadvantaged majority.
There was also a renewed call for the revival of further education and training colleges to promote skills development in the economy. Making education one of the five priorities reaffirms the commitment of the ANC to the improvement of the quality of education and access thereto. The 2009 curriculum review addresses the content and impact of an education mainly on young people, their progression to higher education and their preparation for entry into the labour market. Decent work, which embraces both the need for more and better-quality jobs, is a foundation of the fight against poverty and inequality. This is central to the ANC-led government's agenda and is a primary focus of its economic policies. It intends to make maximum use of all the means at the disposal of government to achieve this.
The 2010 Budget acknowledges that people want action on jobs, growth and poverty and that a new common purpose must be built so that all the talent, skills and resources to tackle our socioeconomic challenges can be used to improve their own lives and communities. It also acknowledges that South Africa needs a new growth plan, so that the key challenges are job creation, poverty reduction and faster economic growth. The capacity of the economy needs to be expanded to grow sustainably and to ensure that growth must be more labour-absorbing.
The Budget's approach to employment creation includes measures to encourage industries and services that have significant job potential, stepped-up implementation of the Expanded Public Works Programme, investment in further education and skills development, encouragement of small business development and entrepreneurship, and a new focus on promoting youth employment.
Over the 2009-14 period, the second phase of the Expanded Public Works Programme aims to create 4,5 million short-term job opportunities.
In October 2009, additional spending on the HIV and Aids programme was announced, while further allocations mean that the number of people who are on antiretroviral treatment will rise from 920 000 to 2,1 million in 2012- 13. Our total national and provincial health spending is projected to be R105 billion next year.
A new grant to support on-site water and sanitation infrastructure as part of the rural housing programme over three years is provided. Provision has been made for the phased extension of the child support grant up to a child's 18th birthday while the state old-age pension and the disability grant also increase.
As far as the fight against crime and corruption is concerned, additional funds have been allocated to bolster the efforts to strengthen supply chain management, while the relevant government departments have intensified efforts to bring perpetrators of tender fraud to book. Data matching will become a regular feature of a systematic approach to minimise abuse.
The Budget reflects the choices to be prioritised in spending. In its drive towards the progressive realisation of socioeconomic rights through the provision of social security for the poor, universal access to basic services, and ongoing programmes to defeat poverty, the Budget remains informed by the ANC policy and resolutions.
Strong growth in expenditure has resulted in a significant increase in government's share of the economy. In the past two years, government's share of GDP increased from 28,5 to 34,1 percent. Slowing economic growth over the past 18 months, in an environment of a global economic crisis affecting every region of the world, has resulted in a marked decline in budget revenue. This left a deficit of 7,3%, which must be financed through borrowing. It also had a dampening effect on economic growth in our own country, with negative implications for investment, employment, incomes and government revenue.
Since more needs to be achieved with smaller financial resources, diligence in the management of public finance and savings within all spheres of government has become more important than ever before. Wastage will not be tolerated, and neither will corruption and mismanagement.
To succeed in combating corruption, it is not enough that people should fear the law and punishment. They must also be ethical and possess the ethos that makes corruption fail to thrive. Only through broad and sustained efforts to create a shared future, based upon our common humanity in all its diversity, can we succeed in defeating and eradicating the value system that justifies naked selfishness represented by acts of corruption.
We welcome the robust and open debate occurring in the public domain regarding corruption. We unapologetically encourage exposure of tender manipulation as shown in the announcement by the Minister of Finance that Treasury is to set up a unit to monitor and investigate corruption in public procurement processes.
Building on the economic achievement of the last 15 years, the ANC will continue to accelerate a sustainable, equitable and inclusive economic growth path to address its stated priorities. The 2010 fiscal framework reflects the choices to be prioritised in spending. I thank you. [Applause.]