Mr Speaker, hon members, the state of the nation address for the momentous year 2010, a year in which we celebrated the release of the founding father of the democratic South Africa, simply did not meet the occasion. It is a year in which we felt proud as Nelson Mandela, representing the hopes of the generations that sacrificed for our future, sat in the gallery.
This is a year in which we, through the Fifa World Cup, stand poised to show three quarters of the universe that we too are a nation among nations.
In a year when we have to show that we are ready to face the challenges presented by an economy suffering from recession, we have tragically witnessed a lack of vision on a great scale. This manifested itself in the following ways. Firstly, we had no road map out of recession. Due to the effect of the recession on the great majority of South Africans, the President was obliged to focus his state of the nation address on this reality. We believe that this is due to the fact that the President still has not decided who of his Ministers is entrusted with this great task.
The issue of the creation of job opportunities is an admission of the ANC's failure to create sustainable, decent jobs. As for the promise of 500 000 job opportunities by December 2009, the President must tell the nation about the duration of these jobs. This is because we know that Public Works job programmes last for a few months. In fact, they last for a maximum of merely three months. This begs the question as to whether we are serious about growth, development and job creation.
Secondly, with regard to the much-talked about rural economic development, why is it that the huge necessity to stamp out urban migration, remove some people from social security systems and create an economy for many unskilled people in the rural areas received little attention during the state of the nation address last Thursday?
Due to its importance to the great majority of the poor, the President cannot wait for a detailed ministerial briefing on this. It requires the President to provide a road map for the country and for the people trapped in poverty in rural areas.
Thirdly, the great innovation of Polokwane, the National Planning Commission, is stillborn. This is simply because the powerful yet unelected leaders linked to the ruling party of this country are deterring the Minister in charge of planning. The President has allowed them to prevail.
That idea - the institution and its life - should not wait for the ministerial briefing. It is a key message to South Africa and the world's investor capitals. It ought to be in the presidential state of the nation address. Yet, again, no road map.
We were treated to the spectacle of wilful neglect of duty, reckless stewardship of the nation and, frankly, no leadership. The second stage of our development as a nation, which is our economic development, is an unconvincing vision and is in limp hands. This opportunity, to inspire South African people and investors with our economic potential, was lost and lost miserably.
Cope welcomes the establishment of the interministerial committee on energy that will, inter alia, look at the participation of independent power producers. Clearly this is an invitation to investors to ensure that we will continue to enjoy the availability of energy. What worries us is the fact that the ANC is to start nationalisation. Can the President assure potential investors that the energy sector - their investment - will not be nationalised once nationalisation is enforced?
Mopresidente, o buile hanyenyane kappa ha wa bua ka basadi. Ekaba sena se bolelang ho rona basadi? Tokolloho ya basadi e matsohong a rona. Owele hle, re kopa tlhompho haholo ho wena ntate, jwaloka hlooho ya rona. Ngwana wa ka ke ngwana wa hao, ha e se ke ya ba mosadi ho wena. Ke a leboha. [Mahofi.] (Translation of Sesotho paragraph follows.)
[Mr President, you said very little or nothing at all about women. What does this say to us women? Women's freedom is in our hands. Please sir, we ask for respect especially from you, sir, because you are our leader. My child is your child, she should not be your wife. Thank you. [Applause.]]