Yes, but you never uttered a word at the time. Thanks to democracy and the ANC, you can come here and stand up and talk about all those things that you did not do during the apartheid era. [Applause.]
Mr President - through you, Deputy Speaker - over the last 16 years of ANC democratic governance, it has become clear that the primary orientation of the South African SOEs will have to fundamentally transform. An SOE orientation that is premised on a culture of profit maximisation that embraces a shareholder maximisation approach should be debunked in favour of an approach that is redistributive and developmental.
As you all know our Gini coefficient, I don't have to lecture you on that, but the economic path of SOEs as advocated by the ANC embraces economic growth, economic development and redistribution. The RDP integrates growth, development, reconstruction and redistribution into these unified programmes that the President is spearheading.
It is in this view of the ANC that integrated economic development, as advocated in the RDP and as agreed to by all alliance partners, sees expression.
The SOEs are primary vehicles that ensure that, this time around, skills development is directed at especially the poor who never experienced such empowerment during the apartheid era. But it is also aimed at job creation and poverty alleviation. It should also be noted that the ANC is a social movement that rejects a growth path that will marginalise the poor and exacerbate inequalities.
It has always been the view of the ANC that elements of economic growth should be combined with those of economic redistribution so that we can see the economic development. It is within this context that the ANC is convinced that it is essential that we promote a new growth path and development in the economy.
Yes, we do agree that when we took over in 1994, some of the SOEs were not in good shape, but those were not ANC SOEs. They were started by the apartheid regime at that time. Some of them were on the verge of collapse, but they were revived and now some of them are working better. Don't paint all of them with the same brush; they are different. Some of them are doing a good job. An example of this would be the SA Nuclear Energy Corporation, Necsa. It is one of the nuclear companies that provides the isotopes for everyone locally in the hospitals, and also exports them to other countries, but none of you talk about this.
You all talk only about Eskom and SAA. Why don't you talk about those that are also doing a good job? There are a lot of utilities and agencies that are doing a good job, but you say less about those things because you are always looking for the negative. Mongameli [President], be steadfast!
Ka Sesotho rere, lelala o shebe pele, o sebetse hobane dintho tse etswang ke mokgatlo wa ANC ke tse sebeletsang setjhaba, le ba neng ba kene ka hara "apartheid" ba eja, ba ntse ba eja le kajeno. [Mahofi] Empa re tshepa hore jwalokaha ntate Lechesa a buile ha are, lepotlapotla le ja podi, lesisitheho le ja kgomo. Ho lokisa dintho tse manyofonyofo tse entsweng pele ANC e nka di "state owned enterprises" ho ka se nke dilemo tse 16. (Translation of Sesotho paragraph follows.)
[In Sesotho we say, focus and look straight ahead, do your work because the things that the ANC does are meant to provide services to our nation, even the ones who were benefiting during apartheid are still benefiting today. [Applause.] But we believe that just as Mr Lechesa has already mentioned when he says, when you do things in a rush you are bound to make mistakes but when you do things slowly you reap the rewards. To fix all the corruption that happened before the ANC took over state-owned enterprises won't take 16 years.]
Show me in the world which country has a sound microeconomy jwaloka South Africa [like South Africa] after 16 years? Which country? Which country is that? [Applause.]
It is through ANC policies that you can talk better today. We are in recession, but were not affected like other countries were. This is thanks to the leadership of the ANC, who at the time adopted good policies. Remember that economic policies are not applied for one or two weeks; you have to take the long view. But, in doing that, you might get people who don't agree with you. But the ANC took the right decision. Mr President, you are on the right track; don't get distracted by people who will be talking and commenting.
O sebeditse mokgatlo wa ANC, o sebeditse o lwanetse batho, o tseba le hore na di SOE tsena re batla ho di sebedisa ka tsela e jwang hore di thuse batho. Ke ka hona ke reng lelala o shebe pele ba se ke ba nna ba o tshwara ka mona le ka mona ba re ha o sebetse, mokgatlo ona o sebeditse hle! O ntse o sebetsa ebile di ngata le tse sa ntse di tla etswa hape, le se ke la tata bea butle. Ha o tatile haholo o a tjhaisa. Ke makala hampe ha ke utlwa moo batho ba ema ba re he! he! kajeno re lokisitse, kajeno re tla lokisa, ba bang ha le e so tshware puso bophelong ba lona, ba bang le hlolehile pele. Empa le bona eka lona le tla etsa betere ha le fihla mona. (Translation of Sesotho paragraph follows.)
[The ANC has worked, it has worked and fought for the people. It also knows how it wants to use these SOEs in order for them to help the people. That is why I am saying focus and look straight ahead, they should not pull you this way and that way and say that you are not working. This organisation has really worked! It is still working and there are still more things that are to be done, so don't rush just take it easy. If you are too much in a rush you crash. I get surprised when I see people standing up today and saying that they fixed things and today we will also fix things and some of them have never been in power, yet still some of you failed before but you think that you are going to do better when you get here.]
Transformation is easier said than done. It is easy to talk outside, but once you are there and have to do it, it is different.
E fapane, ha e tshwane feela ke a tseba hore bohle re tseba hantle hore na re tletse eng mona, [It is different, it is not the same but I know that all of us know what we came here for] "all of us must make sure and we believe that Mr President" jwalokaha o boletse le ho "interview" ya rona di sa ntsane di shejwa di "State-Owned Enterprises" hore na di ka sebetswa ka tsela e jwang [just like you mentioned in our interview, the state-owned enterprises are still being looked at in order to see how they can be utilised].
Zingenziwa kanjani ukuthi zibuyekezwe ngoba sebefuna ukwazi ngaphambili ukuthi wena uzozenza njani. Unikezwe igunya abantu baseNingizimu Afrika ukuthi uhole lelizwe futhi sebenza ngendlela elungele ijubane lakho. Ungayi ngabo bazokulahlekisa [Ihlombe.] Njengoba ubukade ushilo ngonyaka odlulile ukuthi, ngiyacaphuna: "Abantu basemakhaya nabo banelungelo lokuba nogesi, amanzi, izindlu zangasese ezigijima amanzi nemigwaqo."
Konke lokhu uma sinama-state-owned enterprises asebenza kahle kuzaba lula. Kodwa azange kube khona i-appetite ephumayo ngalesikhathi seminyaka eyishumi eyedlule sesithola ama-outages. Ibhizisi azange ifune ukuma nombuso zihlangane ukuze sibone ukuthi i-energy siyenza njani. Bamele eceleni bagoqa izandla. Kodwa uma singena gesi bathi: hawu! Umbuso kaKhongolose awusebenzi. Khulumani nabo phela nina bochwepheshe abazi kakhulu ukuthi mababe ne-appetite bazokwazi ukuthi benze kodwa mina ngikuzwe kahle Mongameli.
Uthe ama-IPPs azawusebenza. Unikeze uNgqongqoshe wethu umama uDipuo Peters ukuthi ahole ithimba le Inter-Ministerial Committee ku-Energy. Njengoba eshilo umama uSonjica usukhokhele kahle kakhulu eCopenhagen. Hawu! Isithwathwa sisiqedile kodwa hayi! wafika kwalunga.[Uhleko.]
Wahola lama-Head of States amanye wathi indlela kwenziwa nje. Masiboneni ukuthi siyasayinda manje ukuze sibe nale-accord ukube azange ufike wenze njalo. Bebe kuphi labo abathi awenzi lutho futhi awusebenzi? Nomama uSonjica wasibeka esimeni esikhulu kakhulu. Hawu! Wazile ukubeka lapho Mongameli. Umama lo usebenze kakhulu eCopenhagen, kunzima kodwa sigcine sine-accord. Phela sikhumbule sisese yizwe elisathuthuka. Asikabi yizwe elithuthukile kepha sisebenza ngcono ngaphezu kwamazwe asethuthukile ... (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[What can we use to review if the state-owned enterprises, SOEs, are working properly because the opposition parties now want to know about the developments before a sufficient review time. You were given authority by the people of South Africa to lead this country and to work at your own pace. Do not listen to them; they will lead you astray. [Applause.] As you said last year, and I quote: "The people from the rural areas also have the right to electricity, water, flush toilets and roads."
If we have properly functioning state-owned enterprises all this will be easy. But no one was eager about this, even in the past decade, until we had problems with load shedding. Business owners did not want to work with the state in order to come up with ways of dealing with the energy problem, but they stood aside with their arms folded. And then when we did not have energy they said: Hey! The ANC government does not deliver. Scientists with vast knowledge must talk to them so that they may be willing to work; I for one heard the President clearly.
The President said the IPPs will deliver. The President gave leadership of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Energy to the Minister, Ms Dipuo Peters. As hon Sonjica said, you led very well at Copenhagen. Hey! The frost almost killed us! But you came and it is all right now! [Laughter.]
You led the heads of state, and showed them the ropes. You advised that the states should amalgamate in signing in order to have an accord; if you did not come and do that, where would the people who say you are doing nothing and you do not deliver be? Hon Sonjica raised our bar. That was a good move Mr President. She worked very hard in Copenhagen; it was really hard but we reached the accord at last. We must remember that we are still a developing state. We are not a developed state yet but we are working better than other developed states ...]
... because of the ANC policies and nothing else.[Applause.] Fundamental to the task of the SOEs, is assisting in fostering economic ... [Interjections.]
I was listening to you. Thula! Shut up!
Fundamental to the task of the SOEs is their assistance in fostering economic growth and development that wholly transforms the economy. It is based on promoting productive, income-generating economic activities, and it also has to ensure that growth has the resultant effect on the economy in its entirety, not an exclusive economy and an inclusive economy.
We hope that the economic configuration will provide conditions that encourage them to enter strategic industries. With the leadership of the ANC policies we are going to attain ...