Hon Chairperson, hon members and our distinguished guests, it is important for us to acknowledge the fact that the economic crisis is not only experienced by South Africa, but by the world at large. This situation is a call on the nation to exercise a high level of patriotism and to reconsider our expectations.
It is equally important to state the causal factors of the situation. There are many factors. A few factors include insufficient capacity and resources to deal with the imbalances or inequalities of the past. What makes this global challenge more difficult to address is the nonrepentance of the majority of the perpetrators.
A developmental state is people-centred and includes other partners such as trade unions, organised labour and business. The word "people" is inclusive of women. This is a factor denied by the ruling party in the Western Cape legislature. This is an example of perpetrators who resist development and the recognition of potential. The ruling party excluded women, but it was men and women who put them in power. The message is that it is only the premier who has the potential. Such an attitude is a hindrance towards a developmental state.
The developmental state, under the leadership of the ANC, is open to criticism, both positive and destructive, hence the institutionalisation of public participation. The Green Paper titled National Strategic Planning of September 2009 talks about gaps in our system. This is self-criticism, acknowledging weaknesses and seeking ways to improve. Our government still faces serious challenges in intergovernmental co- ordination, even though there have been significant advances over the past decade. Interdepartmental and intergovernmental co-ordination and integration should be prioritised in the system of accountability of the executive, the administration and the legislatures. It means that people cannot be held accountable if there is no monitoring and evaluation. We need an agency that authoritatively and forcefully can drive planning, monitoring and evaluation and that can make institutional improvements. We say we need an agency and not consultants. We need a clear mechanism for weighing up options and for making hard and unpopular choices where there are fiscal limitations and policies are contested.
The Green Paper further cites some international experience. This is information we gathered through research and international study tours. Government does this in order to copy best practices and improve on the cost of doing business. Monitoring the short- and long-term plans on a daily basis will automatically identify danger zones on time, thus preventing irreparable damage.
The level of corruption the country is experiencing threatens good governance. The abuse of state resources is also a challenge and a threat to development. Very often we talk about the lack of capacity in government, but the capacity to steal taxpayers' money is amazing. Nothing beats good planning and monitoring. Remember that you cannot monitor what you cannot measure. Therefore, our plans must be realistic and prudent.
Plans are implemented by people, and implementation cannot be effective if employees are in acting positions for a long time - especially in senior positions. An acting position for a long time creates uncertainty and affects one's performance. It also results in premature and uninformed resignations. The global world we are competing with needs consistency not for people to die in positions, but at least a reasonable time of five years in office. It is also not a sin to be in office for more than five years, as long as government does not keep deadwood as it is detrimental to the developmental state. Let us reduce the import of labour and rely on our own capacity. This can only happen if people are trained in skills relevant to the economy.
Some people lament that the ANC has been in government for 15 years and should have responded to all the ills of the past. How does government deliver optimally when it has to clean the mess that was created over 40 years? For instance, social grants must close the gap resulting from discrimination on the basis of race and gender, with the objective being the eradication of poverty. Some information I gathered from the library indicates that the budget for social pensions in 1980 was as follows. I will read exactly what the Minister in 1980 said with pride:
I am glad that I am able once again to announce meaningful concessions to pensioners and other social beneficiaries. Full participants of the proposed concessions are set out in a document which I shall lay upon the table this afternoon. The concessions include an increase in social pensions of R12 per month in the case of whites, which means the pension will increase to R109 per month for whites. The increase for coloureds and Indians amounts to R8 per month and for blacks R5,50 per month.
I can quote more. This happened some time ago, but its impact is still felt as it is still perpetuated, albeit subtly.
However, let us ensure that the developmental state is as inclusive as possible. Let us follow the footsteps of our President and not correct a wrong with a wrong. The ANC government says: "each according to need". We are also consistent with the Freedom Charter - that is, South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white. We therefore have an obligation to develop South Africa so as to sustain jobs and all other achievements.
Modulasetulo ka bokgutshwanyane re a tseba hore ke kgomo ya moshate, o a e hapa, o molato, o a e tlohela, o molato. Nka etsa mohlala ka botlokotsebe bona boo re llang ka bona kamehla le matsatsi, ebile re tshosetswa hore ha e le 2010 re keke ra bona ketsahalo ya teng. Empa ha letona Commissioner a re ya bolayang ka tjhaka o tla bolawa ka tjhaka, e le ha a lwantsha dikebekwa tse hlaselang batho ba se nang molato ba sa kgoneng ho ka itshireletsa, ke mona moo ho thweng o tswile taolong, o hloka boikarabelo. Ha a sa etse jwalo le teng ho thwe ke moetapele ya se nang boikarabelo.
Ke yona kgomo ya moshate, empa rona re re ha re bontsheng boetapele. Re lwanetse Afrika Borwa, mme ba sa ntsaneng ba na le boipelaetso hore ha re pusong, re tla ba bontsha. Re tla tswela pele le ka dikgetho tse tlang, re nne re buse ka tsela e jwalo. Mme re re ho ba ileng ba bona boetapele Afrika Borwa, pele-a-pele. (Translation of Sesotho paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, in short, we know that we are faced with a huge dilemma, where we are damned if we do and we are damned if we don't. I can make an example with crime. We complain about it every day, sometimes we are even threatened that we will not be able to see the 2010 event because of crime. But when the Commissioner says that the police must shoot to kill when fighting criminals who attack innocent people who cannot protect themselves, he is regarded as being out of control and irresponsible. If he does not do that he is also regarded as an irresponsible leader.
This is the dilemma I am talking about. But we are saying that we have to show leadership. We fought for South Africa, and those who still doubt that we are in government; we will show them. We will prove them wrong by winning the upcoming elections and continue to govern. To those who have been in leadership in South Africa, well done.]