Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon members, we thank the government for this initiative to help the South African people to grow and restore our economy.
In the light of the current domestic and international economic crisis, we need an extraordinary plan, commitment and discipline. However, we need to remain cautious and vigilant as far as the opportunity that lies before us is concerned, because a grant of this magnitude can create a marked difference for the people of South Africa.
It is within this context that we propose that the two most important areas we need to consider are the small to medium enterprises that employ the largest portion of the South African workforce, and the shortage of skilled workers in specific industries and we therefore call for targeted training.
The questions we need to ask are the following: What type of intervention will yield the most important and effective results? What instruments do we need to use? Which of the industries in our economy have the greatest potential to anchor it? How can we best provide skills to satisfy the demand in these industries to ensure sustainability? The issue, therefore, is sustainability. Training without guarantee of absorption can be very counterproductive. How then do we support SMMEs to weather the current economic climate and prevent further retrenchments?
What we need, at this point, is an activist state, a state that is disciplined, a state that is rooted in ensuring that we deliver on the needs of the people.
At the current stage, in our view, we need interventions in five areas. These are agriculture, infrastructure development, manufacturing, the service industry and knowledge-based industries. This implies truly targeted training.
We propose that a detailed study be undertaken to ensure that the allocations made are used to their fullest potential for the recovery and sustainable growth of our economy. We also propose that a panel of experts be established to determine the areas that represent the greatest need. This panel of experts should study the weaknesses that we have experienced in South Africa - the weaknesses of Setas that have failed our country.
It is also essential to engage our society at large. We want to submit that, while we agree with the participation process that the Minister has alluded to, a participatory mood within this context has not been created in the country. We have not seen full participation of the people. Thank you. [Time expired.]