Voorsitter, ek het reeds in my toespraak ges dat hierdie Parlement moet besluit: wil ons 'n weermag h of wil ons nie 'n weermag h nie?
Ek wil vandag vir u s dat vir die afgelope drie jaar, as ons 'n voorlegging kry oor die gevegsgereedheid van die SA Nasionale Weermag, sien ons dat daar ernstige probleme is, en die grootste oorsaak van daardie probleem is die gebrek aan fondse. Die VF Plus sal hierdie Begrotingspos vandag steun, want ons het juis te min geld.
Voorsitter, in hierdie Parlement het al die politieke partye saamgestem dat ons die nuwe wapens aankoop. Meer as R40 miljard van die belastingbetaler is aangewend vir gesofistikeerde wapentuig. Ek dink die Parlement is dit verskuldig aan die belastingbetalers dat ons daardie wapentuig behoorlik aanwend. Ons het tans nie eens genoeg fondse om ons vlieniers genoeg te laat vlieg nie. Dis hoekom hulle weggaan. Ons het nie eens behoorlike fondse om ons ander duikbote operasioneel te kry nie. Daar is basies nie een wat eens volledig operasioneel is nie.
Ons moet ook wegdoen met regstellende aksie. Ons moet ons beste mense vir die poste kry. Die Minister het uitdagings. Ek weet sy is bevoeg om dit te kan hanteer, maar ons s gee vir die Weermag geld, want as ons s ons wil hulle behou, moet ons hulle finansier. Dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans declaration of vote follows.)
[Mr P J GROENEWALD: Chairperson, I've already said in my speech that this Parliament must decide: do we want to have a defence force or don't we?
I can tell you today that for the past three years, whenever we have received a submission on the combat readiness of the SA National Defence Force, we have noted that there are serious problems, and the cause of these problems is the lack of funds. The FF Plus will be supporting this budget today, because we have too little money.
Chairperson, all the political parties in this Parliament agreed to the purchasing of the new weapons. More than R40 billion from the taxpayers was utilised for sophisticated weaponry. I think Parliament owes it to the taxpayers to utilise this weaponry properly. Presently we do not even have enough money to let our pilots fly. That is why they are leaving. We do not even have the proper funding to get our other submarines operational. Basically not one of them is even fully operational.
We should also do away with affirmative action. We should get the best people for the posts. The Minister is facing challenges. I know that she is capable of dealing with them, but we are saying give the defence force money, because if we are saying that we want to keep them, then we must finance them. Thank you.]