Ngiyabonga Sihlalo, ngiyacabanga ukuthi ngizotshontsha lemizuzwana esele. [Thank you, Chairperson; I think I will only steal the remaining minutes.]
Chairperson, hon Ministers, hon Members of the Executive Council, MECs, hon members, and ladies and gentlemen ...
... ngingachithi isikhathi Ngqongqoshe, siyasesekela isabiwomali. [... without wasting time, hon Minister, we support this Budget Vote.]
I want to say something, which you will have to think about. The winner is always part of the answer; and the loser is always part of the problem. The winner always has a programme; and the loser always has an excuse. The winner says, "Let me do it for you"; and the loser says, "That's not my job". The winner sees an answer for every problem and the loser sees a problem for every answer. The winner says, "It may be difficult, but it's possible"; and the loser says, "It may be possible, but it's too difficult".
Thina abakwaKhongolose siyazibophezela ukuthi sizoqhubeka nendima yokuguqula, nokuletha impilo engcono, nokuxosha indlala, kanye nokuvula amathuba emisebenzi yabantu bakulengabadi yakithi.
SinguKhongolose kanye nombimbi lwayo siyimbumba, siyohlala sinje singuKhongolose futhi asinamona, asinanzondo futhi siyamdumisa uKhongolse.[Ihlombe.] Asifekethisi ngombutho wethu ngoba sikholelwa ekutheni uma sisebenza ndawonye singenza okuningi, kuyoze kuyovalwa. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[We, as the ANC, are committed to continue with our role to bring about change in order to ensure a better life for all, fight hunger and create new job opportunities for the people of our country.
The ANC and its alliance are united, and we will stay like this; we are not jealous of anyone, we do not hate anyone, and we will always hail the ANC. [Applause.] We are not compromising our movement because we believe that if we work together we can, forever, do more.]
I want, in the same breath, to hail the wise action taken by our Cabinet of removing the sector education and training authorities, Setas, from the Department of Labour and placing them directly under the Department of Education. It was saddening to note and experience the frustration of our youth who have acquired the necessary theory, and because of certain challenges, cannot be challenged into practical skills training. I hope such challenges will not be experienced in the Department of Education.
Our manifesto has put in place large-scale creation of decent work opportunities and the agenda of the ANC-led government to deal with the triple challenge of unemployment and equity. Change in our context, now, means the empowerment of the previously disadvantaged and dispossessed community, especially those in rural areas. Empowerment in liberation is taken to the next level; it is expanding people's horizons, opportunities, and taking off the chains of deprivation, self-doubt and self-denigration and degradation. People need to be empowered and become co-creators of their own wealth.
We appreciate the expansionist initiative you have taken in driving the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, which resulted in the introduction of its second phase, the involvement and close monitoring of the other departments, and also the lateral and the horizontal approaches regarding the other spheres of government. We commend the Independent Development Trust, IDT, on its responsibilities and being in charge of focusing on women and youth empowerment as well as its recent responsibility in relation to the EPWP.
Regarding the Council for the Built Environment, CBE, I believe the department and this council were in the process of addressing the identified legislative gaps in the built environment which, amongst other things, were delaying transformation of the built environment professionals, which process fell by the wayside.
What measures are being taken now to ensure that the gaps identified are being dealt with and that transformation of the built environment professionals is not necessarily being delayed or hampered? Secondly, does the funding of the professional council address the problems of relationship in this entity? Thirdly, are those councils being audited, thus bringing an element of accountability and transparency? Fourthly, registration of professionals has been a challenge. Is the problem being addressed as well as if these councils are budgeting jointly with the CBE?
Regarding the Construction Industry Development Board, CIDB, we recommended the following. There is a need to decentralise the CIDB offices in order to make sure that they are accessible even to the people in the rural areas; the entity needs transformation that will also allow the previously disadvantaged people to be included; the CIDB needs upgrading or a clear plan to uplift the Human Development Index, HDI, so that they can also reach the standards of Group Five.
We must acknowledge the role played by the Department of Public Works in pursuing the African agenda by building South African embassies in many countries in Africa, which has contributed to job opportunities for our country, as well as for the citizens of the neighbouring countries in Africa.
Sihlalo, ngivumele ngifake lokhu ngefasitela. Mhlonishwa Ngqongqoshe eBethal eMzinoni izakhamuzi zicela ukuthi wedlulise isicelo sabo kumlingani wakho obhekene nalowo Mnyango ukuthi makafake igalelo ngesikhalo sikagesi onqamuka zinsuku zonke ohlangothini oluhlala abantu abamnyama okwaqala ngaphambi kwa1994 ingakabibikho ngisho ukusindwa kukagesi. Siyacela Ngqongqoshe sengathi ungalekelela masinyane. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Chairperson, allow me to smuggle in the following issue: Hon Minister, the residents of Bethal in Mzinoni are asking that you forward their request to your counterpart who is responsible for that department, and that is that he must do something about the electricity that is constantly tripping only in the townshipS. This has been happening since before 1994 when no overloading was taking place. We are pleading with you, hon Minister, to speedily deal with our request for help.]
Hon members, we must, now, deliver on our five-year contract. We are under orders to create four million jobs through the EPWP by 2014 and half a million by December this year, 2009.
Ngqongqoshe okunye engizokucela ngiyazi-ke njengoba kujwayelekile ukuthi kulamaqembu lawa amanye akhona sicela baqondisise ukuthi sizoya kulisese. Uma siya kulisese akusho ukuthi uKhongolose kuphela okumele afike ebantwini nabo bayahola njengathi banamahhovisi lena emakhaya abavela kuwona kufuneka nabo bafundise abantu NgoMnyango Wezemisebenzi Yomphakathi nokuthi usebenza kanjani. Ngiyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[One other thing that I want to request, hon Minister, is that since we will be in recess, as is always the case, I want these other parties that are here to know that it is not only the ANC which must go to the people during recess, but they must also go because they are paid just like us and they too have constituency offices where they come from and they need to teach people about the Department of Public Works and how it works. Thank you.]