Thanks, Chairperson. Firstly, by way of correction to the speakers' list, I am the chairperson of the Select Committee on Trade and International Relations, which includes tourism. We shall leave this opportunity to other parties who call themselves opposition parties, who will then oppose the fact that there are two chairpersons on the other committee.
Let me congratulate you, hon Minister Van Schalkwyk and hon Deputy Minister Xasa, on your appointment. This department has lived up to the ANC policy of 50/50. We have also practised the provisions of the Freedom Charter, which says that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white.
Hon Minister, Deputy Minister and other Deputy Ministers present here, one must first admit that tourism is now part of the Select Committee on Trade and International Relations and point out that in the few days since the establishment of this committee hon members have realised that this department is one of the key departments in creating sustainable and decent jobs.
Tourism contributes a lot towards the GDP. The question is always, however, who drives and who benefits from this contribution. Are historically disadvantaged individuals part of the drivers? An honest answer would be no. The very nature of this industry requires that any historically disadvantaged individual hoping to enter this industry must have access to finance and markets.
Another issue, hon Minister, we noted is that the department is still using, to a certain extent, some consultants. Is there a possibility of cutting down on the use of such consultants? We believe that we have capable officials and leaders who can actually do this.
The Tourism BEE Charter and the scorecard are currently voluntary. If we may check, hon Minister, when will it be possible to make these compulsory, for transformation in tourism is very slow? It is actually moving at a snail's pace.
The other issue is how to expand tourism to rural areas, that is, to areas in KwaZulu-Natal, in uMgungundlovu, in Nongoma, in Msinga, Nkandla, and Maphumulo, that are beyond the game farms. When we talk of tourism, it should go beyond game farms. It is about those rural areas. Also, how do we take tourism to other townships such as Ngwelezane, eSikhawini, Umlazi, KwaMashu and Mpumalanga? Tourism is tourism by its nature.
As we speak, there are nine provinces in South Africa. That is why we have this diversity. But then, are we using this diversity to our benefit per province? Is there an integrated approach between municipalities, provinces, SA Tourism and the department? Who markets the country? Who markets events? I was happy, because earlier Minister Sicelo Shiceka was saying that we have one country, one South Africa, one Constitution, one President. This I say after what has been in the media about the City of Cape Town and its funding to another body. As a committee we shall deal with this issue. We shall deal with them separately, because we shall call them to account on this issue that we don't have a federation of the Western Cape, or of the City of Cape Town. We have one South Africa, one Constitution, and one President.
Chairperson, members of this committee are going to say a lot about 2010, about accommodation, about safety, about transport, but I need to mention that we expect to see rural areas benefiting from 2010, so that their lives will not be the same after 2010, and that there will be infrastructure and decent work after 2010.
Issues such as skills in the tourism sector, the quality of tourism products and services, and the promotion of the tourism sector are issues that are part of the key performance areas of the department. We shall be monitoring these thoroughly as we move on as a committee.
On a lighter note, we wish to say to the hon Minister and Deputy Minister and to the Department of Tourism, well done on doing excellent work during the Confederations Cup and the visit by the British and Irish Lions. We have proven that South Africa is equal to any task and that challenges that we face on organising these events will be sorted out by 2010.
Before coming to my conclusion, I won't be doing justice to this debate if I don't mention this: There is still a major challenge in the hospitality sector with regard to accommodation for people with disabilities. I recall that an international conference on disability could not be held because we could not get accommodation for plus-minus 4 000 disabled people. This is a serious challenge that we have. Hon Minister, all these hotels and B&Bs must be user-friendly and accessible, and we must place a deadline on this issue. We cannot just leave it to them.
The President of the country, his Excellency Comrade Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, said, and I quote:
... we will have to act prudently - no wastage, no rollovers of funds - every cent must be spent wisely and fruitfully.
This quotation fits the department, that we should really not have roll- over funds.
In conclusion, on a lighter note, I heard hon Sinclair asking for a few minutes, based on the fact that he and the Chair come from the same province. But he forgot to mention that he once belonged to this movement, to the ANC, which is the home of all South Africans, and that at some stage he will come back. Home is always home, and we shall welcome him back. [Laughter.] I thank you. [Applause.]