Hon Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon Minister of Finance Mr Pravin Gordhan, hon Deputy Minister of Finance Mr Nhlanhla Nene, hon Members of Parliament, esteemed guests, ladies and gentlemen, comrades and friends, this debate is taking place just two days after the country commemorated the 37th anniversary of the 1976 Soweto uprising. We would like to pay tribute to those heroes and heroines of the youth of 1976 and subsequent years who laid down their lives so that today we can say we are free. Even today, as we stand here, many of these young people still struggle to find work, so the struggle continues.
Today we have every reason to celebrate the achievements of the democratic government under very difficult economic conditions. Whilst many developing countries in the European zone have implemented austerity measures, South Africa's economy remains resilient, and continues to grow, albeit slower than anticipated. We thank you, hon Minister of Finance, for diligently steering this ship from stormy waters to safer waters.
In its strategy and tactics the ANC seeks to build a democratic society that is able to use variety of strategic capabilities to shape the development of the country. The national democratic revolution, NDR, seeks to build on the best traditions of the developmental state represented by an efficient state that guides national development by mobilising the resources in society and directing those resources towards the realisation of the common good. It also seeks to build on the best traditions of a social democracy, which places the needs of the poor and social issues such as decent work, education, health and social solidarity, and the social safety net at the top of its national agenda.
Building a state that can act in a truly developmental way and play a leading and strategic role in shaping a developmental state is not an easy task. It requires focus and ongoing assessment of capabilities required and the necessary adjustments to the institutional arrangements that will help build them.
We cannot simply proclaim a developmental state. It must be painstakingly constructed. Building on the developmental state that we have been building over the past 19 years, the movement pays particular attention to organisational and technical leadership of the national democratic state.
This debate takes place when the departments are busy aligning their strategic plans to the National Development Plan, which seeks to address the challenges facing the country. This development demands committees of Parliament to be more vigilant and focused as they conduct their oversight.
The Bill before the House is a practical commitment of the ANC-led government to fighting the scourge of poverty, unemployment and inequality. Though this Budget may not necessarily be an expansionary Budget, it does, however, provides significant opportunities for creating employment, laying the foundation for confronting poverty and expediting service delivery to all. This Budget invests strongly in education, health, housing, public transport, social development, free basic services and infrastructure development.
The ANC welcomes the R23 billion committed by government to eradicating the inappropriate structures in education in the rural provinces such as the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and others as well as ensuring that all schools have adequate access to sanitation and electricity over the next five years.
Hon Minister of Education, I noted that the fourth quarter report of the National Treasury reported that, by the end of December, only 4 out of 49 schools had been completed. I would like to state here as a fact that that information is a bit outdated. Over 22 schools have been built and whilst 44 schools were being completed; learning was taking place there. However, some of them might not have been signed off at that time.
This programme is a comprehensive one that, over the next five years, will address issues such as access to sanitation and electricity, not just in those 49 schools but in all schools in the country that do not have these services.
Again, the ANC applauds the Department of Health for piloting the National Health Insurance to ensure that the poor have universal access to health care. We know that my colleagues on my left oppose this programme because it is intended to address the plight of the poor. All they want is the vote of the poor but not their health. The ANC also commends the programme of the Department of Health focusing on upgrading health facilities and the HIV programme, which is headed by the Deputy President.
In addressing the challenges of urbanisation, the government has established the Urban Settlements Development Grant to address challenges relating to bulk infrastructure and the upgrading of informal settlements. We urge the provinces, including the Western Cape, to utilise this grant to upgrade the informal settlements and construct streets, lights and storm water drainage.
The National Treasury must also assist in addressing the Rural Household Infrastructure Grant, so that there is improvement in terms of its impact, by ensuring that the grant remains with the Human Settlements department so that the grant can perform, as the department has created administrative infrastructure to accelerate the implementation of the programme. Unfortunately this programme has been moved from one department to another.
The ANC supports the endeavours by the Department Of Public Service and Administration to create an anticorruption bureau and, to ensure that all the departments have filled in the funded posts. The Public Service Commission reported that there are some senior management officials who have not yet signed their performance agreements. We would like the executive to urge these senior executives to sign their performance agreements as it is a legal requirement and is in their business interest.
Finally, we would like to see all the departments submitting quarterly reports along with their quarterly annual performance plans so that there can be alignment between the expenditure and predetermined objectives.
The ANC welcomes our government's commitment to ensure tighter controls on expenditure and the analysing of the patterns of public spending including personnel spending, thus identifying opportunities to improve value for money.
In conclusion, I take this opportunity to thank the Minister of Finance for guiding our government in relation to financial management. I also want to express my appreciation of the dedication of the members of the committee in ensuring that we meet our own targets as required by Parliament, and the staff of the committee for working beyond the call of duty in ensuring that our work is completed. The ANC supports the Appropriation Bill. I thank you. [Applause.]