Hon Chairperson, the UCDP agrees with the Minister's statement that South Africa's success in delivering the 2010 World Cup illustrates its ability to unite a nation behind a common goal, and that we as South Africans can draw from this experience and work to transform the country's economy into one that can grow fast enough to create the jobs that we need.
However, in order to reach our goal we have to address the following. We have to increase the performance of public spending, in particular addressing the value-for-money aspect, including tender allocations and management, project management, and prevention of fraud and corruption in departments and entities. And we have to address underspending that usually leads to rollovers and overspending by departments.
It is good that the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement should reflect revenue that is higher than expenditure. What remains a concern is the scenario in which we continue to applaud the economy for its growth, but growth that does not cater for its citizens. Total employment has declined by more that a million jobs between the first quarter of 2008 and the second quarter of 2010, and the unemployment rate has reached 25,3%.
We welcome the fact that a larger proportion of funds in the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs will go towards disaster management. We hope this will empower municipalities to handle disasters and offer the necessary relief and care when disasters hit.
We expected a significant adjustment to the university education item of Higher Education and Training. Access to higher education by the deserving poor is still an issue that needs budgetary attention. While looking into the allocation to women ... We support the Bill. I thank you. [Time expired.]