Hon Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President, the Presidency has discharged its responsibilities with distinction. [Applause.] It has lived up to the expectations of the founding mothers and fathers of our constitutional democracy. It recognised and acknowledged the primacy of the humanity of all South Africans and their inherent worth and dignity, their right to equality, freedom and justice for all.
The Budget Vote on the Presidency speaks eloquently to the commitment of this administration to improve the quality of life of all South Africans, both black and white. The commitment of this administration and its readiness to realise the vision of our founding fathers and mothers beyond doubt.
The priorities of your government, the resources allocated for their realisation, the National Development Plan and its co-ordinating structures leaves no one in doubt that this administration remains committed to the vision of our founding fathers and mothers. In particular, this administration is living up to what O R Tambo told us in 1981, when he said, and I quote:
The objective of our struggle in South Africa, as set out in the Freedom Charter, encompasses economic emancipation. It is inconceivable for liberation to have meaning without a return of the wealth of the country to the people as a whole. To allow the existing economic forces to retain their interests intact is to feed the roots of racial supremacy and exploitation, and does not represent even the shadow of liberation.
As the President told us that political freedom without economic emancipation is meaningless, this Budget Vote testifies eloquently to the fact that this administration is committed to ensuring that we achieve that. The ANC supports this Budget Vote. [Applause.]