Somlomo, namalungu ahloniphekileyo, uKhongolose usiqhakambisa kakhulu isimo semfundo kuleli lizwe; kodwa ngeke kwenzeke ukuthi ngale minyakana nje embalwa sibusa kuhulumeni wentandoyeningi sibe sesibona ushintsho olukhulu ngoba ku sukela kudala ukuthi abantu babandlululwe kwezemfundo. Ngoba uKhongolose uyaziqhakambisa ezemfundo; ubhekelela kuqala ojahidada emazingeni aphansi kuze kuyofinyelela kulabo asebephothula emazingeni aphansi.
Okubaluleke kakhulu wukuthi njengoba siqala kojahidada sifuna abantwana bazijwayeze ukufunda besebancane, baqhubeke noma sebesemazingeni aphezulu. Yingakho nje inani lokubhaliswa kwabantwana abasebancane ngonyaka wezi-2014 liyobe selifinyelele kwabayikhulu. Yingakho futhi ngonyaka ozayo - ngoba akusenzekanga ngodlule - abantwana bezothola izincwadi zokusebenzela kanye nezokufunda bese othisha bona bethola izincwadi zokufundisa. Sizophinda futhi sibhekisise ukuthi abantwana abafundayo bazohlolwa ebangeni lesithathu, elesithupha kanye nelesikhombisa ukuze bakwazi ukukhuluma kanye nokubala, ngoba kuyinto esemqoka leyo. Akusizi ukuthi siqhubeke nokufundisa abantu abangakwazi ukusebenzisa ulimi. Ngakho-ke sincoma ukuthi isabiwomali somhlaka-27 sikubhekelele ukuphuculwa kwesimo semfundo. Ngqongqoshe kanye nozakwenu, kungayinto enhle ukuthi namakolishi othisha nawabahlengikazi avuleke phela ukuze kuqhutshekwe nokubhekelela imikhakha yokufundisa neyokwelapha.
Uma ngibheka uMnyango Wezempilo, impilo ayibheki isimo somzimba nje kuphela kodwa sibheka umuntu ewonke; emzimbeni, emphefumulweni kanye nasengqondweni. Isabiwozimali sihlahlelwe ngendlela yokuthi kukhona nemali ebhekelele ingculazi, isandulela-ngculazi kanye nesifo sofuba ngoba yizona zifo ezande kakhulu futhi eziqhubeka nokubhebhetheka.
INingizimu Afrika ibulawa wukuthi ikholelwa kakhulu ekwelapheni kunokuvimbela ukugula. Kufanele ukugula sikuvimbele, laba abaphila kahle sibakhuthaze ukuze baqhubeke bephila singakhokhi izimali ezinkulu zokwelapha. Siyakuncoma kakhulu ukuthi isandulela ngculazi, ingculazi kanye nesifo sofuba sekusukunyelwe futhi kuyelashwa ezindaweni eziningi. Kubalulekile ukuthi labo bantu abahlala ezindaweni zasemakhaya, ikakhulukazi abesifazane bafundiseke ngezimo zempilo, nengculazi ngoba yibona abatheleleka ngokushesha ngenxa yesimo sobuphofu obukhona kulezo zindawo.
Siyakuncoma-ke futhi ukuthi nabantu abasebenza kwezempilo bazozithola sebehola kangcono; mhlawumbe lokho kuzobakhuthaza ukuthi basebenze ngokuzikhandla. Kubalulekile ukuthi sisonke la sikhulume okuhle kodwa ngodaba lokuphucula izimpilo zabantu.
Uma sibheka udaba lwempesheni; lapha siqonde zonke izinhlobo zempesheni ngoba siyazi phela ukuthi impesheni lapha eNingizimu Afrika ibhekelele abantu abaningi kusuka ezinganeni ezincane kuya kwabadala, abakhubazekile kanye nabagulayo. Liphezulu kakhulu inani labantu ababhekwe yile mali. Ngeke phela-ke kube nguMnyango wezokuThuthukiswa koMphakathi kuphela obhekelele lesi simo.
Neminye iminyango kufanele ukuthi ingenelele. Yingakho nje sikuncome kakhulu ukuthi uMnyango wezokuThuthukiswa kweziNdawo zasemaKhaya neziNguquko zoMhlaba usuthathe umthwalo wokufundisa intsha ngezindlela zokulima nezokukhiqiza ukudla. Lokho kuzokwenza ukuthi intsha ifunde iphinde ikwazi ukululeka abantu ngokukhiqizwa kokudla bese nomphakathi uphile kangcono ngoba ukudla kuzobe sekwandile. Siyayikhuthaza intsha ukuthi izame ukuthi ilibambe ngazo zombili leli thuba.
UMnyango wezemiSebenzi yoMphakathi unendima enkulu kabi oyidlalayo ngale nje kokuzibandakanya kulezi zinhlelo ezincane. Sathi uma siqala ngonyaka wezi-2005, uhlelo lokukhulisa ezemisebenzi yomphakathi kuyothi ekugcineni kosuku ihlomise abantu ngamakhono azobenza ukuthi bakwazi ukuzimela, nokuzisebenzele bengayanga ukuyofuna imisebenzi kobasi ngoba bazobe sebengobasi bona uma sebethole amakhono. Siyakukhuthaza ukuthi lowo mnyango uzame ukuthi uphushe umsebenzi wawo uze ufike lapho kulelo zinga.
Kuyasiphoxa nokho ukuthi kuba khona lezo zihibe zokungasebenziseki kahle kwezimali kulabo abazokhokhela izimpesheni, nakulabo ababhekelela abantu abazofaka izicelo zempesheni. Siyakuncoma kakhulu ukuthi uNgqongqoshe ukubeke ngale kokuthandabuza ukuthi lezo zimo zizofakelwa amehlo kanti neKhomishane yemiSebenzi yoMphakathi ilokhu iziqaphile lezi zimo. Uhulumeni usezimemezelile ezinye izinyathelo ezithathwayo ukuze le ndlela yokusebenziseka kabi kwemali iye ngokushabalala.
Siphila ezweni elingenawo amanzi kodwa sinamadamu amaningi okufuneka akhiwe aphele; sinamadamu amadala okufuneka alungiswe ukuze abantu bakwazi ukuthola amanzi. Kusenjalo futhi sinezimayini nazo ezibuye zisebenzise kakhulu amanzi agcine engasakwazi ukuyofinyelela kahle kubantu. Yikho-ke uma sikhuluma ngamanzi siye sithi uma kuvuleleka ukuthi abantu bakwazi ukusebenza embonini yamanzi, baningi abantu abayothola amathuba okuqashwa, bathuthukise nekhono labo ukuze nemiphakathi ihlomule ngamanzi ngenxa yamakhono abo. Silushayela ihlombe nalolu hlelo lwemali ehlalele ukubhekelela izimo zamanzi.
Sengiphetha Ngqongqoshe, ngizovumelana nokusho kwakho ukuthi intuthuko ayiyi ngezibalo kuphela kodwa iya ngokuthi izimpilo zabantu ziyaguquka yini ukuze bathole lokhu ababekade bekulangazelele; ukuthi uma sekuphethe uhulumeni wabantu siyophila impilo engcono, nemali esiyikhiphayo siyayilandelela yini ukuthi yenza lokhu ebekufuneka ikwenze. Sihlushwa ukuthi amakhono awakabi mahle kodwa mhlawumbe ngelinye ilanga siyothi uma ngabe singcweka la sikhuluma ngokwabiwa kwezimali, sigxile ekukuthuthukisweni kwamakhono. Siyaluseka lolu xhaso, siyancoma. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Ms B T NGCOBO: Speaker, and hon members, the ANC takes education seriously in this country; but we cannot, in these few years of democracy, see much transformation because people were deprived of education during the apartheid era. Because it takes education seriously, the ANC caters for children in the foundation phase and those who are about to finish the foundation phase.
What is most important in respect of the children is that we want them to get used to reading while they are still young, and for them to continue doing so even when they are in senior phases. That is why the number of enrolments will reach 100 in 2014. That is why next year, because it did not happen last year, children will get workbooks and learner books and teachers will get teacher guides.
We will also make sure that children are assessed in Grades 3, 6 and 7 so that they will be able to speak and count, because that is very important. It does not help to continue teaching children who do not know how to use the language. We applaud the fact that the Budget Vote on the 27th considered improving the state of education. Minister and your colleagues, it would be very nice if teaching and nursing colleges were to be reopened in order for the education and health fields to be considered.
Take, for instance, the Department of Health; health does not only refer to the physical state but to a person as a whole - physically, spiritually and mentally. The Budget has been allocated in such a way that funds have been allocated for HIV/Aids and TB because these are common diseases that continue to spread.
South Africa is disadvantaged by the fact that we believe in treatment rather than in preventing sicknesses. We must prevent sickness; those who live healthy lives must continue to do so, so that they can live longer and we will not have to spend more money treating them. We applaud the fact that HIV/Aids and TB have been taken into consideration and that they are being treated in many areas. It is very important for the people who are in the rural areas, especially the women, to be taught about health and Aids because they are the ones who get infected easily due to poverty in those areas.
We appreciate that people who work for the health services will find that they are being paid better; maybe that will motivate them to work harder. It is important for all of us here to speak well of the issue of improving people's lives.
If we look at the issue of grants - here we refer to all kinds of grants - we know that it sustains many people in South Africa, from the children to the elderly, the disabled and the sick. The number of people who are being sustained by this money is very high. It cannot be the Department of Social Development only that takes care of this situation.
Other departments must intervene. That is why we highly appreciated the fact that the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform has taken up the task of teaching the youth ways of planting and producing food. That will educate and enable the youth to advise people about food production so that the communities can live better because food will be in abundance. We encourage the youth to grab this opportunity with both hands.
The Department of Public Works has a very crucial role to play besides getting involved in these small programmes. The programme which was launched in 2005 for developing public works will, at the end of the day, equip people with the skills that will sustain them, and help them create jobs for themselves; which means they will not have to seek employment because they will be employers themselves once they acquire the skills. We encourage that department to push its work until it reaches that level.
It is disappointing to see that there are discrepancies with regard to the mismanagement of funds by those who pay pensions, and those who help with pension or grant applications. We are happy because the Minister clearly said that those situations will be looked at and the Public Works Commission is always on the lookout for such situations. The government has announced some measures to be taken to minimise the mismanagement of funds.
We are living in a country that does not have enough water but we have many dams that need to be built and finished; we have old dams that need revamping so that people can get water. We also have mines that use more water which results in water not reaching people. That is why when we talk about water we say that if it happens that a chance arises for people to work in the water supply industry, many people would be lucky to be employed, and develop their skills so that the community can be supplied with water because of their skills. We applaud the Budget that is intended to take care of issues regarding water.
In conclusion, Minister, I agree with what you said with regard to development not being measured by the statistics, but by whether the lives of people do transform so that they get what they have been longing for; that if the democratic government was in power we would live better lives, and the money that we are distributing is in fact used for what it is intended for. We are set back by the fact that skills have not been acquired well, but maybe someday when we debate the Budget, we will focus on skills development. We support this Budget; we applaud what has been done. Thank you. [Applause.]]