Hon Chairperson, hon Deputy Minister Nene, Members of Parliament, there is a unity in purpose that we must embrace as members of this House. At this stage of our democracy we must weigh up the effect of cheap politicking and, in the process, a fragmenting society against the noble ideals of creating a nonsexist, non racial, democratic South Africa - the principle contained in the National Development Plan.
It is our collective responsibility to, firstly, embrace and effect the socioeconomic principles contained in the plan. In this, we do not mean that opposition parties should be relegated to a position to applaud all that government does in the interests of the citizen to rectify the injustices of the past.
The vision of the ANC rests on the Freedom Charter's call that the people shall share in the country's wealth. The national wealth of our country and the heritage of South Africans shall be restored to the people. The 2013 Division of Revenue Bill bears testimony to this statement.
My focus point will demonstrate this in two particular areas of the division of revenue, namely Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Rural Development and Land Reform.
Closely linked to the National Development Plan is public sector infrastructure spending which, together with industrialisation, are the main drivers of job creation and economic growth. A considerable budget of R827,1 billion is set aside for infrastructure spending over the Medium- Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, period. Of this budget, national departments receive R39,6 billion, provinces receive R147,7 billion and local government receives R150,6 billion.
The ANC's 53rd national conference outlined this when it stated that large public investments in energy, ports, railways and roads would help to alleviate supply bottlenecks in the economy, while social infrastructure would improve the conditions of our people.
The following programmes of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries receive significant financial allocations. A budget amounting to R1,6 billion is allocated to the comprehensive agriculture support programme grant in 2013-14 and it is expected to increase to R1,7 billion by 2015-16. This is a clear commitment by this government, in their ongoing efforts, incrementally to support small-scale farmers.
In the 2011-12 financial year alone, this grant has fundamentally contributed to the social transformation of our society and our people. [Interjections.] I think you, on this side of the House, must listen.