Chairperson, thank you very much for the opportunity to make some remarks regarding Taking Parliament to the People, which is one of our most effective tools of public participation. It is a tool for engaging with our people, discussing with, informing and educating them about how Parliament or the National Council of Provinces' functions, and how they can monitor government programmes on the ground. It is also a tool for making sure that information reaches the government on issues that need to be addressed on the ground.
Therefore, once again, the National Council of Provinces has reinforced this programme of Taking Parliament to the People. It has given us and the people an opportunity to raise the issues that bother them on the ground - bread and butter issues that affect them on a daily basis.
It has also given all the three spheres of government - national, provincial and municipalities - an opportunity to respond to these issues. Through this programme, South Africans living in remote areas are now in a position to access us as Parliament. It enables us to engage with them physically and have eye to eye contact with them and talk to them directly and get their issues resolved.
I just want to dwell on a few issues that have been raised by the people when we were at Lady Frere, in the Eastern Cape. I see that hon Moerane is here, as well as Mr Le Roux - no, Mr Le Roux, you are not from the legislature. You are part of the legislature anyway, because you are from that province. Who else comes from the Eastern Cape? Ms Dlulane is here, but I don't see other people. But, all I want to ask - Marius, where is he? - is that you make sure that you take the time to work in that particular area from time to time. Carry this report with you. Go there and make sure that the things that people have raised are happening on the ground. Follow them up. It does not matter whether it is the national government, the municipality or the provincial government that should do those things; it is our duty to make sure that those things are happening.
In terms of local government, the following issues were raised: the lack of access to clean water, sanitation and sewerage systems; the lack of service delivery in general; inadequate electricity supply; insufficient infrastructural development; decent housing; and no water for irrigation or less water in many areas. You would remember that we recommended that government should get involved to make sure that the big dam around Lady Frere is utilised so that people can get potable water from it. Because this dam is big enough, it could also be utilised for irrigation so that people can continue with farming in that particular area.
In terms of LED, Local Economic Development, some of the income-generating agricultural projects have ground to a halt at the moment owing to a lack of water. As I have said, if we can begin to generate water for that scheme, the people will be in a position to go on working on those agricultural projects which have almost ground to a halt.
The small, medium and micro enterprises are not supported enough and there is no evidence of municipal funding for some of them. We still have to do a lot of work in this regard to make sure that these small enterprises rise in number, because they are part of the economic hub in any province. They play a very significant role in developing our economy and that makes them full participants in the economy of the country. If they are not supported, they will not be in a position to participate fully in the economy of the country.
The lack of transport hampers the delivery of crops, the markets and other marketing strategies, and this is still a problem. That is what we have to look at. We have to talk to the Department of Trade and Industry and see how we can assist those people. There is very little capacity-building, particularly with regard to the administrative task and operations of these small enterprises.
The lack of security for initiated projects in some instances leads to theft and vandalism. Those are the things that government has to look at. Locally initiated projects dealing with education, school feeding, health, correctional services and social development are not fully supported by government at times.
With regard to integrated planning, which is a very important tool for the municipality to be able to deliver, we have noticed that priorities are sometimes duplicated in terms of the Integrated Development Plans. We now want to take this opportunity to encourage municipalities to make sure that, as they compile these IDPs, they go to the people themselves and not get consultants to do these things for them. Municipalities must go there and discuss with the people and find out what their needs are. Before compiling any IDP, they should first discuss with the people the priorities they would like to have funded.
The implementation of the IDPs is crucial because it is no use having an IDP and not implementing it. At the end of the term, you would find that you have had a lot of IDPs, but there has been a lack of implementation. Therefore, we need to strengthen capacity in terms of the delivery of that plan that has been identified by the municipality in co-operation with the people.
In terms of health matters, there was a notice of overcrowding owing to overutilisation of clinic services; insufficient staff in the clinics; lack of electricity and satellite installations at some health care facilities; reliance on old X-ray machines to perform scans and other related functions at hospitals; lack of provision of 24-hour services; and an insufficient number of ambulances and medical emergency personnel. Consequently, people have to be transported to clinics - some of them on wheelbarrows and others in hired cars - whilst they don't have money because they don't work. These are some of the things we have to look at. Another issue raised was the shortage of medication which has to be dispensed to people.
Regarding social security, land beneficiaries indicated that they were not receiving enough assistance from government. Individuals and communities have received land from government, but, to date, they have received little assistance, in the form of training and infrastructure from government, in order to become productive. Fencing of farming land continues to be a great challenge, because the livestock gets into the land and feeds on the product that has been planted by the people on their land. Therefore, we need to fence in this land for the people. Grazing land for stock is also limited and we should get enough grazing for the stock. Some of the issues that were raised were the need for proper irrigation systems, the catchment areas and incomplete work by contractors.
In terms of education and the Extended Public Works Programme, EPWP, the following issues were raised: some of the schools are still built from mud; the lack of electricity, water and sanitation in some areas; the schools nutrition programme is not very effective in some of the schools; and a lack of roads and bridges restricts access to some of the schools, because when the river is overflowing, children cannot go to school, leading to poor school attendance. These are some of the issues that were raised, including the insufficient budget to meet the needs of schools and the prevalence of a high teacher-pupil ratio.
In terms of the EPWP, accommodation and funding for home-based care are still challenges we need to look at. Further training is needed for administrative and financial skills. There is also a lack of support for municipalities to engage in projects. Applying for a foster care grant remains a challenge, and this leads to backlogs with regard to social workers processing child grants. Backlogs with regard to the establishment of Early Childhood Development Centres is also an issue that is raised in the report, and we have to look at it. It is therefore very important to note the lack of time we have experienced this year since this is an electioneering year and with the elections at our doorstep. Together we can do more in the fourth Parliament.
I would like to request that those who will be coming back to this House should take this work forward and not let it fall by the wayside. They must make sure that all the issues that have been raised by our people on the ground can be expedited so as to make their lives better. That is what we are committing ourselves to doing, and that should be done. We should not hesitate to say to them that we are here for them and can help them do these things. I table this report and I ask you to adopt it. I thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon members, in the third democratic Parliament, which is now drawing to a close, this institution took the strategic initiative to expand its oversight role and presented a programme of action which later came to be known as Programme 2009. It established the focus of the work of the NCOP as largely oversight in order to strengthen the delivery of services. It also compels the NCOP to direct more time and resources towards the performance of oversight work as a mechanism for following up on the implementation of laws, government policies and programmes.
The NCOP, therefore, saw an expanded oversight role over the past five years, which resulted in the thorough entrenchment of the programme of Taking Parliament to the People as a key mechanism for ensuring public participation in Parliament and a strong culture of participatory democracy in South Africa. The programme has grown to be an important mechanism of creating a platform for the public representatives to engage with the people on the challenges that they face or those around service delivery.
Since the inception of the programme in 2004, the NCOP has visited all nine provinces and undertook follow-up visits to some of the provinces that were facing immense service delivery challenges. During its visits, the NCOP brings to the people the executive and senior officials from the public service that would be able to respond to service delivery concerns. This is designed to ensure that obstacles affecting the delivery of quality and efficient services are immediately attended to - I hope the opposition is listening there.
Pursuant to the fulfilment of its vision of a People's Parliament as part of its oversight function, the NCOP held its annual programme of Taking Parliament to the People in Emalahleni Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape during the first week of November last year. As with previous occasions of this nature, the NCOP was enabled to broaden opportunities for public participation for communities that would ordinarily find it difficult to assess Parliament directly.
More importantly, it would enable the NCOP to perform its oversight role and to target areas where public education about democracy in the country is needed most, as well as areas where people usually feel that government is neglecting them, thereby ensuring that the concerns of communities are heard and taken into account.
An outstanding feature of the last on-site sitting of the NCOP in the Eastern Cape was, in my view, the urgent and persistent need for rural development, land reform, agrarian reform and food security, which are inextricably linked and intertwined. It is therefore inevitable that problems and deficiencies experienced in one or more of these aspects invariably cause imbalances in others.
Colonialism and apartheid were rooted in the dispossession of the African people of their land and the destruction of African farming. Poverty, inequality and unemployment are the consequences of centuries of underdevelopment and exploitation perpetrated on the majority of the population, which have its most destructive and enduring impact on rural South Africa. During this visit we have also seen that these rural areas still lack basic infrastructures, such as roads, water and electricity supply, which entrenches the problems of chronic poverty and limits the potential of communities to sustain economic growth, rural livelihoods and social development.
It is therefore clear that efforts to extend free basic services and government services, such as education and health care to all our people, are slowest to reach rural areas. We have also seen that the municipalities in the poorest and most rural parts of the country are among the most deprived in terms of human, physical and financial resources. This lack of capacity limits the extent to which rural municipalities can act as a catalyst for growth and development.
Rural development is a central pillar of our struggle against unemployment, poverty and inequality. Despite significant progress made over the past 15 years, people living in rural areas continue to face the harshest conditions of poverty, lack of access to land and basic services. Interventions, such as the Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme, have made significant, but thus far insufficient progress. Although social grants are making a huge contribution to pushing back the frontiers of rural poverty, fighting hunger and improving the potential for economic growth in rural areas, it cannot substitute a broader strategy for rural development and job creation. "Abantu mabasebenze"! [People must work!]
The upscaling of social and economic infrastructure and the extension of quality government services, especially as far as health and education to rural areas are concerned, still require continued attention while land reform initiatives, including the land and agricultural reform programme, need to be strengthened and expanded to create sustainable rural livelihoods on a greater scale. However, I am happy to say that, as far as rural development is concerned, the ANC is committed to a comprehensive and clear strategy linked to land and agrarian reform and the improvement of the conditions and livelihood of the rural population. The ANC is determined to review the appropriateness of the existing land redistribution programme and to introduce measures aimed at speeding up the pace of land reform and redistribution in order to promote landownership.
It has to intensify the land reform programme and ensure that more land is in the hands of the rural poor, providing them with the technical skills and financial resources to use the land productively in the creation of sustainable livelihoods and decent work in rural areas. Furthermore it has to expand the agrarian reform programme that will focus on the systematic promotion of agricultural co-operatives throughout the value chain, including agro-processing in the agricultural areas and developing supporting measures to ensure better access to markets and more finance to small farmers. This will ensure a much stronger link between land and agrarian reform programmes and water resource allocation and that the water resources reaching all our people, especially the poor, are of a high quality. It will also strengthen the partnership between government and traditional leadership focusing on rural development and fighting poverty, developing programmes to promote the important role of agriculture and employment and meeting basic needs for community development.
The latest initiative of Taking Parliament to the People, in the Eastern Cape, has again clearly demonstrated that millions of our people who farm on small agricultural plots in rural areas can and do make a substantial contribution to poverty reduction and the creation of sustainable livelihoods in the most adverse conditions. Agriculture in these areas remains a critical opportunity to combat poverty and provide ... [Time expired.] Sicela nifake isitampu kulo mbiko mhle kakhulu. [Please endorse this good report.] Thank you. [Applause.]
Chair, hon members, today is the day that everybody's admitting their mistakes and it was very refreshing to see two of our Ministers admitting their mistakes. It would be very, very nice if more ANC Ministers would start doing the same.
As you know, the concept of Taking Parliament to the People was often criticised by the DA. We experienced it as an ANC road show and prohibitively expensive. Now it's my chance to admit something, and I admit that, in retrospect, it was an initiative that had many positive outcomes. [Interjections.]
More DA ...
Very few, but there were some. [Interjections.]
Visiting the rural areas of the Eastern Cape and witnessing the poverty and lack of basic infrastructure must inspire the present government and future governments to reconsider carefully and to reprioritise. Wasting money on grandiose schemes is unacceptable; money must be spent where it is most needed. Spending billions on huge soccer stadiums and, worse, submarines we have no use for can never be justified. After 15 years of democracy it is disgraceful that children in Lady Frere must go to school where there is no water, no electricity, no toilets and in some schools not even desks.
Taking Parliament to the People exposed all of us to these injustices that young children must endure on a daily basis. Unfortunately the same applies for the state of our medical services in those remote areas. It is nothing but disgraceful.
Ek dink in die toekoms behoort nasionale Ministers en hul provinsiale eweknie hierdie besoeke saam met die Nasionale Raad van Provinsies mee te maak. Slimstories van die verhoog af is net nie meer goed genoeg nie. Ministers, net soos ons, moet eerstehandse kennis h van wat in hierdie arm gebiede gebeur en wat die werklike behoeftes is.
'n AGB LID: Nie kospakkies nie!
Ja, nie kospakkies nie.
Agb Voorsitter en kollegas, dis die laaste maal dat ek hierdie Raad sal toespreek. My hartlike dank aan u vir 'n baie aangename vyf jaar. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[I think national Ministers and their provincial peers should join the National Council of Provinces on these visits in future. Clever speeches from the stage are just not good enough anymore. Ministers, just like us, must have firsthand information about what is happening in these poor areas and what the real needs are.
Not food parcels!
Yes, not food parcels.
Hon Chairperson and colleagues, this is the last time that I will address this Council. My sincere thanks to all for a very pleasant five years.]
Obviously there were disappointments as far as decisions that were taken by the NCOP were concerned, but fortunately the positive developments far outweigh the negative. To the chairpersons that I was involved with, the hon Kgoshi and Mr Shiceka, who was late this morning - I was very surprised to see that, because he always tried to be on time - and lately the hon Mkhaliphi, thank you very much for the sterling work you gentlemen did. It was always a great pleasure to be in your committee and to serve under you.
Wat die Voorsitter van hierdie Raad betref - ek sien nie nou vir mnr Mahlangu hier nie - kan ek s hy het dit reggekry dat die atmosfeer in die Raad oor die vyf jaar gaandeweg l beter geword het. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Concerning the Chairperson of this Council - I do not see Mr Mahlangu here - may I say that he has managed to improve the atmosphere in this Council gradually over the past five years.]
Five years ago we first met as colleagues, but now we part as friends, and I really thank you all, ladies and gentlemen and colleagues, most sincerely.
Wat my DA-kollegas betref, vriende, dit was heerlik om saam met julle te werk. Ek het elke dag daarvan geniet. Ek dink ons was 'n effektiewe span. Wattie, baie dankie vir die wonderlike opoffering wat jy gemaak het. Dankie. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Concerning my DA colleagues, friends, it was pleasant working with you all. I enjoyed every moment of it. I think we were an effective team. Wattie, thank you very much for the wonderful sacrifice you have made. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Chair, hon members, I rise on behalf of the Eastern Cape to say that we are grateful as a province that you chose us for your visit. The people of Emalahleni, I promise you, will forever be grateful for that visit. They are hoping that all of us seated here will advocate their plight to better their lives as a collective. They are also expecting us not to point fingers, but to take Emalahleni as a classic case of a town in South Africa.
I must confess that reading the report was depressing. The report projects a forgotten village. While realising that much has been done, and much still has to be done, nothing good was acknowledged in that report, and my heart was so sore. I was hoping that in an executive summary we would trace the development of that particular area and acknowledge the fact that so much has been done or realised by the Eastern Cape.
As a province, yes, we have been in government for 14 years. We should not forget what we inherited - a town with no facilities. But during our era so much has been done. The tarred roads that we are talking about are a product of the interaction with us, and the infrastructure in the town is what we have put in place as a province which includes sanitation and electricity. Basically the town is a functional entity, unlike before, and that should be acknowledged.
Realising that the villages are where one finds the majority of inhabitants, it is important that as a province we have identified that the different spheres of government should plan and budget together. And when we visit these areas in the different provinces, we should make sure that our input-output is balanced. We need to make sure that, when we visit, we will be working together to monitor what we have put in place together. If we are not going to do that, we will never realise how far we are in terms of our development.
We can talk about fruitless and wasteful expenditure. Fortunately, we have had a debate on the Division of Revenue Bill and we all participated in that. Regarding those quotas that are quoted in the Division of Revenue Bill, surely, if you are to develop the Eastern Cape and even KwaZulu- Natal, that is not enough. We have been to other countries of the world and we are mindful of the fact that it takes so many years to develop an area such as Emalahleni.
With the infrastructural backlogs that we are faced with as a province, we need to step up with the Division of Revenue Bill. It is unfortunate that I didn't take part in that debate. I am just taking this opportunity to point out that the resources we are allocating to smaller towns will not assist them. It will take them years to get to where other areas are. The Eastern Cape, as a result of that, is faced with migrations from those areas to the Western Cape, without realising that those areas need far more development. The problem is that we still have to develop the bigger towns. So the priorities will forever change in our areas.
I am grateful for this opportunity, because I know as a collective we will do more. That is a slogan, but we need to put that into practice. Most of the areas that are highlighted in the report are the responsibility of the national government and not of the provincial government. The much-needed resource of water falls under the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and that is a national competency. So we really request the House to advocate on our behalf with regard to those resources.
As a province, yes, we can do much more, but we can't do everything. We therefore want to encourage everybody seated here. You have seen the pilot in terms of Emalahleni. When our plight is debated, please, we would be forever grateful if you were to advocate for us when it comes to the division of revenue.
As a province we do recognise that Taking Parliament to the People is a very important tool to measure the achievements of our Millennium Development Goals. We do realise that, if we were to measure what we saw at Emalahleni as a replica of what is happening in other provinces, the pace at which we are allocating resources to the different areas will never realise the Millennium Development Goals we are hoping to achieve by 2014.
We are really grateful that you chose to visit Emalahleni. As the province of the Eastern Cape we will follow whatever we have to follow. I thank you. [Applause.]
Ngathi umnumzane Le Roux usephumile noma. Hawu, nanguya. Uyihlabe esikhonkosini. Udaba lokuthatha iPhalamende liye kubantu lubalulekile kakhulu. Abaningi babecabanga ukuthi kuyangcebelekwa laphaya, sifuna nje ukuyobona izihlobo. Uma esevumile umnumzane Le Roux kusho khona ukuthi umyalezo ufikile kwabaningi.
Uma ngabe ngempela ngempela siyithatha indaba yokuthi sithathe iPhalamende kubantu, siyithatha ngokukhulu ukuqiniseka kufuneka siye ebantwini siyobonana nalabo bantu abasikhethile. Singabi kude nabo. Benginganicebisa nje mina. Nina eningakakuboni lokho bhekani uhlelo luka Khumbul'ekhaya kumabonakude, nikhumbule ekhaya. Ngiyabonga. (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Mr M A MZIZI: It seems as if Mr Le Roux has left. Oh, there he is. You are quite correct. The issue of taking Parliament to the people is very important. Many people thought that it is about having an outing to see relatives. Now that Mr Le Roux has clarified it, it means that the message has reached a lot of people.
If, in all honesty, we regard taking Parliament to the people with utmost seriousness, we must go and see the people who voted for us. We must not be far away from them. That is my plea to you. Those of you who have not realised this must watch the program called Khumbul'ekhaya on television, and remember your home. I thank you.]
Sihlalo, ndicela ukuhlala phantsi kuba sendiyintlekisa koogxa bam aba. Ndiyabulisa ngale njikalanga, endingaziyo nokuba ayiyo yokugqibela na ndimi apha. Ukuba ndiya phi na, kuya kuxhomekeka kwiivoti ze- ANC. Kodwa ndiyazi ukuba siseza kuphinda siphathe.
Ndinombulelo omkhulu kuye wonke umntu othe wathetha apha. Bekufanele ukuba ndibe andithethi namhlanje, kuba ndandithethile ngaphambili. Kambe, ndiva kamnandi xa oogxa bethu bephinda eza zinto saziva phaya eLady Frere.
Njengokuba saya eLady Frere siyile Ndlu, emva kokuba sasiqale ukusa iPalamente ebantwini ngowama-2002, ndifumanise ukuba siye sathi chatha kweli ithuba. Ibikokokugqibela ukuba sise iPalamente ebantwini kulo nyaka, kwaye ndiqinisekile ukuba iqela elilandelayo liya kwenza nangaphezulu.
Ndifuna ukutsho ukuba ngokubhekisele kwezinye zezicelo ezenziwa ngabantu phaya - nanjengoko uMhlalingaphambili esitsho - kuyimfuneko kwaye kunyanzelekile ukuba sonke sizilandele, nokuba ubani uza kuba kule Ndlu, kweyephondo okanye kumasipala.
Ndingalitsho litsole ukuba ngokubhekisele kwezinye zezicelo ezenziwa phaya, sele kukho ingxowa-mali enyusiweyo enemali engangezigidi ezihlanu zeerandi, eza kusetyenziselwa ukubonelela ngezindlu zangasese eziliwaka - zisuka kwinkampani iSanitation Toilets - namanzi. Ezi zibonelelo ziza kuya Emalahleni, eSakhisizwe naseNtsika Yethu. Ziza kuthunyelwa ngenyanga ka- Apreli kulo nyaka wama-2009.
Ke ndicinga ukuba ubukho bethu phaya kwaba luncedo. Ngokungabi kho kwethu phaya mhlawumbi sasingazi kukwazi ukunceda laa masipala ukuze abe ngoku uncediswa ngoongxowa-nkulu ukunyusa ingxowa-mali ejongene noku.
Njengoko nisazi ukuba uthini na umqulu wonyulo we-ANC, ndiqinisekile ukuba enye yezinto ekwathethwa ngazo phaya eLady Frere yimfundo. Siyazi ukuba bekukho phaya izikolo emgangatho wazo ubungancumisi. Nomphathiswa wezemfundo wephondo omtsha naye ebekho kwaye uthembise ngokuziqwalasela eza zikolo zithathu. Ndithi ke ngoko iNdlu le ze imjonge umphathiswa lo ukuba uza kusigcina na isithembiso sakhe ngokubhekisele koku.
Kukho iphulo iNceduluntu phaya, loomama. Ndingatsho namhlanje ukuba sisonke sanceda ngokuya phaya ngoba inkqubo yokugrumba amanzi omthombo phaya kulaa ntaba yaseNcedo Lwethu iyaqhuba.
Ndingatsho ukuba, njengoko etshilo ugxa wam osuka kwiphondo, ubonelelo ngamanzi ngumsebenzi weSebe leMicimbi yaManzi naMahlathi kwaye eli sebe lizibandakanyile kwezi nkqubo. Eli sebe linaso isiphakamiso elisenzileyo, kwaye liwavavanyile namanzi. Ndithetha ukuba le yinto eyenzeka emva nje kokuba sisandul' ukusuka phaya. Ndinethemba lokuba iNdlu le iza kuwulandela lo mba.
Kukwakho nesixa-mali esisilelayo kwiinkonzo zezentlalo ekwakukhalwa ngaso ngexa sasijikeleza phaya kwiphulo iNceduluntu Development Project. Abantu babekhala ngokuba banikwa isixa-mali esiyi-R750 000. Kweso sixa-mali kwafumaneka imali eyi-R375 000 kuphela; intsalela yayo zange iziswe. Ndimi apha nje ndingumlomo wephondo lam; iyile loo mali. Mhlawumbi ngeyingayanga ukubangaba naningazange nithathe inxaxheba, nasuka apha naya phaya eLady Frere. Maz' enethole, Bhunga laMaphondo leSizwe!
Phakathi kwezinye izinto eziphakanyiswayo kulaa ngxelo sisicelo sokuba ngokubhekisele kwizibonelelo zikarhulumente, noko singa singathi nyi, singapheleli kubantwana abaminyaka ili-14.
Thina ke singumbutho kaKhongolozi sesisinyusile esi sibonelelo. Sizivile izicelo zabo, sathetha nabaphetheyo. Ndiyazi ke ukuba njengokuba siphethe nje, siyabaphulaphula abantu ze sixelele abaPhathiswa. Kambe, niyabona ukuba siyababonelela abantwana ukuya kuthi gaa kwabaminyaka ili-18. Sizisa iinkonzo ebantwini, andithi? Iyabonakala loo nto.
Kukho nengxaki esiyive phaya enxulumene noMsobomvu. Andithi apha besisandul' ukuvotela ubuArhente beSizwe boPhuhliso loLutsha, i-National Youth Development Agency. Kuyabonakala ukuba bathethile abantu base- Emalahleni, yeva i-ANC. Ndithetha nje simka kule Ndlu siyiphumezile into yokuba uMsobomvu mawube luncedo njengoko kukhalwa ngawo.
Kukho abantu abasoloko befundekela besithi uMsobomvu unika kuphela abantakwethu abakwi-ANC. Ayiyo nyani ke leyo. Sithe sakuva ukuba kukho into ekufuneka siyilungisile kuMsobomvu, saphumeza ezo zicwangciso.
Phaya kumqulu wonyulo we-ANC, sithetha ngophuhliso lwemimandla yasemaphandleni. Bonke abantakwethu abebemi apha bathethe ngesixa-mali esiyi ... (Translation of isiXhosa paragraphs follows.)
[Ms B N DLULANE: Chairperson, may I please sit down, because my colleagues are really making fun of me. I greet you all this evening, and I do not know whether or not this is the last time I stand here as an elected representative. The number of votes cast for the ANC will determine my future. However, I know that the ANC will still be the ruling party.
I am grateful to everyone who has addressed the House. I am not supposed to be speaking today, because I had an opportunity to speak before. Nevertheless, I feel good when our colleagues again mention the things that we had heard at Lady Frere.
As this House, we took Parliament to the people of Lady Frere, after we had initiated the programme in 2002. I have discovered that this time we have outdone ourselves. It was the last session of Taking Parliament to the People for this year, and I am sure that the next group will do even better. With regard to some of the requests from the people of Lady Frere, it is necessary and a matter of must that, as the Chairperson has indicated, we indeed follow up on them, regardless of whether one will be deployed in this House, the provincial legislature or at municipal level.
Let me state categorically that, with regard to some of the requests that were made by the communities there, a fund has already been set up and it now stands at R5 million, which will be utilised to provide 1 000 toilets - to be provided by Sanitation Toilets - and water. These toilets will be allocated to the communities of Emalahleni, Sakhisizwe and Ntsika Yethu. They will be delivered in April 2009.
So, I think our visit there has been helpful. If we had not gone there, we would not have been in a position to assist the municipality to such an extent that the business community is now also helping to boost the said fund.
I am sure one of the things that were mentioned at Lady Frere was education, because, as the ANC manifesto declares, education is important. We know that there were schools there which did not meet the required standard. The new MEC for education was also present there and he promised to look at those three schools. Therefore, I say the House should hold the MEC to his word as far as those schools are concerned. There is also a women's project, called Nceduluntu Development Project. Today I can say that it was a good thing that all of us went there, because now the project of diverting water from the fountain at Ncedo Lwethu mountain is in progress.
As my colleague from the province has indicated, provision of water is the responsibility of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. The department has been involved in these programmes. The department has tested the water and has made recommendations. This happened shortly after we had left the area. I hope that the House will follow up on this matter.
When we visited the Nceduluntu Development Project, there were complaints regarding a shortfall in the social services budget. The people complained that they had been allocated an amount of R750 000, but they only received R375 000. The balance thereof had never been transferred to the project. I stand here as the mouthpiece of my province; that outstanding amount has now been paid. Perhaps it would not have been paid if you had not gone to Lady Frere. We are grateful to the NCOP for that.
Amongst other things highlighted in this report, is a request regarding the extension of the child support grant to include children who are older than 14 years.
We, as the ANC, have already granted this wish. We have listened to their requests and we have spoken to the authorities. As the ruling party, we listen to the people and take their requests to Ministers. However, you can see that the child support grant includes children who are 18 years old. We bring services to the people, don't we? That is clear.
We had also heard that there was a problem with regard to the Umsobomvu Youth Fund. We have just voted for the National Youth Development Agency. It is clear that the community of Emalahleni has spoken, and the ANC has listened. As I speak, this House has succeeded in ensuring that the Umsobumvu Youth Fund delivers on its mandate because the people were complaining.
There are people who are always making noises alleging that the Umsobomvu Youth Fund approves loans to our brothers in the ANC only. This is not true. When we heard these allegations levelled against the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, we took corrective measures.
In the ANC manifesto we talk about the development of rural areas. All my colleagues who spoke before me referred to an amount of ...]
... R1,7 billion, set aside for food and security.
Sisekhondweni. Walala, wasala ke wena mntu ungawuboniyo umbutho obonelela iimfuno zabantu. Mandibulele. [Kwaqhwatywa.] [We are on track. You snooze, you lose, especially if you do not see which party provides for the people's needs. I thank you. [Applause.]]
Debate concluded.
Question put: That the Report be adopted.
IN FAVOUR: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West, Western Cape.
Report accordingly adopted in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.