Hon Chairperson, izithwalandwe, Ministers, Deputy Ministers here present, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, at the end of last month I was afforded a rare glimpse into the future, a glimpse of hope and victory: hope, because I was able to see into a future in which South Africa would be unencumbered by the past, by prejudice and by bigotry; a future in which every child has the enormous advantage only a country like ours can give. I saw victory over the inequitable order of things as we have come to know it. I visited a range of our new recruits in the military in their second month of training. Many of them were from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds with absolutely no hope. Here they were overcoming their adversities and inhibitions and proving that, given the necessary opportunity and space, they too could succeed. In the navy, for instance, were youth who had never been in water before - most of them came straight from Limpopo. It was amazing to see how, in the space of two months, they had not only overcome their fear of water, but had learnt to swim and survive in water and are now being taught to dive, paddle boats and read and interpret a map.
Above all, here we had youths that were learning in the most natural way that the country belongs to all of us. Here we also had youths from all classes and racial groups who had learnt that racial integration is the most natural thing when faced with common problems, common goals, common dangers and a common identity.
The forging of racial harmony was amazing to see. It was a victory over the illogical. Here, a new bond was being crafted, a new discourse that understood the strengths of each group and utilised it for the greater good, where song had become part of the culture of the navy, to motivate and unify. Here were white and Indian children singing in Zulu - all in the space of two months. I realised too that various racial groups that seemed unwilling to join the Defence Force after 1994 were now finding it an attractive place to be. It has been an exhilarating experience. And to the parents of those children in our care, that we are training, I want to assure you that your children are in very good hands.
I left these places even more convinced that there could not be a better equaliser in any society than the Defence Force; that there could not ever be a better place or a better tool for most of the problems we grapple with, including the skills shortage problem that we complain about and the high rate of unemployment. I am convinced there could not be another solution to the huge glut of unemployed, disempowered and unskilled youth.
In his state of the nation address the President gave a graphic analysis of the situation in our country. He indicated that we are an extremely youthful country and, yet, not investing sufficiently in its future. These are some of the disturbing figures that have emerged: that there are more than three million young people who are unemployed, presumably with no prospect whatsoever that they will be absorbed into a labour market that continues to shrink; that 50% of this group, which is between 18 and 24, are unemployed. Shocking statistics!
Having spent a year in this portfolio and having learnt what I have learnt, I am formally proposing through Parliament that the country consider the possibility of creating in the next year national service in which all youth will be gradually absorbed into our training facilities. [Applause.] What we are offering are skills that each would be able to build on. We offer training in a discipline that would create a sector, whether public or private, which is firmly grounded in a purposeful sense of tomorrow. What we offer is education, in essential respect for each individual and respect for authority - an element we would all agree is not in abundance in our youth.
After due consultation with all the necessary stakeholders, we intend to introduce a Bill that will provide the necessary legal framework for the creation of this national service. This will not be a compulsory national service, but an unavoidable service to the nation.
Throughout the world the defence force, that great social equaliser, is used for precisely the purpose that we propose to use it for here. Young people are leaving school with no skills and with no prospect of being absorbed into a labour market that is already being glutted. Any television footage of service delivery protests will show you that at the forefront of this, in great majority, are our youth - with excessive energy, misdirected sometimes, a great deal of anger and frustration etched on their faces. We as a country can ill afford this generation that is angry. Our youth are an asset and we must direct them properly.
History is replete with examples of how turning the youth into a disciplined purposeful force can change the fortunes of a people. Our own history tells how, by using the age cohort system, King Shaka of the Zulus harnessed the power of youth and changed the face of the subcontinent forever.
Most of our cultures have a process of a coming of age. This includes some initiation into responsible adulthood, where a line is drawn between the childish ways of the past and purposeful and responsible behaviour that is required of every citizen. We can do that for this country, because that is the one thing we need - to build a future for our development and our prosperity, a place where the young unemployed can find skills, dignity, purpose and patriotism.
This could be part of our essential education and, in partnership with the Ministers of Higher and Training, Basic Education, and Labour, we could create a seamless education system among compulsory basic education, national service, skills training and tertiary education, where access to education is not based on class. The benefits to the youth are enormous; the benefits to society are incalculable, and for the economy this means a solid bedrock that will sustain our development.
Should we find that the idea is taken up by the people in our country, we expect that in the next two years we could go ahead and build the necessary capacity and infrastructure in the Defence Force. I emphasise: this will not be a compulsory national service. We do not want to repeat the mistakes of the past. On the other hand, we do not want to throw the baby out with the bath water. There has been a concern raised in the past about this concept - that, in fact, if we militarise our youth, we would be turning them over to society, highly trained to kill and a greater danger than before. We can interrogate this concern and we will, it is hoped, be able to show that this is not the experience of countries with military service; that, quite the contrary, the greater danger is caused by people who have no purpose, no discipline and who come across guns that are so readily available in our society.
The past year has been an exceedingly eventful one for me, but one in which we recorded enormous successes in the goals we had set ourselves. In taking stock of our achievement in the last year, I wish to cast your mind back to a promise I made when I appeared before this august House in July 2009. In my maiden address at that time, as Minister, I stated:
I want to assure the Defence Force that their conditions of service are a concern. We are acutely aware that the state of readiness of the SA Defence Force, SANDF, depends primarily on the morale of our soldiers.
I went further to state that:
We are considering making a request for a separate dispensation for the Department of Defence that would allow us to creatively deal with our own needs and the specificities of our own unique security requirements.
The request was duly made to Cabinet and approved. We have gone a long way in establishing a separate dispensation for the Defence Force. Cabinet also approved the regulatory framework and mechanism to govern and oversee the dispensation. The dispensation we have been given has the authority and the regulatory mandate of the Public Service Commission. Within this environment we have been able to deal with a number of issues that are uniquely defence related, and I believe we now have an environment in which we can deal with our problems and in which we can provide enhanced conditions of service.
Soldiers are not workers. It is precisely because the Defence Force is so different from all other arms of state that we demand that we take extraordinary measures to enforce discipline. Soldiers are responsible for lethal instruments of ultimate force and therefore their conduct has had to be stipulated in the Constitution. Our relationship with the state is not that of a worker; it is not governed by an employment agreement, but by a solemn oath that is undertaken by every soldier. This dispensation is regulated by the Military Commission, due to be legislated for, it is hoped, by the end of this month. This dispensation has allowed us to restructure and enhance our grievance mechanism, which will be further enhanced by the re-establishment of the Office of the Military Ombud.
We have often been accused of wanting to treat the Defence Force as special and different. These accusations are repeated with scorn and with monotonous frequency. At one level it reflects a lingering attitude, which prevailed when we took over in 1994 - we ourselves had this particular perception. We had inherited a military state, and in our quest to rein in the influence of the military, we developed regulations aimed at bringing down the power of the Defence Force. In doing so, we may have gone overboard and risked compromising its strength, its capabilities and its uniqueness.
The Defence Force is special. We cannot deny that. They are special because they take an oath that commits them to giving their lives, should the need arise, in order that you and I may keep ours. No country or nation worth its salt should expect any less from members of its Defence Force. [Applause.] I wasn't sure whether we were applauding for the Defence Force or for Mr Selfe who has just come in. [Laughter.] I am certain there is no comparison there. [Laughter.]
The SA National Defence Force is a proud and disciplined force because that is its constitutional prescript. This is precisely why I am still distraught that some of our soldiers went on an illegal march to the Union Buildings in August 2009. We will not allow ill discipline in our ranks, ever, because it destroys the most fundamental premise of a soldier. We will retain our culture and not allow anyone to defile our image and the honour of our profession.
Our commitment as the state, to the Defence Force is complete and unconditional and will not be decided by any ill-disciplined soldier. The relationship the state has with its soldiers is unique and based on an exceptional amount of trust and responsibility. It requires of the state an enormous investment in each member, both in their conditions of service and education and training. We have been working on this over the past year and have made significant progress in a number of areas. We still have serious challenges in the Defence Force, most of which are as a result of serious underfunding. If we do not invest in our Defence Force, we are doing ourselves a grave injustice.
There are few components of the state which have such a high calling, which demand selflessness, bravery in the face of danger, the highest levels of discipline and absolute loyalty to the Constitution.
In peacetime our defence is a force for good. When all else fails, you can count on the Defence Force in providing whatever support is required for the state. When faced with disaster, with strikes, whether natural or man- made, we can count on these men and women in uniform to come to provide humanitarian assistance.
Who can forget the rescue mission our forces carried out during the floods in Mozambique in 2000? Who amongst us can forget the image of the child born in a tree and her miraculous rescue by our special forces? We have the child here with us, Chairperson, if you would allow me to ask her to stand up. [Applause.]
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You may sit down. Thank you.
Chairperson, she is our child that we rescued under the most extreme conditions, and a child whose birth was beamed across the world as a wonder of the Defence Force. We have here with us the two helicopter pilots who rescued her mother. I ask that Mr Klopper stand up ... [Applause.] ... and, Mr Chris Berlyn, stand up please ... [Applause.] ... and the medical officer who delivered the child, Dr Nengovhela. [Applause.] Today, I am the mother of another child that was born in wonderment, and we have adopted young Rosita as a member of the Defence Force family. She has become a symbol of the commitment of and everything the SANDF represents: technical skills and expertise; humanity; bravery; discipline; and empathy for the plight of those less fortunate than ourselves in difficulty. This is what we strive for at all times. [Applause.] We are continually working to ensure that our military is infused with all these noble values. This is the culture we insisted on in our new democracy, because this is the culture that we had when we struggled for freedom. We follow a very proud tradition of our military veterans, sons and daughters of Africa, who sacrificed their lives for us to be here today, living in peace and harmony and security. We can only hope that they look at us with the same pride as a continuation of their work, as we look at them with pride and gratitude.
However, Chairperson, allow me to digress on this point. Sadly, even though these military veterans have made such sacrifices for us to be here today, we have not, unfortunately, given them the most basic honour that they deserve: a life of retirement in dignity. I was horrified to learn that the matter of the pensions due to them, that would enable them to live out their retirement in some acceptable level of comfort, had not been finalised.
Here are people who fought for our struggle and they are unable to pay the bonds of their houses. Some of them are living in shacks. The agreements on their pensions, forged during the negotiations process that ushered in our democracy and which was endorsed by successive Cabinets, have not been implemented. The basic principle of caring for our veterans has not been adhered to. It should be of great concern to all of us that 15 years down the line, we have not honoured our commitment to these outstanding people. I therefore took the unconventional step of calling my chiefs on Sunday and begging for money from their meagre budgets to fulfill this right. All of Sunday and Monday the Military Command Council met to discuss this unusual posture of a begging Minister, but it worked. My knees are a bit grazed, but it worked.
It therefore gives me great pleasure to announce to all our nonstatutory force military veterans that we are now able to make adjustments in our budget to ensure that we can provide you with a pension on which you can live. [Applause.] This will be implemented incrementally, and the first adjustment will be done this month on 15 May. [Applause.] I may add that any of the military veterans is free to take me out to lunch; they can afford it now. [Laughter.]
My sincere gratitude goes to Gen Ngwenya, Military Command Council, the Secretaries of Defence and their staff, as well as my advisers for making this possible. And when I say the whole of Sunday and Monday, I really mean the whole of Sunday and Monday. They really went out of their way to ensure that today we are able to give honour to our veterans.
I did digress, Chairperson, but it was necessary and I am glad you allowed me to, because this is a major breakthrough for our military veterans right now. The Deputy Minister, who is responsible for the new Department of Military Veterans, will deal in greater detail with the work we have put in place to ensure that we can honour these people.
However, as I was saying, hon members will recall, we wasted no time in establishing the Interim National Defence Force Service Commission last year whose members, I hope, are with us here because I am extremely grateful for the work that they've put in. The commission has done sterling work over the past year and we are already implementing three of its proposals, which I shall now proceed to read. The first one: the commission recommended and worked on a draft Bill to enact the permanent National Defence Force Service Commission. We hope the Bill will go through the parliamentary process in this month. This will give our dispensation the legal status that it requires.
The second recommendation is related to the improvement of the basic salaries of members of the SANDF from salary levels 2 to 12. The President, as Commander-in-Chief, announced the increases in December 2009. This directive was effected immediately with salary increases ranging from 2% to 65% for all members of the SANDF on this level, with effect from 1 December 2009. We have done this as part of our commitment to ensuring that members of the SANDF are remunerated at levels that are in line with their responsibility and our responsibility towards them. And because we had a new dispensation, this was possible.
Minister, your time has expired. I will give you one extra minute.
I know. But the best is still to come. The work of the interim commission has resulted in our being able to announce now that we owe those soldiers between salary levels 2 to 12 back pay because the recommendation was that they would be paid from 1 July. How this will be done will be worked out with them.
Thirdly, the Occupation-specific dispensation has been granted to us by the commission, and this we are extremely grateful for and we will be giving this out with effect from 15 May.
Chairperson, I wish I could say more because we have accomplished more. All we ask from members here is: Please consider that the Defence Force is stretched beyond its capacity. The Defence Force has very meagre resources. We ask you for now to accept this budget while you work on ways in which we can improve this. I thank you most sincerely. [Applause.]
Chairperson, Minister and the different heads of the Defence Force and hon members, as the portfolio committee we still want to thank the Minister for the leadership she is providing within the Defence Force overall. We also would like to illustrate and explain that a perception is being created or a motive that we seem not to understand as the portfolio committee. The first thing that we really want to put into perspective is our interaction with the Ministry. If we don't do that, the perception that the Minister seems not to come to Parliament will continue to grow. We were totally taken aback on the day when the statement that she wants to shun Parliament became public.
On the day the Minister made a statement about her engagement with the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa, she was within the parliamentary precincts. She made that statement while next to me in a portfolio committee of Parliament. Now it seems as if there is a misconstruing of how Parliament is constituted. We think it is very important for us because, as we deal with issues of accountability, we should be able to explain this type of relationship.
The portfolio committee calls, monitors and plays an oversight role, and I must say, at this particular moment, that last year we had about 20 meetings with the Minister. This year, in the fourth term of Parliament, we already have nine engagements with her. So the Minister does remain accountable to Parliament through the portfolio committee. There is no way that that relationship should be overlooked.
How the Minister relates to Scopa is a different matter. We have been able to go to that particular ... [Interjections.] No, no. Ellis, I will give you a lecture about that. It's my job. I know that. [Interjections.] What I'm saying is that ... No, no, I know that all portfolio committees, as instructed by the Constitution, are supposed to relate in that particular manner. But, at the end of the day, the responsibility of that committee is to deal with financial matters. The portfolio committee has an overall duty of looking over the Ministry. So there is no way that she could have abstained from that responsibility.
In essence, when we looked into the correspondence, to what is exactly going on there ...
Madam Chair ...
Is that a point of order?
It is a point of order, Madam.
Please take your seat, hon Booi. What is your point of order, hon member?
Madam Chair, on a point of order: It would appear that the hon Booi is making particular statements about what the Minister's function is and what various portfolio committees' functions are, when, in fact, he is not in a position to do that. There are Rules of Parliament that state very clearly what a Minister's responsibilities to committees are. I cannot believe that what the hon member is saying here is, in fact, parliamentary. Certainly, it is not correct and, therefore, not parliamentary either.
Hon member, that's not a point of order. He is expressing his opinion on the matter. So, hon Booi, continue.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Madam Chair, seriously: May I ask the hon Booi to speak into his microphone better. [Interjections.] This is a serious request. Please speak into the microphone so that we can hear you better. [Interjections.]
Look, hon member, I respect you, but I also want you to give respect to what I'm saying. I'm saying that you must listen to me. I give you respect and I expect you to respect me. [Interjections.] No, no, what I'm saying is true. It's a true reflection because I have engaged with the staff of Parliament to get clarity on the matter of how Scopa versus the portfolio committee is working. So I don't know what you are talking about.
I'm not sucking facts out of my thumb here. I'm dealing with facts -I have gone out of my way to make sure that we understand our two roles. It is important to me, when I deal with this matter, that I am able to clarify for myself what my responsibility is and what Scopa's responsibility is, and how that engagement guides us. I also need to clarify how that engagement guides us because it is important for the broader public and the soldiers to understand whether the Minister is shunning Parliament or not. [Interjections.] I'm saying it's my responsibility; there is nothing wrong in doing that. I'm a member of this Parliament and I've got a responsibility to make myself clear.
What I'm saying is that, in discharging our responsibility as the portfolio committee, the Ministry has engaged with us about 29 times. The Ministry has remained accountable to the portfolio committee. This responsibility, which the Minister is meeting, is something which we really welcome and support. So if the newspapers, and or any other person, say that the Minister is not responsible, that she is not coming to Parliament, that is a blue lie. It is a matter of fact, in the correspondence that I have looked into, that she was called to come to and observe those particular meetings.
In reflection, it should be clearly said that if you want to summon a particular Minister, you need to be able to say why you are summoning him or her. I wanted to solicit a response from the Minister in order for me to know whether it was within her parliamentary responsibilities or whether it was part of our own. I also want to know whether this was about A400 or not. It was clear to me that the way the Minister conducted herself has been very honourable and very supportive. I support her in the efforts that she has made. [Interjections.] We will always be going ... That's part of the budget. We are talking about matters of accountability; that is, how do we remain accountable to the institution itself. [Interjections.]
The next matter that we need to deal with is the issue of transformation. The Minister has done a very good job and, in the past 15 years, there has been a lot of good progress with regard to issues of gender and race. There has been quite a lot of progress that has been made with regard to those particular issues. [Interjections.]
Hon members, can we have one debate. Please give him a hearing.
We continue to say that the role that the Military Skills Development System, MSDS, is playing in building and strengthening the SA National Defence Force, which is currently known as the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, is one issue that we should be able to put our hands together in congratulations to the system. It is exactly doing what has been expected of it. The MSDS is improving the skills development and are rejuvenating what the Department of Defence and Military Veterans is about.
The Bill that seeks to bring together the regular and the reserve force, which the Minister is putting in front of us, is a Bill that we think is going to be helpful to the Department of Defence and Military Veterans. That is a very progressive step. Minister, you understand matters of constitutionality and legislation, and that's why I like you sometimes. Through that legislation you are providing for empowerment, because you are saying that we must bring the reserve force and regular force together so that we can build a stable force. That is a development that we welcome as it will take us a little bit more forward. It will also give more confidence to the MSDS in that when their term comes to an end, they will have a role to play within the SANDF.
Furthermore, one of the most important things that you have done during the past year, Minister, is assist us in taking the soldiers back to the borders. We welcome that effort. That is one effort that has really benefited us. [Applause.] You have accomplished what we, as Members of Parliament in the Third Parliament, had all been grumbling about. You have been able to understand that the role of the SANDF is to defend the sovereignty of South Africa. That is a very important and crucial development for us.
What we have seen on the borders and what we have reflected upon - one of our members will be able to give more substance to that - is an effort that we know has been made, in that I have gone to the appropriation to motivate for more. This is because one of the citizens of South Africa said to us - something which you have been complaining about, David - that the 250 times that have been given to the Air Force is not enough. Something has to be done in terms of that time. That is why the Ministry and all of us are saying that, because we have missed that opportunity of being able to get the budget for the border development, we should be able to try and motivate for that. It is going to be important.
What we have seen on the borders, something which our members are going to explain, is really telling us a very sad story about the decisions that we have made in the past. If somebody can steal a 4x4 in Cape Town in the morning and in the afternoon that particular 4x4 is in Mozambique - as it is, with its number plates - that reflects very badly on us as citizens or the type of criminals who commit such crimes. It clearly shows that there is a syndicate that is running this racket.
Therefore your decision, Madam Minister, of sending soldiers back to the borders, I must say, is very welcome. It is an effort that will enable us to call upon every member who is here to debate today to understand and be able to motivate for the budget that we are talking about.
Minister, you have also spoken about the military discipline, which is another piece of legislation that you are putting in front of us. That is a constitutional obligation. We have to be able to assist ourselves. As we were engaging and interacting with the SANDF, I urged members that we should look at discipline. Among the problems that confronted us during the strike, or whatever happened at the Union Buildings, were accusations that the generals had been misbehaving and that was why there was that type of conduct. But we got a different impression from our border engagement, where we had a military high command led by Gen Ngwenya of the Defence Force.
Gen Ngwenya himself was there. He led the high command. He gave us an opportunity to engage and observe the discipline of the generals themselves. They were highly disciplined. We can't say it in any other way. They set a very good example to us in the way that they organised and prepared everything. Chief of the Defence Force, we are very thankful for how you organised that. We say you should keep it up.
But that does not mean that we should not improve. As the Minister also says, the way in which we look at the institution of the SANDF and its uniqueness and the fact that the Constitution emphasises the question of discipline, means that we should re-emphasise and strengthen discipline. This will ensure that those who are coming into the SANDF, as young as they are, understand that constitutional obligation. They must also understand the fact that we really want the SANDF to remain a very disciplined force in our times.
The service commission that we are putting in place and the legislation that is going to be passed to make it a permanent development within the SANDF ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, on 15 April 2010 members of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans finally broke out of our parliamentary barracks to spend the day at sea on board on one of our warships, the SAS Mendi. One could not help being impressed by Captain Bravo Mhlana, Commander Graham Walker and the young and diverse crew of the SAS Mendi who represent everything that is good, not only about the SA Navy, but about the whole SA National Defence Force. [Applause.]
I would like to begin by recognising the loyal, disciplined, professional members of our Defence Force, many of whom have joined us here today, who serve under very difficult conditions, sometimes in the most dangerous conflict zones in the world. Whether you are from the army, the air force, the navy or the military health service, we can only say thank you, thank you, thank you for your service in our country. [Applause.]
The Minister was appointed a year ago, and since then she has notched up some impressive achievements. This includes the appointment of a permanent civilian Secretary of Defence, Mpumi Mpofu, who takes command of the Defence Secretariat on 1 June 2010. This also includes the employment of the Defence Force to safeguard our maritime, landward and air borders, the tough action taken against soldiers who protested the review of soldiers' service conditions, the commitment to deunionisation and the subsequent appointment of the interim National Defence Force Service Commission. Anybody who doubts the Minister's commitment to achieving outcomes should know that she has promised that if there is not a clean audit this year, there will not be enough towels to wipe the blood off the floor. [Applause.]
The fact is that things are moving, perhaps not always in the right direction, but things are moving. The Minister, the Deputy Minister and all the staff deserve credit for what has been achieved this year. [Applause.]
On 26 August 2009, more than a 1 000 soldiers, most of them from the army, went on a rampage in front of the Union Buildings. Of course, we should never forget that thousands more soldiers remained loyal, disciplined and professional and did not march on the Union Buildings. But, the fact is that on that day we were faced with the grim spectacle of soldiers, some of them armed with knobkieries, toyi-toying through the streets, brandishing placards, shouting slogans and torching vehicles. The soldiers who went on the rampage did irreparable harm, diminishing the already diminished reputation of the Defence Force, but they also focused political minds firmly on the state of the SA National Defence Force. I regret to say, however, that the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans knows very little about the state of the Defence Force, because the Minister has surrounded it with a ring of virtually impenetrable steel. You will all be aware that the Minister currently finds herself at the bottom of a deep and very muddy parliamentary foxhole following her decision to absent herself from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
Rather than stop digging and conceding that she is wrong on this issue, the Minister has instead chosen to lob a political smoke grenade into Parliament, designed to obscure and confuse the fact that, in fact, she can be summoned by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa. Of course, this is not an isolated incident; it is instead part of a pattern of accountability-busting behaviour for which the Minister is becoming very well known.
The Minister's approach to Parliament comes right out of "Yes, Minister", where officials believe that if people do not know what you are doing, they don't know what you are doing wrong. The Minister's own defence policy reads that the Department of Defence and Military Veterans recognises that it has a positive duty to provide sufficient information to ensure adequate parliamentary and public scrutiny. The Defence Force's central argument is that it is underfunded, which creates capability gaps which, in turn, result in risks to our national security. The key question therefore must be: What are these capability gaps and what risks are there to our national security? The short answer to that question is that we still don't know because a year after this matter was raised, we still have not been briefed on the combat-readiness of the Defence Force.
We have never been briefed on the service conditions within the Defence Force, the salary increases and how they were funded, or on acquisition of capital equipment for the Defence Force. We have never been briefed on the Defence Force's operation in support of the police for the 2010 World Cup. We have never received copies of the interim report, especially the so- called ticking time-bomb report produced by the Interim National Defence Force Service Commission. And we have never received a copy of the report from the Ministerial Task Team on Military Veterans.
My requests to visit military bases - Doornkop Military Base, Lenz Military Base and various other military formations - were effectively ignored. My parliamentary questions are hardly ever replied to. More than 10 parliamentary questions were not replied to last year and more than 20 parliamentary questions have not been replied to this year. Why does this happen? It happens because the Minister has tendencies, not the sort of tendencies that the hon Stella Ndabeni's leader Julius Malema likes to talk about, but deeply authoritarian tendencies.
The Minister is simply not hard-wired for democracy, because when the Minister is faced with a choice between secrecy and transparency, you can bet the Minister will always choose secrecy.
The truth is that there has been so much democratic roll-back in the Defence department that the Minister is in danger of becoming a modern-day Magnus Malan. [Interjections.]
The fact is that the Minister's approach has done serious damage to the relationship between the Defence department and Parliament, and it has left members of the portfolio committee in the dark about the true state of the Defence Force, forcing us to join the dots rather like Cold War Kremlinologists "reading the tea leaves".
Our Defence Force is clearly on its chin straps. A recent assessment by Jane's Defence Weekly told us that the SA National Defence Force is "in crisis". The article goes on to tell us that the Defence Force "is in danger of becoming moribund", "incapable of major operations" and is "clearly in decline". The crisis in the Defence Force, however, is perhaps best illustrated by the state of the Air Force. Don't listen to me; listen to Gen Carlos Gagiano, the Chief of the SA Air Force, who reported last year that "Until such time that additional funding can be allocated ... the SA Air Force will only be able to sustain around 2 000 Hawk flying hours per year versus the required 4 000 flying hours per year ... and the impact being that ... the Gripen System will only be able to be minimally implemented post June 2010".
What does this mean? It means that we have spent R15,7 billion on fighter jets that we cannot properly maintain and operate. This has happened, in part, because funds have been sucked out of "operations" and they have been sucked out of "acquisition" in order to pay for the ballooning costs of personnel.
We gather the army can now only afford to field four companies, that is, about 580 soldiers on our borders. The navy can only afford to sail one ship on coastal patrol on a given day and the air force can only keep two operational Gripen fighters flying.
And what does this all mean? It means, in effect, that we have a barracks- bound army, a harbour-bound navy and a hangar-bound air force. The Defence Force is now in serious danger of being reduced to an armed welfare organisation, whose primary purpose is to provide employment rather than security. [Interjections.]
The Minister, in introducing the idea of voluntary national service, appears to have morphed into the Minister of Labour. The idea of voluntary national service will have to be extensively debated. But the real question is: Where are the resources going to come from, and will this not further reinforce the armed welfare role of our Defence Force? There is clearly an operating budget shortfall, and we need to deal with it as a matter of urgency.
A comprehensive analysis of defence spending by way of an independent audit should be conducted so that we can find ways of decreasing spending on support and increasing spending on operations, because too often we spend our bucks on bling rather than spending our bucks on bang.
Is it really necessary, for example, for the Defence Force to spend money on a VIP lounge at the O R Tambo International Airport, on a fleet of luxury vehicles because foreign military officers cannot be transported, in the words of one official, in a mere "Uno", and on 36 military attachs who serve in all sorts of obscure nooks and crannies all around the world?
We must find ways to reallocate resources within the existing budget towards the sharp end of the Defence Force. The Defence department's central argument, as I have mentioned before, is that, despite an allocation of R30,7 billion, the Defence Force is underfunded by R7,3 billion in the 2010-11 financial year. That may be, but the hard fact is this: the Defence department has never produced a credible case. In fact, it has never produced a case to review the Defence budget.
The Department of Defence's draft policy document, entitled Defence Update 2035, which should form the foundation of the Department of Defence's case and which has cost millions of rand to produce over the past five years, seems to have been buried and will not, we are told, see the light of day any time soon.
Never in the history of defence policy-making have so many laboured so long to produce so little. [Laughter.] But instead of a credible case, the Defence department argues that the Defence budget should be increased to approximately 1,8% of our GDP, because that is the average military burden in the developing world. This is, I am sure you will agree, a spectacular nonargument and, frankly, complete and utter rubbish.
What it reveals is that the real problem at the Defence department is not a budget deficit. The real problem at the Defence department is a leadership deficit. The Defence department seems to have lost its way. The strategy seems to be to fill the next pothole in our pathway. That is why we need strong political leadership that is able to put an end to the "amateurism" we have become used to and pull the Defence Force up by its bootstraps. There is no doubt that the Defence Force needs a major overhaul and should be put to terms.
There should be no review of the defence budget until the Defence department complies with the following conditions: submitting a Green Paper on Defence to Parliament in order to reset our 14-year-old defence policy; conduct a strategic defence review to rebalance the force design, force structure, human resource levels and defence acquisition priorities; and, most important of all, the Minister needs to voluntarily climb out of the parliamentary foxhole she finds herself in and begin to build trust and break down suspicion by being properly accountable to Parliament. I thank you. [Applause.]
Mohlomphegi Modulasetulo, maloko ao a hlomphegago, Tona ya t?a T?hirelet?o le Bagale ba Se?ole, Motlat?a Tona wa t?a T?hirelet?o le Bagale ba Se?ole le mohlomphegi Booi, re le baCope, re thekga ditekanyet?o t?a Kgoro ya t?a T?hirelet?o le Bagale ba Se?ole.
Ke rata go laet?a gore ke ka lebaka la eng re thekga ditekanyet?o t?e. Eup?a pele ke eya fao, e re ke le tsebi?e gore go bolela nnete re be re t?wile maloba re ile kua ntle ga naga. Seo re se bonego ge re le fao bagage?o se laedit?e go amogela gore batho ba Afrika-Borwa kamoka ga bona ba swanet?e go ba ngata e tee. Ge re thoma re bolela ka ma?ole, re bolela ka t?hirelet?ego ya rena ka moka. Ge o bala puku ya Baahlodi kgaolo ya bo?upa ka Bebeleng e laet?a gore ma?ole ke dibet?a; ke bao ba hlophilwego ke Modimo go ?irelet?a set?haba. Ka gona go bohlokwa gore re be ngatana ye tee.
Ge re le kua mollwaneng, a mangwe a ma?ole a ?upile gore ke Tona ya T?hirelet?o le Bagale ba Se?ole feela yeo e ilego ya etela mellwane gomme ya rwala kefa let?at?ing ya hlehla e lekola legora la mollwane go tloga ka 1994 go fihla lehono. Ka gona bagage?o, wo e bile mo?omo wo mobotse.
Re le baCope re thekga ditekanet?o t?e. Eup?a re rata ge nkabe di ka hlatlo?wa gape. [Legoswi.] Re bolela se ka lebaka la gore go sa na le dinyakwa t?eo di lego gona go dira gore kgoro ye e kgone go ba gabotse. Legora la go lekana dikilometara t?e nne go ya go t?e hlano le ripilwe kua mollwaneng wa Afrika-Borwa le Mozambique gomme dikoloi di nt?hwa fao, gape le mahodu magareng ga dinaga t?e pedi t?e a t?wa gona fao. Ge re be le fao let?at?ing leo, ma?ole a ile a re laet?a mehlala ya dikoloi t?eo di ka bago di t?erwe e sa le bo?ego gomme t?a tshelela ka Mozambique.
Se sengwe gape ke gore difofane t?eo re bego re sepela ka t?ona ke t?a kgale t?a go hloka diruthufat?a/dihlabo?a-moya le dintlwana t?a go ithomela ka gare ga t?ona. Moya ga o tsene le go tsena ka gare. Go nyakega gore go be t?helete ya go reka dilo t?e. Bagage?o, ge re sa hlokomele gabotse - ke ?ia go bolela mekgatlo ya majelathoko yeo e hlolago meferefere lefaseng - ka le lengwe la mat?at?i re tla makat?wa ke pomo go t?wa go mekgatlo ye mengwe ge go ka lemogwa mokgwa wo wa go ?wahlela ka mo Afrika-Borwa. Le a e tseba mekgatlo ye ke bolelago ka yona. Go nyakega gore go ?irelet?ege e le ka nnete kua mellwaneng.
Ke lebogile ma?ole ka taet?o ya bona ya go iphsina ka go ?irelet?a naga ya ga bobona. Go bolela nnete, ge e le maphodisa wona ga a dire ka tsela ye - ga re re re a senya - maphodisa ga se a bone fao legora le le ripilwego gona. Ke ma?ole ao a tlilego a re lemo?a gore dikoloi di tsene kae. Ka fao, go laet?a gabotse gore batho ba ba ?oma ka tshwanelo.
Beng baka, re batho bao ba ka lekanago dimilione t?e 39 go ya go t?e 40 mo Afrika-Borwa. Re na le ma?ole ao a ka lekanago dikete t?e 74 ge ke sa fo?e - Tona o tseba ka se go mpheta. Eup?a ba re hlokomet?e ka moka ga rena. Re rata ge ditekanyet?o t?e di ka roto?wa. Tona o ile a laet?a seyalemoyeng gore go kaone ge mohlomongwe re ka hwet?a dipilione t?e nne. Nna ke re re ka thaba ge Tona a ka di oket?a go feta fa. [Legoswi.]
Ga ke tsebe dithunya gabotse, efela ke dumela gore Tona o di tseba gabotse. Ke ile ka kwa ba bot?i?a mokgalabje yo mongwe wa bagolo ba ma?ole dipot?i?o let?at?i le lengwe ge ke theeledit?e seyalemoyeng. Ba be ba mmot?i?a ka ga dithunya t?e dingwe t?eo e lego gore ma?ole a swanet?e go di ?omi?a nakong ya tlhahlo, eup?a o ile a laet?a gore ba ka se kgone go ?omi?a dithunya t?e nakong ya tlhahlo ka lebaka la gore ge ba ka di ?omi?a, go ka se be le t?helete ya go reka t?e dingwe. Bjale, ga go nyakege gore ma?ole a thome go ?omi?a dibet?a ge go ?et?e go befile. T?helete e swanet?e gore e be gona gore dibet?a ka moka di kgone go ba gona, gomme ma?ole a hlahliwe ka t?ona. [Legoswi.] Se se tla dira gore ge bothata bo fihla e be gore ba na le maitemogelo ka ga t?ona. Ntle le mo, motho o tla re a sa lebelelane le t?a gore sethunya se beakanywa bjang, ya ba gore lenaba la gagwe le ?et?e le mo thunt?hit?e. Ka gona, re swanet?e re kopane tabeng ye.
Dikgoro ka moka di bohlokwa. Le nkwe gabotse, ga ke re dikgoro t?e dingwe ga di bohlokwa. Bjalo ka monna wa Mopedi, ka segage?o ge monna a nyaka go aga motse o nyaka monna goba mosadi wa ngaka gore a tle a thee motse gore dikebekwa le batho ba kotsi ba se tsene motseng wa gagwe. [Legoswi.] Se se dira gore bana ba robale gabotse gomme go se be le mathata. Le rena mo Afrika-Borwa, ge re nyaka go thea motse wa rena gore re robale gabotse le bana ba rena re iketle ntle le mathata, re swanet?e go thekga Kgoro ye ya t?a T?hirelet?o le Bagale ba Se?ole ka maatla. Ge re na le ma?ole ao a se nago maatla bagage?o, re kotsing ka moka ga rena - go sa lebelelwe gore o wa mokgatlo ofe wa dipolitiki. Seo se lego gona ke gore re swanet?e go thekga batho ba gore ba kgone go t?wela pele mo?ong wa bona. [Legoswi.]
Go na le seo ke ratago go se bot?a Tona. Ngwagola ka kgwedi ya boraro ke le kua gae monyanyeng, ke ile ka bona ngwanenyana a apere yunifomo ya ma?ole. O be a efa batho magobe. Ka ge ke le leloko la komiti ya t?a ma?ole ke ile ka kwa ke ekwa bose gomme ka mmit?a ka re: Ngwanenyana wa ka, na o ?omela kae? O ile a mpot?a gore ga se le?ole. Ke ile ka mot?i?a ka ga yunifomo yeo a bego a e apere ka ge e be e swana le ya ma?ole. O ile a re ke ya lesogana la gagwe. Ke ile ka mmot?i?a gore lesogana la gagwe le kae gomme a nt?hupet?a lona. [Disego.]
Re le ba Cope, re bonela pele le morago. [T?hwahlelo.] [Nako e fedile.] [Legofsi.] (Translation of Sepedi speech follows.)
[Mr L J TOLO: Hon Chairperson, hon members, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, the Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans and hon Booi, Cope supports the budget for the Department of Defence and Military Veterans.
I would like to indicate the reason for supporting the budget. Let me first indicate that we went abroad and what we saw there proved that all South Africans have to be united. When we speak of the soldiers we refer to the security of the country. Judges chapter 7 in the Bible indicates that the soldiers were chosen by God to protect the nation.
Some of the soldiers indicated when we were at the border that from 1994 until today it is only the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans who visited the border and walked in the sun along the border with a cap on her head, checking the border fence. This is commendable.
Cope supports this budget even though we don't think it is enough. [Applause.] There are still other things needed for this department to function effectively. A border fence of a distance of about four to five kilometres has been removed between South Africa and Mozambique. Cars are smuggled between the two countries through that gap. On the day we visited the border the soldiers showed us tracks of cars that might have been smuggled during the night into Mozambique.
We also boarded old aeroplanes that had neither air conditioners nor toilets. There was no air coming into the aeroplanes. We need money to ensure that air conditioners and toilets are made available in these aeroplanes. If we are not careful - I do not want to mention the names of terrorist organisations that cause chaos in the world - one day we are going to be surprised by a bomb from one of these organisations, should they be aware of the gap. You know the organisations I am talking about. There has to be strong security at the borders.
I salute the soldiers for proving that they enjoy their work of protecting their country. To be honest, the police force is not doing enough - I am not trying to create any chaos - but they are not aware of the gap. The soldiers were the ones to show it to us. This shows their commitment to their work.
South Africa has a population of 39 to 40 million. If I am not mistaken, we have about 74 000 soldiers - the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans knows better about this. These soldiers are looking after all of us. We wish that the budget could be increased. The Minister indicated on the radio that it would be better if the department was allocated R4 billion; I think the Minister should negotiate for more. [Applause.]
I do not know much about guns, but I believe the Minister knows better about them. I once listened to a radio interview of an old man who was a leader in the army. He was asked about guns that soldiers should use in training and he said that they could not use those guns for training because they could not afford to replace them. There has to be enough money for all the weapons so that training of soldiers includes the use of necessary weapons as well. Lack of proper training on the use of guns puts the lives of soldiers at risk. We therefore have to meet and talk about this matter.
All the departments are equally important; I am not saying other departments are not important. According to our culture as Bapedi, when a man builds a house for his family, he invites a traditional doctor to come and protect the house against criminals and witchcraft. [Applause.] This will help the family members to sleep peacefully. If we want to sleep peacefully in South Africa we have to fully support the Department of Defence and Military Veterans. If the soldiers are not properly trained, they put the lives of all the citizens at risk, irrespective of what political party you belong to. The soldiers also need our support to work efficiently. [Applause.]
I would like to tell the Minister that I saw a lady dressed in the South African army uniform at a wedding back home in March 2009. She was serving food. As a member of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans I felt good about it and I asked the lady where she works. She said that she was not a soldier, that the uniform belonged to her boyfriend. I asked her where her boyfriend was and she showed me. [Laughter.]
Cope members are visionaries. [Interjections.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]]
Sihlalo, neNdlu ehloniphekile, mhlonishwa neSekela likaNgqongqoshe, namalungu ahloniphekile, ngithi asibonge kakhulu umsebenzi owenziwa amasosha okugcina uxolo ngaphandle kwezwe nangokusebenzisana kwawo ne-African Union kanye ne-United Nations.
Thina njengabantu balapha eNingizimu Afrika sikubonga kakhulu ukusebenzisana kwamasosha aseNingizimu Afrika kanye nabanye ukudala uxolo emzini nasezindaweni lapho lwalungekho khona uxolo ukuze kube khona intando yeningi kanye nokuphilisana kwabantu. [Fundamental human rights].
Izinga lokulolongwa kwamasosha alapha kubukeka kusezingeni eliphezulu kakhulu. Siyakuthokozela thina ukubona izintokazi nezinsizwa zizimisela emsebenzini wazo ukuvikela izwe lazo nabantu bakubo ezweni labo ukulandela umkhankaso u-Kgwele, lo mkhankaso wokusivikela thina nale nendebe ezayo, yalomdlalo omkhulu. Siyakuthokozela ukuthi kube khona inkece yokulekelela ukuze abantu bakwazi ukusiza.
Nalaba abasebenza emanzini, siyakuthokozela ukuthi bawenze umsebenzi wabo ukuze bakwazi ukuvimba laba bantu abafuna ukweba izinto ezingamagugu ethu ezihlala emanzini. Futhi siyathokoza uma nalaba abasemoyeni besebenzisa amahora abo okundiza ukuze baqinisekise ukuthi sivikelekile lapha ezweni lethu iNingizimu Afrika. Ngoba kusemqoka ukuthi sivikeleke thina zakhamizi zalapha eNingizimu Afrika.
Okwesithathu siyakuthokozela thina beNkatha yeNkululeko ukuthi umhlonishwa useze wawuvula uMnyango wokubhekana namasosha lawo okwakukade eyibambile, lapha kubalwa lawo asekhululiwe nalawo akade engakhululekile kahle - engenazo izindlela zokuphila. Kodwa sicela ukuthi awuhlukanise lo Mnyango ube kabili ukuze bakwazi ukucosha okubafanele. Siyakuthokozela futhi lokho okushiwo wumhlonioshwa namhlanje ukuthi bazokwazi ukucosha yonke into abafanele ukuyicosha ukuze bakwazi ukuthi baziphilise bona nezingane zabo ngoba balilwele lelizwe ngalokho-ke kufanele ukuthi bakucoshe lokho okubafanele.
Kuyisifiso sethu-ke thina njengeqembu leNkatha yeNkululeko ukuthi siqinisekise ukuthi umhlonishwa enze isiqiniseko sokuthi nabangekho kulolu hlelo babekhona ukuze bakwazi ukucosha konke lokhu okufanele ukucosheka - kungacoshwa abathile kuphela kuthi abathile bangakucoshi.
Sikuthokozela kakhulu ukusebenza kwe-Landward Defence ngoba iyimizamo yokuthi kuvinjwe ngakho konke ukungena kwabantu ngokungemthetho lapha ezweni. Futhi ilekelela ikakhulukazi amaphoyisa alapha eNingizimu Afrika ngoba anomthwalo nomsebenzi omkhulu wokuthi abhekane nokuphepha kwabantu lapha ngaphakathi ezweni. Nawo asehuduleke ngapha nangapha, kuguga amajazi eya le nale kodwa kungcono ngoba aseyalekeleleka ukuba kube khona abezokuvikela ukuba bakwazi ukugada emgceleni.
Ngakho-ke sicela ukuthi umhlonishwa akunakisise ukuthi konke loko kuyenzeka ukuthi atholakale emgceleni ngaso sonke isikhathi ukuze bakwazi ukuthi abantu bakithi bavikeleke. Laba abangafanele ukungena bangangeni lapha ezweni. Laba okufanele baphindiselwe emuva, baphindiselwe emuva kubo, ngoba banamakubo nathi sinamakithi.
Okokugcina mhlonishwa siphakamisa ukubonga ukuqashwa kwalaba abayi-4000 abaqashwe nje ngoJanuwari ukuthi bakwazi ukusebenza babhekisane umsebenzi, bakwazi ukukhulisa umsebenzi ikakhulukazi ukuvikela izwe. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Mr V B NDLOVU: Chairperson, this august House, hon Minister, your Deputy, and hon members, I am very grateful to the troops who are keeping peace outside the borders of the country and also grateful for their co-operation with the African Union and the United Nations.
We, the people of South Africa, are very thankful for the co-operation of the South African army and others in maintaining peace in the communities and in areas where it did not exist so that democracy and harmony amongst humanity could prevail.
It looks as if our army's level of training is very high. And we are grateful to see women and men committed to their work of protecting their country and its citizens in Operation Kgwele, the operation that is meant to protect us and the coming big event, the World Cup. We are also grateful that some funds were made available for people who will be helping in this regard.
We are also grateful to the navy for doing its work in that they are able to prevent people from poaching our precious marine assets. We are also grateful to the air force for using their flight hours to ensure that we are safe in our country, South Africa. It is important that we, the citizens of South Africa, are safe.
Thirdly, we, as the IFP, are grateful that the hon Minister has established a department that will look into the affairs of soldiers who have served in the army for a long time, which includes all those who are liberated and those who are actually not liberated - those who do not have other means of living. But we request that this department be divided into two so that these soldiers could be accorded what is rightfully theirs. We are grateful for what the hon Minister is saying today, that is that they will get the benefits which they are entitled to in order for them to make a living for themselves and their children, because they have fought for this country.
It is our wish, as the IFP, to ensure that the hon Minister ensures that even those who are not in this programme are included so that they too can get what they are entitled to - these benefits should not be accorded to some people and not others.
We are also very grateful for the implementation of the Landward Defence, because it is a means to prevent illegal immigrants from entering this country. It also particularly assists the South African police, because they have a very big task of ensuring people's safety in the country. They have been running from pillar to post, until their coats were worn out, but it is better now that they receive assistance from the army as it is now monitoring our borders.
We, therefore, request the hon Minister to ensure that all this happens and that the soldiers are always stationed at their posts on our borders so that our people are protected. People who are not supposed to enter our borders should not be inside. And those who are supposed to be repatriated should be sent back to their countries because they belong there and we belong here.
Lastly, hon Minister, we would like to express our appreciation in respect of the 4 000 individuals who were appointed in January to work with the army in developing the work of protecting the country.]
It is unfortunate that this department has received qualified audits for the last couple of years, apparently due to mismanagement by departmental staff in this area. We accordingly urge the Minister to co-operate with the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa, in these matters, because it reflects negatively on the department when it fails to rectify its shortcomings, as has been pointed out by Scopa. We are not blaming anybody, but we are saying that you, as the head of the department ...
... faka uswazi ukuze kukwazi ukulunga umsebenzi ukwazi ukuqonda ngqo phambili. Sengiphetha mhlonishwa ... [Isikhathi sesiphelile.] Ungakusho kanjani ngingakaqedi? [Uhleko.] [... should crack the whip so that things could go accordingly. In conclusion, hon Minister ... How can you say that because I am not done yet? [Laughter.] [Time expired.]]
Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Dr Lindiwe Sisulu, hon Deputy Minister Sampson Makwetla, Acting Secretary for Defence, Members of Parliament, and our honourable guests, I am not going to respond to some of the things said by the hon Maynier. I would be wasting my time, because he spoke as if the Minister is responsible for the underfunding of the SANDF.
He forgets that it is his duty, my duty and the duty of the entire Parliament to ask the Treasury to put more money into the SANDF so that they will be able to carry out their mandate of defending you and me. That is what we should be doing as a Parliament and not attack our Minister as if she is responsible for the underfunding of the SANDF. It is not her fault. It is our fault that we are not putting pressure on the Treasury.
As articulated in our document Ready to Govern, in the Reconstruction and Development Programme, and in the Mafikeng, Stellenbosch and Polokwane conferences, there is a critical need to ensure peace and stability on our continent and internationally in order for the objectives of the national democratic revolution to be realised.
Our position as the ANC refers to a wider security dimension, which emphasises the security of the people, the non-military dimensions of security, and a holistic approach to peace, stability, security and development. In this regard, the elimination of poverty and unemployment and an improvement in living standards will ultimately minimise crime and conflict, especially among the youth, and generally among the people and countries of the world.
This calls for an integrated approach to development that focuses on peace and stability in South Africa and the SADC region. This includes improving the working conditions of security personnel, improved training, effective border control and the strengthening of intelligence capacity. It includes the increased responsibilities of intelligence in defending our democracy, including helping to combat terrorism. The recognition of the emergence of new threats globally occasions a need for a well-co-ordinated intelligence- gathering capacity.
This budget should assist endeavours to expand and deepen co-operation among the law-enforcement agencies in the region and further afield. At the same time, it should enhance cohesiveness in the improvement of the capacity of our Defence Force and intelligence agencies to secure the integrity of our nation-state. Above all, it must help to build a more focused and responsive Defence Force.
The budget of the department must ensure that security forces are an essential and strategic service in terms of resources. Section 198(a) of the Constitution states: National security must reflect the resolve of South Africans, as individuals and as a nation, to live as equals, to live in peace and harmony, to be free from fear and want and to seek a better life.
Section 200(1) states that the Defence Force must be structured and managed as a disciplined military force. The Minister has referred to that on several occasions.
The resolve to live in peace and friendship precludes any South African citizen from participating in armed conflict, nationally or internationally, except as provided for in terms of the Constitution or national legislation. National security must be pursued in compliance with the law, including international law. National security is subject, of course, to the authority of Parliament and the national executive.
Section 200(2) of the Constitution states:
The primary object of the defence force is to defend and protect the Republic, its territorial integrity and its people in accordance with the Constitution and the principles of international law regulating the use of force.
The Ready to Govern document states that "South Africa shall be committed to resolving conflicts primarily through non-violent means and security forces shall be subject to checks and balances."
As captured in section 200 of the Constitution in postapartheid South Africa, the Defence Force must be structured and managed as a disciplined military force. With regard to security services, section 199(8) states:
To give effect to the principles of transparency and accountability, multiparty parliamentary committees must have oversight of all security services in a manner determined by national legislation or the rules and orders of Parliament.
Parliament, through the Defence and Military Veterans committee, should participate in the strengthening of national security, defence policy, the integration of military veterans and ensuring public finance management. The security services, including personnel, infrastructure, readiness, budgets, expenditure and acquisition, must ensure a stronger, more focused and responsive Defence Force. This continues to be our commitment as representatives of the people in line with our electoral mandate.
Part of the key task is to regularly visit the security services at their bases, as we did last time, borders - somebody will talk about that, I hope - ports of entry, offices, defence entities and other places of work to remain abreast of developments. In parliamentary language, this refers to announced and unannounced visits by us or by joint standing committees, and so on.
In building and strengthening cohesiveness and unity, Members of Parliament in the Defence and Military Veterans committee are obliged to exercise a significant degree of confidentiality while promoting the principles of transparency and accountability. Internationally, the area of defence has to balance the needs for secrecy and sufficient transparency and accountability. In our actions and conscience we need to deepen the capacity of defence forces in a manner that is responsive.
The need to deepen cohesiveness and unity to ensure a stronger, more focused and responsive Defence Force requires a focus on the youth and their needs, especially their skills development. This is compatible with the state of the nation addresses over recent years.
In line with the government's view to create development opportunities for the youth of South Africa, the Department of Defence introduced the two- year Military Skills Development System, MSDS, in 2003 - a two-year programme that grants young people, mostly school-leavers, the opportunity to do voluntary military service.
The department seeks to enhance the SANDF's combat-readiness through annual intakes of young, healthy and fit individuals that are representative of the country's population, as part of its contribution to nation-building. It seeks to afford development opportunities for the youth of our country.
Subsequent to their basic military training, successful MSDS recruits are afforded the opportunity to choose training in specific areas. The ANC supports this Budget Vote. Thank you very much. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, and hon members, the UDM supports Budget Vote 21. [Applause.] It is a privilege and an honour to participate in this debate. For the record, I am not a member of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, nor is the UDM represented in the committee. However, my interest has been occasioned by my appointment to the Interim National Defence Force Service Commission where I am volunteering my services. I am honoured that the Minister extended this invitation to me to serve on the commission. [Applause.]
In today's debate I am not representing the commission; suffice it to say that the commission has interacted with the Minister and the portfolio committee on its mandate. I am sure that the House has taken note of the public debate about the commission's work.
It is worth recalling that the 1998 South African Defence Review placed more emphasis on social security investment than military hardware. Investments that should have been made to enable real defence force priorities, such as training, relevant equipment and improved conditions of service were neglected. Now these funding priorities are coming back to haunt the Defence Force. An illustration of the problem has been the seeming inability of the state in the past 15 years to protect our borders from illegal entry by criminal elements, which has resulted in the regular reports of violent robberies involving them.
If we analyse media reports and the complaints by the Minister in the recent past, it is clear that, as a result of the arms deal transaction, the department is struggling to convince the National Treasury to allocate more funds for urgent priorities such as relevant equipment, personnel transport and improved conditions of service. There is a funding deficit for the SA National Defence Force, which Cabinet needs to address urgently, so that the department can be in a proper state of readiness.
The steady neglect of the above-mentioned priorities has also had a deeply negative impact on the morale of SANDF members. We can all remember the scenes of protesting soldiers outside the Union Buildings. That should be a wake-up call. However, there is a misperception that the Interim National Defence Force Service Commission is investigating that incident directly, including whether there is a need for unionisation within the SANDF. In fact, the commission is not investigating that matter and the public is yet to be informed of the specifics of that incident.
One thing that we cannot avoid is that South Africa is now playing an international security role and will soon be returning as a member of the United Nations Security Council. This implies far greater investment in the correct equipment and training for SANDF personnel to maintain a high standard of professionalism.
On the other hand, we noticed the migration of experienced former SA Defence Force, Azanian People's Liberation Army; Apla; uMkhonto weSizwe; Ciskei Defence Force; Bophuthatswana Defence Force; Transkei Defence Force; Venda Defence Force, etc, soldiers towards retirement. This has been coupled with well-documented reports of a skills flight to the private sector. The orientation and integration process that started in 1994 was always going to be challenging because of the different approaches to the military profession by the different armed forces.
The emphasis must now be on investing in new future commanders who will be able to lead the SANDF in its modern responsibilities. Such an emphasis implies an intensification of training and funding allocated for this purpose, both internally as well as in collaboration with friendly armed forces.
Finally, another matter that is of concern is the state of the South African military industry. Despite South Africa's long history of advanced military manufacturing on the continent and our extensive participation in peacekeeping operations, it is disheartening to see how little of our local military hardware, such as armed personnel carriers, is used abroad. It does not serve our national interest to be viewed as a Father Christmas who sponsors peacekeeping operations, but does not actively promote the products of our local manufacturers for this purpose.
Ngoko ke, xa sikukhuthaza Mphathiswa sithi kule nto yokuqeqesha ulutsha uze ube ngathi uyayithengisa kakuhle kwaye ulwenze uphando. Abantu abaza kuyiphikisa ngabo bangalwaziyo olu bizo. Ukuqeqeshwa kolutsha kuza kunceda ekukhuthazeni isimilo kulo olu lutsha. Kwaye kufuneka nezifundo ezizakufakwa phaya zibe zezobuthanda-zwe. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.)
[Therefore, when we encourage you, Minister, we say you must advertise the youth training as much as you can and conduct some research. People who will oppose this are those who are not familiar with this call. Youth training will help encourage good behaviour, and the lessons to be given should be on patriotism.]
Hon member, I regret your time has expired. Thank you. [Applause.]
Ndisathetha nam mnt'omdala. Ndiyabulela. [Sir, I'm still on the floor. I thank you.] [Applause.]
Agb Voorsitter ... [Hon Chairperson ...] ... the hon Minister gave us a fairy-tale story of the SA National Defence Force. Unfortunately, I will have to come back to the reality.
Agb Minister, u het 'n hele paar uitdagings wat vir u voorl. Die eerste uitdaging ...
Voorsitter, die agb Minister vra dat ek vir haar 'n kans moet gee om haar vertaaldiens te kry. U sal vir my'n ekstra minuut moet gee, asseblief. [Gelag.] Dankie. Is u reg, agb Minister? Goed.
Agb Minister, soos ek ges het, daar is 'n paar uitdagings wat vir u voorl. Die eerste ding wil ek vandag vir u s: Die Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Weermag is verpolitiseer. Ek wil vandag vir u s: Jou politiek bepaal of jy op 'n kursus gaan; jou politiek bepaal of jy bevorder gaan word of nie.
Dan wil ek vandag ook vir u s: Jou magsnommer bepaal aan watter politiek jy behoort. Daar is 'n verskil in magsnommers tussen die statutre en nie- statutre magte. Jou velkleur s vir jou aan watter politiek jy behoort. Ek wil vir die agb Minister s: As u nie politiek uit die Weermag haal nie, gaan u nie 'n professionele weermag h nie. Ek is op rekord waar ek s dat ek gekant daarteen is dat daar vakbonde in die Weermag is. Maar ek wil darem ook vandag vir u s dat ek nie lede van die Weermag kwalik neem as hulle wel aan 'n vakbond behoort nie, want daar word nie na hulle griewe geluister nie.
U s daar is 'n grieweprosedure. Dis korrek. Dis 'n prosedure op papier, maar in die praktyk het die mense nie iewers heen om te gaan met hul griewe nie. Dit moet onmiddellik aangespreek word.
Ek wil praat oor dissipline. Agb Minister, ek praat al die afgelope 10 jaar oor die dissipline in die Weermag. Dis onaanvaarbaar dat 'n mens in die media moet hoor van 'n verkragting van 'n vrouesoldaat hier, of op 'n vredesoperasie daar, of wat ook al. Dis 'n teken dat die kern vrot is; dat daar nie dissipline is nie.
U s u wil die jongmense van die strate af en in die weermag kry sodat hulle daar dissipline moet aanleer. Ek is bevrees dat, as ons die situasie nie daadwerklik gaan aanspreek nie, hulle nie dissipline daar gaan ontvang nie, maar wel erger gaan word.
Ek kom nou by die begroting. Ek stem saam met wat die agb Voorsitter netnou ges het. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.) [Hon Minister, you have several challenges ahead of you. The first challenge ...
Chairperson, the hon Minister is requesting that I give her an opportunity to get hold of her interpreting service. You will have to allocate an extra minute to me, please. [Laughter.] Thank you. Are you ready, hon Minister? Very well.
Hon Minister, I mentioned that you have several challenges ahead of you. The first thing that I would like to say to you today: The South African National Defence Force has been politicised. I want to say to you today: One's political convictions determine whether one will attend a course; one's political convictions determine whether or not one will be promoted.
I would also like to say to you today: One's force number determines the political party that one belongs to. Statutory and non-statutory authorities differ with regard to the force numbers. One's skin colour points to which political party one belongs. I want to say to the hon Minister: You will not have a professional defence force if politics is present in the Defence Force.
I am on record for saying that I am opposed to having unions in the Defence Force. But I want to say today that I do not hold it against members of the Defence Force if they do indeed belong to a union, because their grievances are not heard.
You mention that there is a grievance procedure. That's correct. That is a procedure on paper, but in practice these people have no place to take their grievances. This should be addressed immediately.
I want to speak about discipline. Hon Minister, for the past 10 years I have been speaking about discipline in the Defence Force. It is unacceptable that one should read in the media about the rape of a woman soldier here or somewhere else during a peace operation. That is a sign that the core is rotten; that discipline is nonexistent.
You mention that you want to get the youth off the street and in the Defence Force in order for them to gain some discipline. I'm afraid that they will not receive any discipline if we are not going to actively address the situation, but that they can very well grow worse.
I will now talk about the budget. I agree with what the hon Chairperson said previously.]
Every Member of Parliament who is sitting here has got the responsibility. And there is a greater responsibility on the members of the ANC, because they have to ensure that there is enough money to ensure that we have a defence force. Each and every member must ask himself or herself whether he or she wants a defence force or not. If one's answer is yes, one will have to start lobbying.
Voorsitter, ek wil vandag s dat daar nuwe salarisse aangekondig is. Dit vereis R1,9 miljard, maar die Tesourie het net R600 miljoen toegestaan - met ander woorde, 'n tekort van R1,3 miljard.
Wat gebeur nou? Hoofde word nou verplig om hul operasionele begrotings aan te wend om soldate te betaal. En omdat hulle die operasionele gelde begin aanwend daarvoor, is ons Weermag se gevegsgereedheid in gevaar. Daar is nie eens genoeg ammunisie om behoorlike opleiding te gee aan lede van die Military Skills Development System, MSDS, nie. Daar is nie genoegsame geld vir ammunisie om te verseker dat die eerste lynfunksie van brigades nagekom word nie. Daar is nie genoeg operasionele geld om te verseker dat ons vegvlieniers in die nag operasioneel kan wees nie.
My beperkte tyd laat my nie toe om veel te s nie.
Dit is 'n ernstige bedreiging. In die hele, totale jaar sit ons met 'n tekort van R3 miljard rand. Die ergste is, oor die mediumtermynbegroting verhoog dit oor die volgende twee jaar na 'n tekort van R4 miljard. Dis 'n taak, veral vir die ANC lede, om te sorg dat daar geld is.
Laastens wil ek vir u s, agb Minister ... (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, I want to say today that we have been told about the new salaries that require R1,9 billion, but Treasury has allocated only R600 million. In other words, there is a shortfall of R1,3 billion.
What is going to happen now? Heads are forced to utilise their operational budgets in order to compensate soldiers, and as a result of this the battle- readiness of our Defence Force is in danger. There is not even sufficient ammunition to train members of the Military Skills Development System, MSDS, properly. There are insufficient funds to purchase ammunition to ensure that the first line function of brigades is met. There are insufficient funds to ensure that our fighter pilots are operational at night.
My limited time does not allow me to say too much.
This is a serious threat. We will experience a shortage of R3 billion for the whole year. The worst is that over the Medium-Term budget it will increase over the next two years to a shortfall of R4 billion. It is the duty of the ANC members to ensure that there is money.
Lastly, I would like to say to you, hon Minister ...] I have known you since 1994. You are a hardworking Minister and I know you as someone who is transparent. Whoever advised you to say that you don't need to appear in front of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa, gave you ill advice. Fire those people because they are not good for you. What they advised you to do was a mistake. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, members of the portfolio committee and the House at large, in his popular work The Art of War, the ancient Chinese sage Sun Tzu reminds us that military forces consume a nation's wealth entirely and that war empties the government's storehouses. He graphically captures what happens when your resources get depleted and you hollow out your military, by saying, "Broken armies will get rid of their horses. They will throw down their armour, helmets, and arrows. They will lose their swords and shields. They will leave their wagons without oxen." And, I may add, "They will lose their discipline and morale, too."
Yet it is a syndrome we all don't wish for our country, because our Defence Force is the premier guarantor of our freedom. We would all agree that there isn't much use to be hard at work, broadening the horizons of freedom's possibilities through development, when we cannot guarantee the sovereignty of our country for self-determination.
Where do we start? I believe we cannot solve problems if we think the way we thought, when we created them. The question we need to pose to ourselves is whether we can continue to deliver our defence function with the levels of resources we are dedicating to this mandate today. To be fair, the exercise that should help us answer this question comprehensively is a defence review. However, those who have been following our defence business can argue that the product of the previous such exercise became a still- born baby because we could not fund it.
With all due respect, one can argue that the political callousness towards our country's defence needs has made planning in our defence environment a silly notion. It would appear unavoidable that, to correct this state of affairs, we indeed need an open, participatory public debate so that we can all move together. To leave our defence budget hovering at 1,2% of GDP can only spell further disaster, as managers are compelled to take misaligned short-term decisions to keep the organisation going.
As the Ministry and the department, we are not seeking an easy solution to this problem by pleading for more resources. We have been self-critical too. We have turned the focus on ourselves in order to understand the wrong things we have been doing which aggravated this problem. The departmental task team established by the Minister to ensure efficiency in managing budgets has started work. The team is tasked with curbing wastages, curbing leaks, tackling the syndrome of unspent budgets and end-of-year spikes and duplications, and with reprioritising in order to improve overall due diligence in managing our resources. The task team will also address flawed project finance plans. We need to ensure that budget plans for systems acquisition take into account the maintenance costs of these systems throughout their life cycle. This will improve capability management, especially of new systems, without pressure being exerted on current budgets. We need to make sure that where capital projects are delivered through public-private partnerships, PPPs, we plan their future operational costs, so that they also do not exert financial pressure on the department's budgets. We need to spend enough resources to address asset management.
The task team aims to provide short-term interventions which can yield immediate, albeit modest, savings, while commencing on long-term proposals to reposition the department in a manner that can result in macro savings. This repositioning of the department would be realised in dialogue with those in charge of the defence review. If this work unfolds well, it is anticipated that we can effect the first modest adjustments and savings in the 2011 budget, followed by major adjustments and savings in 2012.
It is worth noting that for all these improvements to be tackled immediately, our department needs to overhaul several of its outdated administration and finance systems, some of which date as far back as 1982. To do this, we hope Treasury will be kind enough to grant us a special reprieve from the moratorium imposed on system upgrading in government. The most refreshing line item in the budget we are here to get Parliament to approve is a modest figure of R20 million for setting up the Department of Military Veterans. On Friday, 30 April, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Minister Sisulu, opened the offices of the new Department of Military Veterans in Irene, Pretoria.
This development heralds a new era in the history of the military in this country, especially in the lives of those who sacrificed for freedom. It is a development which brings healing to the direct beneficiaries of this programme. It also makes us all, as a country, even more humane, as we make a sacrifice for those South Africans who were not found wanting in sacrificing for us yesterday. They occupied the forward trenches in the unfortunate conflict which consumed so many of us.
We now have a firm policy in government of support for military veterans. This will go a long way in restoring pride and a sense of self-worth in those who served our country and those who continue to serve our country in the military with honour. This policy will go a long way in turning a military career into an attractive option and a career of choice among young people in our country today.
The report containing policy recommendations on military veterans is being taken through Cabinet. It will be presented to Parliament shortly through the portfolio committee. Later in the year, on a date still to be identified, the President will officially launch the services of the new department to beneficiaries and the public at large. The work done by the ministerial task team on military veterans is indeed invaluable. The team evaluated several experiences on how governments provide support to military veterans.
Let us remind the House that the worst-off military veterans are those who served in the liberation armies, because they were without any form of remuneration. They were not gainfully employed to contribute to their pension days and the welfare of their families. It is important to indicate that it is this group, in particular, which has challenges of verifying their particulars. We appreciate that this must be diligently executed to ensure that there are no legitimate cases which are left out to the discredit of the department, while, at the same time, we firmly guard against abuse of this programme.
In its totality, the veterans' population consists of yesterday's problem, which has grown acute because of our neglect. We are also dealing with veterans who are going into retirement today after serving our country with honour since the SANDF was established under the new democratic dispensation in 1994. Lastly, the veterans contemplated, in policy, also include the new crop of SANDF members who are today, among other things, performing duties as peacekeepers outside our borders.
From the above, it is pretty evident that with all the best practice we were exposed to in other countries, we still needed to come back home and craft a solution that addresses our peculiar concrete conditions. With everything taken into account, the new policy objectives are aimed at recognising and honouring all military veterans in life and memorialising them in death for their sacrifice on behalf of the nation; ensuring a smooth and seamless transition of military veterans from active service to civilian life; restoring individuals' lost capabilities to the greatest extent possible; improving the quality of life of veterans and that of their dependents; and, also, ensuring that military veterans are harnessed for reconciliation and nation-building.
It became evident quite early in our assignment that to achieve the above goals, we would be obliged to repeal the current legislation, in particular the Military Veterans Affairs Act, Act 17 of 1999, and to amend other pieces of legislation which are administered by other departments from which military veterans receive other forms of support from government. These include the Housing Act of 1997, the National Health Act of 2003, and the Social Assistance Act of 2004, to cite but a few.
An important overriding consideration of the proposed policy is to ensure that the solution to the problem of military veterans is located and informed by mainstream government policies, in order for it to be sustainable. As a result, the proposed benefits are aligned to government socioeconomic and political policy strategies - for example, that they are in sync with government's social-sector antipoverty strategies and economic development strategies, including skills development, to cite but a few examples. The other key policy alignment task which must still be honed is to bring the recommendations in line with the human resources policy of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, so that it seamlessly factors in the needs of its members at different stages of their lives, without leaving them vulnerable at any point of their life cycle.
The recommendations before Cabinet are wide-ranging and, hopefully, will be well received by all. Every proposed benefit was thoroughly debated, taking into account not just best practices elsewhere but also being guided by the domestic concrete material circumstances pertaining to suitability, alignment issues and affordability. These issues range from tax matters to job placement versus pension debate.
With the R20 million in the current budget, we hope to get the department immediately on the road in order to start work on consolidating South Africa's database of military veterans and their dependants, to establish work streams, and to detail the policy proposals and operational delivery models.
It is envisaged that, whereas this will essentially be a national department, it will have provincial offices which interface with provinces in such a way that provinces can also augment these budgets where they are able to. To improve accessibility, it is anticipated that regional offices in different provinces will be established as resources become available.
We are looking at the road ahead with anticipation and optimism. We are under no illusion that this is going to be a daunting task, but we accept the challenge without hesitation. We aim to be exemplary in promoting the philosophy of Batho Pele as the most caring department in government. We intend promoting the popular slogan "Nothing for us without us" as we deliver to our stakeholders. However, even as we do so, we will endeavour to build a professional organisation which employs cutting-edge solutions to address these challenges.
In conclusion, in their book about getting big things done in government, titled If We Can Put a Man on the Moon, William Eggers and John O'Leary, in extolling the outstanding virtues of two civil servants who are discussed in the book as the type that we need in order to put a man on the moon, say the following about them:
They took the responsibility of making government work seriously. They were students of process, of data, of the mechanics of governing, because they understood that making government work is a serious endeavour that deserves serious attention.
And they concluded by saying the following:
If our government is to claim a reputation for competency, we will need a political culture that values and honours the capable management of public undertakings, a political culture that values the public servants who tell the unpleasant truths to their political masters. We don't have enough of them today.
I thank you. [Applause.]
Modulasetulo, Letona le kgabane, ke boka dikgomo. [Chairperson, hon Minister, thank you.]
From the outset let me assure you, hon Minister, that the PAC supports the Budget Vote. [Applause.]
As the PAC, we feel that making national service noncompulsory is not the best option, because compulsoriness and democracy are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Something can be compulsory and yet be essentially democratic. We all know that in Australia to elect is not a matter of choice; every citizen is compelled to elect, yet Australia is called a democracy.
One of the most shining examples of democracy in Africa is Botswana. We all know that in Botswana, national service - Tirelo Setshaba - is compulsory. So much as our fear is understandable because of our painful past, I don't think making this very important aspect noncompulsory is going to be an improvement for us. More so, it could also be open to political manipulation. As the PAC, we feel that it should be reconsidered and made compulsory instead. With regard to skills training, discipline, education, etc, the PAC thinks that our youth really need these.
On the question of military veterans, I think the ex-combatants of the liberation movement are not getting a good deal. In fact, they are getting a raw deal, because most of them, as the Minister rightly indicated, are dying in shacks in squalid conditions. This is because they don't have medical cover, they hardly have a pension and, actually, they are condemned to living in poverty.
We welcome your announcement that they are going to get more money from 15 May 2010, but they deserve something more than money, and that something is land. The ex-combatants of the liberation movement must be entitled to land. This wouldn't be the first time in this country that people who come from war are given land. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, Members of Parliament, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, according to our Constitution, the primary object of the Defence Force is to defend and protect the Republic of South Africa, its territorial integrity and its people. The SA National Defence Force is further mandated, in terms of the Defence Act of 2002, to be deployed on the borders and should therefore be the primary agency to secure our air, sea and land-line borders.
The recent much-needed and welcomed oversight visit by the portfolio committee to the Zimbabwean and Mozambican borders further strengthened the belief that the Defence Force should protect our land-line borders not just because this is a constitutionally mandated responsibility, but also because we believe that it is the best suited and trained for this crucial task.
Border control is a contentious issue in South Africa in light of the eminent kick-off of the 2010 Fifa - Fdration Internationale de Football Association - Soccer World Cup, the increasing number of people illegally entering our country and specifically the criminal elements who exploit our porous borders for illegal gain. This is unacceptable and should be tackled with the necessary commitment and associated resources to ensure that especially cross-border criminal activities are rooted out.
One needs to draw a distinction between controlling access at the ports of entry - which is mainly a function that resides with the SA Police Service, Home Affairs, customs and other departments - and patrolling and protecting the borders, which are mainly military functions. This distinction is important, as it not only indicates the respective mandates, but also the specific spheres of responsibility.
This distinction is present because of the apparent lack of a unified policy and a clear-cut management directive to guide our border control responsibility. The Border Control Operational Co-ordinating Committee and the Border Management Agency should urgently clarify their roles and responsibilities, as there is confusion regarding their exact roles.
It needs, however, to be stressed that the co-operation on the borders at ground level between the SANDF and the SAPS is excellent, as they have liaison committees, share intelligence, and are able to conduct joint operations. This is why the dithering at micro level should be cleared up as a matter of agency, as it causes confusion and frustration at the operational and tactical levels.
In the same vein, it is also imperative for departments such as Home Affairs to play their respective roles. It serves no purpose for soldiers to apprehend illegal border crossers, just for them to be issued with year- long work permits by Home Affairs. Alternative arrangements that maintain respect for human rights need to be made to prevent such a situation. Similarly, the SAPS needs to be readily available and willing to assist with their powers of arrest and investigation once soldiers have apprehended illegal border crossers.
Protecting our borders should not be viewed as solely South Africa's responsibility. The importance of liaising with our immediate neighbours for co-operation and co-ordination purposes cannot be stressed enough. We therefore salute the role of the Defence Force in establishing these interactions with our neighbours to further enhance the effectiveness of our border protection. This once again proves that we are a responsible state that strives to live in peace with its neighbours, and that we are cognisant of their socioeconomic conditions and the challenges these bring.
The oversight visit by the portfolio committee was utilised to augment the committee's understanding of the situation on the ground, and the challenges and requirements to effectively control our borders. There are several challenges facing the department in taking over the land-line border protection responsibilities from the SAPS. This is, however, an opportunity for the military to once again display their expertise and professionalism as one of the best armed forces on the continent.
The financial and human resources challenges are key to successfully executing an effective border mandate. We are therefore of the opinion that this should be prioritised, and will assist the department in persuading National Treasury to appropriately fund Operation Corona. This is not only the right thing to do, but is needed owing to the wide-ranging negative impact that poorly guarded borders can have.
Besides the cross-border smuggling of cigarettes, maritime products, drugs and vehicles, human trafficking is great cause for concern as poor rural people are often the victims of unscrupulous cross-border syndicates. We therefore need the Defence Force to deal effectively with these armed syndicates when they attempt to illegally cross our land-line borders to carry out their heinous activities.
Operation Corona, which directs the phased return by the military to our borders, has indicated what the challenges are and what resources will be required for the roll-out over the next four years in order to ensure a successful return to the borders. From repairing fences and purchasing new generation vehicles, to establishing observation posts and foot patrols, it is clear that the Defence Force has planned accordingly and that they have the task in hand. They, however, need the support of this portfolio committee to be allocated sufficient funding for this crucial task.
The provisional costs, as indicated by Operation Corona, for returning to the Zimbabwean border totals R105 million, while that for the Mozambique- Swaziland borders totals R194 million. A large percentage of this amount will be utilised to return the equipment, facilities and infrastructure to the pre-withdrawal period of the SA National Defence Force from the borders. The magnitude of this task was chillingly brought home to us during our border visit, as the condition of the equipment, facilities and infrastructure leaves much to be desired. We therefore urge all relevant role-players to support the Defence Force to effectively execute this constitutional mandate.
In conclusion, we extend our gratitude to Minister Sisulu, the Chief of the National Defence Force Gen Ngwenya, and their personnel for inviting us to experience first-hand the border realities and what is required of the Defence Force.
We support you and your committed personnel in securing our borders, and urge that this budget not only be approved, but also that an additional allocation be granted for this critical border control responsibility. This is not only imperative to protect our economic interests, but also to safeguard the people of South Africa. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson and hon Minister, severe underfunding of defence has been a continual thread throughout this afternoon's debate. The ACDP has, over the years, consistently raised the issue of underfunding as have many, if not all, other political parties. But, at the end of the day, we still approve the underfunded defence budget as a show of support for our armed forces. Does this not amount to all talk and no action? And when are we going to show some real action?
This situation has clearly reached critical proportions with severe cutbacks affecting all operations. There are also significant backlogs in repair and maintenance. The existence of ageing and obsolete equipment and ammunition not only impacts on combat readiness, but also has implications for the safety of soldiers.
But - Chairperson, and all members of the Defence Force here - there is good news. This year is significantly different from previous years. We now have the Money Bills Amendment Act which allows us as MPs to amend the budget. Therefore, there can be no further excuses. We need to approach the finance and appropriations committees and put pressure on them. We need action, and we need to stop talking. It is time to give the Defence Force the resources that they need. At the very least, part of the savings affected by the cancellation of the A400M contract should be given back to the department. Why has that been taken away? [Applause.]
Clearly, we also support the cause for a strategic defence review to determine the exact budget priorities. And whilst there is this need for additional funding, maximum efficiency and accountability in the planning and use of limited resources is essential. In this regard, the consecutive qualified audit reports are disquieting. This clearly must be addressed and we look forward to a clean audit.
On the positive side, I attended the Navy Day Festival earlier this year and was immensely impressed with the high professional standards of all involved. Yes, we can be rightfully proud of those new frigates and submarines on display. I commend all those involved in maintaining those high standards under very severe budgetary constraints. [Applause.]
I would like to encourage all members, not those of only the Defence Force portfolio committee, to attend these functions. Those of you who have not attended the naval band's dry dock concert are missing something and I would encourage you to attend it.
In conclusion, I wish to thank all the members of the armed services for their commitment and hard work, often in life-threatening circumstances. It behoves us as MPs now to ensure that they have sufficient resources to carry out their mandate. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, we don't need a Defence Force to protect us against foreigners. But, at the same time, there are two very important aspects we must indeed understand. We need a capable Defence Force to make sure we play a role in peacekeeping efforts. When proper democracy is restored in the whole of Africa, it is of tremendous benefit to the country.
Secondly, the government relies on the security family as the upholders of the Constitution. The MF's leader, Mr A Rajbansi, was in the transitional executive council when he served on a subcommittee dealing with military veterans. Here I want to say that the MF is very disappointed with the South African government - you are not treating military veterans in the way World War I and World War II veterans were treated. They were given homes; they were given facilities, etc.
The MF wants especially the ANC to respect the undertakings given at the transitional executive council to the military veterans and to make sure that they are given decent pensions and not ordinary social pensions. In KwaZulu-Natal housing for military veterans has been promised, but not a single house has been built after 16 years. We want to suggest very strongly to the hon Minister of Defence and Military Veterans and the hon Minister of Social Development to give this the highest priority.
The MF is greatly concerned that the establishment and the migration of the development of military veterans be closely monitored with regard to its strategic plan, budget and objectives, and, importantly, that this is done within the envisaged timeframes.
We are also greatly concerned about the progress made in the long- overdue renovations - as we heard earlier - and in the repair and maintenance of defence infrastructure and facilities. We are also greatly concerned about the role of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and the transfer of delegations from the Department of Public Works to the Department of Defence and Military Veterans. We are extremely concerned as to whether a compliance officer has been appointed, as "Operation Clean Audit" is an important initiative. The worrying factor is that the Auditor- General's report found that insufficient guidance was provided to staff pertaining to the preparation of financial statements.
However, the MF, hon Minister, welcomes your call that yes, indeed, we must and we have to treat our military veterans with dignity. The MF will support the Budget Vote. [Applause.]
Mhlalingaphambili ohloniphekileyo, Mphathiswa uSisulu ohloniphekileyo, Sekela-Mphathiswa uMakwetla, malungu nabaPhathiswa abahloniphekileyo, malungu eSebe lezoKhuselo naMagqala oMkhosi, nani zindwendwe, kuquka nentombi yam, ngqanga neentsiba zayo. (Translation of isiXhosa paragraph follows.) [Ms S T NDABENI: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister Sisulu, Deputy Minister Makwetla, hon Members and Ministers, members of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, visitors, including my daughter, all protocol observed.]
Chairperson, our budget must contribute to building capacity in the SA National Defence Force by providing adequate resources so that it can play an even bigger role in peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance in Africa and the world.
Members of the SANDF, in conjunction with the SA Police Service, should ensure peace and stability by way of effective management of the crime- prevention strategy which has fostered greater co-operation among the security cluster departments.
This budget must ensure landward, air force and naval readiness for the detection and neutralisation of all forms of possible threats. With the 2010 Fifa World Cup and border-related operations, our Defence Force must really be ready to enhance a peaceful environment with the necessary resources beyond 2010.
Our understanding of a state of readiness should not mean weaponry, equipment and the narrow interests of local and international capital. It should mean building a secure and peaceful developmental state, and transformation of the Defence Force in a manner that is underpinned by gender, race and age considerations. Our Constitution is unequivocal about the role of defence. We need to strengthen our flexible approach to defence planning so that it takes account of the changing need of defence. This calls for multirole approaches, skills-based capability and the effective use of the reserve force. Indeed, it requires an integrated approach to military strategy.
I am happy because the department has a process to promote combat- readiness, and to do so indirectly through the national commission of defence and military veterans. This will ensure upgrading of infrastructure and equipment to ensure safe conditions of service. This will ensure the recruitment and retention of scarce skills, and particularly the modernisation of equipment in landward defence, air defence and the navy with the idea of ensuring combat-readiness.
Our budget must ensure that the SANDF can maintain and sustain its combat- readiness. It must improve the equipment and ammunition of the SA National Defence Force.
Combat readiness also means that the health and safety of our soldiers are paramount, and these are advanced through this budget. We welcome an increase in the landward defence programme, compared to last year's allocation. We recognise that most of the allocation is aimed at the modernisation of the landward defence capability.
This budget must promote the necessary training and skills courses and the exercising and supporting mechanisms to promote readiness. It must ensure the maintenance of systems and required equipment.
The number of women in senior positions in the SANDF is still low in comparison with that of their male counterparts. For instance, the maritime and air force defence programmes are largely male-dominated. In the same vein, there is a need to ensure that young people, both black and white, swell the ranks of the SANDF.
Gender imbalances continue to persist, as revealed by the small personnel of women deployed in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Darfur. A total of 15,6% of the women in junior ranks were in the combat course. However, we must applaud the department's plan to address the gender imbalance over the long term by way of increasing their current recruitment target of women from 30% to 40% at entry level.
The effective nature of maritime capability within our region is noticeable. In recent years, maritime and naval power has become increasingly relevant, both locally and abroad. South African air force and naval capability needs to be strengthened by this budget to ensure that it continues to play its vital role on the continent and in the region.
This commitment is at the centre of the defence and military veterans' science and technology strategic plan. Technological developments in defence must contribute to the goal of socioeconomic development.
President Zuma, in his state of the nation address, stated:
Government will intensify efforts to promote the interests of South Africa globally. It will support efforts to speed up the political and economic integration of the Southern African Development Community region, and promote intraregional trade and investment.
South Africa continues to play a leading role in continental efforts to strengthen the African Union and its organs, and to work for unity.
The President's emphasis demonstrates commitment to the Freedom Charter, namely that "There shall be peace and friendship". This document contends that economic and political co-operation with other countries will bring about a better life for all, peace, and a better Africa and world.
The ANC's Polokwane conference characterised the current global situation as a situation in which an exploitative socioeconomic system ruled the world, and that the danger should not be underestimated of widening wars of conquest - and other more sophisticated means of subversion - in search of resources, markets and geopolitical advantage. Equally, though, we acknowledged that most countries have become peaceful and democratic and that peace is widely shared.
Hon Maynier, the ANC believes in the sovereignty of all nations to choose their own economic and developmental path, without undue influence by the developed nations or any other country or party. In the same vein, you must also take note that our budget debate is placed within the current global economic crisis.
We really need to commend the leadership of our Minister for her endeavours to place the department on a new path after years of the slow pace of transformation. This is clearly demonstrated by the decrease in expenditure trends, particularly in the cancellation of the A400M Airbus strategic airlift last year. That decision was informed by our budget realities and the developmental interests of our country, and not by dogma.
Hon members, we must assure all South Africans that our boys will be taking good care of our borders and are ready to deal with anyone that seeks to undermine our country and democracy by getting into the country without the proper documentation.
The security preparations for the Fifa Soccer World Cup are at an advanced stage to ensure the security of the event and our country. Therefore all criminal suspects are warned.
Parliament has the power to ensure that national security is strengthened. Therefore, the redeployment of our soldiers to the borders and other ports of entry is overdue. Inkongolo yabantu ithi, "Whuntshu. Mathol' anyongande kukudlelana." [Kwaqhwatywa.] [The ANC says, "Well done." [Applause.]
Agb Voorsitter, ek gaan Afrikaans praat.
Militre opleiding, militre dissipline, militre akkuraatheid, insluitend strategiese beplanning, is sleutelkonsepte en aksies tot militre paraatheid, asook militre professionalisme.
Die skaduminister van verdediging, David Maynier, het vandag goed daarin geslaag om die leemtes in die militre paraatheid van ons verdedigingsmag aan die Departement van Verdediging uit te wys.
Aan die ander kant het die agb Minister klaaglik misluk om die burgers van Suid-Afrika te oortuig dat Suid-Afrika se militre paraatheid in orde en in plek is.
Ons sien vandag dat daar 'n departement van militre veterane is wat gestig gaan word. Militre professionalisme kondisioneer aktiewe militre personeel in so 'n mate dat dit, soos in baie ander lande, nodig is dat 'n agentskap of 'n volle departement van die regering van die dag die oorgang van soldate vanaf aktiewe militre diens na die gewone burgerlike samelewing moet behartig.(Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr D C SMILES: Hon Chairperson, military training, military discipline, military precision, including strategic planning, are key components and actions to military preparedness as well as military professionalism.
The shadow minister of defence, David Maynier, today successfully identified the gaps in the military preparedness of our Defence Force to our Department of Defence.
On the other hand, the hon Minister was alarmingly unsuccessful in convincing the citizens of South Africa that South Africa's military preparedness is in order and in place.
Today we see that a department of military veterans is going to be established. Military professionalism conditions active military personnel in such a way that, as is the case in other countries, it is necessary for an agency or a full department of the ruling government to handle the transition of soldiers from active military service to common civil society.]
Now we see that the Department of Military Veterans was proclaimed in December 2009, but since then there has been a lot of secrecy and a lack of transparency. Let me try to describe what has happened: R20 million has been allocated for this new department and there has been a new appointment of a director-general. A task team was established last year. They reported to the hon Minister in January of this year about their recommendations, and there was a launch on Friday last week. The picture that we get from the department is that the launching and everything else is important, but that the processes and procedures of Parliament are not. That is not acceptable.
Why am I saying this? This portfolio committee of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans has yet to see the report. In addition, we have not been briefed on the contents of that report. But what we see is the hon Booi standing up here today trying to defend the hon Minister, when the hon Minister was supposed to appear before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa. I don't think that the hon Booi should behave in that manner. I think he needs to be investigated for his behaviour. [Interjections.] [Laughter.]
We are very concerned that the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans has not yet seen a Green Paper. Even this Parliament has never dmelled Green Paper from the Department of Military Veterans.
So, what is happening in this department? What is happening is precisely what my colleague has said: There is a tendency towards secrecy ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Chairperson, Minister, Deputy Minister, hon Members of Parliament, members of the Republic of South Africa at large, dignitaries and patriots, we greet you all in this debate on Defence and Military Veterans, Budget Vote No 21. We want to say upfront that we support this Budget Vote. We really do as the ANC, and a number of other political parties have said so, too. This is a sign to say that when it comes to defence, everybody is a South African. We are thankful for that.
I also want to echo upfront what the hon Ndlovu expressed appreciation for, that is recognition of the successful, co-ordinated multidisciplinary approach that was shown by all the Ministers, everybody involved - neighbours, members abroad - to solving what happened in Sudan. We really appreciate these co-ordinated efforts.
For the first time after the 1994 elections, the true nonracial, nonsexist, democratic South African national recruits were openly shown on SA Broadcasting Corporation television bidding farewell to their parents, wives, husbands, sons, daughters, etc, for the purpose of going and joining this dignified call.
These recruits were no longer singing: "Saphuma sangena kwamanye amazwe, lapho kungazi khona ubaba nomama, silandela inkululeko. [We went in and out of other countries, where our fathers and mothers did not know, looking for freedom.] No, they were saying that they were joining to protect the freedoms that have been won by their forefathers, our sisters, our brothers. That was the first sign of a practical transformation during our lifetime. We congratulate those parents, those hon South Africans.
This time their mothers knew exactly where their kids were going. Those hugs and tears were not tears of pain, but tears of joy on having to go forward to do what we are debating about. Therefore, this budget has to take all those things into consideration. You could see the type of parents who were there. They were not from wherever; they are from here. This was the real proof of transformation.
The significance of these recruits in their numbers, most of them being young, is that it was only a few months after the march to the Union Buildings. The doubters of revolution in action had already given up on this department. It will always be like this when the country begins to be governed by the people for their own country to benefit both men and women and the generations come.
The committee is here requesting all of you listening to pass on the message if needs be, analyse it in your own structures including your own family structures, with the full understanding that the SA National Defence Force is not a liability, but a huge national asset for centuries to come.
Today we will help you to understand even better why we say that the SANDF is a national asset and why we request you to support it. From this point onwards, please link the budget for the SANDF with the following important realities, amongst other things: We need to go home and ask ourselves what it is that we are defending; we need to know - as patriots and as South Africans - why we are defending what we say we are defending; we need to know how much it takes to defend what we are defending, both in terms of equipment and apparatus as well as in terms of the human resources needed to defend successfully.
The hon Tolo said it, and the hon Holomisa emphasised it in a much simpler way. The hon Minister confirmed this. So, we cannot say that these are not our constituents, because this is Parliament and we still need to go out and help people in our constituencies to understand what we are here for.
In trying to link these areas with the budget, it is of great importance to always keep in mind that this department is not dealing with markets of different monetary systems. Rather, it is a unique department dealing with the lives of the citizens of South Africa, of the Southern African Development Community, of the African Union, and of the United Nations. We saw what happened in Sudan. I have spoken about that.
The point we must never forget is that the total wellness of SANDF members has to be a priority when support for this budget is sought. You cannot count it; it is not like paying an amount, say R5, for milk. The wellness of the SANDF should be seen when a member of the defence walks by. You should feel it: that the person who walked by is healthy.
We need money for that to be the case. How long will a healthy African member of the National Defence Force last? We need to know. The Budget Vote is for a certain number of years; say, from one to five years. This then begins to tell you how long this person will live. How much will she or he be able to share and impart of the knowledge he or she gained to the next generation? Hence, there is the importance of the military veteran, hon Minister. Such a budget will enable us to believe, practically, as should be the case, what Fidel Castro said one day when addressing intellectuals like you: The revolution has the right to exist, the right to develop and the right to succeed. And the right to be helped sometimes here in South Africa.
Our budget therefore has to cover and consider this existence and this development, as well as cover the right of it to succeed. The Minister of Defence, in July 2009 in her budget speech, made an important note about the issue of economy. She said:
In rethinking our role in the economy, we would like to provide training for essential skills in the economy. We believe we can play a pivotal role in providing the bulk of this. In any country, the defence force is an equal-opportunity institution where young people are given skills. We want to inject that into our society, because we have huge skills training capabilities and have tested this through our Military Skills Training Programme.
The above quote needs our sharp monitoring and recognition of the fact that the SANDF is not a liability, but an asset. We have a number of divisions. I want to allow my Minister to talk so I will give her two more minutes.
For now, I will continue. With regard to all these divisions ... There are those of us who read the Bible. I also read the Koran because it is important to know all these things. This Parliament is full of Ministers; most of them men. It is said somewhere in the Bible, with regard to ministers of religion:
"... yizwani-ke nina umfanekiso womhlwanyeli. Yilowo nalowo olizwa izwi lombuso engaliqondi ufikelwa ngomubi ohlwithayo ohlwanyelwe ngasendleleni. Yilowo nalowo olizwa izwi lombuso engaliqondi ufikelwa ngomubi ohlwitha okuhlwanyelwe enhlizweni yakhe. Yilowo ohlwanyelwe ngasendleleni. Ohlwanyelwe edwaleni nguye olizwa izwi, alamukele masinyane ngokuthokoza, kepha kanampande phakathi kwakhe, kodwa uhlala isikhashana nje, kuthi sekuvele ukuhlupheka nokuzingelwa ngenxa yezwi, akhubeke masinyane." Futhi- ke ohlwanyelwe emeveni nguye olizwa izwi, kepha iminako yalesisikhathi nokukhohlisa kwengcebo kuminyanisa izwi, abe ngongatheliyo. Kepha ohlwanyelwe emhlabathini omuhle nguye olizwa izwi, aliqonde, athele impela isithelo, omunye aveze ngekhulu, omunye ngamashumi ayisithupha, omunye ngamashumi amathathu.
Sesinitshelile ama-divisions alomnyango ukuthi yimaphi ngakho-ke asiphumi nje kohlwanyela uma sicela isabelomali, sicela isabelomali yalezizinto esenizwile kanye nalezo esingazibalanga. Ngizoma lapho ngoba ngifuna ukuthi uNgqongqoshe wami akhulume. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
["Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away." The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who procudes a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. We have told you which divisions belong to this department, therefore we do not just go and spend the money when we request the budget allocation; we request that these things we have mentioned and those that we have not mentioned be budgeted for. I will pause there, because I want my Minister to respond.]
I want to say: let's not confuse the Constitution with being yes men - "Yes, man", "No, man", "Yes, ma". No; the Constitution is clear. I want to share the following with you because it was in my prose. I can't remember the name of the author of the book A Man For All Seasons - it was stolen a long time ago by these people - but it says:
There are those ... who follow me because I wear the crown ... there's a mass that follows me because it follows anything that moves. And then there's you.
Sir Thomas was very brave and was an enemy of men, but his major enemy had to say, "And there is you, Sir Thomas." Hon Minister, respect those who you think are Sir Thomas, because they won't lead you into chaos. We support your budget again. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, please allow me right from the outset to cover three of the most important things that we wanted to bring to this Budget Vote debate today. Firstly, we will be paying back the backlog that we owe our soldiers of levels 2 to 12 from December to July, as recommended. [Applause.] Secondly, because we really do care about ensuring that we can keep the skills in the Defence Force, we will ensure that our members who qualify for the occupation-specific dispensation, OSD, receive the necessary salary adjustments from last year July to this year. We will backdate the salary adjustment to that. [Applause.]
Thirdly, we will be paying out the nonstatutory fund pensions, which will be sorted out by 15 May this year. For these I'm deeply grateful to the military command of the Defence Force, the Secretaries of Defence, the extensive advice that I have been getting from my office, and my overworked and dedicated staff. I express my sincerest gratitude that today we are able to give this good news.
We will be engaging with society on the purpose of the national service and we hope that we will bring a Bill to this Parliament next year. I would like to thank the hon member from the PAC. I think what you said on this matter is actually something that I would like to take into account and put it into some kind of perspective. I thank you very much for your wise words. We will consider that. I would like to - not on the land - on the ... [Laughter.]
That's one minute gone, Chairperson. I want to thank hon members who spoke here in support of our soldiers. What we have done in the Defence Force, as we speak, is to link this service with our barracks. As we speak here, and they hear the hot air from across there, they know exactly what it is that we think of them. There has been very, very hot air from there.
They have been listening to this budget debate so that they can understand what it is that we say about them. Somewhere out there they do know that members of this House have been supportive of them and understand the conditions under which they live. I would like to thank very much all those people who have done whatever they can, including the necessary research, to be here and ensure that they can add quality.
I would like to thank hon Mr Mlangeni for giving a general perspective of the work that we do abroad. This is a very important work and it is something that we would like to ensure that South Africans are kept abreast of. I was very concerned about an allegation from an hon member that there is rape committed by our soldiers outside of our country. I would like the member to please look into the research and not to generalise about this. This is not what our soldiers are there for. Our soldiers are well known internationally for the quality of work that they do when they are out there. The United Nations has given them wide acclaim for the qualities that they have. So, please, do not use whatever incident you might have as a perspective to paint my soldiers. [Interjections.] Sorry, may I please continue? May I please continue?
Order, hon members! Order!
I would like to thank ... [Interjections.] I need your protection, Chairperson.
You are protected, hon Minister.
Thank you very much. I would like to thank the hon member Swart. Hon member, I've been a member of the Portfolio Committee on Defence for a very long time, but I have never heard anybody from outside the ANC speak as eloquently about defence as you did. I am touched to the core. [Applause.] I'm really touched to the core. I wanted to say that in case your party is a fading party like some parties ... [Laughter.] ... please do consider, please do consider that any Minister of Defence might want an adviser such as yourself. Thank you very much for your advice.
With regard to the matter of the audit, hon Ndlovu, it would be extremely dishonest for any member not to acknowledge this. I approached the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans and they gave me two valuable hours so that I could take them through the concerns of the Auditor-General, as well as the matters that we have decided to do and change. This was also an opportunity for me to take them through all those matters that I had personally committed myself to doing; and we have done just that.
I committed myself here last year - that we would not have another qualified report. I want to emphasise that that is what we are committed to doing. My two Secretaries of Defence have been in constant contact with the Treasury department and the Accountant-General to ensure that there will not be any qualifications. Blood is coming your way, Maynier, so you had better keep quiet. [Laughter.]
I have been given the assurance that this is completely in our hands and it is possible for us to do this. We are very concerned and that was the first thing that we declared. Yes, the Department of Defence has had very bad and negative audits, but in this dispensation there will not be; not in my name. I have committed myself publicly and I came to the committee on my own to give that necessary assurance.
Nkosikazi! [Madam!]
Ngiyabonga Baba [Thank you, sir.] [Applause.]
I will ignore the theatrics of people who still need to grow up. [Interjections.]
Order, hon members!
You know that in the DA - this is what I have discovered and this is what is now so problematic for Maynier - they get points for all the questions that they ask. They get points for all the times that they stand up in the media. Last year's points for the most questions asked in Parliament went to the hon Maynier. [Interjections.] I do not know what he got for it. He is now in the running for a second award. [Interjections.]
Hon Maynier, I have said it to you once and I have said to you a number of times: the Defence Force does not care what your politics is; it absolutely doesn't care. But they care that they should provide an excellent service for this country. You sit there, enjoying a lie and grandstanding. When I came in here, there he was with a pile of books in front of him, just simply to put on an appearance. [Laughter.] [Applause.] You have read nothing since you got into this Parliament, and you have also learnt nothing since you got into this Parliament. Nonetheless, my soldiers will defend you because they have honour and that is what they do. [Applause.]
Finally, allow me to direct myself to my soldiers who are out there listening to this debate. I want them to know that their responsibilities are enormous, but I have confidence in them. I also know that, from what has been said here today, they will understand that the bulk of South Africans who are represented in Parliament have a great deal of confidence in them. [Applause.] I would like them to understand this, because the morale of our soldiers is our responsibility as Members of Parliament.
I want to say to them: "Please conduct yourself at all times understanding that the honour of the position that you hold is an honour for South Africa. You hold it in our name." I want them to continue to be resourceful. We do not have the money we would like to have, but please continue to be resourceful. We are hoping that we can clean up our act. We are also hoping that ... To all of you who supported this budget, thank you very much. [Time expired.] [Applause.] Debate concluded.