Hon Speaker, hon members, government already allocates substantial funding to the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, administered by the municipalities, by the provincial and national departments and by a wide range of partner organisations.
This programme will spend an estimated R73 billion over the next three years. In 2011-12, about 800 000 work opportunities of 104 days duration on average will be supported. The Expanded Public Works Programme has demonstrated considerable success in targeting youth, women and people with disabilities.
Government therefore has gained considerable experience in creating employment opportunities for disadvantaged groups, and is well prepared to extend this experience into expanding existing programmes and new initiatives, which will be focused on self-sustaining employment supported through the new Jobs Fund.
Funding for job creation and funding targeted at special initiatives for women, youth and people with physical disabilities will be allocated to provinces, taking into account their population, levels of unemployment and potential for effective project management, in partnership with the private sector.
The Constitution sets out clear criteria of fairness and transparency in the allocation of funds between provinces and municipalities. It is, however, also important that provinces and municipalities develop sound and forward-looking growth and development plans, taking into account their economic potential and comparative advantages.
Consultation with the business sector and all stakeholders is important to ensure that infrastructure spending, business investment, training and skills development, and enterprise finance are well aligned and effectively co-ordinated towards agreed economic and development goals. Thank you.
Is there a supplementary question. Hon Mashishi?
Ke a leboga Motlat?a Mopresidente ka karabo ye le re filego yona. Ke a tshepa gore e kwaget?e. Batho kamoka ba Afrika Borwa ba e kwele. Ke a leboga. [Thank you for your response, Deputy President. I hope that the message is loud and clear to all South Africans. I thank you.]
The next supplementary question will be asked by the hon Robinson.
Thank you, hon Speaker. Mr Deputy President, given the frivolous and wasteful expenditure of over R100 million by the National Youth Development Agency, NYDA, on a party for friends, despite the abject poverty of so many in our country, and given the fact that 47% of the budget within the Presidency is allocated to the NYDA - hopefully, some of this will be for job creation for women, youth and people with disabilities - when will a portfolio committee be established to oversee the Presidency and the NYDA in particular, as previously called for by the DA?
It is unacceptable that hundreds of millions of rands are given to an entity with no accountability whatsoever. What commitment can you give, Mr Deputy President, that this unacceptable situation will be rectified and that the NYDA will be held to account?
Thank you very much, hon Robinson. I agree with you that it is unacceptable to have an entity that is not accountable. However, as I stated, the Minister for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation as well as Administration in the Presidency oversees the NYDA. With regard to the need for a portfolio committee to oversee that work, I think that is a matter for this august House to take forward. We would not oppose that in any way. I believe that the ANC benches would be very happy to establish such a structure. Thank you. [Applause.]
I thank the hon the Deputy President. Hon Krumbock, you have the last supplementary question. No, there is no supplementary question. There are no further supplementary questions. That concludes the questions to the Deputy President. [Applause.] Hello? Are you the hon Krumbock?
I am the hon Robinson, and I did indicate that I wanted to ask a follow-up question, Speaker. [Interjections.]
Well, go ahead, hon member.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Hon Mr Deputy President, I hear what you say about the hon Chabane being there to keep account, but I fear that that is not acceptable. We would like to have a multiparty committee ...
That is not a supplementary question.
It's a follow-up, sir, to the reply. [Interjections.]
No, it isn't.
... and my leader has written letters to the august House and its structures requesting this. So, we are just asking that this be expedited. This is very important. Thank you.
That's not a supplementary question, hon member. [Interjections.] Order!
The next item on the Order Paper is questions addressed to the Ministers in the peace and security cluster. Question 26 has been addressed by the hon Ngwenya to the Minister of Correctional Services. The Minister has requested that the question stand over in terms of Rule 115 as she and the Deputy Minister are not available.