Chairperson, on this issue of Cuba, University of Cape Town, UCT, IN THE Western Cape, I was trying to be nice, but I think the hon member is becoming silly, very silly indeed. If the hon member wants me to become silly, I will be silly.
Hon Speaker, let me tell you how this programme came about. In 2010 Prof Merryll Vorster, who was then the Deputy Dean of the Wits Medical school, approached me and said, Minister, if you can give us extra money, we would be able to admit students who would not otherwise have been admitted to the university because they come from poor backgrounds. We will mentor them and admit them to university to study medicine.
I took that advice from Prof Merryll Vorster. The following year Wits admitted 40 extra students who were on their list, but would not have been admitted. They came from poor backgrounds all over the country and we gave them R8 million for their education.
A year later, we had a meeting with the deans. I have meetings with them twice a year. I presented the Wits proposal to all of them and they agreed to it. They admitted 200 students and we paid for them. This year, they admitted 400 students. We contributed R65 million for the whole country, not for the Western Cape only. If there is an MEC who went behind my back, that is extreme silliness. That's extreme silliness and it should not be allowed in this country.
The last thing I want to respond to is this Cuban programme you are attacking. Which part of Madiba's legacy do you honour and which part do you not? This programme is called the Nelson Mandela Castro Programme. [Applause.]
You have told us many times that the legacy of Mandela should not die. Today, you want to kill it publicly. This is Madiba's legacy. He went to Cuba and signed an agreement with Fidel Castro on this programme. Every time you say, Madiba! Madiba! Madiba!, but you want to choose what Madiba is all about.
This is his programme. There is no way we are going to allow his legacy to die, because we are the true members of the ANC to which Madiba belonged. [Applause.] You are pretenders. That is why you choose what you want about Madiba and what you do not want. [Interjections.]
Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma took professors from here to Cuba to evaluate this programme. I have just met the Cuban ambassador last week. Every year academics from this country, led by Prof Joe Variava, go to Cuba. [Interjections.]
Speaker, I rise on a point of order, please! [Interjections.]
Order! Hon members, order! Yes, sir.
According to Rule 105(6), Ministers have two minutes to reply to a question. [Interjections.]
Hon member, you are not the timekeeper, please take your seat.
You don't want the truth. You don't want the truth about yourselves. You are killing Madiba's programme and yet every day you say, Madiba! Madiba! Madiba! [Applause.]
Thank you very much, hon member.