Hon House Chair, the NFP welcomes the report of the Standing Committee on Appropriations on the Division of Revenue Amendment Bill tabled here today. Let me at the very outset say that the NFP will support the report tabled here today. One of the reasons for supporting it is that the committee itself has been very vocal.
It has been deliberating on this issue and it has ensured that we put in a clause there that there must be consequence management, but more importantly that there has to be periodic reporting to the committee so that we can deal with the matter appropriately at
the time to ensure that there is consequence management and there is either necessary action that has been taken over.
I hear every single party in this House talk about corruption - every one of them! However, you find one thing which is strange: Not a single one of them talk about what I have repeatedly been drawing the attention of this House to - the corruption of the constituency allowances that you give political parties, where they don't have constituency office, there is no stuff and there is nothing happening there, but nobody is willing to do anything about it. Why - because, we are benefitting from it.
So, it is really a serious problem. When corruption benefits you, we don't want to talk about it. When it doesn't benefit you, then we are making an issue about. But, I think it is matter.
The issues of grants in my understanding are being created because there are relevant structures that are not spending their money. They are not performing. As a result, you have to create these grants. But, what do these things do in essence while we appreciate that we are distributing those resources.
Let us not forget that you are doing it at the expense of some project that is not being completed. What is very important is to deal with the inefficiency of the departments that are not spending their money appropriately. One good example is economic development in South Africa depends on infrastructure development. Year in and year out, we are underspending in terms of infrastructure development. That, I think, is one of the main issues that we need to look at.
I think one of the solutions to many of these municipalities who are owed a lot of money is to put in prepaid water meters, put in prepaid electricity meters so that people are paying you in advance. Maybe that's one of the real ways to go.
More importantly, I think, we should try to endeavour to get every municipality at some stage to have its own development to become self- sufficient. We need to take industry to these municipalities, create businesses, and create industry there so that they can become self- sufficient. They cannot be relying on national government for resources continuously.
Let me also admit that while we talk about9% of resources going to local government and municipalities, the corruption level at local
municipalities in getting value for money is extremely high. That is where Salga is failing us in being able to do. However, my time is up. The NFP supports this report that is table here. Thank you. [Applause.]