Thank you, Chairperson.
Xitsonga:
Ndza swi twa. Ndza swi tiva leswaku ku na titliniki tin'wana leti ti nga pfuleki nimadyambu, ta pfala hi 17:00. Eka switichi swa maphorisa, xitichi xa maphorisa xin'wana na xin'wana xi fanele ku pfula vusiku ninhlekanhi. I xitichi xa maphorisa xa njhani xo kala
xi nga pfuli nimadyambu? Ku na swilo swo tala leswi endlekaka nivusiku leswi vanhu va faneleke va ya pfuneka eka tona. Hi ta swi langutisisa sweswo swa switichi swa maphorisa. Leswi swa titliniki na swona hi ta fanela ku swi langutisisa kahle hikuva tin'wana titliniki ta pfula nkarhi wo lehanyana. Tin'wana ndza swi tiva leswaku ti pfala hi 17:00. Lexi i xiphiqo lexi vatirhi na mihlangano ya vona va faneleke ku tshama hansi va burisana hi xona hikuva loko hi endla leswaku titliniki tipfula vusiku na nhlekanhi, swi ta vula leswaku ku fanele ku va na ku tirha hi ku siyerisana kanharhu, nhungu wa tiawara hi ku ya hi nsiyerisano. Leswi swi vula leswaku ku ta fanela ku va na ku vulavurisana na mihlangano ya vatirhi valavo ku kuma xintshuxo eka mhaka leyi. Xosungula, leswaku xitichi xa maphorisa xi nga pfuli vusiku ninhlekanhi a swi tsakisi. Swa boha leswaku xitichi xa maphorisa xi pfula vusiku ninhlekanhi. Loko tliniki yona yo pfula ...
English:
... longer hours, that would be desirable.
Xitsonga:
Hi ta swi languta na swona. Ndzi kombela leswaku mi ndzi nika ntirhokaya ndzi ya swi languta kahle, hi ta vona leswaku hi nga swi lulamisa njhani ...
English:
... particularly when it comes to gender-based violence cases, our people do need to know that they can run to a clinic and indeed to a police station at any time because a clinic and a police station must be places of refuge where our people can go to and be properly served. So, we will look at that and see how best we can ensure that there is a more opening.
Now, when I went to the Home Affairs office - this is what I want to share - we found ... we opened a Home Affairs office in Maponya Mall in Soweto, it is meant to work throughout the week and also the weekend. The workers and their unions felt that they needed to be paid overtime to work on the weekend and felt that unless there could be an agreement that they will get their overtime they wouldn't be willing to work. When the department did its own calculations, it found that this will be like almost permanent overtime and it would bring too much stress on its salary budget and felt that it could not easily accommodate it.
As it is now, the salary budget of the Department of Home Affairs is tilted way too high compared to what they should be able to do for capital investments. In talking to the unions they said that if they don't agree to pay them overtime then they won't work. As a result,
this facility which I went to; two, three years ago and found that it was absolutely a fantastic facility which is in a shopping mall, right in the township, a modern service facility which incorporates the various departments of government including; the Department of Labour, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Social Development and many others, now, I was told that it does not open over weekends. It actually militates against the intention that we had because the reason we opened it in a mall was that people go to the mall over weekends and that is when they have time to get government services. Now, it does not open. I have said that we then need to talk to the unions so that we get them to agree that they get time off. Those that are delineated to work over the weekend, are able to get time off during the week so that we work on a rotation basis rather than just have a facility like that closed completely because the state cannot pay overtime.
So, the issue that you are raising raises those types of issues that we need to discuss with our labour partners. We also need to talk to them and negotiate with them and see exactly how all of us can be committed to continue giving service to the people of our country. The matters that you have raised will be addressed and attended to. Thank you very much.