Thank you, Chairperson, the deputy chairperson of the committee, hon Minister, MECs, Members of Parliament, special delegates, comrades and guests.
Alle partye stem saam oor hierdie wetsontwerp, al die provinsies stem saam en dit skyn vir my almal praat dieselfde storie, so in my toespraak het ek al s baie uitgehaal ... (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.) [All parties agree on this Bill, all the provinces agree and it appears they are all speaking with one voice, hence I have already left out so much from my speech ...]
I don't think there is anything left for me to say. However, there are a few things that I have picked up on my own and I need to give some introductory remarks.
The Second-Hand Goods Bill was adopted by the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Affairs with further amendments, and seeks to repeal the Second-Hand Goods Act, Act 23 of 1955. Currently the Act regulates the second-hand industry and provides for a legislative framework within which dealers in second-hand goods could or should operate.
According to the memorandum attached to the Bill, the drafters of the old Act could never have foreseen the major developments in technology since the year 1955. It was also the year in which the Freedom Charter was adopted.
Chairperson, it has been found that the principal Act is not adequate to prevent trade in stolen goods. The Act, furthermore, is not able to regulate the growing technological trade in second-hand and stolen goods. It appears that the Bill has to respond to the challenges of the industry and facilitate effective policing. The Bill should make it easy for the SAPS to deal with the growing market irregularities.
The Second-Hand Goods Bill was adopted by the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Affairs with further amendments and seeks to repeal the Second-Hand Goods Act, Act 23 of 1955. [Interjections.]
Dan is daar reeds verwys na die wegraak en die steel van kabels, en Telkom het ook al aangedui dat die waarde van kabels wat weggeraak het, R863 miljoen beloop. Wat my bekommer, Minister, is dat ek nrens in die wetsontwerp opgemerk het waar di spesifieke saak aangepak word nie. Ek wil net gou in Engels voorlees ... (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Mention has already been made of the disappearance and the theft of cables, and Telkom has also indicated that the value of missing cables amounts to R863 million. What concerns me, Minister, is that nowhere have I seen this Bill addressing this particular aspect. I just briefly want to read to you in English ...]
As lawmakers we are saying to criminals and "tikkoppe" ...
... en tik is veral die dwelmprobleem in die Wes-Kaap ... [... and tik is the main drug problem in the Western Cape ...]
... that your days are numbered and that our community, businesses and government can't accept or tolerate this anymore.
Vir my is ons groot uitdaging en probleem wanneer 'n vader, 'n moeder of jong seuns 'n mikrogolfoond of 'n ketel uit die huis neem, en hulle wettige identiteitsdokumente het, kan hulle dit gaan ruil as hul eie. Dis ook nie steel nie; dis hul eiendom wat hulle nou gaan ruil vir geld om dwelms mee te koop. Dit verarm die familie.
Die groter bekommernis is wanneer ons eie mense s arm is en s swaarkry dat hulle hul huishoudelike meubels en eiendom vir kos verkoop. Ek weet nie ... (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[To me our great challenge and problem lies in the fact that when a father, a mother or young boys remove a microwave oven or kettle from home, and they have valid identity documents, they are able to exchange it as their own. It is also not theft; it is their own property that they are exchanging for money in order to buy drugs. This impoverishes the family.
The greater concern is when our people are so poor and their hardship so great that they sell their household furniture and property for food. I do not know ...]
I am struggling to see how we are going to address this, to see to it that our people do not do this to themselves.
Ek dink nie ons kan dit in wetgewing sit nie, maar ons moet 'n manier kry om die probleem op te los, want dit is wat gebeur. Mense verkoop hulle eie huishoudelike goedere by pandjieswinkels en skrootwerwe vir kos, wat 'n tragedie is, en dan ook vir dwelms, wat 'n groot bekommernis is. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[I do not think we can legislate this, but we have to find a way to solve the problem, because that is what happens. People resort to selling their own household goods to pawn shops and scrapyards for food, which is tragic, and then also for drugs, which is a major concern.]
We are also expressing this to dealers who know that these items or cables are stolen, but because of their money-making need, they care more about the money than they do about service delivery, the rule of law or about our own people.
Ek wil ook graag beklemtoon dat ons die wetgewing met betrekking tot die koop en verkoop van gesteelde goedere, die mark daar buite en alles wat ons doen, saam moet inspan. Ons kan nie net s ons fokus nou net op die skrootwerf of net op die pandjieswinkel nie. Wanneer die polisie uitgaan, moet hulle die bre wetgewing toepas, want die handel in tweedehandse goedere en die skrootwerwe en so meer is baie wyer as net inneem en geld kry. Dit dryf mense tot ander dinge! Dit wil s, die hele wet moet brer ingespan word.
Ek haal nou net sekere goed aan uit my toespraak, want baie daarvan is reeds genoem deur ander mense. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[I also wish to emphasise that we should use the legislation pertaining to the buying and selling of stolen goods in conjunction with the general market and everything else we are doing. We cannot simply say that we are focusing only on scrapyards or pawnshops at the moment. Whenever the police go out, they should apply the broader legislation, because the trade in second-hand goods, scrapyards and so forth is far broader in scope than merely accepting goods in exchange for money. It drives people to other things! In other words, the entire law should be applied in a broader sense.
I am now only quoting from certain parts of my speech, as much of it has already been covered by other speakers.]
I also want to say the select committee has brought some amendments: On page 2 of the Bill omit "limit" and insert "combat" in the title of the Bill; in clause 1, line 44, insert "books" and "clothing" as goods to be exempted from strict regulations. Ander agb lede het daaroor uitgewei. Dan word daar iets belangriks genoem. Daar word ges hierdie wetgewing moet ook klein ondernemings bevoordeel. Ek wil net hier iets uitlig. Ons het klein ondernemings in stedelike gebiede en in plattelandse gebiede, byvoorbeeld, die Karoo, en my lieflingplek, Beaufort-Wes, waarvandaan ek kom.
As iemand aluminium in die stad verkoop, gaan hy argumentshalwe R10 per kg kry. As 'n klein onderneming in Beaufort-Wes aluminium verkoop, gaan hy R5 per kg kry - dit is 'n besigheidsverskynsel. Maar die groter onderneming in die stad ry met sy trok Beaufort-Wes toe en koop goedere vir R5 en kom verkoop dit dan weer in die stad vir R10. Dit wil s ons ondernemings op die platteland het al klaar 'n nadeel.
Dit kan waarskynlik nie in hierdie wetgewing aangespreek word nie, maar dit gaan oor die persepsie dat alle sakeondernemings voordeel moet trek. Ek wil darem net 'n lansie vir die plattelandse ondernemings breek sodat ons kan kyk hoe ons hulle werklik kan bevoordeel, want dit is waar die armstes van die armes woon. Baie dankie, Voorsitter. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Other hon members have elaborated on that point. Then something important is mentioned. It is said that this legislation should also allow for small enterprises to benefit. At this point I just wish to point out something. We have small enterprises in urban areas as well as rural areas such as the Karoo and my favourite place, Beaufort West, where I hail from.
For the sake of argument, if someone sells aluminium in the city he gets R10 per kg. If a small enterprise in Beaufort West sells aluminium, it will get R5 per kg - that is a business phenomenon. However, the medium enterprise in the city will send its truck to Beaufort West to buy the goods for R5 and come and sell it again in the city for R10. In other words, our rural enterprises are already at a disadvantage.
It can probably not be addressed in this piece of legislation, but it deals with the perception that all business enterprises should benefit equally. However, I really want to take up the cudgels for enterprises in the rural areas so that we can look at ways in which they can actually benefit, because that is where the poorest of the poor live. Thank you, Chairperson. [Applause.]]