Hon Chairperson, the major characteristics of South African colonial conquest was the extraction and exploitation of raw and natural mineral resources for the benefit of white countries; and also super exploitation of blacks through a process of cheap, dangerous labour and their broader "zombification" through the mediocre Bantu Education.
This colonial feature of the South African economy has not changed in South African society. Therefore, economically, we are still colonised, and this colonisation has been perpetuated, hon Fubbs, by ANC neoliberal policies. The neoliberal policies are not implemented by the DA only. Even your government, whom you spoke on behalf of here, advocates for neoliberalism with passion. Tomorrow you will see this passion during the Budget Vote.
What then, are the decisive steps to change this long colonial nightmare? Number one, take strategic ownership of and nationalise the mines, banks and other strategic industries, as the Freedom Charter says, since you said this is the year of the Freedom Charter. Our call for nationalisation is not just for nationalisation's sake; it is in order to domestically beneficiate and industrialise. The fact is, you cannot beneficiate what you do not own.
Number two, if this is the year of the Freedom Charter, you must pay attention to the food economy. Actually, the food economy is the biggest economic sector in South Africa, and food has much greater price stability than commodities, which makes it safer for us to invest in.
The food economy means we must take land without compensation. We must expropriate it without compensation for equal redistribution. We need water, energy and adequate infrastructure. We need to process our food locally.
We need retail stores that are owned by our people, not multinationals like Walmart. We also need to break the oligarchies, like Pick n Pay, Shoprite- Checkers and Woolworths, in order to include more players in the retail market.
Number three, if this is the year of the Freedom Charter, you must radically change your trade and tariff policies. All countries that have successfully become industrialised have implemented strategic imports substitution of basic commodities, but not your government.
You must tell us, Minister Davis: Why do you import timber, plastic, sweets, towels and basins? You import cell phones, TVs and microwaves. Even this microphone I am speaking into has been imported. Why don't you build local capacity through trade and tariff policies to produce all these products and create jobs?
As it stands, the National Development Plan, NDP, hon Fubbs, is a policy of cosmetic changes because, without change in the fundamental structure of the colonial patterns of control and ownership and distribution, you are essentially class representatives and prefects of monopoly white capitalism.
Let me move to the end. Only a radical leadership with no vulnarability to being puppets and prefects of imperialism can lead a decisive economic transformation, not cowards who spend time composing songs instead of leading a people's war, and who now call the police to protect them against questions, to kick hon members out - protecting them against questions.
That is basically because you are invested in protecting foreign ownership. You deal in the best interest of foreign ownership and your obsession with foreign direct investment is the biggest reflection of low self-esteem, to say the least. Thank you very much. [Applause.]