For example, school building designs have been standardised nationally and costed. We will no longer be building schools at costs of more than R30 million. [Applause.] So, we are no longer going to be subject to those who will say we need so much and others so much. We are standardising. This is an important government infrastructure. [Applause.]
Hon Motara, we join you in congratulating the City of Johannesburg on winning the C40 Cities Award for its Green Bond initiative and for the ratings upgrade. [Applause.]
Hon Nawa, I am glad that the SA Local Government Association will take up the cost-saving drive. Together we will move the country forward. [Applause.] That commitment from Salga is highly appreciated.
Hon Masango, you are correct. Our country has an excellent social assistance programme assisting more than 16 million vulnerable beneficiaries. You also raised the issue of unemployed social work graduates who have been trained by government. The Department of Social Development is seized with the matter and is busy looking for internships and other opportunities for the graduates. [Applause.] I have been informed that the situation is difficult due to budget cuts in provinces which have limited employment opportunities. Many of the interns have been absorbed by the SA Social Security Agency and the provinces of Mpumalanga, Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
Nation-building is as important to our country as economic renewal. We must heal the scars of apartheid and build a united nation. [Applause.] Racism is an enemy of humanity. If there is anything that this country must agree on, it is the fight against racism. [Applause.] This is because we know what it did to our nation. We would not want racism revisited. [Applause.] We must unite in eradicating this evil from our country. Together we must build a united, nonracial, nonsexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa. We must use the month of March and also Human Rights Day to participate in programmes promoting nonracialism in our country. If all of us from all sectors and all nationalities could take this - and all of us in the country could come out to make our feelings and voices heard and felt, we would be doing good for our country. We would deal a devastating blow to racism. We should all stand up. It shouldn't be a case of some standing up and others not. Everybody in South Africa should see that we, as the overwhelming majority, are united on this issue - that we don't want it. We are South Africans. Let us not emphasise colour. Let us emphasise being South African. [Applause.]
Let me also remind our young people to participate in events organised in honour of the youth of 16 June 1976. It is important for our youth today to know where they come from so that the issues that our youth experience and fight for are informed by where we come from, where we are, and where we are heading. It is vitally important for us to do so. [Applause.]
Hon Godi is correct when he states that freedom must have material meaning in our people's lives and that we must never get used to the hardship of our people. [Applause.] We must not only see the conditions that many of our people live in and just pass through as if that is normal. It is not normal. It is a man-made problem, and we need to solve it. We don't need to fight about it. We need to debate, discuss, and agree that we must fight poverty, inequality and unemployment. That is the business of all of us. At times, people think that dealing with some of the ills that we have is government's responsibility only. All of us must deal with it. Government only provides leadership; it is only in a position of leadership because the government at the time would be the government elected by the majority. Therefore, it would be carrying the wishes and dreams of the majority of the country. That is the ABC of democracy. [Applause.] The majority prevails. [Interjections.]
Indeed, we must find solutions that will push back poverty, inequality and unemployment, and, in this, we should work together. South Africa is a wonderful country. I listened very carefully when the Leader of the Opposition, the hon Maimane, got up twice during the time the EFF disrupted proceedings to say the millions of this country want to hear what is being said in this Parliament and that they, therefore, should not make a noise. It was a very important point made. [Applause.] It is important because all of us should always keep in mind that our being here is not to satisfy our own feelings.
HON MEMBERS: Yes!