Thank you, Chairperson. The time has come to reissue the tender for STB manufacture and ensure that the companies chosen have the existing capacity and capability to do so to a high standard, on time, and with the right quality.
We trust that the delay in reissuing the tender has nothing to do with awarding tenders to tenderpreneurs or crony networks of connected individuals. Rest assured, the DA will be monitoring this process very closely.
The ANC promised six million job opportunities as part of their election manifesto. Well, this is one way you can start to deliver on that promise. The real job creation lies in the distribution, installation and maintenance of set-top boxes, aerials and dishes. So, issue the tender and have them made!
Former Minister Carrim also said government was "extremely close" to making a decision about how to proceed, even if final consensus could not be reached. Well, four months later, with a new Minister and a split department, where until yesterday we did not know which state-owned enterprise belonged where, you are now a little bit closer to making that decision.
While we South Africans love to leave things to the last minute, including our driver's licence renewals and our tax returns, the fact is that if you don't decide, and decide now, you'll be breaking an international treaty; you'll be damaging our reputation internationally; and you'll be denying our people access to opportunity, employment and programming.
You have some hard choices to make, Minister, and to carry on flip-flopping on policy is not one of them. Make the decision, stick with it, make the call and make it happen. Thank you very much. [Applause.]