Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon Members of Parliament, friends and comrades, on 27 April 1994 we opened a new chapter in the history of our struggle to build a common citizenship and equal rights for all South Africans. Our common struggle to build a better South Africa continues.
South Africa's democratic transition was about the aspirations and collective desire for a better South Africa and a better life for all. It was about a journey to bring to an end the legacy of apartheid and to build a united, nonracial, nonsexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.
We need to remind ourselves that the ANC inherited a South Africa that was "Balkanised" into barren homelands that were reserved for black people and had no infrastructural development ... [Interjections.] ... no proper schools, no proper health facilities, no electricity, and no proper roads or sanitation. [Interjections.] You must listen! Since 1994 the ANC-led government has embarked on a journey to create a unitary state by reconstructing and developing those homelands into habitable places.
We must remind ourselves that apartheid concentrated infrastructure in the cities - and areas such as the Western Cape, which were mainly reserved for the white population - whilst creating a labour reserve on the periphery of the city. Hence the continued reminder by the Premier of the Western Cape that black South Africans living in the Western Cape are refugees. [Interjections.] No, she did say it in public! I guess she may be thinking about reintroducing influx control.
It does not end there, hon members. You must look at the budget of Cape Town and how it is distributed. How much goes to places like Khayelitsha and similar areas, and how much goes to other places? [Interjections.] We are talking about the budget of Cape Town which the hon members on my left here know very well. It was stated in the debate. [Interjections.]
Fortunately, our people in the homelands resisted that life by building their own infrastructure. They built mud schools and health facilities so that their children could have access to education and health.
The Freedom Charter, which guides the ANC, declares that "South Africa belongs to all who live in it". [Interjections.] The cities were the only centres for economic activity, whilst the rural areas were left undeveloped, thus contributing to a migratory labour system. The majority of the people who vote for the ANC today would want these apartheid legacies reversed, and these legacies can only be reversed by the ANC. [Interjections.] To succeed on this journey, the ANC must ensure that there is truly one South Africa that is guided by the ANC's manifesto and the Freedom Charter.
In December 2007 the ANC met in Polokwane. Delegates brought messages from South Africans from different cities, towns and rural areas about the problems of our people, such as high unemployment, poverty, deepening inequality and the challenges of service delivery. We heard and shared those experiences of many municipalities, schools, hospitals and government offices' not functioning properly. The ANC agreed on major measures to overcome these challenges. South Africa has a government that fully understands what needs to be done to address our apartheid past, a government that puts people first and builds a participatory democracy. It has spent the last 19 years rebuilding the economy, pushing back the frontiers of poverty, and improving the quality of life of millions of our people.
The ANC has identified five priority areas over the past five years. The manifesto of the ANC in 2009 declared:
These priorities will be tackled with all the means at our disposal - the resources of government, the vision of the Freedom Charter and the energy and commitment of our people. Our priorities will specifically target the needs of the youth, women, workers, the rural poor, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
Furthermore, the ANC resolved that education and health should be the two key priorities for the ANC for the next five years. It also reaffirmed the implementation of the national health insurance system by further strengthening the public health care system and ensuring that there was adequate provision of funding. We will accelerate programmes for hospital revitalisation, including innovative solutions that accommodate partnerships. This MTBPS is presented in the context of the NDP as a continuation of practical interventions in pursuit of changing the lives of our people. The ANC welcomes the infrastructure audit that was done by the Department of Health, from which it can modernise the health infrastructure in our country. This will contribute to a successful implementation of the National Health Insurance.
The ANC also welcomes the information that there are currently 2,4 million people that are receiving treatment for HIV/Aids. This is to be increased by 500 000 annually. However, the development indicators report that between 2009 and 2012 there was a stabilisation in HIV/Aids prevalence, due to the bold leadership of the ANC. In other words, it is no longer growing at the pace it was five years ago. Most importantly, at this current juncture, we believe that South Africa will meet the Millennium Development Goals as it fights the scourge of HIV/Aids.
The South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2012 assessed public perceptions of recent health service use, and it suggests that approximately 83% of the public sector inpatients and 80% of the outpatients were either satisfied or very satisfied with the care they had received at our hospitals.
On education, we welcome the introduction of the Accelerated Schools Infrastructure Delivery Initiative, though the spending has somehow been slow. The committee has, however, agreed with the Department of Basic Education on a plan to improve the implementation of this programme. This grant is responsible for building new schools and electrifying them.
The ANC welcomes the adjusted budget for the Department of Higher Education and Training, of R34 billion, which accounts for 3% of the overall allocation, and of which 53% goes to tertiary education specifically, where we need to enhance the level of research and development. The ANC supports the construction of the two new universities. They are the Sol Plaatje University in Kimberley in the Northern Cape and the University of Mpumalanga in Mbombela. This is a great achievement by this government for the benefit of the people of those provinces.
The Human Sciences Research Council welcomes the steady growth in the country's gross enrolment rate for higher education. It, however, raises concerns around the low participation in studies for postgraduate qualifications, especially at master's and doctoral levels. Per annum the NDP target is 5 000 doctoral graduates by 2030, but the results showe that there were fewer than 1 500 doctoral graduates in 2010.
The Public Service Commission, on the issue that was raised by hon Singh, reported that there were still challenges concerning the alignment of expenditure and predetermined objectives. However, hon members, we must indicate that there has been improvement since the report that we saw last year. As a committee we are proposing to National Treasury or the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation - whoever is responsible - that they provide us with quarterly reports on the alignment, so that Parliament is able to monitor it and does not have to wait for the end of the year. The ANC welcomes the Budget. I thank you. [Applause.]