Chairperson and members, thank you to the speakers for the very constructive debate that ensued here. We can assure you that we listened very carefully and that we will engage in resolving whatever problems there are.
Let me start with the problem in the Western Cape and state what the facts are in terms of employment equity. In February this year, we announced - not pushed by anything - that we wanted to have a meeting with all organised formations in the Department of Correctional Services.
Out of that came a ministerial task team of four officials from the Department of Correctional Services, four from the Police and the union, Popcru, and four from the Public Service Association, PSA.
Because of the urgency of the issues, I said that I'd ask for the report to be submitted by March. In March, the task team came back to me to request an extension to 15 June. At the moment that is where all these matters are at. So I don't think any of us need to pose questions on the matter, because whatever the problems are, we are willing and ready to deal with them as they come from all the formations.
As things stand now, if one was to do the arithmetic - which I don't like very much as I don't like to do tribal arithmetic - one will see that in the Western Cape you have 2 997 Africans, 3 024 coloureds and 57 Indian and 1 362 whites. Where, then, is this oppression and isolation of the people of this province? [Interjections.]
Where would it come from? Whether you go from centre-based or noncentre- based social workers or education, all the categories are covered. [Interjections.] So the task team will therefore receive whatever proposals are coming and when they are presented in June we will deal with them.
It is not going to help anyone to try to do this tribal arithmetic, because if we do that we can then start with the Cabinet of the Western Cape and say: Where are the coloured people? [Interjections.] Yes! [Applause.] We will start there, and we will go down the line. Hon Max cannot be so vocal here and then in his caucus he is not vocal and doesn't say that this thing cannot go on for five years. We are in the last 10 months now, and you allow the Western Cape to just have a whites-only, male Cabinet. [Interjections.]