Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, members of the committee, all those in the gallery, and our social partners, I want to depart from the basis of a scientific analysis. We seek to change the world, but we are not working under conditions of our own choosing - we are operating in a very hostile global environment.
I want to deal with the distortion that is creating the impression that some of the problems the Minister has been commenting on, and all the challenges that the ANC government is dealing with, are yesterday's problems. I think hon members must bear in mind that in 1884 the Berlin Conference of European Powers created scars on our continent. The particular epochs of the 1652 Dutch East India Company, the 1910 Union of South Africa, the Natives Land Act, Act 27 of 1913, and the Bantu education system all created social and political scars on our people. [Applause.]
The ANC government and our allies on the rest of the continent have the inherent responsibility to heal the scars of centuries that have been created by our colonial masters.
The year 1994 has been characterised by a number of people as a political miracle, which is an insult to the South African people, in particular under the custodianship of the ANC. There was no miracle. People died - they perished - and they went into exile. That is why, at times, we respond to issues in a very mechanical way. It is because we move on the basis of a wrong assumption.
The ANC adopted the Freedom Charter. Some of the basic tenets of the Freedom Charter are the following:
The national wealth of our country, the heritage ... shall be restored to the people ... All other industry and trade shall be controlled to assist the wellbeing of the people;
We are not part of a technical exercise. The historical mission of the ANC is to ensure that the wellbeing of our people is addressed. I just want to highlight a few issues. We have to applaud the ANC government for being visionary and for adopting policies. Some of those policies we have managed to navigate in turbulent and challenging times, both here and globally. That must be appreciated. [Applause.]
The Motor Industry Development Programme, MIDP, has been regarded as a major success of South Africa's postapartheid trade and industrial policy. The MIDP was introduced on 1 September 1995 and was scheduled to continue until 2012. It was initiated to assist the motor industry to adjust to the global economy. It was introduced against the backdrop of South Africa's political and economic liberation and other major structural shifts in government policy, in line with the trade regime.
The MIDP was designed to help the industry to adjust and also to increase its competitiveness in the new postapartheid trade policy environment. The programme consisted of various elements, but I will not mention them because of time constraints. The MIDP has resulted over the past 10 years in fostering adjustments that have increased the competitiveness of the industry to the point where some, perhaps many, factories can now become competitive with the continued subsidies. The ultimate goal is to increase the competitiveness of the South African automotive industry through best practice compatible with the World Trade Organisation, WTO.
The Automotive Production and Development Programme, APDP, replaced the MIDP. The APDP aims to stimulate growth in the automotive vehicle production industry to 1,2 million vehicles per annum by 2020, with the associated expansion of the components industry. This means that an opportunity will be afforded for local content to be increased in domestically produced vehicles. I think these are some of the major achievements of the ANC government. The automotive industry is regarded as a strategic sector. It is also deemed the largest - leading - manufacturing sector.
The APDP comprises the following elements: tariffs, local assembly allowance, production incentives, and automotive investment allowance. These are some of the measures that have been instituted by the ANC government to ensure that we navigate the difficulties of the global economy. Furthermore, this is in the context of the acceleration of industrialisation, which is much needed in our country.
Let me touch on another point which is of strategic importance, namely the process of bringing about the Special Economic Zones Bill. Thanks very much. The ANC supports the Budget Vote. [Time expired.]