Sihlalo, oNgqongqoshe abakhona, amaPhini, amalungu ahloniphekile kanye nezivakashi zethu, inkulumo yami izogxila entuthukweni yezimboni kanye nezindaba ezithinta ukuqhudelana, nokuthi lokhu kube nomthelela ongakanani ekuthuthukeni komnotho.
Intuthuko yomnotho incike kakhulu ekusebenzeni kahle kwezimboni. Lo hulumeni oholwa uKhongolose wethule inqubomgomo yokuthuthukiswa komnotho wezwe phecelezi i-New Growth Path njengohlelo oluzokwazi ukuthi lufeze amaphupho esizwe entuthukweni yomnotho kanjalo nesizwe ngokubanzi. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Mr Z C NTULI: Chairperson, Ministers present, deputies, hon members and our guests, my speech will focus on the Industrial Development Corporation, IDC, and the Competition Commission and the effect it had on economic development.
Economic development is dependent on the effective operation of industries. The ANC-led government presented the New Growth Path and the Development Plan as a strategy that will fulfil the dreams of the nation in the development of the economy and the entire nation.]
Chairperson, at the ANC's 52nd National Conference in 2007 we resolved that we needed to develop an active and well-resourced industrial and trade strategy aimed at creating decent work. We now have an Industrial Policy Action Plan 2 and a developmental Trade Policy Strategy and Framework. These two policy documents are at the centre of the New Growth Path and Development Plan. Whilst the Industrial Policy Action Plan identifies sectors that should be supported, a major challenge that it confronts is to prioritise catalytic sectors, to build and broaden industrial linkages between these sectors.
The Administration has placed jobs at the centre of the mandate of the Industrial Development Corporation, IDC, and Competition Commission. This is consistent with the call in the manifesto of the ruling party that was endorsed by the electorate in 2009. This is what democracy is about, giving effect to the will of the people.
We have served in the portfolio committee since its establishment in 2009, and we have seen a dramatic shift in the level of industrial funding and projects that the department has announced on its own or through the agencies it is accountable for.
As the ANC, we welcome the expansion of investment approvals by the IDC under the leadership of Minister Patel. This is a more active IDC than the one we saw in 2009. In particular, it is helpful that government is not only focusing on the level of funding, but also on the cost of funding. Many companies have raised this as a serious challenge, because their competitors in Brazil and China are sometimes able to access cheaper loans.
The introduction of a new, low-interest facility to support companies that create jobs is consistent with our electoral mandate. This is what the ANC undertook to do and so we are pleased that the department and the IDC have introduced a facility priced at the prime interest rate less three percent. The IDC spent some R27 million over the past two years alone and we now expect it to deepen its developmental impact. We want to draw attention to the move by the IDC to encourage youth entrepreneurship and jobs for youth. This is what we mean by development. The Rl billion fund announced in Soweto must now be implemented with great energy so that young people can be drawn into new decent jobs so that we can offer hope to the young generation.
While the IDC has done well, there is more that our people expect in the year ahead. We need to focus on poorer provinces. The products of the IDC should be made more accessible at a local level. I welcome that the IDC will also be part of the planned Small Enterprise Financial Agency, Sefa, roadshows. The IDC should also have a facility to assist local entrepreneurs with the technical side of producing business plans.
The focus of the Competition Commission is greatly welcomed. There is sometimes a view in the public debate that competition is an end in itself, as if jobs do not matter or that jobs will simply come automatically from competition. We think that the competition policy is part of the tools that are available to government to help drive the broader economic goals. Sometimes greater competition on its own will be helpful in bringing new energy and innovation to a sector. At other times, we need to place employment conditions in mergers and acquisitions, as our laws clearly provide.
The economy must also provide opportunities for new entrants. For this reason, it is right that we tackle monopolies and cartels. We are pleased at the Minister's announcement on the investigation into the private health care industry. Some of its practices border on callously exploiting people's illness for profit.
The Pioneer Food settlement set the trend of competition settlements with companies that can benefit all South Africans. That settlement, hon members, led to the reduction in the price of bread and flour. It also led to a fine imposed on the company that allowed the Minister to set up an agroprocessing fund, which is now administered by the IDC.
In this budget, we will approve a further transfer of monies to the IDC from the fines paid by Pioneer Foods. This fund is now creating new jobs in agriculture and the food industry. Last year, the Wal-Mart matter was finalised by the Competition Appeal Court. The Wal-Mart settlement showed that government is determined to ensure that any foreign company entering South Africa must support local industrial capacity. It has led to many workers being reinstated by Wal-Mart after they were retrenched just before the merger. It has led to a R240 million fund to support local industry. I hope, hon Mubu, you get the difference.
Hon members, the success with creating a manufacturing capacity for the taxi industry is very exciting. I used to work at Toyota Motors in Durban many years ago. I want to tell this august House that the factory is now expanding and taking in more workers. Sifiso Mhlongo is a 39-year-old worker from KwaZulu-Natal. His hometown is that of Impendle in the KwaZulu- Natal hinterland, near Pietermaritzburg.
UMhlongo ushadile unezingane eziyisishiyagalombili endala ineminyaka eyishumi nesikhombisa ifunda ibanga leshumi nambili. Uqashwe laphaya kwa- Toyota, eThekwini KwaZulu-Natali. UMhlongo kade engasebenzi iminyaka emihlanu ephila ngemisebenzana emincane ehamba ebamba lapha nalaphaya ukuze akwazi ukuthola okuya ngasethunjini. Lokhu bekwenza impilo yakhe ibe nzima azizwe engeyona indoda emzini wakhe. Kuthe ngoNtulikazi wezi-2012 uMhlongo wayesethola umsebenzi laphaya kwa-Toyota ngesikhathi kuvulwa inkampani yokuthi kwakhiwe amatekisi lawa athutha abantu KwaZulu-Natali. Lokhu kumsizile uMhlongo wakwazi ukuthi kube khona akwazi ukukuthola abuye nakho ezinganeni zakhe. Uqashiwe laphaya kwa-Toyota ku-assembly line futhi miningana imisebenzi ayenzayo ngoba uwumsebenzi oqeqeshekile. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Mr Mhlongo is married with eight children; the eldest is 17 years old and is in Grade 12. He is employed by Toyota, in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. Mr Mhlongo was unemployed for five years and he was making a living by doing odd jobs here and there. This made his life difficult and made him feel less of a man in his own house. In July 2012, Mr Mhlongo got a job at Toyota when the taxi manufacturing unit opened in KwaZulu-Natal. This has helped Mr Mhlongo with regard to earning some money and providing for his family. He is employed at Toyota in the assembly line and he is also doing several other jobs because he is multi-skilled.]
He is also used in the fitting of parts in the assembly line, parts such as lights, pipes and radiators as he is multi-skilled.
UBaba uMhlongo uqashe laphaya ehostela laseWema eThekwini ukuze kube lula ukuthi aye emsebenzini. Uhamba ngezinyawo uma eya emsebenzi kwa-Toyota bese kuthi njalo ngezimpelasonto aye ekhaya eMpendle ayobona izingane zakhe. UMhlongo uthi uyabonga kakhulu ukuthi ukwazile ukuthola ithuba lokuthola umsebenzi akwazi ukondla izingane zakhe. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Mr Mhlongo is renting at Wermer Hostel in Durban to make it easy for him to go to work. He walks to work and goes home to Mpendle every weekend to see his children. Mr Mhlongo says he is very grateful that he was afforded an opportunity to get a job and to be able to fend for his children. [Applause.]]
Our industrial policy is about creating opportunities for people like Mr Mhlongo.
SiwuKhongolose sithi Sihlalo, sizoshintsha ukwenza ukususa lezi zithiyo ezikhona ezibambezela intuthuko yezwe. Esesikwenzile kuyinkomba yokuthi lokho esikuthunywe yisizwe namaphupho abaholi abadala baKhongolose abanjengoLangalibalele Dube, uMafukuzela, oLilian Ngoyi, Walter Sisulu, Albertina Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, Chief Albert Luthuli, naboBraam Fischer kanye nabanye abaningi sizowafeza. Sizimisele ukufeza umbono wesizwe ngowezi-2030. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[As the ANC, Chairperson, we are going to make some changes eliminate these obstacles that delay the development of the country. What we have already done is an indication of what we are deployed for so that the aspirations of the nation and the veteran leaders such as Langalibalele Dube, Mafukuzela, Lilian Ngoyi, Walter Sisulu, Albertina Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, Chief Albert Luthuli, Bram Fischer and many more, will be achieved. We are determined to achieve our vision of 2030.]
We are determined to achieve our vision of 2030.
UKhongolose uthi asingalilahli ithemba. Ngiyabonga. [The ANC says we must not lose hope. Thank you.] [Time expired.][Applause.]