Ke a leboga Ntate Kganyago. [Thank you Mr Kganyago.]
That is a very important matter that you are raising. In fact, I want to say that if there is one area through which we would like to be judged as a department it is this one. We are putting a lot of effort into this. In 2010, we signed a National Skills Accord with labour, business and community representatives at Nedlac to promote placement and the absorption of, especially, FET college graduates to be given 12 or 18 months - some require 18 months - to become apprentices. We have that agreement. Yesterday, Mr Mpontshane, I was in Nongoma with Ngonyama. We were opening an office of the sector education and training authority, Seta, at uMthashana FET College, the Nongoma Campus, the former vocational education college there, because we want to bring the Setas to the point where they are able to facilitate the placement of students in workplaces.
Deputy Speaker, when we think of workplaces, we must not only be thinking about the private sector, much as it is important. Municipalities are workplaces. If there is a police station, that's a workplace, where police cars can be fixed and you are able to train motor mechanics there. Our own slogan as a department is: "Together, we can turn every workplace into a training space". This is one thing I will require as part of my performance agreement with the college principals, that a successful FET college principal must be one who is able to forge a closer relationship with employers so that we can place our students.
Ngibona-ke Phini likaSomlomo engathi i-IFP iphatheka kabi uma ngithi bengiKwaNongoma. Hhayi impela bengikhona, bengigcwele laphaya. Ehhe, nginibheka nani ukuthi yiziphi lezi zindawana okufuneka siyoziqoqaqoqa futhi laphaya singuKhongolose.[Uhleko.] Ngiyabonga Phini likaSomlomo. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[I see, Deputy Speaker, that the IFP is worried when I say I was in KwaNongoma. Yes, of course I was there, I was there in full force. Yes, I was checking which areas we can win back in that area as the ANC. [Laughter.] Thank you, Deputy Speaker.]