Hon Deputy Speaker, hon President and Deputy President, hon members and guests, Parliament has a duty to, among other things, exercise oversight over the executive. Parliament does so through portfolio committees that scrutinise the strategic plans of the various departments to ensure that plans are carried out in line with approved budgets.
Azapo regrets the fact that, so far, there is no portfolio committee that exercises oversight over the Presidency. This concern, Mr President, has very little to do with our attitude towards individuals who occupy positions in the Presidency. It is the right thing to do. It is the duty of Parliament.
Hon President, Azapo agrees with you that government has to change and improve the way it does things. We welcome government's intention to focus on education, among other things. We share your concerns about the problems in education, like the late delivery of textbooks and other learning and teaching materials.
This week, South Africans had a rude awakening when we read about the children of Ga-Seanego in the Senwabarwana District of Limpopo whose school is "an informal school under a tree". What is even more shocking to Azapo is the fact that nobody within the bureaucracy seemed to have been aware of the situation until it was reported in the media. Somebody is sleeping on the job.
Government has to change the way it does things and deals with reports of financial mismanagement in different government departments. The Auditor- General's reports are full of references to unauthorised, fruitless and wasteful expenditure. How should ordinary citizens explain the fact that, with qualified audit opinions and disclaimers, accounting officers and executive authorities continue to keep their jobs? Azapo calls upon you, Mr President, to change how government works by taking the lead in ensuring that action is taken against heads of departments and Ministers under whose watch the departments obtain disclaimers.
You are calling for the filling of funded vacant posts, Mr President, and Azapo supports you, but we submit that there are bigger problems because we hear now that doctors in the Eastern Cape have not been paid. This takes place in a country that has an acute shortage of doctors and other medical practitioners. Azapo commends those doctors and other public servants who work under difficult conditions.
We agree that Brand SA is respected internationally. It is, however, true that the brand suffered a knock because of South Africa's complicity in the UN Resolution 1973 on Libya. Azapo appreciates the role South Africa has played in the establishment of South Sudan as a sovereign state. We call upon your government to speak out against the bullying tactics of the government of Sudan under President al-Bashir - the bombing raids and violation of South Sudanese airspace.
Azapo supports South Africa's decision to relabel goods coming from Palestine. Israel is Israel and Palestine should be Palestine. The labelling of goods made in Palestine as "Made in Israel" is a tacit approval of the continued occupation of Palestinian territories. South Africa must stick with the truth. "Made in China" must mean exactly that. So too must "Made in Zimbabwe" or "Made in the UK". Notwithstanding the above concerns, Mr President, Azapo supports Budget Vote No 1. Thank you. [Applause.]