Ja, hy kantel so 'n bietjie, soos ek en Oom Koos partykeer, n!
Nietemin, ons moet regtig waar indringend daarna kyk, want as 'n mens kyk na 116 mense wat nie agter hul lessenaars in die Departement van Kommunikasie se kantore sit nie, is dit ongelooflik baie! Ek is nou net bekommerd die departement loop dieselfde pad as wat die SAUK geloop het. Wat het die SAUK gedoen? Waar daar byvoorbeeld een baas was wat na hierdie mikrofoon omgesien het, is daar drie base aangestel. Nou kyk hulle na mekaar en daar is niemand wat weet hoe om die mikrofoon te werk nie. Dis my problem, agb Minister. Daaraan moet baie dringend aandag gegee word.
Ek is baie bly dat die besluit gemaak is oor die Europese Digitale Terrestriale Televisie-standaard, DTT. Ek is net baie jammer dat daar soveel water getrap is voordat die besluit gemaak is, maar dit is nou weer politieke besluite van die verlede. Ek l dit nie voor u deur nie, Minister. Dit is nou historiese feite, maar ek is bly die keuse is gemaak. Dis net jammer dat tyd verlore gegaan het en dat ons deur Brasili moes hardloop om nou eintlik die Parlement se geld te mors. Dit was baie lekker en interresant in Brasili, maar nietemin ...
Ek wil vir u een ding vra, agb Minister, en dit is dat u nooit moet toelaat dat politici die SAUK beheer nie. Ek was in daardie dae by die SAUK. Dit was nie baie lekker om destyds oproepe te ontvang nie - van Riaan Eksteen wat destyds nog die direkteur-generaal was - en dan te hoor dat oom PW se vrou iets gehoor het wat ek oor die draadloos sou ges het. Dan was ek in verskriklike moeilikheid! Dit is die effek van politieke beheer op so 'n belangrike organisasie soos die SAUK. Ek het gewerk in die aktualiteitsprogramme, waar jy elke dag verslag moes doen of iemand nie dalk per ongeluk iets leliks oor die Nasionale Party ges het nie. Jy moes alles mooi fyn "edit" want as jy dit wel uitsaai, is jy in die moeilikheid. Ek is dus seker daarvan, Minister, dat ek baie vetroue in u het. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr N J VAN DEN BERG: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Minister, I just want to say to all of you who do not understand Afrikaans that I am going to deliver my speech in Afrikaans today. I would like to have a chat with you.
I want to tell you that, so far, I have had my reservations regarding parliamentary debates.
Before I continue: You have been welcomed here so often today that by now you must surely be feeling truly welcome in this assembly hall.
No, I have my reservations regarding parliamentary debates, because it would seem to me as if people are not listening to one another while a debate is taking place. However, the impression I am getting here today is that the discourse has been mutually constructive. That is the idea I got. I'm actually worried; we are being so nice to one another today, that it seems to me as if we like each other, which is what worries me a bit! Nevertheless, I would like to congratulate the new Minister and Deputy Minister on what they have been able to do up to now because, as you know, the worst thing that could happen to you when you arrive at Parliament as a novice is to become a member of the Portfolio Committee on Communications! With the chaos that prevailed at the SABC and all the other entities, it is actually nice that we don't have to quarrel one another today, precisely because the Department of Communications is such an integral part of all our lives. Since waking up this morning, how important has communication not been in our lives up to now? The telephones, the radio, the television; you name it ...
That is why it is so important for communications to work in South Africa, because long after gold, diamonds and coal have been exhausted, we must still have our communications to make the most of. Look at any country that maintains its structures of communication. The penetration of the IT industry in society, for instance, means enormous growth in the gross domestic product.
The ANC is in power in South Africa, but I believe it is the duty of all of us as Members of Parliament to work as hard as possible at keeping this important department on course.
I have just congratulated the Minister and Deputy Minister on their hard work so far. The important thing to me is that, unlike in the past, the Minister and Deputy Minister have been present. They have made time to attend the deliberations of the Portfolio Committee on Communications. Thank you, Deputy Minister, that you and the Minister were able to arrange your programmes accordingly, because this is important, after all. In the past one gained the impression that, while we were discussing important matters in the portfolio committee, it was as if this simply passed the Ministry by.
Dr Wesso, I must thank you as well. I've already congratulated you in the portfolio committee. I will never forget your long face that day over at the Marks Building, when you said that the Department of Communications was a sinking ship. Dr Wesso's words were: "The Department of Communications is in absolute disarray."
Those were his words. However, Dr Wesso, being the acting director-general, worked very hard, with the help of the rest of the department, of course, to get this sinking ship afloat again. A lot of hard work still awaits the new director-general of the department, but I think that what has been done up to now will keep this ship afloat.
There are a few issues that I just want to mention now. What has disturbed me a little since I arrived at Parliament is that there are vacancies in the Department of Communications. If my memory serves me, I think that in total there are 116 vacant posts. Minister, this has been the case for a few years now. Every time we hear that this is as a result of restructuring. Now I think one can only turn a tanker so many times before one gets stuck. So I believe we should now reach a point where people have to be appointed because there is a job to be done.
Another thing that disturbs me is the large number of people in senior posts in the department. One gets the impression that there are too many chiefs in the Department of Communications and not enough ...