Chairperson, we as the IFP believe that whilst the New Growth Path provides a credible growth path for up to 2020 - medium to long-term vision - there is certainly a need, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, for urgent ad hoc interventions in the meanwhile to ensure that the unemployment figures are reduced long before 2020.
Having said that, Mr Minister, the aftershocks of the recent recession that we have had in the world by necessity have caused governments, including that of South Africa, to prioritise economic development so that it is at the forefront of their policies, and hence we welcome the formation of this new department.
I did say last year that I hoped the turf wars would be eradicated, and looking at the number of Ministers that are here from the different clusters we can see a move towards the eradication of turf wars between different departments. That is a good sign.
South Africa, arguably the economic powerhouse of the continent, experienced an unprecedented fifteen and a half years or 62 quarters of uninterrupted economic growth before the recession. We are the most infrastructurally sound country on the continent of Africa. We have an abundance of mineral wealth, a highly developed financial sector and a world-class legal framework. In addition, we have just become a member of Bric - Brazil, Russia, India and China - and, as such, are perfectly poised for rapid economic growth.
In South Africa we also have a substantial amount of small and medium-sized enterprises, which the IFP believes are potentially the largest generators of sustainable economic growth. Small, medium and micro enterprises - their establishment and - growth must be encouraged and assisted by government through favourable policy and finance measures, some of which have been referred to by the hon Minister.
But, Minister, continuing education for small business owners in the areas of business and accounting management must be offered at all major centres. And when I say "all", I mean that even in the outlying rural areas we must have opportunities for businesses to thrive, so that we don't only focus on the urban areas.
Academies such as the one recently sponsored by Samsung Electronics, called the Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy, which seek to tackle the shortage of technical and engineering skills in this country, are also to be encouraged. Multinational businesses have both an ethical and moral responsibility to their host nations to fund skills development programmes for the youth, the unemployed and the underprivileged. Samsung's goal of reaching out and impacting on five million lives by 2015 through its programme is highly commended.
Turning to the Industrial Development Corporation and the R10 billion stimulus package, we are pleased that this finance will be available to business start-ups as a culture of entrepreneurship needs to be encouraged by government.
We agree with the Minister that the IDC must play a central role, but the challenge is that the IDC must get closer to the people. The IDC must not only interact with CEOs of large corporations and boards of directors, but with people on the ground who need to know what the IDC can offer.
As far as challenges to economic growth are concerned, the IFP is particularly concerned about the reliable supply of energy to our growing economy, particularly in light of recent predictions of demand starting to outstrip supply. Incompetence is still rife at Eskom. Examples of this, such as the recent breakdown of a R3 billion 600 megawatt turbine with the taxpayer, as always, footing the bill, continue to prevail.
Unemployment, the highest it has ever been, is another key challenge to economic growth and this, together with other debilitating social conditions such as HIV and poverty, needs to be addressed urgently and in a sustainable manner. We as the IFP believe that not enough is being done in this regard. Service delivery protests in different parts of the country and the continual cry by small and medium-size enterprises that they are not being sufficiently assisted by government are cases in point.
To this end, the challenge faced by employers and employees within the clothing and textile industries needs to be addressed expeditiously. And I want to thank the hon Minister for his response to my question on the clothing and textile industries. In the area where I come from there are a number of what are called CMTs - cut, make and trim - clothing factories. The concern is that now, for some reason or another, they are now considered to be in urban areas and the salary determinations weigh heavily against these industries that have established themselves in semirural areas. I trust that the Minister will intervene.
But, Minister, what is a sad indictment of this government - you spoke about the government department job impact - is the fact that R2,47 billion in infrastructure grants this financial year had to be withheld by the Minister of Finance because provinces did not spend this money. This is a sad indictment of this government that this had to happen while you are trying to create jobs.
In conclusion, Minister, the IFP wants to see a year of quantifiable action, a year in which real economic growth takes place. And we have faith in you and wish your department all the best. We will support this Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]