Ngiyabonga Sihlalo, ngibingelela uNgqongqoshe, oNgqongqoshe abakhona, iPhini likaNgqongqoshe, amaPhini oNgqongqoshe abakhona, uSihlalo wekomidi lethu umama uColeman kanye nawo wonke amalungu ahloniphekile. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Mr Z C NTULI: Thank you, Chairperson. I greet the Minister, the Ministers present, the Deputy Minister, the Deputy Ministers present, the chairperson of our committee, Mrs Coleman, and all the hon members.] As we debate this Budget Vote, we evaluate the input of our government in areas such as infrastructure investment, job creation and the expansion of industrial financing, which is the key component to job creation. In line with the New Growth Path, the government has launched the Industrial Policy Action Plan to open up the path to job creation.
Ipap, the Industrial Policy Action Plan, is the key component project of the New Growth Path through which we will measure progress and output on the five million jobs expected to be created by 2020. In the Ipap document, our government has put it clearly that, in order to create more jobs, diversification will focus on expanding opportunities in oil and gas, green energy-saving industries, agro-processing linked to food security, and some interventions to boost local manufacturing.
Foreign direct investment continues to boost the industrial sector. More money is needed to expand development zones to make our economy rely on job creation rather than on commodities. We also need to see more integration between state-owned enterprises, SOEs, and development finance institutions, DFIs, in implementing the systems and the monitoring and measuring of their direct and indirect impact on employment.
In the state of the nation address, President Jacob Zuma made a clear call when he said: We urge state-owned enterprises to play a key role in skills development and help us provide the technical skills needed by the economy. Denel, Eskom, SAA and Transnet have supported the training of more than 6 000 learners in technical and engineering-related scarce and critical skills.
We will need to attract more DFIs in the area of revitalisation of training facilities and skills investment. The DFIs should be seen driving the developmental agenda. As we revitalise training facilities, we will need to draw skills training programme models from existing institutions like the Michael House school for senior boys which is situated in the Natal Midlands, KwaZulu-Natal.
Lesi sikole Sihlalo, sifundisa ngawo wonke amakhono ukuze abafundi uma bephuma beyofuna umsebenzi noma beyozakhela bona imisebenzi, akudingeki nokuthi baze baye eNyuvesi uma bephuma kulesi sikole. Ngakho-ke kudingeka ukuthi sibheke izindlela zokuheha ama-DFI ukuthi asize uhulumeni ekuvuleni izikhungo ezifana nalesi sikole. Lokhu kungasiza kakhulu ngoba ukuyisa umntwana kulesi sikole esifana nalesi okuthiwa yi-Michael House kubiza imali eyizi-R158 240 ngonyaka ingane ngayinye. Okusho ukuthi nathi njengoba siwuhulumeni nje, ake sibenazo izingane eziphuma kule mizi ehlwempu eziyayo kulesi sikole sibone ukuthi yini le ethengwa yile mali engaka. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[This school, Chairperson, teaches all the skills necessary so that after matriculating learners can go look for jobs or start their own businesses; they don't even need to go to university after matriculating. So we need to look at the ways to attract the DFIs to assist the government in opening schools like this one. That would help a lot, because sending a child to a school like Michael House costs R158 240 per child annually. As government we must therefore ensure that kids from poor homes are sent to this school so that we can see what it is that makes it so expensive.]
Dr Rabie, I think Rome could never have been built in a day. I heard you about ...
Siye sithi thina ngesiZulu akuvelwa kanye kanye kungemadlebe embongolo. Sihlalo izinguquko zomthetho kumele zenziwe ngokushesha ukuze kuchitshiyelwe uMthetho Wokuqhudelana ukwenzela ukuthi izimakhethe zivuleleke nakosomabhizinisi abancane. Sisishayela ihlombe isiphakamiso sokuthi ama-ejenti amancane afana noKhula, Samaf no-IDC ahlanganiswe ndawonye ukwakha uphiko olulodwa lokusiza osomabhizinisi abancane ngemalimboleko. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[In isiZulu we say that success does not come to everyone at once. Chairperson, legislative changes should be made quickly to amend the Competition Act so that markets should also be accessible to small business people. We applaud the suggestion that smaller agencies like Khula, Samaf and the IDC should be merged to form one agency in order to help small business people with loans.]
The current economic development strategies will need the Industrial Development Corporation, IDC, to enable municipalities to expand infrastructure to rural areas in order to make it possible to extend development zones to rural areas, particularly the manufacturing sector. This will also create opportunities for expanding market zones to expose more communities to business activities.
There should be a strong mechanism to drive the alignment of the strategic objectives of the economic development agencies in order to achieve the national development goals. There must be an alignment of purpose between the DFIs and local economic development strategies, LEDs. This alignment could best be mirrored through the integrated development plans at every implementation drive. The programme of the DFIs must be more aligned to the job creation agenda. The R10 billion investment by the IDC over the next five years must also be aligned to this development agenda.
In his article titled "What I would do if I were Prime Minister", dated 2 December 1961, the then president of the ANC, Inkosi Albert Luthuli, said that the many problems facing emergent states on this continent were, among other things, "state subsidies for backward areas and service" and "ownership and control of industry and other branches of the country's wealth". He said: These problems are common to nearly all emergent independent states ... I look forward to the day when my own people will face these problems of an emergent free state ... To meet this man-made inequality will demand what will appear to whites in South Africa to be revolutionary changes ... The solution to the South African problem will call for radical reforms.
I look forward to the IDC expanding manufacturing to the rural areas. We need to see infrastructure development investment increasing in size in the rural areas where the majority of South Africans live. These reforms will emancipate our people economically from poverty and economic isolation by creating local markets, which will become common sites to meet and share business ideas among poor and emerging entrepreneurs.
Sihlalo, ake ngibuyele kancane laphaya kubaba umhlonishwa u-Marais. [Chairperson, let me go back a bit and respond to hon Marais.]
I think, hon Marais, you spoke about the labour regime. You must know that as the ANC we will never lose our struggle for the workers. We cannot just say, now we will do away with all the struggles of the past. The workers did fight for these rights. I am also surprised, hon Marais, that you never said anything about Walmart. There is a record, not a good one, for Walmart when it comes to its labour force, but you didn't say anything about that. I want to tell you that what you call talk shops is, to the ANC, consultations.
Yebo, Xhamela, ngikuzwile ndoda ushaya laphaya uthi ... [Yes, Xhamela, I heard you making your relevant point, saying ...]
... government creates a conducive environment for businesses. [Laughter.]
Okunye-ke Xhamela khululeka nge-Samaf, ngizwile uthatha i-Samaf isizohlangana neKhula no-IDC. Ngakho-ke lokhu obusakusola sekuzolungiseka ngokushesha ngoba sebezohlangana. Ngiyabonga baba uSingh, uyindoda. Hhayi uyibambile Baba uSingh. [Uhleko.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Another thing, Xhamela, don't worry about Samaf. I heard that Samaf will be merged with Khula and the IDC. It means that what you were complaining about will be resolved as they will be merging. I thank you, Mr Singh; you are the man. Indeed you are doing a great job, Mr Singh. [Laughter.]]
To the hon Alberts I just want to say that you must know that the Ministers are from the ANC. They have the "Working together we can create more jobs" belief. Hon Swart, no, it's the same thing - I want to assure you that we've got a good team in the economic cluster. Those Ministers know exactly what are they supposed to do. This working together will create more jobs.
I would like to thank the chairperson and the committee on Economic Development, because this debate has been taking place today while we are in a constituency period. So, the members had to come back to prepare for this debate. I would also like to thank the members from the study group and the opposition. I would like to urge this House to pass this Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]