Mohlomphegi Modulasetulo, maloko ao a hlomphegago, Tona ya t?a T?hirelet?o le Bagale ba Se?ole, Motlat?a Tona wa t?a T?hirelet?o le Bagale ba Se?ole le mohlomphegi Booi, re le baCope, re thekga ditekanyet?o t?a Kgoro ya t?a T?hirelet?o le Bagale ba Se?ole.
Ke rata go laet?a gore ke ka lebaka la eng re thekga ditekanyet?o t?e. Eup?a pele ke eya fao, e re ke le tsebi?e gore go bolela nnete re be re t?wile maloba re ile kua ntle ga naga. Seo re se bonego ge re le fao bagage?o se laedit?e go amogela gore batho ba Afrika-Borwa kamoka ga bona ba swanet?e go ba ngata e tee. Ge re thoma re bolela ka ma?ole, re bolela ka t?hirelet?ego ya rena ka moka. Ge o bala puku ya Baahlodi kgaolo ya bo?upa ka Bebeleng e laet?a gore ma?ole ke dibet?a; ke bao ba hlophilwego ke Modimo go ?irelet?a set?haba. Ka gona go bohlokwa gore re be ngatana ye tee.
Ge re le kua mollwaneng, a mangwe a ma?ole a ?upile gore ke Tona ya T?hirelet?o le Bagale ba Se?ole feela yeo e ilego ya etela mellwane gomme ya rwala kefa let?at?ing ya hlehla e lekola legora la mollwane go tloga ka 1994 go fihla lehono. Ka gona bagage?o, wo e bile mo?omo wo mobotse.
Re le baCope re thekga ditekanet?o t?e. Eup?a re rata ge nkabe di ka hlatlo?wa gape. [Legoswi.] Re bolela se ka lebaka la gore go sa na le dinyakwa t?eo di lego gona go dira gore kgoro ye e kgone go ba gabotse. Legora la go lekana dikilometara t?e nne go ya go t?e hlano le ripilwe kua mollwaneng wa Afrika-Borwa le Mozambique gomme dikoloi di nt?hwa fao, gape le mahodu magareng ga dinaga t?e pedi t?e a t?wa gona fao. Ge re be le fao let?at?ing leo, ma?ole a ile a re laet?a mehlala ya dikoloi t?eo di ka bago di t?erwe e sa le bo?ego gomme t?a tshelela ka Mozambique.
Se sengwe gape ke gore difofane t?eo re bego re sepela ka t?ona ke t?a kgale t?a go hloka diruthufat?a/dihlabo?a-moya le dintlwana t?a go ithomela ka gare ga t?ona. Moya ga o tsene le go tsena ka gare. Go nyakega gore go be t?helete ya go reka dilo t?e. Bagage?o, ge re sa hlokomele gabotse - ke ?ia go bolela mekgatlo ya majelathoko yeo e hlolago meferefere lefaseng - ka le lengwe la mat?at?i re tla makat?wa ke pomo go t?wa go mekgatlo ye mengwe ge go ka lemogwa mokgwa wo wa go ?wahlela ka mo Afrika-Borwa. Le a e tseba mekgatlo ye ke bolelago ka yona. Go nyakega gore go ?irelet?ege e le ka nnete kua mellwaneng.
Ke lebogile ma?ole ka taet?o ya bona ya go iphsina ka go ?irelet?a naga ya ga bobona. Go bolela nnete, ge e le maphodisa wona ga a dire ka tsela ye - ga re re re a senya - maphodisa ga se a bone fao legora le le ripilwego gona. Ke ma?ole ao a tlilego a re lemo?a gore dikoloi di tsene kae. Ka fao, go laet?a gabotse gore batho ba ba ?oma ka tshwanelo.
Beng baka, re batho bao ba ka lekanago dimilione t?e 39 go ya go t?e 40 mo Afrika-Borwa. Re na le ma?ole ao a ka lekanago dikete t?e 74 ge ke sa fo?e - Tona o tseba ka se go mpheta. Eup?a ba re hlokomet?e ka moka ga rena. Re rata ge ditekanyet?o t?e di ka roto?wa. Tona o ile a laet?a seyalemoyeng gore go kaone ge mohlomongwe re ka hwet?a dipilione t?e nne. Nna ke re re ka thaba ge Tona a ka di oket?a go feta fa. [Legoswi.]
Ga ke tsebe dithunya gabotse, efela ke dumela gore Tona o di tseba gabotse. Ke ile ka kwa ba bot?i?a mokgalabje yo mongwe wa bagolo ba ma?ole dipot?i?o let?at?i le lengwe ge ke theeledit?e seyalemoyeng. Ba be ba mmot?i?a ka ga dithunya t?e dingwe t?eo e lego gore ma?ole a swanet?e go di ?omi?a nakong ya tlhahlo, eup?a o ile a laet?a gore ba ka se kgone go ?omi?a dithunya t?e nakong ya tlhahlo ka lebaka la gore ge ba ka di ?omi?a, go ka se be le t?helete ya go reka t?e dingwe. Bjale, ga go nyakege gore ma?ole a thome go ?omi?a dibet?a ge go ?et?e go befile. T?helete e swanet?e gore e be gona gore dibet?a ka moka di kgone go ba gona, gomme ma?ole a hlahliwe ka t?ona. [Legoswi.] Se se tla dira gore ge bothata bo fihla e be gore ba na le maitemogelo ka ga t?ona. Ntle le mo, motho o tla re a sa lebelelane le t?a gore sethunya se beakanywa bjang, ya ba gore lenaba la gagwe le ?et?e le mo thunt?hit?e. Ka gona, re swanet?e re kopane tabeng ye.
Dikgoro ka moka di bohlokwa. Le nkwe gabotse, ga ke re dikgoro t?e dingwe ga di bohlokwa. Bjalo ka monna wa Mopedi, ka segage?o ge monna a nyaka go aga motse o nyaka monna goba mosadi wa ngaka gore a tle a thee motse gore dikebekwa le batho ba kotsi ba se tsene motseng wa gagwe. [Legoswi.] Se se dira gore bana ba robale gabotse gomme go se be le mathata. Le rena mo Afrika-Borwa, ge re nyaka go thea motse wa rena gore re robale gabotse le bana ba rena re iketle ntle le mathata, re swanet?e go thekga Kgoro ye ya t?a T?hirelet?o le Bagale ba Se?ole ka maatla. Ge re na le ma?ole ao a se nago maatla bagage?o, re kotsing ka moka ga rena - go sa lebelelwe gore o wa mokgatlo ofe wa dipolitiki. Seo se lego gona ke gore re swanet?e go thekga batho ba gore ba kgone go t?wela pele mo?ong wa bona. [Legoswi.]
Go na le seo ke ratago go se bot?a Tona. Ngwagola ka kgwedi ya boraro ke le kua gae monyanyeng, ke ile ka bona ngwanenyana a apere yunifomo ya ma?ole. O be a efa batho magobe. Ka ge ke le leloko la komiti ya t?a ma?ole ke ile ka kwa ke ekwa bose gomme ka mmit?a ka re: Ngwanenyana wa ka, na o ?omela kae? O ile a mpot?a gore ga se le?ole. Ke ile ka mot?i?a ka ga yunifomo yeo a bego a e apere ka ge e be e swana le ya ma?ole. O ile a re ke ya lesogana la gagwe. Ke ile ka mmot?i?a gore lesogana la gagwe le kae gomme a nt?hupet?a lona. [Disego.]
Re le ba Cope, re bonela pele le morago. [T?hwahlelo.] [Nako e fedile.] [Legofsi.] (Translation of Sepedi speech follows.)
[Mr L J TOLO: Hon Chairperson, hon members, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, the Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans and hon Booi, Cope supports the budget for the Department of Defence and Military Veterans.
I would like to indicate the reason for supporting the budget. Let me first indicate that we went abroad and what we saw there proved that all South Africans have to be united. When we speak of the soldiers we refer to the security of the country. Judges chapter 7 in the Bible indicates that the soldiers were chosen by God to protect the nation.
Some of the soldiers indicated when we were at the border that from 1994 until today it is only the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans who visited the border and walked in the sun along the border with a cap on her head, checking the border fence. This is commendable.
Cope supports this budget even though we don't think it is enough. [Applause.] There are still other things needed for this department to function effectively. A border fence of a distance of about four to five kilometres has been removed between South Africa and Mozambique. Cars are smuggled between the two countries through that gap. On the day we visited the border the soldiers showed us tracks of cars that might have been smuggled during the night into Mozambique.
We also boarded old aeroplanes that had neither air conditioners nor toilets. There was no air coming into the aeroplanes. We need money to ensure that air conditioners and toilets are made available in these aeroplanes. If we are not careful - I do not want to mention the names of terrorist organisations that cause chaos in the world - one day we are going to be surprised by a bomb from one of these organisations, should they be aware of the gap. You know the organisations I am talking about. There has to be strong security at the borders.
I salute the soldiers for proving that they enjoy their work of protecting their country. To be honest, the police force is not doing enough - I am not trying to create any chaos - but they are not aware of the gap. The soldiers were the ones to show it to us. This shows their commitment to their work.
South Africa has a population of 39 to 40 million. If I am not mistaken, we have about 74 000 soldiers - the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans knows better about this. These soldiers are looking after all of us. We wish that the budget could be increased. The Minister indicated on the radio that it would be better if the department was allocated R4 billion; I think the Minister should negotiate for more. [Applause.]
I do not know much about guns, but I believe the Minister knows better about them. I once listened to a radio interview of an old man who was a leader in the army. He was asked about guns that soldiers should use in training and he said that they could not use those guns for training because they could not afford to replace them. There has to be enough money for all the weapons so that training of soldiers includes the use of necessary weapons as well. Lack of proper training on the use of guns puts the lives of soldiers at risk. We therefore have to meet and talk about this matter.
All the departments are equally important; I am not saying other departments are not important. According to our culture as Bapedi, when a man builds a house for his family, he invites a traditional doctor to come and protect the house against criminals and witchcraft. [Applause.] This will help the family members to sleep peacefully. If we want to sleep peacefully in South Africa we have to fully support the Department of Defence and Military Veterans. If the soldiers are not properly trained, they put the lives of all the citizens at risk, irrespective of what political party you belong to. The soldiers also need our support to work efficiently. [Applause.]
I would like to tell the Minister that I saw a lady dressed in the South African army uniform at a wedding back home in March 2009. She was serving food. As a member of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans I felt good about it and I asked the lady where she works. She said that she was not a soldier, that the uniform belonged to her boyfriend. I asked her where her boyfriend was and she showed me. [Laughter.]
Cope members are visionaries. [Interjections.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]]