Agb Voorsitter ... [Hon Chairperson ...] ... the hon Minister gave us a fairy-tale story of the SA National Defence Force. Unfortunately, I will have to come back to the reality.
Agb Minister, u het 'n hele paar uitdagings wat vir u voorl. Die eerste uitdaging ...
Voorsitter, die agb Minister vra dat ek vir haar 'n kans moet gee om haar vertaaldiens te kry. U sal vir my'n ekstra minuut moet gee, asseblief. [Gelag.] Dankie. Is u reg, agb Minister? Goed.
Agb Minister, soos ek ges het, daar is 'n paar uitdagings wat vir u voorl. Die eerste ding wil ek vandag vir u s: Die Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Weermag is verpolitiseer. Ek wil vandag vir u s: Jou politiek bepaal of jy op 'n kursus gaan; jou politiek bepaal of jy bevorder gaan word of nie.
Dan wil ek vandag ook vir u s: Jou magsnommer bepaal aan watter politiek jy behoort. Daar is 'n verskil in magsnommers tussen die statutre en nie- statutre magte. Jou velkleur s vir jou aan watter politiek jy behoort. Ek wil vir die agb Minister s: As u nie politiek uit die Weermag haal nie, gaan u nie 'n professionele weermag h nie. Ek is op rekord waar ek s dat ek gekant daarteen is dat daar vakbonde in die Weermag is. Maar ek wil darem ook vandag vir u s dat ek nie lede van die Weermag kwalik neem as hulle wel aan 'n vakbond behoort nie, want daar word nie na hulle griewe geluister nie.
U s daar is 'n grieweprosedure. Dis korrek. Dis 'n prosedure op papier, maar in die praktyk het die mense nie iewers heen om te gaan met hul griewe nie. Dit moet onmiddellik aangespreek word.
Ek wil praat oor dissipline. Agb Minister, ek praat al die afgelope 10 jaar oor die dissipline in die Weermag. Dis onaanvaarbaar dat 'n mens in die media moet hoor van 'n verkragting van 'n vrouesoldaat hier, of op 'n vredesoperasie daar, of wat ook al. Dis 'n teken dat die kern vrot is; dat daar nie dissipline is nie.
U s u wil die jongmense van die strate af en in die weermag kry sodat hulle daar dissipline moet aanleer. Ek is bevrees dat, as ons die situasie nie daadwerklik gaan aanspreek nie, hulle nie dissipline daar gaan ontvang nie, maar wel erger gaan word.
Ek kom nou by die begroting. Ek stem saam met wat die agb Voorsitter netnou ges het. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.) [Hon Minister, you have several challenges ahead of you. The first challenge ...
Chairperson, the hon Minister is requesting that I give her an opportunity to get hold of her interpreting service. You will have to allocate an extra minute to me, please. [Laughter.] Thank you. Are you ready, hon Minister? Very well.
Hon Minister, I mentioned that you have several challenges ahead of you. The first thing that I would like to say to you today: The South African National Defence Force has been politicised. I want to say to you today: One's political convictions determine whether one will attend a course; one's political convictions determine whether or not one will be promoted.
I would also like to say to you today: One's force number determines the political party that one belongs to. Statutory and non-statutory authorities differ with regard to the force numbers. One's skin colour points to which political party one belongs. I want to say to the hon Minister: You will not have a professional defence force if politics is present in the Defence Force.
I am on record for saying that I am opposed to having unions in the Defence Force. But I want to say today that I do not hold it against members of the Defence Force if they do indeed belong to a union, because their grievances are not heard.
You mention that there is a grievance procedure. That's correct. That is a procedure on paper, but in practice these people have no place to take their grievances. This should be addressed immediately.
I want to speak about discipline. Hon Minister, for the past 10 years I have been speaking about discipline in the Defence Force. It is unacceptable that one should read in the media about the rape of a woman soldier here or somewhere else during a peace operation. That is a sign that the core is rotten; that discipline is nonexistent.
You mention that you want to get the youth off the street and in the Defence Force in order for them to gain some discipline. I'm afraid that they will not receive any discipline if we are not going to actively address the situation, but that they can very well grow worse.
I will now talk about the budget. I agree with what the hon Chairperson said previously.]
Every Member of Parliament who is sitting here has got the responsibility. And there is a greater responsibility on the members of the ANC, because they have to ensure that there is enough money to ensure that we have a defence force. Each and every member must ask himself or herself whether he or she wants a defence force or not. If one's answer is yes, one will have to start lobbying.
Voorsitter, ek wil vandag s dat daar nuwe salarisse aangekondig is. Dit vereis R1,9 miljard, maar die Tesourie het net R600 miljoen toegestaan - met ander woorde, 'n tekort van R1,3 miljard.
Wat gebeur nou? Hoofde word nou verplig om hul operasionele begrotings aan te wend om soldate te betaal. En omdat hulle die operasionele gelde begin aanwend daarvoor, is ons Weermag se gevegsgereedheid in gevaar. Daar is nie eens genoeg ammunisie om behoorlike opleiding te gee aan lede van die Military Skills Development System, MSDS, nie. Daar is nie genoegsame geld vir ammunisie om te verseker dat die eerste lynfunksie van brigades nagekom word nie. Daar is nie genoeg operasionele geld om te verseker dat ons vegvlieniers in die nag operasioneel kan wees nie.
My beperkte tyd laat my nie toe om veel te s nie.
Dit is 'n ernstige bedreiging. In die hele, totale jaar sit ons met 'n tekort van R3 miljard rand. Die ergste is, oor die mediumtermynbegroting verhoog dit oor die volgende twee jaar na 'n tekort van R4 miljard. Dis 'n taak, veral vir die ANC lede, om te sorg dat daar geld is.
Laastens wil ek vir u s, agb Minister ... (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, I want to say today that we have been told about the new salaries that require R1,9 billion, but Treasury has allocated only R600 million. In other words, there is a shortfall of R1,3 billion.
What is going to happen now? Heads are forced to utilise their operational budgets in order to compensate soldiers, and as a result of this the battle- readiness of our Defence Force is in danger. There is not even sufficient ammunition to train members of the Military Skills Development System, MSDS, properly. There are insufficient funds to purchase ammunition to ensure that the first line function of brigades is met. There are insufficient funds to ensure that our fighter pilots are operational at night.
My limited time does not allow me to say too much.
This is a serious threat. We will experience a shortage of R3 billion for the whole year. The worst is that over the Medium-Term budget it will increase over the next two years to a shortfall of R4 billion. It is the duty of the ANC members to ensure that there is money.
Lastly, I would like to say to you, hon Minister ...] I have known you since 1994. You are a hardworking Minister and I know you as someone who is transparent. Whoever advised you to say that you don't need to appear in front of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa, gave you ill advice. Fire those people because they are not good for you. What they advised you to do was a mistake. I thank you. [Applause.]