Chairperson, hon Minister Comrade Dr Nkosazana Dlamini- Zuma, hon Deputy Minister Gigaba, hon members and guests, I am honoured to participate in this budget debate. The Budget Vote process is an opportunity to assess how far we have come in our programmes and projects and whether what is being appropriated by the national Budget speaks to the priorities that the ANC has set for government.
The Department of Home Affairs is committed to ensuring the efficient determination and safeguarding of the identity and status of citizens and the regulation of migration, to ensuring security, to promoting democracy, and to developing and fulfilling South Africa's obligations. These obligations are substantial, and in a constitutional democracy like ours, we are constitutionally duty-bound to perform. Judging by the Budget Vote's additional allocations, the Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, Film and Publication Board and Government Printing Works, GPW, have shown steady increases over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF.
The IEC and GPW received the largest portion of the budget allocation during the 2010-11 financial year. The IEC received an increase from R937 million to R1,4 billion. The budget increase for the IEC is obviously influenced by the 2011 local government elections. The increase in funding of these entities is compatible with the ANC's commitment to multiparty constitutional democracy, which has requirements for regular elections. This received much debate at the 51st national conference of the ANC in Stellenbosch in 2002. The conference looked at the responsibility of the ANC government in providing the essential documented support for all eligible citizens.
Indeed, printing and publication work contribute to essential communications and the battle of ideas. The 2007 Polokwane conference reaffirmed the importance of all forms of communication by the state in the national democratic revolution and the battle of ideas that need to be cultivated for a socially and politically conscious and responsible nation to function.
The ANC recognises that, while there is a lot of progress on this front, there is much that still needs to be done. The ANC's commitment to the freedom of the media is well known and entrenched. This principle was first adopted in the Freedom Charter and is entrenched in our Constitution. The ANC's commitment to freedom of expression in society, including the media, is located within the context of the Constitution of the Republic. These rights need to be weighed against other constitutional rights, such as the right to human dignity and privacy. The ANC is of the opinion that the media needs to contribute to the building of a new society and be accountable for its actions. This relates to both broadcasting and the print media.
Given that we are undergoing a process of national democratic revolution, the media should contribute to the transformation of our country. Building social cohesion and promoting the values of a caring society and nation are an essential part of the battle for ideas and must underpin and inform the manner in which the publication and printing board operates.
In the state of the nation address, President Zuma called for efforts to promote greater economic growth through the reduction of communication costs. He committed government to reducing broadband costs, cellphone, landline and public-phone rates, and I quote him when he said that "we will work to increase broadband speed and ensure a high standard of Internet service, in line with international standards". This suggests the multifaceted nature of my debate involving technology, the Constitution and socioeconomic dimensions.
The Government Printing Works generates revenue mainly from printing identity documents, forms, examination papers and passports. Revenue is expected to increase over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework period.
During the MTEF period, spending will focus on expanding activities directed at preventing child pornography on the Internet. These activities include working closely with international organisations, researching human trafficking trends, classifying films, monitoring suppliers for compliance, and building relationships with international organisations.
Chairperson, in this regard, one has to draw the nation's attention to the fact that child pornography is one of the fastest-growing Internet businesses, estimated to be worth billions of rands. Our debate must call for active popular participation of civil society in order to shape and take part in instilling the correct values, ethos and cultural norms that we wish to entrench in the minds of all citizens.
Therefore, we welcome the pressure, led by the Film and Publication Board, the department, the ANC and broader civil society, which brought about the termination of the research project that DStv wanted to launch on a 24-hour pornography pay channel. More than 20 000 images of child pornography are posted online every week, approximately 20% of all Internet pornography involves children and there are approximately 100 000 websites that offer illegal child pornography. While such information may enrage or frighten people, it will not alter the conduct of those who take pleasure in or profit from the exploitation of children unless the public and government are prepared to be decisive in decisions and actions to protect the children.
We believe that the department's budget must be distributed precisely to crack down on this and demonstrate clearly the government's resolve to effectively reinforce the global effort to combat this crime. Child pornography and the exposure of children to pornography must be made an abomination in society. There should be a comprehensive implementation of an information and communication technology, ICT, strategy that will ensure that the Film and Publication Board is up to date with new technologies that impact on content delivery and media distribution.
There is a need to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of the Films and Publications Act through the further development and maintenance of organisational capacity. The Constitution is unambiguous on this point. It states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom of the press and other media, and freedom to receive or impart information or ideas. The democratic state has, since 1994, continued to uphold and respect the letter and the spirit of our Constitution, aware that our Constitution is a historic, legally binding document that marks out the contours of the new dispensation and its attendant values. Among others, the Department of Home Affairs has the responsibility to ensure that the people of South Africa ensure that our children grow up in a society marked by consistent observation of high moral standards. Ironically, the prevailing interpretation of reality in our public discourse continues to portray these open and above-board processes as an act of constitutional violation and a threat to media freedom.
It should be noted that the Government Printing Works has extended its services throughout the region and continent. The budget speaks to this. It has crafted for itself a reputation as being one of the best, most secure and most specialised printing agencies on the continent. In recent years, the Government Printing Works won the contract to provide the African Union with diplomatic and service passports, which were successfully delivered on Africa Day.
Over the years, the Government Printing Works has assisted the Independent Electoral Commission, and other countries, with the provision of ballot papers for elections. All of these strides make the relocation of the Government Printing Works to a new and more convenient site and a specially designed complex all the more urgent. Furthermore, the Government Printing Works needs to accelerate a forensic laboratory capability to analyse passports, identity documents, visa labels or any high-security, face-value documents in order to complement other law enforcement agencies in the fight against identity fraud.
In conclusion, the Department of Home Affairs has to co-operate very closely with the South African Police Service, specifically at forensic levels. The finalisation of the process to convert the Government Printing Works into a specialist security printing agency is urgent in order to address the crucial matter of the secure ...
The ANC supports the budget. [Time expired.] [Applause.]