Chairperson, hon members of this House, colleagues, compatriots, indeed the people of South Africa, whom we believe all of us are addressing - not people in general but people in business, workers, women, youth, government and nongovernmental organisations - today we have heard the Minister of Trade and Industry outline Ipap 2, the Industrial Policy Action Plan.
We have heard various comments about it, some constructive, some somewhat confused, and yet others highly critical. However, it is my hope, and I believe the hope of everyone sitting in this House, that we can, at the very least, recognise measures that will realistically look at the real economy, realistically look at the challenges that we are facing, and acknowledge that some of the measures in the past did not deal effectively with these, and that in today's environment we have to carve out different strategies and measures. Indeed, this is what Ipap is doing.
The Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry last year engaged with the department and other departments and said to the various Ministers that we see the policies here but can you review this so that we can have a real planned approach, more of a project management plan, and strategies that can be implemented.
Indeed, I believe that what we all hope we can do collectively is to construct a formidable industrial base. No one, absolutely no one, would disagree that we are facing a decline in the industrial base; but with a formidable industrial base we can create jobs, overcome poverty and generate sustainable growth. [Applause.]
We believe...
... dat ons almal vir jou, Suid-Afrika, sal werk, saam werk. [... that for you, South Africa, we will work, will work together.]
We can't do it alone. Government, business and, indeed, people and labour have to work together. We know that job creation is the only sustainable way to overcome poverty. We also know that rhetoric from this podium will not replace action, and that is what Ipap is all about. Today, when we look at Ipap, we can recognise that it is involved with increasing the value- adding strategies.
We've also recognised that, yes, there is a lack of skills and that this has been identified as a great impediment to growth.
Ipap itself, the President and the Minister of Finance all accept and recognise that the youth are the key population drivers in our employment challenge and that the socio-costs of employment cut across society. Skills development and the development of a new generation of skilled workers, engineers, biochemists, and those employed in knowledge-based trades will not simply contribute to the economy and the development of the industrial base, but will also develop social cohesion.
We fully support the government's industrial policy intervention through Ipap. Someone spoke about it being a broad, generalised approach. Has that member even listened to what the Minister was saying? [Interjections.] He spoke about a sectorally identified approach, not a generalised approach to the matter. [Interjections.] Well, there are none as deaf as those who will not hear.
Raising productivity will be the main focus but, again, Ipap recognises raising productivity as one issue. We also need to raise our competitiveness here. That is absolutely important. We heard one speaker saying that we are simply not competitive enough, and we need to do this, that and the next thing. In fact, when you look at it, part of the problem of the current account is not simply the simplistic statements we have heard here today but a real understanding that we need to link macroeconomic policies to microeconomic policies. We can't do one without the other.
With regard to this idea of concessions, I got the impression that someone thought we were playing Lotto here. We're not playing Lotto. What we are doing right here today is that we are saying and recognising what your own businesspeople who voted for you said: Give us concessions, on the high cost of finance, on capital expenditure. Today you want to tell us that this is Lotto. [Interjections.] It is not a Lotto ticket. [Laughter.]
What it is is a concession that recognises the strategic importance of certain industries, of certain sectors. Some of these sectors are not folding because of what they are doing, or what the workers are doing, but simply because of the high cost of finance and nothing more or less.
For the following reasons I think our sectoral policies will work this time. I believe they will work for three reasons. For the first time, I have seen clearly in Parliament, put before us and unveiled, sectoral policies with key action plans, key milestones and outcomes, and we have seen identified lead departments to champion and drive the achievement of this, in what can only be described as a project management approach at the operational level; and at the political level an approach that is informed by the people and a leadership that will not tolerate any form of recalcitrance.
Ipap, I fully agree, will not work unless every department in government recognises that it is not working in a silo. The whole configuration of Ipap 2 demands that departments across clusters work together to achieve the milestones that are set out here.
Our committee, and I genuinely believe the hon Marais will work in Trade and Industry towards this, will work with other portfolio committees, in exercising our oversight of these key milestones.
We will not be moved into a situation that says we are going to build an empire of one portfolio committee. We will not be able to exercise our oversight.
So, my request and appeal to Parliament today in this House is: Let us work together as committees to strengthen our government's intervention in the economy, to rebuild our industrial base, and let us set aside parochial party differences in this regard. [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Debate concluded.