Madam Deputy Speaker, President Zuma announced some time ago that any person who has a complaint can phone his office or submit a complaint. It appears, unfortunately, that this initiative has failed dismally and has in fact become an embarrassment for the President because his office cannot cope. [Interjections.]
I wish to offer further proof of this presidential embarrassment. I have been in contact with the Ministry of Defence about a very important matter for about a year. I was faithfully promised finality by the former Minister eight months ago. Since then I have written various letters to the Minister, and made various telephone calls, but I get no reaction from the Minister of Defence and I am simply ignored. In desperation I reported the Minister of Defence to President Zuma more than a month ago. The result: I did not even get an acknowledgement of receipt from the Presidency. Nothing! So what are we saddled with? Nothing less than administrative paralysis in Ministries and the Presidency.
I ask you, Deputy Speaker, if a Member of Parliament is totally ignored by a Minister for months and then also by the Presidency, what does it say to us? It says that South Africa is dangerously moving in the direction of a failed state. [Interjections.] [Applause.]