Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Minister, my hon colleagues, all distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, "Da jia, wan shang hao". [Good evening, everybody.] I would first like to congratulate the Minister on his appointment, and would also like to compliment the hon Deputy Minister, the director-general and their team for the comprehensive, sincere and open report presented to our select committee on 26 June 2009.
Five years ago, I presented my maiden speech from this podium. I acknowledged the challenges of increasing job opportunities and decreasing poverty and unemployment. Today, these challenges remain. We are also facing new challenges. By now I am sure you are all very familiar with the term "global economic recession". Minister Trevor Manuel warned us in his Budget Speech for 2009, and I quote:
... there is also the uncertainty about the burden that will be visited on future generations by the interventions being contemplated today.
We need to plan our strategy with caution by never using the current economic climate as an excuse. Our 2009 Budget Review clearly states in Chapter 1 that this is "... a time of crisis, a window of opportunity".
Three of the most pressing issues are as follows: the need for better service delivery, better co-ordination and communication between government departments and the need to realise the goals of the framework for South Africa's response to international crises. Government, in the role of a facilitator, needs to work with business and organised labour to protect job opportunities and accelerate skills development without direct interference in economic activity.
The DTI consists of more than 6 000 employees. It is a huge task to organise and manage such a workforce. We recognise that one of the biggest challenges facing the DTI is recruitment, retention and skills development.
Too often our government's policies are well intended. However, our government's capacity to implement these policies is an area of concern. It is crucial that the department is able to attract, develop and retain professionals of a high calibre. Therefore, I really hope that the new chief operations officer of the DTI is now in a position to lead the team forward.
This year, the DTI has been allocated a budget of R6,3 billion to achieve its strategic objectives. Of this budget, 61% has been allocated for incentive payments, mainly to promote direct investment in industrial and service economies, with the focus on job creation. We must aim to improve the productivity of our workforce. The economy works in cycles, and we must prepare our workforce for the expected upturn in the economy so that they may remain competitive.
Budgeting is not only about increasing expenditures on necessary activities; it is also about rooting out unnecessary waste, phasing out inefficient programmes and improving value for money. Therefore, with regard to the additional R1,6 billion budget allocated for industrial development and the support of small enterprises, we hope that the aim will not only be to spend more, but also to spend better.
Industrial policy is not the sole responsibility of the DTI, but rather the responsibility of all government departments. A greater sense of accountability needs to permeate the ethos of the government. At present we still do not have a clear picture of how the functions of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Economic Development will be divided. Once this has been made clear, we hope that the monitoring system will be put in place to measure the success of each programme. As a matter of urgency, we also hope that a full report will be provided to ascertain what real growth has been achieved in the area of job creation.
We, the DA, vow to play a more active role in partnership with the DTI. We will also provide alternative economic policies so that we may grow an economy ripe with opportunities for all our South Africans, especially for the millions of the unemployed. I thank you. [Applause.]