Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Ministers, officials of the department, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I am one of the fortunate, because I can rightfully quote Polokwane as I was a delegate at Polokwane. [Interjections.] Here you have somebody who is quoting a person who was not even in Polokwane - what a joke!
Allow me to dedicate my speech to the poor in our villages, towns and cities, workers, youth, women, public servants, professionals, students, traditional leaders, farmers, religious leaders, soldiers, policemen and women, businesspeople and people from all walks of life who continue to contribute to our revolution on a daily basis.
The 22 April 2009 result of the election, coupled with the turnout, caused me to dedicate my speech to them. I can still hear the echo of their voices as we were going from door to door. We are more than grateful for the mandate given to the ANC.
We are meeting today in a month in which we will be celebrating the birthday of our icon, Tata Nelson Mandela. We will celebrate Mandela Day through community work with the theme of working together for the common good of our nation. This community work will be part of the partnership for reconstruction, development and progress, as announced by the President in his presidential inauguration address this year, in 2009. So my appeal to the hon members of this House is not to wait for 18 July to put to practice their working together for the common good of our nation. The common good will benefit all people from all walks of life, as articulated in my introduction.
The budget, as presented by the Minister, is very encouraging and inspiring. It is really inspiring, because it is done in an honest way that lays a concrete foundation for now and the future. The recent workshop by the Deputy Minister, Maria Ntuli, in Nkangala, Mpumalanga province, gives real hope to the people as real geographical economics spread.
The ANC has made a direct and practical response to the UN-generated criteria on the right of development. They are as follows: the conditions of living for most of the people, the conditions under which they work, and equality of access to resources.
A meaningful transformation should be the order of the day. I am referring to transformation as articulated by Paulo Freire who says:
Transformation is only valid if it is carried out with the people, not for them. Liberation is like childbirth, and a painful one. The person who emerges is a new person - no longer an oppressor or oppressed, but a person in the process of achieving freedom.
The achievement of democracy in 1994 marked the birth of our democracy as an African nation on the southern tip of the continent. It provided South Africans with the opportunity to set up a government based on the will of the people and to pursue economic growth, development and redistribution so as to achieve a better life for all. These tasks, which are at the core of the national democratic revolution, have to be undertaken in a global environment of contradictory tendencies. You will agree with the ANC that, indeed, we still have challenges of a global environment of contradictory tendencies.
We are definitely going to monitor department agencies, such as the National Empowerment Fund and Khula Enterprise to ensure that equity and empowerment objectives are achieved in line with the broader economic objectives. Indeed, we are definitely also going to monitor the payment system of small enterprises within the stipulated timeframe.
In its 2009 election manifesto, the ANC promised the people of South Africa that it would create more jobs, decent work and sustainable livelihoods. In living up to these promises, the ANC is committed to making the creation of decent work opportunities and sustainable livelihoods a priority. The correct contextualisation of the political mandate, as articulated by the Minister, gives the ordinary masses hope. It is clear that it will lead to and facilitate access to sustainable economic activity and employment for all South Africans through the understanding of trade relations.
Allow me to emphasise my point by quoting:
Our work is far from complete. We are only at the beginning of a long journey to a truly united, democratic and prosperous society, based on the principles contained in the Freedom Charter. Yet we are confident that the strategy and policies we have adopted will take us further towards the goal of a better life for all.
That is the declaration of the 52nd conference of the ANC in Polokwane. [Interjections.]
In conclusion, allow me to quote the icon of our struggle, Tata Nelson Mandela, when dealing with the President's Budget Vote in the National Assembly on 22 April 1994:
When we seek to stop change and prevent equity, then we should know that we are not being true to the nation's founding principles.
I thank you. [Applause.]