Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputies present here, hon MECs, hon members, senior government officials, invited guests ...
... ?o kovhela. Zwine nda khou ?o?a u amba zwone ndi zwauri ... [... evening. What I want to say is that ...]
... the main policy priorities of the Department of Public Works are clearly set out in this year's state of the nation address and also meticulously illustrated in the department's strategic plan.
Amongst the priorities of the department and also outlined in the target and directive given by our President, Comrade Jacob Zuma, is the creation of 500 000 jobs by the end of this year.
Hon Minister, as the precursor to my debate on this, I want to call upon the Department of Public Works as a lead department in the creation of job opportunities within the government to call a meeting of all government departments, which will result in them committing themselves financially and programme wise so that their inputs are likely to be to the targeted 500 000 jobs by the end of the year, and also to the five-year target of 4 million jobs by 2014.
In Polokwane we resolved that we should be steadfast in our commitment of creating decent work opportunities for our people whilst, at the same time, we design and adopt economic policies that support and sustain growth, job creation and poverty eradication on a sustainable basis.
It is because of the assertions alluded to earliar that the Department of Public Works should be proactive in its interaction with provincial governments and departments to ensure that the set targets, which are very low according to my assessment, are achieved beyond any doubt.
Public Works is about people at work for shared growth. Decent work is the foundation of the fight against poverty and inequality, and therefore its promotion should be the cornerstone of all our efforts. The Freedom Charter contends that to work is a right, and not a privilege, which means that according to this blueprint of our freedom, unemployment is an infringement of the right of the citizens to decent work.
This imperative for the creation of decent employment contends that our central goal for reconstruction and development is to create a strong, dynamic and balanced economy which will eliminate poverty, low wages and extreme inequalities in wages and wealth generated by the apartheid system.
The National Youth Service Programme, initiated in 2003, is meant to address high levels of youth unemployment by creating opportunities for voluntary services and skills development for young people.
The programme supports communities through national development, while simultaneously providing an opportunity for young people to access opportunities for skills development, employment and income generation.
Hon Minister, it is again in line with the state of the nation directive stating that the jobs created for new entrants into the job market should be quality work opportunities.
We hope that the Department of Public Works will design programmes to benefit the youth, women and disabled and also be in line with the directives of the state of the nation as alluded to above.
Concerning the budget allocated to the department for 2009-10, I would like to emphasise the undesirable habit of our government departments of not spending all their annual allocations resulting in rollovers and lack of delivery of budgeted services to our people.
Such habits are at times caused by lack of proper planning and lack of proactivity of our officials and results in tarnishing the name of the ANC- led government. Be that as it may, we have confidence in our Minister of Public Works, Minister Doidge, that if such habits exist in this department, they will immediately be uprooted to ensure that we all work together with similarly minded people to achieve and do more for the people of this country.
Bivhili iri: A sa shumi na u ?a a songo ?a. Ya dovha ya ri mubva ndi iwe. Hezwi zwo?he zwi amba uri vhashumeli vho?he vha muvhuso, vho rapo?itiki na lushaka lwo?he, nga i?we n?ila vhadzulapo vha fhano Afurika Tshipembe ro?he ri khou tea u shumisana u itela uri ri kone u wana vhutshilo ha khwi?e ngauri a zwi thusi tshithu uri ri vhadzulapo vha fhano ri ambe zwauri arali nda sa ?a ndi ?o shela mavu. Ni tshi shela mavu ni khou ?ishelela na inwi mu?e. Arali ni tshi shela mulimo ni tshi khou itela uri zwithu zwa ANC zwi songo tshimbila nga ngona, ni khou ?ithuntsha mulenzhe inwi mu?e.
Zwa khwi?e ndi zwauri arali ni sa koni u vha kunda, ivhani vhathihi navho, ni shumisane u itela uri vhutshilo ha vhathu vha fhano Afurika Tshipembe kana vharema, vhatshena, kana vha muvhala ufhio na ufhio, ngauri ndi zwa ndeme uri ro?he ri vhe na vhutshilo ha khwi?e.
Zwo?he hezwi ndi khou zwi amba ndi na fulufhelo ?a uri Vho Minisi?a, Vho Doidge, vha khou ya u lwa heyi nndwa vha i kunda ngauri vho no ?i ri sumbedza sa komiti yo khetheaho ine ra vha khayo, zwauri vha muthu o ?iimiselaho.
Tshe vha swika fhano lwa tshifhinga tsha vhege tharu fhedzi, ndi lwa vhuraru ri tshi dzula fhasi navho ra kovhekana mihumbulo nga ha mafhungo a Mishumo ya Tshitshavha. Kha vha khwa?hise. Ndo livhuwa. [U vhanda zwan?a.] (Translation of Tshiven?a paragraphs follows.)
[The Bible says: He who does not work should not even eat. It further says that a lazy person is you. This means that all government employees, politicians and the entire nation, in other words all South African citizens, should work together so that we can get a better life, because it does not help us as citizens to say that if I do not get a share, I shall spoil it. If you spoil it, you are spoiling it for yourself as well. If you do things to sabotage the ANC initiatives, you are shooting yourself in the foot.
The best thing to do is, if you can't beat them, join them and work together to make a better life for South Africans or blacks, whites or coloureds, because it is better for us to have a better life.
I am saying this hoping that the Minister, Mr Doidge, is determined to fight for this and win, as he had already shown us in the committee of which we are members.
Since he became a Minister three weeks ago, we have sat down thrice to share ideas on matters concerning Public Works. Keep up the good work. I thank you. [Applause.]]