Chairperson, hon President and Deputy President, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, 33 years ago during this month, a simmering bubble of anger of schoolchildren finally burst, releasing an intensity of emotion that the police controlled in the only manner they knew how - with ruthless aggression.
Thirty-three years later, the youth of South Africa have made yet another historic mark by participating vigorously in the peaceful, free and fair fourth democratic general elections, dispelling more than a decade of assertions that young people remain ignorant on issues pertaining to democracy.
We pay tribute and salute all the disciplined cadres who came before us and made many sacrifices for the cause of our liberation. Our existence as a liberation movement remains relevant in the fulfilment of our strategic objectives and ultimate goal to create a national democratic society.
Both the Ready to Govern: ANC policy guidelines for a democratic South Africa and the Reconstruction and Development Programme: A Policy Framework emphasise the need for an integrated approach to government and accountability for accelerated service delivery. This view, in essence, requires a strong and effective central government which will primarily deal with national tasks and a vibrant and effective provincial and local government to ensure active local involvement in dealing with local matters.
Local communities know better their daily experience and needs which require to be addressed in a much more integrated manner, because it is through integrated approaches that service delivery can be accelerated.
In the same vein, integrated approaches recognise that human needs are more diverse and consistently changing, thus the need to bring them together. In this view, integrated-based approaches should remain government's overarching task to ensure that the ANC government is rooted amongst the masses of our people. This is because it is in the poorest constituencies that the ANC has, over the last 16 years of our multiparty democracy, enjoyed fair electoral growth.
The ANC's strategic objective is to promote the transformation of South Africa into a united, democratic, nonracial and nonsexist country of abundance, which demands that the ANC-led government advances service delivery irrespective of race, creed or ethnicity.
The principle of integrated approaches to delivery should not be seen as though it is promoting sinister motives which seek to marginalise certain provinces and municipalities that are under the control of strategic opponents of the movement.
We have no point to prove when it comes to service delivery, and we will continue to be guided by Chapter 3 of the Constitution, which speaks to a co-operative government involving national, provincial and local levels. The ANC-led government will neither hesitate, hon Trollip, to intervene as and when it is required to do so in bringing about quality service to the citizenry of the Western Cape nor delay, hon Buthelezi, any effort to capacitate and bring quality service to Zululand District Municipality and other surrounding municipalities controlled by the official opposition in KwaZulu-Natal. Ours is to advance integration in order to accelerate service delivery.
The 1996 Constitution is very clear on the separation of powers involving the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. By the way, hon Trollip, we practise the culture of continuity and inclusion in the ANC. We don't appoint Cabinet and advisors along factional lines. These three organs of state - the legislature, the executive and the judiciary - should continue ensuring the smooth running of the country.
Since 1994, the doctrine of separation of powers has been upheld in government to ensure proper independence and necessary oversight for the purposes of good governance. In his state of the nation address, the President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency J G Zuma, said:
The success of the democratic system as a whole depends on good relations of mutual respect and a spirit of partnership among the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. This is very important for our constitutional democracy.
It is on the basis of such partnerships and good spirit that we will continue in our responsibility as the legislative arm of the state to oversee the executive to ensure that it acts in terms of the Constitution, thus contributing effectively towards a good and accountable government.
Over the past 15 years, government has led programmes and policies that sought to democratise the state. This task was informed by the understanding that the state is not a monolithic block but a contested terrain and a strategic battlefield. These programmes I refer to must be influenced by the needs of the people, and government should not just play a regulatory function but a leading role for a better life for all our people.
The ANC 2009 manifesto points out that the developmental state that we envisage will promote service delivery, co-ordination and planning efforts.
Over the past 15 years the ANC-led government has demonstrated commitment to the following: regular multiparty elections based on proportional representation; the Bill of Rights; an independent judiciary; participatory democracy; good governance and equality; and transparency and accountability.
One of the fundamental hindrances to quality service delivery to our people has been corruption in our systems of governance. The RDP proposed that government should combat corruption in the public sector through concerted efforts. It is as a result of such efforts that we have significantly decreased corruption in recent years as compared to 1994 to 2004.
We will, however, revisit the issue of corruption by following corruption trends and thus putting in place additional measures to ensure that politicians do not tamper with the adjudication of tenders. In essence, a need to intensify more regulatory measures in addition to the Public Finance Management Act is crucial as an essential tool to efficient service delivery. We hope that such measures will ensure transparency in the tendering system. The point here is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being rich, but there is everything wrong with acquiring wealth through stealing and at the expense of our poor people. [Applause.]
We must be able to respond to the global economic recession by ensuring that, as we bring service delivery to our people, we minimise fruitless expenditure and learn the culture of improvising for greater gain. By this, I am not implying that we compromise quality service, but that we spend less, and with caution, as we execute our mandate.
The public sector has undergone transformation for the purpose of promoting access to basic integrated services. This also involves working towards building a single public sector and an integrated rural development strategy. Similarly, the call for a single police service seeks to ensure that metro police and provincial structures are under the command of the National Police Commissioner in line with integrated approaches to service delivery.
Indeed, the proposal for an integrated criminal justice system that facilitates a co-ordination between police stations, courts and prisons is to ensure greater service delivery and justice for all. Government has reconfigured the Cabinet and state departments to facilitate an integrated approach and ensure popular governance and accountability. In this regard, it has been 15 years of nation-building, gender transformation and the deepening of democracy.
The ANC is committed to the principle of bringing government close to the people to ensure popular participation in government. Izimbizo remain a vital tool and instrument of reporting back to communities to ensure government accountability. The ANC should also be strengthened enough to hold the executive, Members of Parliament, Premiers, MECs and councillors to account before the end of each five-year term in order to avoid a situation where reference is made to the lack of service delivery as grounds for a break-away. This mechanism should protect poor people from being used as voting fodder by such opportunistic elements. The ANC-led political centre should provide overall strategic direction and leadership in the interest of the national democratic revolution.
In conclusion, it appears that an integrated approach to governance and service delivery will ensure popular participation and accountability, not just by the executive or government structures, but also by the ANC as an organisation, guided by the words of Mosiuoa Lekota during his heyday in the ANC, when he said: "The ANC's intentions remain undimmed". I thank you.
The MINISTER OF WOMEN, YOUTH, CHILDREN AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES: Chairperson, hon President and Deputy President, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon Members of this House, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honour for me to participate in this budget debate this afternoon.
We measure the development of any society by its ability to respond to the needs of targeted groups. To achieve this we have to prioritise groups that need to be targeted by special programmes. This government has taken a step and has been commended for establishing a Ministry focused on addressing issues of women, children and persons with disabilities.
We must now ensure that adequate resources are allocated to promote the interests of these targeted groups. Since 1994, the ANC-led government has endeavoured to build an inclusive and socially cohesive democratic society through a process of socioeconomic and political transformation. The Ministry will be building on the progress made over the past 15 years. We will ensure that our country honours all the regional and international commitments and protocols, such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The strategic thrust of this Ministry is to advance policy and achieve measurable milestones on mainstreaming gender, children's rights and disability considerations into the programmes of government and other sectors of society in line with international and regional commitments made in these areas.
We aim to establish effective institutional mechanisms for social and economic empowerment, equalisation of opportunities and access to resources for women, children and persons with disabilities. We are going to work with other departments, provincial and local government, the private sector, labour and civil society in mainstreaming issues relating to these three targeted groups.
We will ensure that the social security net is tighter and poverty alleviation programmes benefit primarily the many women, children and persons with disabilities who continue to live in conditions of abject poverty.
Women and children constitute the majority in rural areas. They are at the receiving end of the challenges posed by underdevelopment in these areas. They are the ones who fetch water from the streams, collect wood for cooking and till the land to support families through subsistence farming. It is therefore logical that they should be the primary beneficiaries of government programmes on rural development, agricultural support and land reform.
Our goal is to ensure that women are liberated from the constraints of many centuries of land deprivation. Our programme on women will also focus on strengthening and broadening the national machinery for women's empowerment and gender equality through the establishment of effective and efficient advisory units in all structures of government at the national, provincial and local levels.
While we continue with the process of consultation with stakeholders on finalising the strategic priorities for the new Ministry, the following issues should be at the top of our agenda: to respond to the challenge of feminisation of poverty; creation of decent jobs and economic empowerment of women; increasing the representation of women in positions of decision- making and in management levels towards 50% parity; and eradication of violence against women and children.
The immediate aim of delivery of the department is going to be the establishment of a fund for women's empowerment. This fund will enable women to start and develop their own businesses. It will also assist NGOs and civil society in undertaking women-empowerment programmes. We will consult with stakeholders on this issue within the next month and pilot the fund to reality during this financial year.
We will use research findings to identify blockages limiting progress towards attaining the 50% equity target for women in senior management positions in the public sector. We will take all the necessary measures to ensure that gender parity targets are achieved.
Regarding children, we began the week with disturbing media reports that more than 500 000 needy South Africans, mostly children, could be plunged into further desperation because charity organisations are struggling to raise funds in the current economic environment. I would like to appeal to the business sector in particular to ensure that expenditure on social responsibility does not become the first and easiest budget item to cut when adapting to the current economic difficulties.
Corporate social responsibility is no longer just a gesture of goodwill viable only during good economic times. It is a necessary investment in the socioeconomic sustainability of the country. The codes on BBBEE require that companies spend a minimum of 1% net profit after tax on corporate social investment initiatives. In addition, this expenditure comes with tax and significant public relations benefits.
While there is pressure on profit margins currently, there is a need to adopt a long-term view of where each company and its community would like to be in the next five to 10 years' time. A company operating in a socially sustainable environment with a diverse workforce in terms of gender and race will have a competitive advantage when our economy recovers.
As government, we are playing our part to ensure the welfare of our children. We have completed a review that provided a situational analysis on the status of children in the country. This information should guide us in further interventions and collaborative efforts with other departments, particularly the Departments of Health and Social Development.
We will be supporting efforts to improve the quality of life of children, including stepping up the Early Childhood Development Programme, as our President committed us to do. We have to ensure universal access to Grade R and double the number of 0 to 4-year- old children attending early childhood centres by 2014.
We will strengthen relations with the Children's Advisory Council and other stakeholders. We are going to build on the progress made to increase participation of municipalities in National Children's Rights processes and conduct further training on mainstreaming and co-ordination of children's issues at this level.
Just last week, Chairperson, we convened a children's lekgotla in Limpopo to mark the Day of the African Child with the theme "Africa Fit for Children - A Call for Accelerated Action towards Child Survival". Children representing all provinces of South Africa, and some from neighbouring countries like Swaziland, and refugee children participated; and I must say, it was an educational process for me as well as instructive to listen to young minds debating these issues. [Applause.]
It was an extremely informed discussion on a number of issues arising from the AU Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. They went on to provide recommendations on how some of these issues affecting children should be addressed by all of us. Most critical were issues of access to education for all, including refugees and children with disabilities; stopping all forms of discrimination; prevention and protection against abuse; and prevention of drug and alcohol abuse.
Recommendations made by these children in these areas will certainly be considered in the finalisation of our programme for this term of office. Some of the recommendations, Chairperson, on children, emphasise the need for further implementation of the campaign on 16 Days and 365 Days of No Violence against Women and Children, which is one of the main campaigns and advocacy programmes that our department will be undertaking during this financial year.
On persons with disabilities, Chair, there are clear targets already available, including an employment equity target of 2% and 4% for skills development. Sadly, we have not moved very far in this regard.
The challenge is to move both the public and private sectors towards meeting these targets. Our department is determined to take on this challenge and ensure that every sector moves with the necessary speed to meet the disability targets. Our activities will include co-ordination of the job access strategy where we work together with the Department of Public Service and Administration to achieve the employment target for persons with disabilities by 2010.
Failure to achieve these targets, Chairperson, is not an option if we are to remain true to our vision of an inclusive South African society. During this financial year, we will finalise the Draft National Disability Policy and develop an implementation plan as well. We will also prioritise issues of access by ensuring that public buildings and facilities are fully accessible to persons with various forms of disabilities. It is encouraging that there is progress made in the building of stadiums in readiness not only for the Confederations Cup of Nations but also for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. I am happy that some progress has been made, but more needs to be done.
Generally, we will also be responding to various practices that undermine the interests of any of the three targeted groups. We want to ensure that all cultural practices are consistent with the Constitution and legislative framework existing in our country.
Chairperson, our programme is diverse and challenging. It will require the intensive mobilisation of a multitude of stakeholders for it to succeed. It also requires a commitment of adequate resources to support the organisational structure necessary to advance the interests of women, children and persons with disabilities.
It is, therefore, important that this House should support this budget Vote as a step towards establishing, amongst other things, a fully functional institution that stands for the rights and promotes the interests of women, youth, children and persons with disabilities. Thank you. [Applause.]