Daar is in Afrikaans ook 'n leuse wat s: Eendrag maak mag. Hierdie is baie kragtige woorde wat spreek van aksie en interaksie. [In Afrikaans there is also a slogan: Unity is strength. These words are very powerful and refer to action and interaction.]
Today I want to focus on a specific aspect that is not given the prominence that it deserves, but touches every South African, of which tribe I am a proud member. This is the protection of our infrastructure, the safety of clients and the surety and quality of supply of service we deliver to them.
SAL sal sy sokkies moet optrek om die veiligheid van sy passasiers en hul bagasie te verseker. Suid-Afrika kan nie bekostig dat die besoekers wat hier land vir die 2010 sokker beroof word van hul goedere nog voor hulle in die land aankom nie. Meeste van ons wat gereeld met SAL vlieg, weet wat dit is om bagasie te ontvang waaruit iets gesteel is of jou tas wat oopgebreek is. Die eerste wat moet gebeur, is om te erken daar is 'n problem, maar dat dit nie daadwerklik aangespreek is nie. Agb Minister, kan u vir die Vergadering s hoeveel van SAL se personeel by die diefstalle betrokke is en al suksesvol vervolg is?
Fifa vereis dat die stadiums van hul eie kragopwekkers gebruik maak, en dat Eskom as 'n bystand moet dien, en nie daarop vertrou moet word nie. Dit spreek definitief nie van vertroue in ons land se kragvoorsiening nie, en maak van ons 'n bespotting.
Nog voorbeelde hiervan is die verlies van ongeveer R2 biljoen van Transnet, Telkom en Eskom aan diefstal en vandalisme van sy infrastruktuur in die laaste twee jaar. In 2008 is 26 km spoorlyn in die Oos-Kaap gesteel en niemand weet waar dit heen is nie. Dit gebeur nie oornag nie, en is so baie staal dat 'n mens dit ook nie in jou motorhuis kan wegsteek nie. Tog het hulle nie 'n duidelike plan met meetbare uitkomste om dit te probeer hokslaan nie. Waarom sal hulle? Die belastingbetaler sal maar die rekening moet betaal. Wat hulle nou doen, is om hierdie sekuriteitsdienste uit te kontrakteer sodat hulle die blaam van hulself af kan wegskuif. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[The SAA will have to get its house in order to ensure the safety of its passengers and their luggage. South Africa cannot afford to let visitors who come here for the 2010 soccer to have their goods stolen even before they arrive in the country. Most of us who fly SAA on a regular basis know what it is like to receive luggage from which something was stolen, or a suitcase that has been broken into. The first thing that ought to happen is to acknowledge that there is a problem, but that it has not been addressed properly. Hon Minister, can you tell the Assembly how many of the personnel of the SAA have been involved in these robberies and have been successfully prosecuted?
Fifa requires that the stadiums make use of their own generators and that Eskom must serve as a back-up, instead of being relied upon. This definitely does not attest to confidence in our country's ability to provide electricity and makes a mockery of us.
More examples of this: Transnet, Telkom and Eskom suffered losses of approximately R2 billion through theft and vandalism of their infrastructure over the last two years. In 2008 a 26 km length of railway line was stolen in the Eastern Cape and nobody knows what happened to it. This does not happen overnight and one cannot hide such a lot of steel in one's garage. Yet they do not have a clear plan with measurable outcomes to try and crack down on this. Why would they? The taxpayer will just have to foot the bill. What they do now is to outsource these security services in order to shift the blame somewhere else.]
It is also not in the interests of these outsourced security companies who are merely job brokers to catch the criminals and bring them to book. They would not have a job tomorrow if they did this. They also refuse to go to court and give evidence, as they are not paid for this function, but merely for watching that little bit that they are paid for.
Hon Minister, the DA suggests that we set up a task team - and, as committee members for the DA, we will offer you our time and knowledge for this - that will investigate and come back to the portfolio committee to report on the situation on the ground with regard to matters pertaining to the security of the infrastructure at these enterprises, and come forward with recommendations on how we can work smarter with what we have, and with other agencies such as the Non-Ferrous Theft Combating Committee and the SA Revenue Protection Association.
Hierdie is entiteite wat saamgestel is en al lank besig is om gesamentlike pogings te kordineer. Hulle het goeie planne, en behaal groot suksesse, maar het nie die ondersteuning op ho vlak van staatsentiteite en politici nie. Hierdie is die mense wat ons moet bemagtig en, Minister, u behoort onmiddellik 'n daling te sien in die diefstal van ons infrastruktuur.
Meeste van hierdie ondernemings soos Telkom, Eskom en Transnet woon hierdie vergaderings met "Business Against Crime" en die SAPS by, maar gebruik dit net om te s "ons is besig met 'n plan" maar niks meer nie. Dit is nou tyd vir aksie en interaksie: Eendrag maak mag! (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[These entities were put together and have for quite some time been co- ordinating their joint efforts. They have good plans and achieve great successes, but they do not enjoy the high-level support of state entities and politicians. We have to empower these people and then, Minister, you should see an immediate decrease in the theft of our infrastructure.
Most of these entities such as Telkom, Eskom and Transnet attend these meetings with "Business Against Crime" and the SAPS, but only use it to say that they are busy with a plan, and nothing more. The time has come for action: Unity is strength!]
I thank you. [Applause.]