Modulasetulo, ke a leboha. Letona le Batlatsi ba Letona ba babedi, ... [Chairperson, thank you. Minister and the two Deputy Ministers]... hon members, good afternoon. South Africa exists and operates in a global environment that is dominated by Western countries, and this situation has to be fundamentally changed in the interests of poor people and developing countries. Hence our country has entered into a global discourse with a clear reform agenda, with the view to promoting democracy, international co-operation and stability - a reform agenda necessitated by the global reality of the skewed distribution of political and economic resources, as a result of which certain sections of the international community are poor and underdeveloped.
It is a reality that a symbiotic relationship exists between armed conflict and economic poverty. Where armed conflict is widespread, economic poverty is exacerbated and sustainable development becomes impossible. In countries where poverty increases, the risk of instability and violence grows. This means that poverty and underdevelopment are nothing less than threats to democracy, peace and stability because these economic realities generate conflict between individuals, communities and countries.
History tells us that the international community, especially the African continent, has for many decades been subjected to armed conflict, mass violence and genocide which have claimed millions of lives. This has to change.
In most, if not all, countries foreign policy is grounded on the commitment to promote and protect the interests and values of the country's citizens. While taking into account the interests and values of South Africans, our foreign policy reflects the ANC's commitment to the security of the people, stability, peace and sustainable development.
The ANC's quest for a better Africa and a better world derives content from the internationalist tradition with its origins in the Freedom Charter, which charter provides that South Africa shall strive to maintain world peace and to settle all international disputes through negotiations and not war. Thus far we have done well and still can do more, working together with other progressive forces in the world.
The ANC has stated unequivocally that without regional and continental peace and stability, South Africa will never be at peace. It is in conditions of peace and stability that democracy grows to majority, and this is so because peace and stability constitute the necessary foundation for sustainable development in South Africa, the continent and the world. Hence national and regional continental security is expected to take into account the political, economic and environmental dimensions. As the portfolio committee, we believe that the budget allocated for such activities is the right thing to do.
Within the context of democratising and stabilising the continent and the world, the government has made contributions to processes aimed at promoting security, democracy, stability and peace, as well as economic development. With the help of the South African government, some African countries have managed to establish the democratic institutions and mechanisms which are required to promote these values and human rights in their respective countries.
Driven by the desire to encourage and promote bilateral relations, the ANC has resolved to improve co-operation among countries of the South in terms of economic relations, social and political programmes and efforts to ensure peace and equitable global relations.
Accordingly, the South African government has entered into bilateral relations with many countries in the South - the Minister has already alluded to these countries - to promote trade relations and economic development. Co-operation between countries such as India and Brazil has improved tremendously and more needs to be done to strengthen co-operation with other like-minded countries, such as Chile, Uruguay and Argentina, in a number of fields.
We have to say that as the portfolio committee we have noted that there is poor co-ordination in political economic diplomacy. However, we welcome the training of diplomats in economic diplomacy which is under way, according to the briefing by the department. We believe this will help in addressing some of the co-ordination problems.
With the identification of economic diplomacy as one of the key priorities, the economic capacity of South African missions will have to be strengthened so as to enable foreign missions to assist South African businesses to access business opportunities available on the African continent and beyond. Without any doubt, the focus on developing the economic capacity of our missions derives content from a maxim that there can be no peace without development, and no development without peace.
There are gains which have been noted, and we would like to say that these gains have been secured in terms of promoting peace and security on the African continent and in the world, and they need to be consolidated and sustained. In essence, this means that more financial and other resources have to be expended in respect of diplomatic and military efforts and aimed at resolving the remaining threats to international peace and security.
The expenditure trends need to indicate to us the extent to which the democratic state has engaged in diplomatic and other processes to promote peace and security on the African continent, pre-elections or beyond.
Between the 2004-05 and the 2007-08 financial years, departmental expenditure grew at an average annual rate of 19,8%. This growth is as a result of increasing contributions to the AU and the African Renaissance and International Co-operation Fund which funds the extension of peacekeeping initiatives and operations on the African continent.
While South Africa contributes significantly to the budget of the AU, we have seen reluctance on the South African side to take a position in this structure and we would like to make the plea that this has to be addressed.
Expenditure over the medium term is expected to increase at an average rate of 6,2%. However, in the 2009-10 financial year expenditure is expected to increase at a rate of about 89% owing to expenditure in respect of foreign travel and the construction of PAP.
With the current overall expenditure trends, the department seems to be on course in promoting development, preventing conflicts and ensuring rapid resolution of conflicts where they occur, especially in Africa. Even the Freedom Charter requires that South Africa forge co-operation with the peoples of Africa in maintaining peace and stability, and we applaud the department for doing that.
Owing to its belief that without peace and stability on the African continent South Africa will never be at peace, the ANC has committed itself to consolidating advances made in promoting peace, stability and democracy in Africa and to further capacitating and strengthening the Department of International Relations and Co-operation. For this reason, the government has allocated funding so as to enable the democratic state to further advance the processes which are aimed at stabilising and democratising Africa in the world.
Being informed by the ANC international strategic tradition, the democratic government has indeed made a commitment to contributing towards the initiatives aimed at resolving challenges that continue to confront the African continent and the world.
The department has received additional funding that is earmarked for PAP. Moreover, the department has also received additional funding for South African missions, especially in Africa, for refurbishing existing missions. Surely these additional funds will even cater for the strengthening of the capacity of South African missions to do more, working together with other forces. In fact, this demonstrates the commitment of the democratic government towards strengthening economic diplomacy on the African continent and beyond.
While promoting South Africa's national values and relations with foreign countries and international institutions, it may, in effect, contribute to promoting peace and stability. Appropriations made in respect of promoting interstate relations may not have a direct impact on continental and global peace and stability.
The department goes beyond this portion of the budget to accommodate foreign relations. This shows government's commitment to enhancing South Africa's system of international relations, with a particular focus on South-South relations. This confirms the position of the ANC to the effect that a democratic South Africa stands firmly as a country of the South and will play an active role in the development and strengthening of multilateral forums which empower the nations of the South.
There seems to be a general agreement that South Africa is playing a leading role in promoting and advancing the interests of developing countries. In promoting these relations with countries of the South, the government has to ensure that funds are channelled into the attempts to develop these continental and global institutions of governance. In particular, the department has to pay special attention to the efforts aimed at supporting regional peace initiatives and postconflict reconstruction and development in its participation in global systems of governance.
To enhance its effectiveness in the global discourse, the government needs to populate the empty offices of South Africa in the UN, and maybe also ensure that we have staff in the AU and the SADC that will advance our South African interests.
In the recent past, South Africa was entangled in controversies because of its positions on certain issues, and I have heard a lot of members raising these controversies. The so-called controversial positions South Africa took with the UN Security Council were, in fact, not controversial but positions based on principle. They were intended to protect the UN from making interventions that would undermine regional efforts in resolving conflicts and issues that we were related to.
There are other issues - that of Myanmar and Zimbabwe. The UN Security Council was called upon to intervene, whereas regional structures were still dealing with such matters. While these positions appear to have been correct, controversy surrounded them due to the inability of the government to effectively communicate such positions to citizens, opinion-makers and outside audiences. We would like the department to deal with this adequately in future. Instead of promoting sustained engagement, officials are accused of merely releasing statements. I have already said that the department has to do a lot in this area.
We appreciate that there is significant funding for public diplomacy. However, this funding has to be further devolved to ensure that a substantial portion goes towards improving interaction with opinion-makers, interlocutors and purveyors of information and knowledge. Whereas interaction or engagement with intellectuals has improved since South Africa joined the UN Security Council, there seems to be an inadequate budget for this engagement when South Africa leaves the nonpermanent seat it occupies on the Security Council.
Chairperson, with the time that I still have, having an opportunity of coming from an organisation that has a lot of time in Parliament I would like to address the hon Smuts Ngonyama from Cope. Just by way of advice from one parliamentarian to another, I want to tell him that the platform for engaging in Parliament starts in the portfolio committee. The issues the hon Smuts Ngonyama raised here, which he requested the Minister to respond to - well, it's up to the Minister to respond to those issues - have been adequately dealt with in the portfolio committee whose meetings he has not attended. [Interjections.]
I would like to ask the hon Mubu of the DA how many citizens of the USA, the UK, France and Germany and other countries in the North have been arrested as mules for drug cartels. Is it 10, 20, 30? Well, I think, in Brazil they talk about something between 80 and 100, but maybe this is an assignment that we can finish with him in the portfolio committee.
On behalf of the ANC, we would like to support this Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]