Enkosi, Sihlalo. [Thank you, Chairperson.]

The EFF will not support this budget based on the following observations. Batho Pele means people first, but can we truly say this about this department? For us and millions of South Africans, it seems as if the mandate of this department and its representatives is batho morao, meaning "people last". The Batho Pele principles that this department promotes seem only to be wallboards of compliance in hospitals, police stations and other points of service.

One thing that the Department of Public Service and Administration is good at is promising people things and paying lip service. A clear indication of this is the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council Resolution 1 of 2012. It promised public servants that they would have been accommodated by the Government Employee Housing Scheme, GEHS, by now. That never happened.

These workers still cannot afford to live in decent houses and they still live in shacks. How do we expect them to serve this country and its people with enthusiasm when they are subjected to such conditions?

Baqhubeka bathenjiswa ngokuba ... [They were then promised that ...]

... health and safety issues would be monitored ...

... kwiindawo abasebenza kuzo, umzekelo iikliniki, apho uya khona ungazi nokuba uze kunyangwa okanye uze kuthatha ezinye izifo kusini na ... [... in their work places, for example, the clinics, where you go not knowing whether you are there for treatment or to contract other diseases ...]

... and we still expect our nurses to deliver effectively under those circumstances and not book off sick, something which hampers service delivery.

This budget fails to provide clarity on how it will provide adequate salaries and working conditions for all public servants. There needs to be an increase in the salaries of public servants - a minimum of 50% for all government's employees, particularly teachers, nurses, police and prison warders. [Interjections.] There is a continuing high wage gap in the Public Service sector. The EFF demands a reduction of the wage gap within the Public Service as a matter of urgency.

Government posts continue to be unfilled, while we have one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. The EFF demands that all government posts be filled and the requirement of five years working experience be abolished in order to facilitate new entrants into the Public Service. We, as the EFF, believe ... [Interjections.]