Chair, please allow me to acknowledge Minister L Zulu, Minister R Davies and other Ministers present; Deputy Minister Masina and other Deputy Ministers; members of the NA; MECs, if they are here; Acting Director-General, Ms P Ncaphayi; Director-General of the Department of Trade and Industry, Mr L October; leadership of SA Women Entrepreneurs Network, Sawen, represented by Ms Ruth Masokoane, Ms Gail Downing as well as Ms Zanele Xaba; Chair of Technology for Women in Business, Twib; Speaker of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality; leaders of business, labour; distinguished guests, I would like to specifically recognise my Techno-Girls competition winners from Photani Secondary school in Malamulele, Limpopo province, who are seated over there. [Applause.] These are future industrialists, economists, people who are going to change our country and whom we believe in nurturing and, as a caring ANC-led government, have trained them. We hope that they will do well - congratulations. [Applause.]
As we begin the fifth term in Parliament, we are more eager to move South Africa forward and strongly believe that our products and services as the new Department of Small Business Development will respond to the needs and aspirations of our entrepreneurs. In this regard, the Department of Small Business Development, led by Minister Zulu, will aggressively explore opportunities for small, medium and micro enterprises, SMMEs, and co- operatives locally and across the globe. We have already begun work and will move our people out of poverty and help create the 6 million job opportunities that President Zuma spoke about during the launch of the ANC's manifesto.
I can assure you, hon members, that we are already working towards achieving this goal by supporting our entrepreneurs in sectors of the economy that have the potential to create jobs as they increase production, hence my emphasis on access to markets despite many other challenges faced by SMMEs, including access to finance, skills development and so forth.
A week ago, I led a delegation of women, and a few men, of course, to Santa Fe in New Mexico, and Atlanta. In Santa Fe ... [Interjections.] We were not shopping. Listen, we do not spend taxpayer's money on shopping, but the Folk Art Market attracts buyers from many countries and this year's participation was even greater. The project, though small in scale compared to other missions, provides crafters from the most rural areas an opportunity to present to modern-day collectors traditional artwork that some of the middle persons - that I am sure some of you people are supporting by buying products that cost R200 - sell for 200E and 200$. That is what we have tried to ensure; that we can take our people straight there to sell their products. Some of them make money that they can live on for two or three years. This is what the Department of Trade and Industry has been doing and will now be done by the Department of Small Business Development. We do not just theorise, we do work and this is exactly what has happened [Interjections.] Listen! Again, shut up, thula! [Interjections.]