Hon Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to share with our hon colleagues the importance of this, the Southern African Development Community, SADC, services protocol, which is why we need to support it. I am pleased to say and to share with the House that the members of a multiparty committee all supported this. So, thank you very much for the efforts. The SADC Protocol on Trade in Services is indeed a significant step in this quest to pursue and strengthen regional integration.
This dream of regional integration did not begin with Rhodes's Cape to Cairo. Rather, it was envisaged centuries before, as evidenced through the Mapungubwe empire, which led to the Kingdom of Zimbabwe of Africa and Kwame Nkrumah's vision of Pan-Africanism. Today, under the leadership of the ANC, President Zuma and Minister Robert Davies, this vision is being translated into reality. Yes, the integration of the African continent is underpinned by the SADC services protocol, which directly promotes regional integration.
South Africa's commitment to intra-African trade and the Industrial Policy Action Plan, which informs our Strategic Trade Policy, will grow a developmental, regional economy through the co-operation between the various economies and countries. You may ask what the point, or the objectives, of this services protocol is. We should never forget that mining, manufacturing, no matter what you are doing in the productive area, require services to be put together, as it were. In this regard, a little example is communications. We need communications.
Other services would be transport, IT and financial services, to name but just a few. There is no trade without financial services. There are many other things. Services also include the tourism sector and, of course, the agricultural sector.
Analysts have actually said that strategic trade, not aid, contributes to sustainable development and the elimination of poverty. Analysts have said freer and greater trade between African countries will stimulate local economic growth and create jobs by attracting more domestic and foreign investment and by cutting a reliance on expensive exported goods. Let's build our local economy and, in that way, we may just cut our current account deficit.
South Africa has a well-developed services sector, possibly the most developed in Africa. However, the need to further develop the sector has become, without a doubt, more prominent in the last 10 years, particularly because the country, faced with the challenges of unemployment and a lack of skills, took the decision to promote this, together with manufacturing.
The services protocol is a tool representing deeper integration within the SADC, from which South Africa will directly benefit through increased availability of competition, quality services and enhanced economic activity.
There is another issue that we should not ignore. When you are looking at the current account deficit itself, you may ask yourself why we are talking about the current account when it is supposed to be the SADC services protocol. It is because there is a relationship between that and trade. It is a very significant one - the region's economic development.
In its broadest sense, for those of us who may not know clearly what that is, it is the broadest measure of the country's trade in goods and services. Unfortunately, we do know that it widened. The question becomes why it widened. Did it widen because manufacturing dropped? No, manufacturing went up. So, why did it drop?
One of the reasons for this is a very simple one. The Americans play around with the money. First of all they said, let's have great quantitative easing, and through it open and lower interest rates. All the money went out and came to emerging economies. Of course, when they wanted to bring it back, they just sort of tapered the whole thing off, slowed it down, so that the money started coming back to the United States. Notwithstanding that, our manufacturing was increasing and our whole economic environment was becoming attractive. We cannot ignore the quantitative policies practised by other countries. We have to take them into account. [Interjections.]
Chairperson.
Yes?
Chairperson, would you ask the hon Fubbs whether she would take a question.
Hon Fubbs, will you take the question?
I do see a lot of the hon Hill-Lewis and I will answer his questions in committee. Right now ... [Interjections.]
Chairperson, my name is actually hon Ollis. Hon Hill-Lewis is sitting over there.
Right, well, whoever spoke. I can't see with my left eye. [Laughter.]
House Chair, I want to get to the objectives and spell them out a little bit more clearly. Right, we said ... [Interjections.] All right, speak up and tell me!
Enhanced economic diversification and investment in the service economies of the region liberalise the intraregional trade in services on the basis of mutual benefit, eliminate substantially all the discrimination in services trade between the countries and create a single, large market for trade in services. No single country in Africa on its own is any match for India, China and the United States, but together, we are a formidable economy with which to deal. That is why we are saying we want to do this. We have heard that the hon Bheki Radebe will be dealing in depth with the trade and, of course, the hon Gcwabaza with the economic development. We do deserve the right to regulate and to introduce new regulations for the benefit of South Africans as well as other Africans.
The other issue is about some of the obligations, broadly speaking. What benefit will this give to SADC countries, apart from what I have said? They will also get better treatment during this process, something called "the most favoured nation". There will also be a broad agreement, through our co- operative engagement, on how this comes about. There will be mutual recognition of each country's licences, qualifications and regulations and there will be a reduction in red tape. Member states will be able to retain the right to regulate the entry, stay, work and labour conditions of people. But, what we need to ...
Could this side of the House please lower your voices.
What I would like to point out is that the services liberalisation, contrary to what it may appear to be, is a key step in the deeper integration of the SADC itself. One of two final points I wish to make is that our own companies are companies in which members on my left have a great interest. We indeed welcome the private sector's development and growth and their participation in deepening their relationship with the SADC, remembering that efficient services trade can support industrial and infrastructure development. As we know, we have identified infrastructure development as a major means and instrument through which we can create an enabling environment for jobs.
I want to say to the House and the people of South Africa very clearly that the ANC government supports this protocol, but it also knows that many other parties in this House also support it, as do all South Africans who want a prosperous future. Aluta! [Time expired.]
HON MEMBERS: Continua!
[Applause.]
Hon members and hon Chair, I speak on behalf of the DA in support of the Protocol on Trade in Services. Hon Fubbs is quite correct. To get a grip on the implications of this, however, we need to learn from the ongoing debate and negotiations at present going on in Geneva to develop a Trade in Services Agreement, otherwise known by its acronym, Tisa.
As of September 2013, 50 participating nations representing 70% of the world's trade in services will develop new sets of protocols. The benefits of such a protocol is, firstly, to establish new market access commitments and universal rules that reflect 20th century trade as a result of technological advances, changing business practices and deeper global integration.
Secondly, the protocol has the potential to create conducive trading conditions and to challenge barriers to increase trade in the service sector, such as the limited movements of data across borders, unfair competition from state-owned enterprises, lack of transparency and the need for due process of law and forced local ownership, as in the case of Zimbabwe, for example, and discrimination in obtaining business licences and permits.
For the Southern African Development Community, SADC, to adopt such guidelines could also result in greater regional integration and increased competitiveness globally. However, such protocols are not without risks, especially for developing countries. Let me say that the protocol is intended to be a broad and comprehensive agreement with no service sectors excluded from the very outset. Potentially, therefore, all service sectors could be covered, including public services such as health care and education.
Education remains one of the least covered sectors because of legitimate concerns that trade liberalisation can constrain - I repeat - trade liberation can constrain the ability of governments to effectively provide and regulate quality education, even though private sector lobby groups and several countries have been pressing for further and deeper commitments.
Given the fact that most education systems do in fact contain a mixture of not-for-profit and commercial, public and private provisions, it is unlikely that the education sector in most countries would be excluded from the protocol. Including educational services in any trade agreement raises significant concerns. Let me just mention two of them. Firstly, trade rules are legally binding and can have the effect of locking in and intensifying pressures of commercialisation and privatisation. For instance, rules around market access can limit the ability of countries that make commitments on education services to limit the entry and regulate the operations of private and for-profit schools and institutions.
Protocols such as this is aimed at ensuring competitive neutrality or a level playing field between the public and private providers, meaning governments could not treat public schools more favourably. It is really quite a fundamental point.
Secondly, commercialisation of education potentially endangers its quality. Trade agreements can also adversely affect the ability of authorities to ensure the quality of education provided. Let me end by saying that at the same time private sector providers must be fully supported in the regulatory frameworks and incentivised to expand where the protocol runs into effect. Let me give you a local example. English as a foreign language has become a real industry in South Africa. There has been a phenomenal increase in students from francophone and lusophone African countries as well as from Brazil and, increasingly, also from China.
We have 40 English as a foreign language, EFL, institutions in South Africa today. China normally sends its students to Australia and Brazil, but is now looking to South Africa. Brazil and Argentina are increasingly sending students to South Africa. But the schools that we have require SA Qualifications Authority, Saqa, recognition. They require value-added tax, VAT, exemption and ease of travel, which has to do with visas.
When we become a signatory to this protocol, Ministers Blade Nzimande, Pravin Gordhan and Naledi Pandor have to make the necessary reforms to give direct support to private education provision in order to comply with the requirements of the new protocol. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Madam Chair, this protocol is very important for us. We are ratifying it although our President did not sign it, because on 18 August he, quite rightly, left the SADC summit to rush back to be present at the tragedy that had happened at Marikana.
There are three originals of this document and they are all authentic - one in English, one in French and one in Portuguese? What I am interested in is, how many people in the Department of Trade and Industry are fluent in French and in Portuguese. I'm sure there are quite a lot in the Department of International Relations and Co-operation, Dirco.
Clause 66 of the state law advisers' summary says the Protocol will have a major political significance, and hon Fubbs has referred to that. That is why the state law advisers said that section 231(2) of the Constitution must come in here.
Customs unions - and this is not the Customs Union - trade agreements and economic interactivity often lead to political co-operation and even union. The "Zollverein" in Germany in the 19th century eventually produced Germany that moved into the 20th century. Trading and currency agreements have moved towards what is now the European Union, which is still a work in progress.
The Southern African Customs Union, Sacu, comprising South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana and Namibia, is the oldest customs union in the world. Increasingly we will see a move towards a rationalisation of relationships and probably more and more political co-operation. South Africa is, in fact, in economic terms the united states of Africa. We are in economic terms and, to use an African simile, the gorilla in the African garden. This is even more so in the SADC.
The services protocol is important. Sometimes one is puzzled about what a services protocol is. It is a thing which we sometimes call, in economic terms, invisible earning. I remember reading about some countries that they have a section in their gross domestic product called invisible earnings. Perhaps the best example is the City of London.
We can benefit from invisible earnings and so also could our banks, air services and computer services. An example is MultiChoice, which is hugely successful in Africa. Another one is the cellphone services. I don't think people realise how much South Africans have done to establish the infrastructure in Africa for the cellphone services.
There are other things like aircraft maintenance. Most aircraft in Africa are flown down south to Johannesburg to be serviced. Increasingly, our hospitals are being used. Many people, for example Shell in Nigeria, ask people where they want to go. It will cost you much more to fly to Paris or London, or you can fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town and get the same quality medical services. For South Africa it's a huge benefit.
Furthermore, there is article 4, which is called most-favoured nation treatment. Of course it has some acronym. The most-favoured nation treatment means that you get the same treatment as anybody else who signed this treaty. There are 15 countries and nine have signed it. They have to give you the same treatment as for anybody else. It means that we can compete with the French, British and the Germans in terms of services and provisions. It's a very exciting development.
I encourage South Africans who may feel a bit frustrated about the opportunities in this country not to be frustrated. The whole world is waiting for them. Hon Fubbs mentioned Cecil John Rhodes. If you go just behind this Parliament you will see him standing. There is a statue of him in the Gardens. He has his hands out, and he says: Your hinterland lies there. This gives us the opportunity ... [Time expired.] [Applause.]
Deputy Chairperson, the hon member who spoke before me had a big worry about the fact that people don't speak French and Portuguese. I want to put his mind to rest. Graham, jy moet luister! [You must listen!] I want to put his mind to rest.
"Parce-que, monsieur, je parle franais". [Because, sir, I speak French.]
In addition ... "Eu falo tambem portugus." [I also speak Portuguese. [Interjections.]
So, put your mind at rest.
Previous speakers have dealt with the technicalities and the conditions of the protocol. As far as we are concerned, the overall objective is very acceptable, namely, to promote regional integration within the SADC by creating a single market for trade in services.
There are no limitations on number, values, personal or commercial presence for provision of services, unless stipulated in specific commitments to be negotiated. The IFP supports the protocol.
Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers and hon members, it has taken some time for trade and services to be acknowledged as an integral part of the world economy. And, until a few decades ago, the services were regarded as invisible, nontradable and confined to domestic economies.
The increasing number of jobs, the significant contribution that services have made to the percentage of the gross domestic product, GDP, of both developing and developed countries and the growing percentage of domestic and foreign direct investment in the service sector have exposed to governments and economists the important role that services play in economic growth and development. For instance, today services companies account for no less than 50% of all foreign direct investment in the global economy.
The Southern African Development Community member states have noticed the increasing mobility of services, not only in the region, but also across the continent and therefore seek to facilitate through this protocol regional economic integration, investments and job creation. This resonates with the resolution on economic transformation ... [Interjections.]
Hon Gcwabaza, could you just take your seat, please. I am requesting members in that corner over there to lower their voices. Yes, you; you are turning around to look at somebody at the back. I can actually hear what you are saying. Please carry on, hon member.
This resonates with the resolution on economic transformation of 2007, the 52nd conference of the ANC in Polokwane and the 53rd conference in Mangaung 2012, namely that the ANC seeks integration with economies of Southern Africa on a fair and equitable basis and desires to build stronger economic linkages across the continent as a whole.
South Africa's approach to the SADC Protocol on Trade in Services is also informed by the resolve to build and strengthen the regional market for the services sector, attract foreign direct investment, encourage skills transfer across the region, provide a platform for the SADC to participate in the global services economy and for our domestic and regional firms to access economies of scale. Chapter 7 of the National Development Plan makes a broad and explicit reference to the vital role that South Africa has to play in regional and continental economic growth, development and trade, including the point that Africa must take its rightful place as an important global economic player.
The SADC member states have recognised the importance of services such as transport, infrastructure, communication, energy, tourism and finance as significant economic sectors in their own right and the vital and complementary role these services play in the development and support of manufacturing and trade.
Ngakho-ke kufanele kusheshe ukwakhiwa kwengqalasizinda yemigwaqo, imizila yezitimela, ezokuxhumana, ezamandla, ezokuvakasha kanye noxhaso lwemali kosomabhizinisi futhi konke lokhu kusabalale kuwo wonke amazwe asezansi ne- Afrika kuqhubeke kusabalale nezwekazi lonke.
Futhi loku kuhweba kwamazwe asezansi ne-Afrika ngezinkonzo kufanele kukhulise osomabhizinisi nezinhlangano ezisebenza ngokubambisana ukuze abantu bakithi bazibambele ngokwabo ekuthuthukeni komnotho wezwekazi lonke. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.) [Therefore, we must speed up the putting into place of infrastructure in respect of roads, railway lines, communication, energy and tourism as well as providing financial support for entrepreneurs. All this must spread over all the countries in Southern Africa and across the entire continent.
This trade between countries in Southern Africa in respect of services must develop businessmen and co-operatives so that our people can develop the economy of the entire continent.]
The SADC protocol seeks to promote sustainable economic growth and development to improve the standard and quality of life of the region's people. It is worth noting that the protocol also recognises that anticompetitive agreements, abuse of the market position, cartels, anticompetitive mergers and acquisitions constitute business conduct that is detrimental to competitive economic growth and development. Therefore, state parties are encouraged to use their respective domestic laws and co- operate with each other on issues relating to competition and enforcement of policies to combat anticompetitive business practices. South Africa stands ready to use her competition legislation to discourage and punish anticompetitive business activity.
The SADC Protocol on Trade in Services lays a firm foundation for future negotiations at the level of the SADC, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and the East African Community, EAC, Tripartite Free Trade Agreement, FTA. Therefore Chairperson, the ANC supports the SADC Protocol on Trade in Services and requests Parliament to approve it. I thank you. [Applause.].
Chairperson, the DA supports this protocol and we have no objection in ratifying it today. We are taking the unprecedented step, though, of today ratifying a trade treaty which has not yet been signed by the President. Of course, the President was absolutely correct in returning immediately to South Africa on 16 August 2012 to deal with the Marikana tragedy. But, Chair, it has been 13 months since that awful day last August and the document has still not been signed. The President's Office and the SADC Secretariat have been unable to get together in the past 13 months for even five minutes just to sign this document. This has caused unnecessary delay regarding a crucial document.
We are sure that what we are doing here today is legal and so we are proceeding with ratification, but we must ask why it took so long to negotiate, finalise and ratify such an important and obviously beneficial agreement for South Africa and for job creation in industry in this country.
South African professionals, Chairperson, are by far the biggest providers of professional services to the rest of the continent. Our industry and our professions are best placed to take advantage of this agreement. We provide services in a wide variety of industries like financial services, energy, transport, telecommunications, agribusiness and many others. So this treaty is a very important milestone and opportunity for our country. But, Chairperson, perhaps the delay in signing the treaty that we are discussing today is somewhat indicative of the delay in the department's African trade and customs integration vision. The vision, as previous speakers have said, is laudable, but the pace is achingly slow. We have seen little significant progress on the tripartite FTA, as African News Network, ANN7, would call it.
There are South African businesses and professionals waiting to take advantage of agreements like this to grow the industry into the continent and create jobs here at home. Services already account for 22,9% of South African employment and there are many businesses literally waiting at the border for increased access and opportunities. We must then ask why the department has made so little significant progress in the African integration vision. We need access, we need infrastructure and we need a much faster work pace than we have seen over the last few years. There are really significant opportunities, but this department needs to focus and get the job done. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Hon Chairperson, hon Ministers, Deputy Ministers and members of this august House, the ANC supports the adoption of this protocol simply because it realises the vision of the founding fathers of the Organisation of African Unity, OAU, who, 50 years ago, ensured that they came up with a plan to fight colonialism and remove apartheid from the African continent.
When the last outpost of colonialism was uprooted in 1994 with the creation of a free South African state, the mission of the OAU was achieved. The leadership of the organisation had to change focus from liberation to economic integration. That is why ...
... iSithwalandwe, uTata Madiba ... [... isithwalandwe, Tata Madiba ...]
... at a heads of state and government meeting in Tunis in 1995 said that Africa was entering a new era of renaissance, where economic and political integration would drive economic development of the continent.
The basis was then laid for this organisation to be changed to the African Union, AU. This was done in 2002. The AU then adopted a very bold vision, which very simply seeks to promote an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena. Everybody knows that if we stand together, we are strong, but if we are divided, we are weak.
What was very important about the AU is that it said that regional or continental integration would be based on the integration of the regional economic communities, RECs. That is why the first tripartite agreement was agreed upon, where the SADC, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Comesa, and the East African Community, EAC, came together. This tripartite area represents more than 600 million citizens and has a combined GDP of US$1 trillion. The principle of the Tripartite Free-Trade Area is that the RECs will be the building blocks. In our case, the SADC will be our springboard in harmonising the AU programmes.
The AU decided on three pillars for harmonisation: firstly, market integration; secondly, infrastructure development; and lastly, industrial development. To strengthen these pillars, the AU decided on joint planning and implementation of infrastructure programmes, which comprise roads, rail, information and communications technology, ICT, energy, and freedom of movement of the businesspeople within the free-trade area.
The protocol we are adopting today will try to fulfil the obligation of the SADC in harmonising its policies within the AU. In this protocol, there are six priority sectors which have been identified, that is, communication, construction, energy, finance, transport and tourism. The protocol will enhance the diversification and investment in the economies of the SADC. For example, the Grand Inga Dam project will pull together the resources of the region to build the biggest hydroelectric power station in Africa, with the capacity of producing 39 000 MW, which will translate to about 250 TWh per annum. This project will connect the electricity grids of the following countries: the DRC, Namibia, Angola, Botswana and South Africa. When the project is completed in 2020, it will have the productive capacity of 1 000 TWh, which will be 20% of the energy needs of Africa at that time.
There are multinational funding institutions which have lined up to have a stake in this US$80 billion project. These funding institutions include the African Development Bank, World Bank and European Investment Bank. So, with South Africa being an advanced economy in the financial sector, such projects are going to provide a very good opportunity for our businesspeople and our companies to spread out into the continent.
With Eskom involved in the Inga Dam project, it means that it will be able to sell its services to other SADC countries and help to create a single market in the trade of electricity services. This protocol provides for Eskom to benefit from the article on national treatment which is in this protocol. National treatments provide for any company within the member states operating in another state to be treated like a company of the area that it comes from. It means that when Eskom is providing electricity to Botswana, it will be treated as if it is a Botswana company. That is the critical aspect.
What is also very important is that the member states of the SADC will grant each other most favoured nation status, which entails treatment which is not less favourable than what it accords to other suppliers of services to the member states.
Order, hon members! Order! Please, lower the volume of your conversations.
This article is very important in order to avert the failures like the past interim agreements which were entered into by various countries within SADC with the European Union. So, with the most favoured nation status, it means that before the country which has subscribed to the protocol can enter into an agreement with another country, it must consult the other countries. It cannot do that unilaterally. It shows that the issue of the African agenda is being deepened in that regard.
The articles of this protocol will promote inter-trade between SADC member states. The movement of business people within the region will be enhanced. How will this happen? There will be mutual recognition of the trading licences from the countries of origin. What is also very important is that the qualifications from the various countries will be recognised. Once that happens, it means that the issue of integration will have been enhanced. It means that the vision of the founding fathers and mothers of the African Union and the OAU is being realised. That is why I appeal that each and every member supports this protocol. Thank you. [Applause.]
Please, hon members, can you lower your voices.
Chairperson ...
Em primeiro lugar, queria informar o sr McIntosh que tal como o sr Van der Merwe, eu posso falar portugus. [Firstly, I would like to inform Mr McIntosh that, just like Mr Van der Merwe, I can speak Portuguese.] [Interjections.] [Applause.]
I want to thank the hon members for the support of this protocol, and then just make a few comments on some of the points that have been made.
Chairperson, I just want to say that ...
... o sr Andries Nel tambem fala portugus. [Mr Andries Nel also speaks Portuguese.]
Aah, h muitos, no? [Aah, there are many, not so?]
That is not a point of order.
Isso no verdade. [That is not true.]
That is another no point of order. [Laughter.]
Mais je ne parle pas franais. [But I do not speak French.]
I want to answer a few points that have been raised by the hon members. Firstly, hon Hill-Lewis, once sufficient heads of state have signed the protocol, the operation to make it come into force is ratification, not more signatures. We are actually one of the countries first in the queue in ratifying this protocol. So, we are moving faster than our peers in the region to make this come into effect. [Applause.] [Interjections.]
Secondly, let me say that it is not true that we are not giving attention to and making progress in the Tripartite Free Trade Agreement, FTA. The architecture of the negotiation has been agreed. The level of ambition has been agreed and we are in the process of delivering and receiving offers and requests in the process. The negotiation is continuing and we are giving priority attention to that.
I now come to the hon James, who had made some points about the potential negatives with reference to education. I think it is important to point out that this Protocol on Trade in Services Protocol actually provides for negotiation on a positive list basis. That means that nothing is liberalised unless we explicitly agree that it should be. More than that, this protocol actually identifies six priority sectors for negotiation over the next three years. These are communications, construction, energy, finance, tourism and transport. So, that is where the negotiations are going to focus - on a positive list methodology.
I should say that we do attach importance to this. South Africa's services sector accounts for about 67% of our GDP, and our trade in services for 14,3% of our total trade. We are already quite active in the services trade in the SADC, in areas such as retail, banking, telecommunications and transport. So, we think that this protocol is important, important for our own commercial interests, but also important for regional integration.
Once this Protocol on Trade in Services has been negotiated, or the negotiation given rise to by the protocol proceed in the SADC, we will then have laid the basis for the next phase of the tripartite process. This envisages, in the next round after the negotiation of the trade in goods agreement, a trade in services agreement among the 26 members of Comesa, the East African Community and the SADC. I think that this is an important step forward in the process we are involved in.
Today I had the privilege of participating in the launch of the annual Trade and Development Report of the United Nations' Conference on Trade and Development. This report follows two other reports this year, which I also participated in - the World Investment Report, and then earlier, the Economic Development in Africa Report. These three reports tell us something very important about our economy, which we are actually trying to follow through.
Today the report told us that the state of the world economy is not such that developing countries can hope to develop and strengthen their productive sectors if they rely on trade with and exports to the developed world. The developed world is likely to remain flat in respect of its demand for goods and services from developing countries. Developing countries have to rely on the domestic and regional market as a tool for the industrial development diversification of their economies.
The second, the World Investment Report, told us that this matter of global value chains, which has been much debated, is seeing a greater blurring of the distinction between goods and services production. The issue for developing countries is not whether one is integrated or not in global value chains, but where one is integrated. For Africa and South Africa to be an exporter of primary products and an importer of finished goods is not the place we need to be located. We need to move up those value chains and become much more significant producers of manufactured goods and the services that go along with that.
The Economic Development in Africa Report said that Africa needs to pursue regional integration, particularly across our regional economic communities so that we can overcome the disadvantage created by colonialism, which divided us into 54 countries, each of which has got too small a market for its own domestic industrialisation. We have to come together; we have to pursue regional integration.
We are supporting this protocol energetically. We are one of the frontrunners in respect of negotiating it, and the reason it took a while to negotiate had nothing to do with South Africa. It had lots to do with technical questions raised by other member states. This is something which we are trying to push forward by being in the forefront of those that are ratifying this agreement.
I want to thank everybody for this. As has already been said, this Protocol on Trade in Services will support the National Development Plan. The NDP has identified trade in services as an area that deserves more attention and states that South Africa is not exploiting the opportunities. This will give us a chance to remedy that. I thank everyone for their support. [Applause.] Debate concluded.
Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Trade in Services approved.