Honourable Madam Speaker, Premier Mokonyane, MEC’s, members and guests in the house
South Africa and Gauteng is a community of communities – a kaleidoscope of spiritual, cultural and linguistic groups; different people with different backgrounds that live together in the same country and province. The fact that we are different does not mean that we are enemies.
The Constitution of South Africa makes provision for that, especially in art 185 and 235 and goodwill that I experience, amongst various groups at grass root level makes it possible.
But somewhere in an engine room the division of the people of this country and this province, is being orchestrated as it is found in the beginning of your state of the province address in paragraph 3 and runs right through the address like a golden thread.
I quote: “What we are here today is not only about the ANC, but the continuing partnership between the ANC government and the people of South Africa. This partnership born of struggle against oppression, tyranny, racism and exploitation remains a guide to action.”
Honourable premier this is where the very core of success and failure lies.
It is important to know where we all came from, what formed our existence and our views, but that is now history. We are living in the present not in the past, or are we?
In every single report of a portfolio committee this guide to action spells out the designated beneficiaries, previously disadvantaged, affirmative action, BBBEE, women, youth, people with disabilities, war veterans, ex-convicts, ex drug addicts, this is your guide to action regardless of merit. These guidelines have already proofed to be a failure and are not competitive. Many departments in Gauteng have vacancy rates of up to 30% and targets are not met.
What is meant by “transformation”? Should everything be transformed from white to black or should the people of South Africa be empowered with education and training, opportunities, safety and a culture of morality towards a bright future, regardless of who they are.
Are we following the Zimbabwe recipe – where apartheid and colonialism will for ever be the scapegoat for everything that goes wrong, and the promise of land redistribution will be used as the distraction from real issues with the Zimbabwe result of course, or are we going to follow the Singapore example – where huge progress has been made since their independence from colonialism, where they appointed the best people fit for government, regardless of who they are, or what their struggle past were or even to which political party they belong.
The question remains: If you are only rewarding your struggle partners by deploying them in state departments and cabinet, are your rewarding the country, our children and our future, or are you rewarding individuals? My guess would be the latter.
The ANC is creating a lot of expectations with many people, expectations which cannot be fulfilled. This is the recipe for revolution.
Madam Premier, members, what is the true state of Gauteng? We see bloodied residents taking to the streets to demand services from the government. Two protests a day since 1 January 2014 and R65 million rand in damage to public infrastructure.
Hon speaker, communities can only be really free if they are educated, empowered and decide on their own fate. Service delivery has been taken further away from grass root level and centralised.
People do not have trust in the system anymore. They feel alienated and E-tollated in their own country. The percentage of people who have registered to vote for the upcoming election is the lowest in Gauteng at 77 % of the estimated eligible population in the province.
According to the director general of labour, the number of labour days which have been lost due to strikes in South Africa have increased from 2,8 million in 2011 to 3,3 million in 2012. The strikes are also gradually becoming more violent and are lasting longer.
The government cannot create jobs. The government should make it possible for the private sector to expand and create jobs. Currently the government is interfering on every level of the economy, while the trade unions are chasing away investors.
The vehicle manufacturer Nissan, gave four countries the opportunity to put in a bid to manufacture the new Datsun vehicle series. South Africa was the favourite to get the bid. As a result of all the strikes, South Africa did not get the bid. The contract was awarded to India and thousands of jobs were lost. For the same reasons, the manufacturing of the new BMW-3 series was not awarded to South Africa with a direct negative impact on Gauteng.
This government virtually destroyed the status of indigenous languages as a medium of education resulting in poor matric results and young people with matric who cannot really read or write.
Waarom het die ANC die staatsdiens heel eerste getransformeer deur regstellende aksie? Die grootste fout wat die ANC die afgelope twintig jaar gemaak het was om nie eers water, krag en huise aan die armes as eerste prioriteit te hanteer nie. Ervare staatsamptenare, of hulle wit, bruin of swart is, kon hierdie dienste op grondvlak verskaf. Daarna kon na verandering in die staatsdiens gekyk word. Vandag het die meerderheid plaaslike besture geen ingenieur om die rioolwerke of die waterstelsels in stand te hou nie.
Die ANC se heropening van die grondeise gaan in die toekoms ook teen hulle draai – dit gaan onder meer ons landbou- en voedselsekuriteit verwoes. Vir meer as vier jaar lank tot 1998 kon mense grondeise indien. Vandag, sestien jaar later, is baie van hierdie eise nog nie afgehandel nie.
Speaker, the euphoria of the first 20 years of the new democracy is now almost history and the real new South Africa should now start to unfold. The election of 7 May 2014 will be the opportunity for the beginning of a new era towards success or failure.
Africa is desperately in need of a success story. South Africa and Gauteng with the fourth largest economy in Africa, should be that success story.
Thank You speaker
Jaco Mulder
082 466 3786
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