The following speech was delivered in Parliament today by DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Communications, Veronica van Dyk MP, during the Budget Vote on Communications.
Honourable Chair, Members of this House
Our Government needs to stop investing in corruption.
Corruption, maladministration and wasteful expenditure can be traced back to almost every single Communications entity.
On 17 June 2015, due to the inapt action by the Department, our country failed to meet the analogue switch off date as was set by the International Telecommunications Union.
During a Committee meeting this month, we were informed that we might once again miss the 2018 deadline.
It seems as though in the ANC government deadlines are delivery dates for failure.
Vertragings in die uitrol van digitale migrasie het `n groot impak op spektrum-beskikbaarheid. Dit benadeel die uitsaaibedryf ernstig, veral met betrekking tot gemeenskapmedia.
`n Moratorium op die lisensieëring van gemeenskapsradio’s in September 2015, kan nie gelig word nie as gevelog van die feit dat daar nie voldoende spektrum is nie.
Die DA sien dat die ANC nie by hul belofte nakom om gemeenskapsmedia en diversiteit te bevorder nie.
It should come as no surprise to us, but there is also a delay in the finalisation of the media transformation and diversity policy.
According to ICASA, the White Paper on Audio -Visual and Digital Content will take another 4 years to complete. The DA knows this will have a further impact on DTT migration. Yet again, the ANC does not keep its promises.
The largest budget increase in the Department is seen in Programme 4: Entity Oversight which increased by R94.3 million. However, no amount of money thrown at this problem will rectify the widespread maladministration at entities.
There is also an increase of R33.1 million for Communication and Branding which seems rather excessive in a country where citizens are literally starving.
Ons sit met ‘n entiteit soos Brand SA wat poog om Suid-Afrika te promoveer, terwyl die ANC-President sukkel om te tel hoeveel skade hy berokken. Rommelstatus danksy `n rommelregering.
Meer geld word spandeer aan die versterking van bestaande gemeenskapmedia, in plaas daarvan om nuwe geleenthede te skep.
Die DA versoek dat die befondsingsmodel van gemeenskapsmedia ernstig hersien word.
Belastingbetalers betaal ongeveer R21 miljoen aan Brand SA om landshoofde in die Verenigde State, China en die Verenigde Koninkryk te akkommodeer met die oogmerk om die land se reputasie te bestuur en te bemark – basies ‘n duplisering van Toerisme Suid-Afrika se pligte.
Beide entiteite het elk kantore in die drie lande. Parlementêre vrae het uitgewys dat doelwitte in die Verenigde Koninkryk en die VSA nie bereik is nie, dit wil sê doelwitte vir 2 uit die 3 lande was onsukselvol.
In hierdie moeilike ekonomiese tyd waarin ons mense hulself bevind, is landshoofde werklik`n prioriteit?
In 2014 the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) had a vacancy rate of 50% and until recently the status remained unchanged; the chair of the board even appointed herself as acting CEO, and lied about it in a committee meeting.
We have nothing to show for all these increases, except a Department and entities, like the SABC, that are riddled with corruption that they have failed to serve the people in South Africa.
Die DA vra vandag, wat doen entiteite om geld te bespaar?
Muthambi, Motsoeneng … Zuma! Hoekom raak die ANC nie ordentlik van sy probleemkinders ontslae nie? Watter vertroue boesem entiteite werklik in by die publiek? Daar is net geen gevolge vir wanprestasie in hierdie regering nie.
Corruption is killing opportunities. The ANC is killing opportunities. Just ask the 9 million people in SA that cannot find a job.
We need to stop rewarding institutional failures. We need to stop investing in corruption. Come 2019 the South African public will have the opportunity to vote for change and vote against corruption and the failure of the system.
I urge every citizen to make their vote count.
Ons land verdien beter as die ANC.