The following speech was delivered in Parliament’s Appropriation Bill Debate.
Honourable Speaker, House Chair, Ministers, Leader of the Opposition, Members and the public, we must be honest with ourselves that our country is in financial trouble and we need to urgently find a solution for this. Before we speak about appropriation, we must be reminded that income to the state should guide our expenditure.
On behalf of the Democratic Alliance (DA), I thank all of those who pay their taxes on time. To the people who participate in the growth of our economy, your contribution cannot go unnoticed.
Speaker, it is also important that Parliament show appreciation to individuals and organisations that do voluntary work, charity work, and serve communities on a daily basis, without expecting anything in return. We salute you and thank you.
Speaker, in order for our country to move forward, the inequalities of the past must be addressed by all of us in this House without delay.
The past I refer to is apartheid, a time characterised by the absence of human dignity, great poverty and various forms of inequality.
Let us create a future that is better than our past.
Now, the President has asked us to give his ‘New Dawn’ a chance. I say, that the ‘New Dawn’ is nothing more than an admission of guilt that the ANC has failed South Africans.
Under the Zuma-administration, South Africa stopped working.
The DA started the Stop Zuma Campaign in 2009. South Africans from all walks of life joined in, including ANC Veterans, until the ANC themselves decided to recall President Zuma.
The DA has campaigned for ten years on behalf of the people of Cape Town, appealing to the National Government for assistance in the protection of innocent people, dying in their thousands on the Cape Flats due to gangsterism. The ANC Government responded ten years later. We need peace, security and stability, not only in Africa, but Members, we need it in our own country too.
The DA warned the Minister of Home Affairs about government’s policies relating to visas and the negative impact it would have on tourism and job creation. Why does it take so long for the ANC to understand that the DA and other opposition parties can contribute to a better South Africa?
The DA has also raised questions to the previous President. Statements were made in the house, media reports, debates, court cases, while the previous President stood on this podium and arrogantly laughed at Members and South Africans. It is now up to the 6th Parliament, to fix that mess and we must do so for our future generations.
The Appropriations Bill and the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act no.9 of 2019, as amended in 2018, propose to appropriate money from the National Revenue Fund for the requirements of the state, and to prescribe conditions for the spending of funds. My colleagues will speak to these conditions.
The mandate of the Standing Committee on Appropriations is to consider the Bill and report to the National Assembly. Consultation with National Treasury, the Financial Fiscal Commission, the Parliament Budget Office, as well as submissions from the public and other organisations, serves to promote service delivery and for the equitable share to Provincial and Local Government.
Agbare Lede, wanneer dit kom by die toekenning van fondse, is ons begroting nie in lyn met die behoeftes van ons land nie. Die ANC mag so dink maar dit is nie so nie. Die publiek voel onveilig en mense word daagliks vermoor.
Ons prioriteite is die volgende:
Eerstens die polisie diens moet versterk word, spesiale eenhede en taak spanne moet vermeerder word, ons grens beheer om onwettige handel dryf te bekamp moet versterk word. Die intelligensie diens moet meer geld kry om proaktief op te tree teen georganiseerde misdaad. Doen dit en dit sal nie nodig wees om die weermag in gemeenskappe te ontplooi nie.
Agbare lede ons sal saam oplossings moet vind vir werkloosheid. Ons land en miljoene mense wat werkloos is verwag dit van ons. Ons begroting vir die finansieele jaar om werkloosheid aan te spreek is onvoldoende. Die departemente wat leiding kan neem om werkloosheid aan te spreek is as volg, toerisme, publieke werke met infrastruktuur, vervoer, kleinsake ontwikkeling en ekonomiese ontwikkeling.
Vroue, kinders en gestremdes ervaar nog steeds diskriminasie en die begroting moet dit aanspreek. Die begroting spreek nie voorskool ontwikkeling genoegsaam aan nie.
Allocating R17.6 billion to Eskom without any conditions is counterproductive. The DA continues to call for the immediate implementation of the unbundling process. State owned entities that are embedded with corruption and maladministration are making South Africans poorer and must be restructured.
My plea to this House, Honourable Members, is let us return to the vision of Madiba – a united South Africa where we can all enjoy the same freedom.
South Africans are loyal people, they love this country, they have been patient, the unemployed and homeless are waiting for a better life, for equal opportunity irrespective of colour, gender, culture, religion or where they live, be it a rural or urban area.
The DA does not support the majority of the budget votes. We will during this term of office interrogate all available processes, ensuring that the budget priorities of our government are inclusive of building a better South Africa for all our citizens.