24 February 204
Madame Speaker
Honourable Minister-Trevor Manuel
Honourable Ministers
Honourable Deputy Ministers
Honourable Members
The African Writer and Poet Ben Okri wisely cautions us when he says, "To poison a nation, poison its stories. A demoralised nation tells demoralised stories to itself. Beware of the storytellers who are not fully conscious of the importance of their gifts, and who are irresponsible in the application of their art: they could unwittingly help along the psychic destruction of their people."
As we celebrate the First decade of Freedom and Democracy, the overwhelming majority of our people who had known nothing but despair, deprivation, exploitation and humiliation since time immemorial, know that yesterday they had nothing to hope and live for, today things are better but tomorrow things will even be a lot better.
The Division of Revenue Bill which I rise to support on behalf of the African National Congress confirms that contrary to what doomsayers are saying, indeed Our First Ten Years of Freedom have been ten years of increasingly making resources in the hands of the state available to uplift disadvantaged South Africans; ten years of expanding opportunities to build a better life for all.
Madame Speaker Throughout the years that the ANC led with the slogan - Power to the People! - It waged a determined political and ideological struggle to ensure that, both in theory and in practice, this was not misinterpreted and vulgarised to mean - Power to the ANC!
This position, grounded on a particular understanding of the tasks of the democratic movement, continues to inform the perspective of the ANC on the nature of the democratic state.
The most important current defining feature of the South African democratic state led by the African National Congress is that it champions the aspirations of the majority who have been disadvantaged by the many decades of undemocratic rule. Our primary task as the African National Congress is to work for the emancipation of the black majority, the working people, the urban poor, the rural poor, the women, the youth and the disabled. The task of our democratic state is to champion the course of these our people in such a way that the most basic aspirations of this majority assumes the status of hegemony which informs and guides policy and practice of all the institutions of government and state.
Together as a people we have made great strides in the first decade of freedom and democracy. Despite the challenges that we face, the future is brightening daily, giving us new possibilities. Indeed yesterday we had nothing to hope and live for, today things are better but tomorrow things will even be a lot better.
We have created the possibility to release more resources for social and economic services while building a modern and competitive economy.
Learning from our experience in the First Decade of democracy we can do more, better in the Second Decade.
In your budget speech honourable minister you correctly identified Key challenges facing all delivery programmes to address the problems of the 'second economy', deal with the issues of income poverty, unemployment and social exclusion.
As the African National Congress, we are satisfied that the Expanded Public works Programme, expansion of the social safety net by extending Child Support Grant up to the age of 14 years, skills development, agricultural support redistribution programmes, and various other policy initiatives are interventions that will benefit, albeit in the short and medium term those of our people trapped in the 'second economy'.
We call on our people to take advantage of these measures and opportunities. The announcement of the expanded public works programme ties in well with an earlier proposal by the Financial and Fiscal Commission during the 2003 MTBPS hearing and a recommendation by the Joint Budget Committee that Capital grants be designed to progressively address infrastructure backlog.
Se setla thusa go isa ditirelo kwa bathong ba rona le go lwantsha tlala le lehuma tse di aparetseng bontsi ba batho ba rona ba ba tlhokang ditiro.
Our goal is to create a South Africa in which all can experience an improving quality of life, enjoying equal human rights, with access to opportunities that freedom has brought us, and bound together as a nation by our humanity.
As the ANC, we have confidence in our future and call on our people to join us in a People's contract to create work and fight poverty.
As we welcome the Comprehensive review of the fiscal framework for provinces and municipalities, we also note that Government has considered all recommendations of the FFC and either responded favourably to them or took them into account in investigating options to address challenges and concerns raised. We appreciate the crucial role that the commission plays in shaping the determination of equitable shares to all spheres of government and take their inputs and proposals seriously.
In order to monitor compliance and implementation, we are also satisfied, honourable Minister, that Provinces and Local government will now be required to report against contributions of their equitable share towards economic growth, employment generation, small business development and black economic empowerment and publish these on their websites.
The inclusion of development indicators will also assist in the evaluation of the efficacy of nodal funding to ensure that development objectives are realised and benefit our people.
In conclusion I wish to remind the DA and its unholy alliance that no amount of negative rhetoric is ever going to convince the masses of our people that they are a demoralised nation. As the African National Congress, we have confidence in our future and in the masses of our people. We believe that Learning from experience we can do more, better.
I wish to reiterate that South Africans are not a demoralised nation. We are a people united to build a better South Africa and a better world. Together we can and will do more, better because yesterday we had nothing to hope and live for, today things are better but tomorrow things will even be a lot better.
Forward to a people's contract to create work and fight poverty Forward!!!
Power to the People!!!
Ke a leboga.