1. Ms N R Bhengu (ANC) to ask the President of the Republic:
What leadership in respect of social cohesion and nation building does he intend to initiate with regard to measures aimed at enhancing the patriotism of (a) citizens in general and (b) opinion leaders in particular?
Reply:
Honourable Speaker,
Social cohesion is the cornerstone of nation-building and is one of the most important programmes as it promotes and emphasises individual and community participation in nation building.
We have a collective responsibility to promote the country and promote harmony and togetherness.
Government is playing its own part. Cabinet approved a Social Cohesion Strategy for the whole country on 13 June 2012.
Thereafter, in July last year, Government, through the Department of Arts and Culture, hosted a successful national social cohesion summit in Kliptown, Soweto.
This milestone event was attended by over 2 300 delegates from across the spectrum of society including government, political parties, business, civil society, labour and a host of other community based organisations.
After exhaustive deliberations, the delegates came up with a Declaration and a 12-Point Resolution Framework that was presented to the President on 27 November 2012.
As part of implementing the resolutions, government will host provincial and local summits where people will make their inputs and help to promote cohesion and unity.
A National Social Cohesion Report Back and Monitoring Summit will be convened next year, when we celebrate 20 years of our freedom and democracy.
Thereafter, the plan is to have Summits at five year intervals, to report on progress.
We urge civil society to also contribute in various ways. This would include discussions, practical action, national and provincial awards and any other interventions that would promote unity.
To enhance the social cohesion and nation-building agenda among opinion leaders, we have identified and appointed eminent persons to serve as Advocates for social cohesion.
This will assist to heighten awareness and highlight the role of those who represent the core values of our society.
The eminent persons include Advocate George Bizos, Judge Yvonne Mokgoro and Ms Brigalia Bam.
We also have men and women who serve in institutions such as Brand SA as trustees.
We can utilise their expertise since social cohesion is also about building the South African brand.
Also key to the social cohesion programme is the promotion of non-racialism as one of the cornerstones of our democracy.
Our Constitution states that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white. We need to promote this principle and ensure that all our people feel they truly belong to this country and are not alienated due to race or class or because they are poor.
We urge Honourable Members not to use this programme to score political points but to promote the country.
Every contribution counts. We look forward to seeing some of the social cohesion programmes of opposition parties for example, as part of building the nation.
The participants at the social cohesion summit aptly summarised the principle of working together when they said the following in the Declaration issued at the end of the summit:
“In pursuit of these objectives, we wish to commit ourselves, and all sectors of society represented at this summit, to work together to realise the ideals enshrined in our constitution, and to assert that each of our organisations and institutions will strive to contribute all we can to realise our common national objective, to attain a decent and improving quality of life for all, in a society united in its diversity.
“We depart from this historic venue united in our commitment to building a nation that is caring, dignified and with a great sense of humility and mutual respect for one another’’.
We all have a responsibility to build such a society.
I thank you.
2. The Leader of the Opposition (DA) to ask the President of the Republic:
Whether he was informed of the upgrades at his private home in Nkandla in November 2010; if so, (a) on what date and (b) by what means?
REPLY:
The Zuma Family has effected various renovations to the family residence over a period. In the recent past and more particularly during the early part of 2008, the family commissioned certain improvements to the residences for its own account.
Nobody’s permission was necessary in this regard insofar as it related to an upgrade of a private residence.This right extends to all citizens of the Republic.
I was accordingly aware of these renovations to the extent that it relates to my family residence which was self-funded. It remains a private family matter.
Naturally, I was informed that improvements needed to be made at the family residence to enhance the security of the Head of State.
The nature and form of the improvements was decided upon by the relevant officials through their departments. As already indicated such information would not include details on the specifics of what would be done, by whom and at what cost.
I thank you.
3. Mr M G P Lekota (Cope) to ask the President of the Republic:
Whether the government has instituted (a) preventative and (b) innovative measures to address the brutalisation of ordinary people through the disproportionate use of force by agencies of the State (details furnished); if not, why not; if so, what (i) measures, (ii) are the time frames for implementation and (iii) are the further relevant details?
REPLY:
Honourable Speaker,
Today, on the eve of Human Rights Day on which the brutal apartheid police killed 69 people, we state unequivocally that we are opposed to police who act outside the constitution and the rule of law.
Decisive action is being taken against police officials who violate the rights of the people.
While we all condemn such actions, we also acknowledge that not all police officers engage in such behavior. The vast majority work within the law in performing their difficult tasks of protecting the public.
There are a number of steps that have been taken by the Minister of Police to address the issue of SAPS members who are involved in such activities.
In 2010 the Minister of Police introduced two new pieces of legislation namely the Civilian Secretariat for Police Act and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate Act.
Both have now been enacted and strengthen civilian oversight of the Police.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has now replaced the Independent Complaints Directorate to investigate police officers who are involved in human rights abuses.
Under this new legislation the police are required to immediately report to the new directorate any cases of abuse of powers by police officers.
This new directorate can also initiate such investigations. They do not have to wait for the police. Such independent investigations are in line with international best practice in this regard.
The Minister of Police has also introduced a new Public Order Policing Policy which was presented to parliament in 2011.
This policy clearly states how the police should respond in dealing with citizens in the context of public order policing.
At the end of 2012, the Minister of Police instructed the Civilian Secretariat for Police to look closely at the issue of minimum force in the Police service and a full policy on this aspect of policing is at the final stages of completion.
Honourable members,
Operationally, the Minister of Police is ensuring that disciplinary processes and procedures are effective in dealing with both criminality and corruption within the service.
Training is also critical. From 1994, the human rights ethos of police training received specific attention so that we could transform the SAPS into a democratic era police force.
Let me take this opportunity Honourable Speaker to commend the majority of the 200 000 strong Police Service for performing their difficult tasks diligently, leading to a reduction in serious crimes, and also for acting within the law.
They deserve the support of the whole nation.
I thank you.
4. Mr S J Njikelana (ANC) to ask the President of the Republic:
With reference to his cautionary statement in the State of the Nation Address that no single force can achieve the objectives that have been set for the country by the interventions outlined in the National Development Plan and the targets that have been set for job creation, how will the Government engage business, labour and other social partners?
REPLY:
Honourable member,
We are proud to have developed the National Development Plan, a development roadmap that has been embraced by all sectors in our country.
It is designed to assist us to achieve the vision set out in the country’s Constitution and in many of the country’s historic documents such as the African Claims and the Freedom Charter.
As the document outlines, the National Development Plan seeks to unite all South Africans around a common programme to achieve prosperity and equity.
It promotes active citizenry to strengthen development, democracy and accountability. It also seeks to bring about faster economic growth, higher investment and greater labour absorption.
The National Development Plan states that by 2030, the economy should be close to full employment. People should have the necessary skills, ownership of the means of production should be more diverse and the economy should be able to grow rapidly.
The National Planning Commission estimates that the country can create 11 million jobs by 2030 through amongst others, building partnerships between the public sector, business and labour.
In pursuit of this goal, we will continue to work with the social partners at NEDLAC, business, labour and the community sector, to promote such collaboration.
In February we met the business sector and they said they wished to present for discussion by parties, at least five obstacles to investments and doing business in South Africa.
We agreed that Ministers will lead sectoral engagements with business to identify the obstacles in each sector and propose solutions.
These consultations will culminate in a meeting with the business working group in May.
We will also be engaging labour, youth, the community sector and other sectors as part of promoting sustainable development.
I thank you.
5. Dr M G Oriani
Ambrosini (IFP) to ask the President of the Republic:†
(1) What progress has been made in the Presidential Review of the persistent necessity or advisability of maintaining the Department of Public Enterprises;
(2) whether he has or will cause studies to be conducted on the necessity of the Departments of Public Works, State Security and Women, Children and People with Disabilities; if not, what measures he contemplates in order to reduce the size of government?
REPLY:
Honourable Speaker,
The design of the state and government institutions is guided by our desire to build a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society.
To accomplish this task, we will have to deracialise society, fight inequality, unemployment, and poverty and create economic opportunities for all South Africans regardless of race, gender or geographical location.
We have committed ourselves to build a developmental state which must have the capability to execute this task.
As we continue to forge ahead, we adjust these institutions to meet the new challenges and better respond to the priorities of the time.
A developmental state can only be built when the state is prepared to use its resources to participate in the economy and provide a possibility for our people to enjoy the wealth of our nation alongside private initiatives and investments.
The Department of Public Enterprises manages state owned enterprises on behalf of the state as a shareholder.
Government has also conducted a review of these state assets in order to better manage these assets. The recommendations are being processed within government.
The state is also the owner of the largest portfolio of property in the country.
The Department of Public Works has the responsibility to manage these assets and to support government departments so that they are able to focus on their core responsibilities.
The government has to provide security to its citizens and guard the sovereignty of our state.
We have the constitution and the laws which set parameters of how this should be done. No nation in the world does not perform such a duty.
There is no way such a task can be performed without the Department of State Security as one of the key players.
The legacy of apartheid included the extreme oppression and marginalisation of women.
That is why a non-sexist society is a critical part of what we seek to achieve. Government also has to pay special attention to the development and protection of children.
Our interactions with persons with disability have indicated each time, that we must improve our services to them.
For example, at the imbizo event on disability in Mpumalanga on 4 December last year, as well as our interactions with the organization, Disabled People South Africa, persons with disability have convinced us that we must do more. It remains our collective effort to work towards ensuring that we have an effective system of governance that will deliver good services to all our people.
I thank you.
6. Adv A de W Alberts (VF Plus) to ask the President of the Republic:†
In light of his visit to white squatter camps in Pretoria in 2009 and his promise to help them, why are measures such as (a) affirmative action and (b) Black Economic Empowerment that impoverishes white people still necessary when statistics indicate that more black people own property than white people do and that an equal number of black and white people own shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange?
REPLY:
Honourable Speaker,
Affirmative Action and Black Economic Empowerment are consititutional imperatives designed in terms of Section 9 of the Constitution to correct the inequality and exclusion faced mainly by Black people, namely Africans, Coloureds and Indians, as well as women and people with disabilities, which was caused by apartheid laws.
I disagree that the statistics on property ownership patterns and distribution of shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, indicate that the historical injustices that are a legacy of Apartheid, have been overcome.
It is a fact that inequality in terms of race is still very much a part of South African society.
It is critical to draw a distinction between the ownership of assets or property by a few black people as compared to the majority that is still disadvantaged even after 19 years into democracy.
It is an undisputable fact that White compatriots still control the South African economy and disproportionately own most of the prime land in the country.
With regards to the management of the economy, the 2012 employment equity report indicated, that in the senior management category, white males comprise 59.1%.
Black people are the most under-represented in this category at 21.8%. The economy is therefore still controlled by white males.
Let us take the example the Honourable member raises regarding shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
In its report of 2012 the JSE indicated that while 21% of shares of ownership of the top 100 companies are held by black people, direct black ownership is less than 5%.
When one considers that according to the 2011 Census, Africans, Indians and Coloureds make up 90.6% of the population, these figures indicate serious under representation of black people. Africans make up 79.2%; Coloureds 8.9% and Indians 2.5%.
In relation to property ownership, the South African Property Sector Charter Council 2010 report, estimates that of the total four point nine trillion rand market capitalisation in the sector, three trillion rand falls within historically white residential areas, where the majority of these properties are still owned by white people.
With regards to the standard of living in general, Census 2011 revealed the shocking statistics that the income of the average white household still remains six times higher than that of the average African household.
Figures indicate that the average annual African household income is R60 613 while that of the white household is R365 164.
The Census also revealed that close to 1.9 million African households reported no income at all.
Obviously this state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue forever. I am therefore happy that you raised this matter Honourable Member, to remind the House of the urgent need to accelerate economic transformation.
The problem of poor whites is not new. The only difference is that government looks after all citizens equally while in the past there were special programmes and interventions to alleviate white poverty and reserve jobs for unskilled white citizens.
The poor whites you refer to in Pretoria West were linked with relevant government departments so that they can assist them with services required.
What is important is the need for an acceptance that apartheid left a legacy of inequality and exclusion based on race, whose impact will take decades to completely undo.
The denialism that is often expressed will not take away this fact.We will continue working hard to reverse this legacy in order to build a truly non-racial, non-sexist, prosperous and equal society.
I thank you.
