Deputy President's oral reply to questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP)
Question
Mr B L Mashile (ANC-Mpumalanga) to ask the Deputy President:
(a) To what extent has the 2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer tournament enhanced
(i) cohesion amongst African States and
(ii) social cohesion amongst different races in South Africa and
(b) what indicators that point to improved cohesion in the continent and the country?
Reply
Honourable Member the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup allowed all South Africans, regardless of race, to be united in support of our national team and to enjoy football throughout the tournament. Furthermore, the increased sense of safety during the 2010 FIFA World Cup facilitated socialising and mixing across racial and social boundaries.
The creation of fan parks was a significant contributory factor in enhancing social cohesion during the period of the World Cup that allowed South Africans of different class and racial backgrounds to interact with one another
That the stadiums were finished on time and that the World Cup was deemed among the most successful 2010 FIFA World Cup competitions in history helped dispel negative stereotypes about the African continent within the global community and enhanced our national pride.
The hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup by South Africa was from the onset understood to be on behalf of the whole African continent and the tournament was set to be an African World Cup, partly aimed at integrating aspects of continental development programmes as well as legacy initiatives.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup thus served to mobilise the nation, to instil a sense of patriotism and to unite Africa. Various sporting and peace initiatives that were undertaken in the continent, as part of the World Cup, did much to contribute to development and national unity.
We can cite some examples to point to the role that this tournament played in enhancing development and people to people contact in the continent:
- The “Win in Africa, with Africa” programme resulted in the construction of football turfs in different African countries and also provided support in developing various national leagues and the training of football administrators.
- The Mini Schools Africa Cup, which involved the five African countries that had qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup as well as the six African road shows, also contributed to players and supporters getting to know one another.
- Peace initiatives were also undertaken on the continent as part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, including the 2009 Peace Caravan Tour of the Great Lakes Region in East Africa, which was supported by our government, together with the Organising Committee, the Rwandese Ministry of Sports and Culture and the Youth Development through Football Project.
- Through the ICT programme, the 2010 FIFA World Cup also contributed towards bridging the digital divide and promoting a common identity among Africans. Extensive satellite television sports coverage continues to make sporting events in South Africa widely accessible to people on the continent.
We are mentioning these legacy initiatives because the efforts of fostering unity and cooperation in the continent can never be divorced from the fundamental issue of sustainable development.
Going forward, Chapter 15 of the National Development Plan has again reminded us to sustain our focus on nation building and social cohesion, in pursuit of a more cohesive and equitable society.
Question
Ms N D Ntwanambi (ANC-WC) to ask the Deputy President:
(1) Whether the Government’s Anti-Poverty Programme to fight poverty through
(a) the delivery of services to poor profiled households in identified wards,
(b) identifying change agents who can help those poor households to move out of extreme poverty and
(c) improving inter-governmental cooperation and coordination of service delivery is yielding any success; if not,
(i) why not and
(ii) what are the Government’s plans and strategies in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) what are the reasons for the on-going service delivery protests across the country?
Reply
Honourable Member, the Anti-Poverty Programme that I champion adopted a multi-layered approach by targeting where the most impact is likely to happen.
The Programme identifies beneficiaries who ought to access services but are not. In order to achieve this, the methodology used is through the profiling of households in identified wards. To this end, the Programme facilitates the identification of priority wards where beneficiaries are most in need of services. These services vary in nature depending on the identified needs such as skills development, education and training, career-pathing, etc.
At a household level, the Programme aims to consolidate the provision of services to achieve maximum impact. This may include providing relevant information as well as facilitating access to services.
One of the approaches of the Programme is the identification of change agents whose potential can be realised for the benefit of the household.
To illustrate the point we are making about the Programme, for example:
- In all nine provinces, through department of Human Settlement, a program on (Youth Build) has been established. For example, in Port Elizabeth 12 Youth construction groups were trained and subsequently employed to build RDP houses in Chetty;
- In Limpopo in the Vhembe District, a group of women were recruited for training in bricklaying. Subsequently, the group has since built houses for the community.
During my first visit in 2008 to Lubala Village in the Eastern Cape, the community faced challenges in safe drinking water, accessing primary health care services, housing, roads, high rate of orphans and child headed families, documents to access government services, and unemployment.
Today in 2014, I am happy to report a successful story. All children at Lubala School are now receiving meals as part of the Integrated School Nutrition Programme. Further, Grade R infrastructure has been completed and is now in use. Water, electricity and sanitation have also been provided in the community.
With all these basic necessities in place, the community is now able to concentrate on self-help projects to support their needs. To this end, the Community of Lubala has expressed its intention to start a co-operative that will address some of the basic food necessities such as bread.
In eMsinga the site of our visit in 2011 tells a similar successful story. Following the visit, a decision was taken to expand FET college footprint in the area, water supply was prioritised, destitute households were identified and immediate interventions implemented.
Following my visit in 2011 to the Greater Taung Municipality during the War on Poverty Programme, a joint collaborative effort has been launched between the North West Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Haldor Topsoe – a private firm in Denmark - to position Taung Agricultural College into a Centre of Excellence in Irrigation Technology – thereby ensuring that communities in Taung benefit and are able to produce food to improve their socio-economic status.
The Anti-Poverty visit to Lutshaya in 2012 and earlier in 2013 has raised private sector interests in the schools and clinic in the area. As we speak, there is commitment to improve infrastructure.
Honourable Members, what we have learned through all these engagements is that improved inter-governmental coordination substantially accelerates delivery of services to those most in need and thus enhances the quality of life of poor households.
Question
Mr D Joseph (DA-WC) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether the positive results on HIV/Aids programmes include treatment and statistics of foreign nationals; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what partnership treatment programmes does South Africa have with the Southern African Development Community and/or the African Union?
Reply
Our national antiretroviral programme is accessible to all those who are eligible for treatment, irrespective of their country of origin. Each of the countries in the region conducts their own treatment programmes and thus there are no partnerships. However, countries share information and best practice through established institutions such as the WHO-AFRO, the African Union and the United Nations.
Question
Mrs E C van Lingen (DA-EC) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether the SA National Aids Council (Sanac) has discussed how South Africa’s current intellectual property system is open to exploitation by foreign companies and the impact that this may have on access to anti-retroviral medication; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply
The South African National AIDS Council has not discussed issues related to intellectual property as the Department of Trade and Industry is seized with such matters.
Question
Mr G G Mokgoro (ANC-NC) to ask the Deputy President:
(1) To what extent has his visit to the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada in September and November 2013 with the main objective of promoting investment in the South African mining sector yielded success and (b) what were the concerns raised by some investors in the United Kingdom regarding the intentions of the proposed amendments to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, Act 28 of 2002;
(2) whether the Government has addressed all such concerns; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply
Government remains engaged with key stakeholders on matters that affect perceptions of South Africa as a favourable investment destination, especially in mining and minerals development. We consider our engagements with the investment communities in the United Kingdom and Canada as having yielded the desired results as they now have a deeper appreciation for the South African challenges in the sector, but also an awareness of the opportunities that lie ahead.
The concerns raised about the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Bill include:
- Perceived prohibition of exports of minerals in contradiction of international trade agreements.
- Mineral beneficiation
- Perceived unfettered discretionary powers of the Minister.
- Timeframes in processing applications and the notion of “first come first served”.
- Nationalisation of mines.
Government has indeed clarified the critical concerns raised by the investment community through a more rigorous explanation of the intention of the Bill and providing the developmental underpinnings that accentuated the drafting of the Bill.
Concerns have been taken into consideration and progress has been made to address some of the issues raised. For example, through the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission (the PICC), there is an endeavour to align the issuing of water and mining licences. The PICC is focused on ensuring that the application of these licences is simultaneous rather than sequential, as the current processing of licence applications prolongs the course of getting to the production phase.
Another example of a concern raised and taken into account by the Department of Mineral Resources is the removal of timeframes and the “first come served” in order to create room for streamlining the process relating to authorisation for mining rights, water use license and environmental approvals that will significantly enhance the ease of doing business in South Africa and optimise the development impact of exploitation of natural resources. Accordingly, the streamlined process commits to a maximum of 300 days from application to issuing of all relevant authorisations.
As Honourable Members are aware, Parliament’s public participation processes allowed all stakeholders the opportunity to make oral and written submission on the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Amendment Bill. The Bill is being considered by the National Assembly this afternoon.
Question
Mr D D Gamede (ANC-KZN) to ask the Deputy President:
Whether, with regard to the official visit by the Prime Minister of Poland to South Africa in October 2013,
(a) an agreement was reached on priority areas for cooperation,
(b) the status of bilateral relations between the two countries has been reviewed and
(c) new bilateral cooperation was established in agriculture and rural development, education and skills development, environmental affairs, science and technology, transport and maritime; if not,
(i) why not and
(ii) what are the Government’s plans and strategies in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply
Yes Honourable Member agreement was reached on the following areas of cooperation:
Education and skills development- Poland offered South Africa 155 scholarships for the 2014/15 academic year. An agreement on cooperation in education is to be explored with the Polish. South Africa had specific areas for cooperation, one of which was maritime and vocational training.
Agriculture and rural development – Exchange on technology and encouraging the exchange of researchers between research facilities (Science Councils, Agriculture Research Council etc.) and Universities to explore the fields of agriculture and agro- processing. Both countries agreed to share best practices, policies and programmes for rural development. Also, a bilateral cooperation on aquaculture will be facilitated.
Science and Technology – Review areas of cooperation in Science and Technology in view of recent reforms to include infrastructure and expand and deepen cooperation in Science and Technology.
Business Forum – Assess potential in line with the newly signed agreement on economic cooperation and priority sectors i.e. mining and mineral exploration; carbon enrichments and mining machinery; oil and gas; energy; construction; transportation and infrastructure; industry; agriculture and food processing; and Information and communications technologies. We also appreciated the presence of South African companies in Poland and encouraged Polish companies to invest in South Africa to boost job creation.
Environmental Affairs – Poland to share information on river health, water quality and waste management and sanitation.
Transport – Skills development in maritime sciences to be explored with Polish assistance, ship building and repairs, marine architecture, marine engineering and experiential learning for South African cadets on Polish shipping lines (seafarers) to be followed up. A Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the transport sector needs to be developed.
The following Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding were signed during the Polish Prime Minister’s visit:
- Agreement on Economic Cooperation between South Africa and Poland;
- Agreement between the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and its Polish Equivalent IDA;
- Agreement between the Warsaw School of Economics and the University of Witwatersrand Business School; and
- A Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Cooperation between the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, and Trade and Investment South Africa
Following our discussions on 17 October 2013, we accepted Prime Minister Tusk’s invitation to pay an official visit to Warsaw, Poland on 14 March 2014 to build on these discussions and to follow-up on the outcomes of our bilateral consultations.
