Date: 05/06/2009

Source: Congress of the People

Title: Cope: Shilowa: Address by the first deputy president of Cope at the Parliamentary debate on the State of the Nation address

Speaker and Deputy Speaker President and Deputy President of the republic Honorable members

Let me at the outset first express our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families of those who lost their loved ones in the two human tragedies that struck in the past few days - the Welkom mining disaster and Flight 447. We join them all in prayer in a spirit of human solidarity and friendships.

Nkulukumba Xipikara.

Ndzi kombela leswaku u nga ndzi sirheleli loko va monya kumbe ku sola mbulavulo wa mina. Ni nhlamba ndzi kombela leswaku u nga yi siveli. Ndzi tile haleno ndzi nga ehleketelanga leswaku hina va Congress of the People hi ta

fanela ku ndlaleriwa masangu leswaku hi etlela eka wona. Hi amukela nthlonthlo! Tani hi vona na hina hi bile xibakele edibini. A hi nga va nyiketi rhama le ri n'wana leswaku va ri makala. Hi pfumelelana ni nawu wa Muxe lo' wu nge: tihlo hi tihlo. Swo biwa ti nga dyanga mavele swi nge endleki!

Ku na xivuriso xa Xitsonga le xi nge: N'hwari mbirhi, yin'we yi tshwa nkanga, yin'wana yi bola xifuva! Hi ta vona hi n'wina muchaviseki leswaku ya n'wina n'hwari hi yihi? Hi leyi yi nga ta tshwa nkanga? Kumbe leyi yi nga ta bola xifuva? Kumbe hi vumbirhi bya tona xana?

Convention demands that we grant your administration 100 days honeymoon period. We shall honour that convention. So consider the comments I make parked for when you come back from the honeymoon.

Listening to the President's state of the nation address I was reminded of the following story:

While walking down the street one day a Member of Parliament is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

'Welcome to heaven,' says St. Peter. 'Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you.'

'No problem, just let me in,' says the man. 'Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.'

'Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,' says the MP. 'I'm sorry, but we have our rules.' And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and

standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him. Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly & nice guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him. 'Now it's time to visit heaven.'

So, 24 hours pass with the MP joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

'Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.'

The MP reflects for a minute, then he answers: 'Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been
delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.' So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above. The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.

'I don't understand,' stammers the MP. 'Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?'

The devil looks at him, smiles and says, 'Yesterday we were campaigning..... Today you voted.'

During the best of times you would be hard pressed to achieve half of what is in your manifesto. It will be even harder now that we are in a recession.

You said that we should cut our cloth to fit our size. That's well and good, but seems sir that having been to the tailor you have already placed an order for a bigger cloth.

Some words of wisdom to the Choir master who was on stage last night. It will take more than just charm, rhythmic dances and songs to get our country right..

You spoke sir of the need to protect and respect the constitution including institutions. We are happy to give you the benefit of the doubt. A good place to start may be protecting the Governer of the Reserve Bank from my colleagues in COSATU who want him out. What is his sin? For implementing ANC policy of inflation targeting!

We welcome the commitment to increase efforts to encourage all pupils to complete their secondary education and to increase the enrolment rate to 95%. But sir, that is not where the problem lie. It is about the quality of the education, which encompass teaching and learning, teacher - learner ratio, class rooms, internet connection, laboratories and libraries to name but a few. From where we sit, there is no plan to respond to these challenges. We are however happy to be proven wrong. On your point about teachers having to teach, I hope you have had a word with Sadtu who as we speak are out in the street of Gauteng instead of in the classroom even before the ink on your speech is dry.

We agree with you on the need for all of us to work together. Hi ta ku I timangwa loko hi vone mavala ya tona. We will in this instance be guided by Mark Twaine who said that: "My country all the time. My government when it deserves it."

We agree too with your commitment to ensure 80% of the roll out of ARTT by 2011. It is easier said than done sir. How will you do it when the state of the health system is as it is, with morale being at its lowest among health workers, with many of the people being in rural areas where the clinic has no medication let alone antiretrovirals. With the elections over and food parcels having dried up, where will the food come from since therapy requires food before and after sir?

Speaking of health sir, I received the following message from Luthando Mzimba, whose mother was admitted and not treated at a hospital in the Eastern Cape: "I drove to Butterworth, got my mother discharged, she is fighting for her life at the Joburg Gen as she received no medical attention for 4 days after rapturing a vein in the brain. They misdiagnosed her, they said it was meningitis and gave her treatment for high blood pressure. When I walked in I noticed that her mouth had shifted to the left and that meant she had suffered a stroke. No tests were run."

We agree with you on the need to reduce red tape. But how do you square this one sir? The Premier of the Free State has issued a circular freezing all payments to service providers. As a result, most SMME's have not been paid, are going bankrupt, their assets are being are being attached, section 21 schools can not procure basic necessities let alone learner support materials. Unless you deal with this issue, your words on reducing red tape, creating jobs and supporting SMMES will ring hollow.

You spoke sir about assisting firms during this time of need. This is good news. But sir, what is the objective criteria to help. Without an objective criteria you will not be able to convince us that the intervention in companies such as Frame is not based on saving SACTWU investments. This may be a perception. But without a plan it will become a reality!

Let's support industries by all means, but let's do so by looking also at growth sectors such as services, renewal energy and environmental protection to name but a few. Let's also look at areas such as Isithebe, Dimbaza, Umsobomvu, Babelegi, Ekandustria etc.

One of the ironies is that while Cape Town might have one of the best shipping docks, some of them needing repairs and maintenance, the country does not have the required skills let alone the city itself. This, we hope, forms part of your plan to quell the skills shortage in the country.

You said that you renamed the Safety and Security Minitries to be more precise. So allow me too then not to call a spade a garden tool.

You talk of creating decent jobs, but the only jobs to be reacted are those "opportunities" in the EPWP. Surely even you will agree that these are not decent jobs, are not sustainable and will merely keep the wolf from the door for a few months if not weeks.

Ndzi kombele ku hetelela hi ririmi ra manana nakambe: va ri xandla famba, xandla vuya. Hi ta mi nyika swa hina swandla. Kambe loko ho tlulana milenge mi ta twa o nge mi lo gadiwa hi mfa ka sgogwana!

Inkomu