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Honourable Speaker

After much deliberation, the Official Opposition has taken a decision to lend the 2012/2013 KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Budget qualified support. We have called for divisions in terms of Rule 82.2 on a number of Votes and Programmes which we believe are contentious. These are as follows:

Vote 1 (Premier): Programme 3 (Policy and Governance)

This programme includes the highly controversial Youth Ambassadors. We have consistently opposed this initiative because of the lack of accountability and financial as well as performance management it involves. We are concerned about the escalating cost of this programme and its purpose. To put it bluntly, we are not convinced from what we have heard about the Youth Ambassadors that the Office of the Premier is not advancing a Zimbabwe-style North Korea-trained Red Brigades!

Vote 2 (Provincial Legislature): Programme 1 (Administration)

We are greatly concerned about the endless recruitment of new staff by the Speaker’s Office despite the ongoing moratorium on the filling on non-critical vacancies in the province. We also voice our disquiet about the proliferation of dubious former employees of the Department of Health among these new Legislature staff members.

Vote 2 (Provincial Legislature): Programme 2 (Parliamentary Services)

We have long opposed the budgetary allocations towards Taking Legislature to the People and various Sectoral Parliaments. These initiatives remain highly politicised under the guise of public participation. We also oppose expenditure on Legislature publications that serve overt party political purposes.

Vote 3 (Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development): Programme 2 (Agricultural Development Services)

We are very concerned about the pending write-off of funds allocated to Mjindi Farming and the overall lack of measurable performance of this long-standing initiative. We are acutely aware of the need to support emerging farmers and promote food security in this province but we oppose the way these objectives are being pursued with regards to Mjindi Farming.

Vote 3 (Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development): Programme 4 (Conservation)

We are not convinced that Ezemvelo Wildlife is being managed in line with its declared mandate as a public entity attached to the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development. Specifically, we are concerned about the lack of a credible marketing strategy and the general state of state-owned nature reserves in KwaZulu-Natal.

Vote 4 (Economic Development and Tourism): Programme 2 (Integrated Economic Development Services)

Of serious concern to us in this department is the non-payment of SMME loans. This is coupled with the slow progress made by Ithala to offer the required business support to emerging entrepreneurs in this province. Unless these issues are resolved speedily, this provincial government will not be able to support SMMEs efficiently and effectively and promote economic growth and make a dent on our unemployment rate which remains stubborn.

Vote 8 (Human Settlements): Programme 3 (Housing Development)

We are unimpressed by the continued failure on the part of the Department of Human Settlements to deliver Community Residential Units and upgrade our pre-1994 housing stock. The past non-performance in these areas does not augur well for the current financial year and we do not believe that the budget allocations for these initiatives are credible or that the performance targets are attainable.

I thank you.