Date: 13/11/2002
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: Answers to questions in NA


DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA: QUESTION FOR ORAL REPLY IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, 13 November 2002

QUESTION NUMBER: 54

Mr MM Chikane (ANC) to ask the Deputy President:

(1) Whether, in light of the increasing and progressive tendency amongst all South Africans, in the interest of nation-building, to lay claim to the identity of being "African", he supports this practice; if so, how does this relate to the traditional classification of African, Coloured, Asian, and White;

(2) Whether there is a need for new identity categories; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

Yes, I support the practice of the people of this country defining themselves as Africans.

After decades of separation from each other and from the rest of the African continent, South Africans are now rightfully identifying themselves as Africans. Some South Africans may trace their ancestry to Europe, America or Asia, but they live in Africa, belong to Africa and are Africans.

In his address to this House in 1996 on the occasion of the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic, President Mbeki said, "the Constitution whose adoption we celebrate constitutes an unequivocal statement that we refuse to accept that our Africanness shall be defined by our race, colour, gender or historical origins. It is a firm assertion made by ourselves that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white".

Honourable members may also have noticed the statement by Former President FW de Klerk in the Sowetan on Monday, where he said that he is an Afrikaner, a South African and an African.

Indeed, our Africanness is strengthened by the manner in which we are able to celebrate our cultural heritage as South Africans, be it Afrikaner, Venda, Jewish, Greek, English, Tsonga, Pedi, Portuguese or Ndebele, without undermining our common nationhood.

I therefore believe that South Africans are truly identifying themselves as Africans because they are Africans, and because of their desire to make a positive contribution towards the development of the continent, to make it a better place to live in.

Our South Africanness and Africanness is determined by our geographic location in the first instance, and is also born out of the blood, sweat and tears we have shed in the course of our history.

It is an identity we should all be proud of, and be willing to defend and nurture for future generations.

QUESTION NUMBER: 61

Ms NC Nkabinde (UDM) to ask the Deputy President:

Whether, as the Chairperson of the SA National AIDS Council, he intends taking any steps to ensure that HIV/AIDS is made a notifiable disease so as to facilitate an integrate government response to the pandemic, there by assisting departments to monitor and evaluate the various responses of the Government the pandemic; if not, not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

As the Honourable member is aware, it is our priority as Government and as SANAC to get a proper understanding and grasp of the challenge of HIV/AIDS facing us today- so that we could develop informed and appropriate responses to this epidemic. We are also aware that 'notification' has in other situations played a key factor in the success of combating that particular disease through containment and more accurate quantification. On the other hand, we acknowledge the sensitivity with regards declaring HIV/AIDS notifiable, in particular with the existing current levels of stigmatisation and discrimination of HIV positive and AIDS infected people in our communities today.

Our view therefore is that the debate is sensitive and needs to be approached in a balanced manner. The member may also be aware that public hearings were held with the Portfolio Committee on this matter and that the implementation of a policy of 'notification' of HIV/AIDS has been widely mooted by civil society and this has yielded some results. The Compulsory HIV Testing of Sexual Offenders Bill, which aims to regulate the compulsory testing of persons arrested in sexual offences cases for purposes of protecting the rights of victims of crime and vulnerable groups, will soon be introduced to Parliament. This will go some way towards addressing the concerns of those supporting making HIV/AIDS notifiable. The debate remains open - and all views and concerns have to be considered carefully. It is my intention to extend this debate to SANAC in the near future.

However in the meantime, other means are used to gauge and manage the level of infection. We are able to chart on a year-by-year basis the increase or decrease of the rates of infection, even to the extent of being able to isolate the figures as they relate to particular social groupings. The absence therefore of the declaration of HIV/AIDS as a notifiable disease, has not prevented us from monitoring the statistics and responding in an integrated fashion as the Honourable member suggests.

QUESTION NUMBER: 59

Mr NJ Clelland-Stokes (DP) to ask the Deputy President:

(1) Whether the Government has conducted an investigation into the extent o foreign ownership of land in South Africa; if not, what is the position in this matter; if so, what percentage of South African land is estimated to be owned by foreign nationals;

(2) Whether the Government intends taking any step to prevent or limit the ownership of land in South Africa by foreign nationals; if not, (a) what is the Government's policy in this regard and (b) how it communicating this policy this policy to the people of South Africa; if so, (i) what specified steps and (ii) why?

REPLY:

(1) The Department of Land Affairs is currently conducting research into the matter of foreign ownership of land in South Africa. The research, amongst other matters, will address the numbers and types of cases involved and will also entail a comparative study of countries facing similar challenges.

(2) The government has no plans at present to limit the foreign ownership of land. However, government acknowledges that there are concerns that need to be addressed. However, options cannot be considered until the research is completed. If government were to consider restrictions on land ownership, such an issue would have to be thoroughly discussed between various government departments and other stakeholders.

QUESTION NUMBER: 58

Dr BL Geldenhuys (NNP) to ask the Deputy President:

(1) Whether political issues will be excluded from NEPAD's Peer Review Mechanism; if not, why not;

(2) Whether he will make a statement on the matter?

REPLY:

The resolution adopted by the African Union Summit on 8 July 2002 in Durban, referring to the African Peer Review Mechanism includes reference to political review.

The NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee deliberated on the operationalisation of the African Peer Review Mechanism at their most recent meeting held in Abuja, Nigeria on Sunday, 3 November. They described the African Peer Review Mechanism as an important element of NEPAD and called on the African Union to establish a mechanism through which the implementation of its decisions can be monitored.

It must be remembered, Honourable Members, that the African Peer Review Mechanism is an initiative started by African leaders. It is a voluntary process and that its primary objective is for African countries to learn from each other and create constituencies within the continent and abroad for their shared vision and approaches to socio economic development and political transformation.

As far as the obligatory peer review mechanism is concerned, this is provided for in the Constitutive Act of the African Union, which also provides mechanisms for enforcement. The most critical of these mechanisms will be the Pan African Parliament and the Court of Justice. However as these institutions and processes may take some time to be finalised, the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee decided to implement the African Peer Review Mechanism through the NEPAD Secretariat as a transitional arrangement.

QUESTION NUMBER: 62

Mr LM Kgwele (ANC) to ask the Deputy President:

Whether the Government continues to implement affirmative action for historically disadvantaged persons; if not, why not, if so, (a) what measures have been put in place in this regards, (b) what criteria are used to measure effectiveness and (c) what impact has it had on all social groups in South Africa?

REPLY:

(a) The purpose of affirmative action is to correct the past imbalances created by apartheid. These imbalances meant that the majority of South Africans were not only excluded from certain employment positions but also from ownership in the economy. Therefore affirmative action measures introduced by government amongst others include:
* The Employment Equity Act of 1998, which outlaws unfair discrimination in employment and provides for affirmative action with respect to access to employment training, promotion and equitable remuneration, especially for blacks, women and the disabled.

* Transformation strategies in the public sector and parastatals so that the composition of public servants and parastatal employees reflect South African demographics, at all levels of the organisations.

* Financing of training programmes through the National Skills Fund and the SETAs to provide skills to the 12 million South Africans who are semi-skilled and unskilled as a result of Bantu education.

* Numerous incentives administered by the Department of Trade and Industry to promote small, micro and medium enterprises particularly for those owned by women, black and disabled entrepreneurs.

* The Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act of 2000, to ensure preferential treatment in procurement by government from businesses owned by the historically disadvantaged. Similar frameworks exist in other levels of government and in parastatals.

* The establishment of the National Empowerment Fund. * The introduction of the Mining Charter, and the development of other processes to promote Black Economic Empowerment to change the social relations and ownership patterns inherited from our apartheid past.

(b) The criteria used to measure the effectiveness of affirmative action depend on each policy.

(c) The impact affirmative action has on a specific social group is hard to quantify. What can be quantified are measurable outcomes of the policy in terms of ownership and employment levels and the allocated times does not allow me to go into details.

QUESTION NUMBER: 63

Adv ZL Madasa (ACDP) to ask the Deputy President:

Whether, as the Leader of Government Business in Parliament liaising with leaders of all political parties, he has satisfied himself that opposition parties in Parliament are given sufficient time for meaningful debates, especially on subjects of national importance?

REPLY

Honourable member, as you are aware the purpose of Parliamentary Questions is for members of the Executive to account and give information to Parliament on matters relating to the to the Executive. The issue of the speaking time of opposition parties is something that is entirely up to Parliament to resolve and I do not think it appropriate for a member of the Executive to comment in this regard.

QUESTION NUMBER: 60

Ms TR Modise (ANC) to ask the Deputy President:

(1) Whether, in the light of the increasing incidents of violence against women and children, the Government has any plans or programme to observe this year's annual 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children campaign which is observed worldwide; if not, why not; if so;

(2) Whether, in the spirit of Letsema, the public will be afforded the opportunity to participate in these programmes; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY

(1) Our commitment as government to the elimination of violence against women and children extends over 365 days. Our policies and programmes are constantly updated to ensure that we are able to address and respond to all possible situations that may directly or indirectly cause the increase of violence against women and children. However, we also note and observe global and national initiatives that are designed to raise the level of the public's awareness and sensitivity to the challenges facing women and children. In this regard, for the past 4 years, we have been active participants in this International Campaign. The theme of the programme will be "Together We Can Make a Difference; South Africa United in Fighting Violence Against Women and Children:" The programme will run from 25 November to 10 December.

2. The government's call for Letsema extends to all aspects of our lives. However, nowhere is this more necessary than in the case of protecting women and children. As we all know, the majority of violations of the rights of women and children occur behind closed doors and in the hands of people that women and children trust. To end the cycle of violence and in the spirit of moral regeneration we should contribute in securing a safe and secure environment for women and children.

Madam Speaker, I have been informed that the 16 Days programme of events has been distributed to Members. Members and in particular, male members, have an important role to play in spreading the message during the 16 Days Campaign. I therefore urge you to participate in the activities planned for the campaign.

QUESTION NUMBER: 64

Dr PWA Mulder (FF) to ask the Deputy President:

What will the two new Deputy Minister's posts that have been created at the Department of Health and the Social Development cost the taxpayer in terms of salaries, services and personnel?

REPLY

Honourable Member, the information that you seek is freely available to the public. The salary of a Deputy Minister is listed in the relevant proclamation that contains your own salary level. The cost of services and personnel will vary according to tasks performed and the way in which the Deputy Minister's office is structured. Details of the costs of other Deputy Ministers are to be found in the Estimates of National Expenditure.

Issued by the Presidency, 13 November 2002