Speech by Dr Pieter Mulder, MP, FF Plus Leader and Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in the debate on President Jacob Zuma's state of the nation address, February 15 2010

INTRODUCTION

Mr. Speaker, Honourable President,

A primary school child visited Parliament and sat in the gallery. He watched how the Speaker entered the Assembly, nodded to the right, nodded to the left and then asked for a moment of silence for prayer.

Back at school he wrote a composition about his visit. He wrote:

"The Speaker is as despondent about the future of South Africa as my father is. The Speaker walked in, looking to the right at the ANC government and shook his head in dejection because he could see that they were not going to solve the country's problems. Thereafter, full of hope he looked to his left at the opposition parties but also became despondent when he saw that there was no hope that they had any solutions - that is when he said: the only thing left for this country is prayer - let us pray together!"

Mr. Speaker, may we never reach that point where there is no longer any hope and solutions for South Africa 's problems.

In his State of the Nation Address, the President was very precise in his proposals as to how certain problems could be resolved but also very vague about others.

EDUCATION AND CORRUPTION

Some examples: The FF Plus welcomes the emphasis on education and the specific measurable objectives which has been set. ( South Africa can not afford that nearly a half a million children start in grade one in school, only the half of them reaching matric and then again only half of those pass matric.) The FF Plus would like to add specific objectives for more education in mother tongue.

We would also like to congratulate the government with the fact that almost 33 000 (32 687) fraudulent social grant payments to the value of R180 million have been terminated. It is a small but important step in eradicating large scale corruption.

The FF Plus welcomes the outcomes-based approach of government. It makes it possible for opposition parties and the public to measurably evaluate the government's success.

Many other problems were identified correctly but the solutions are still very vague.

MISDAAD

Volgens meningspeilings is misdaad en die feit dat Suid-Afrikaners nie meer veilig in hulle huise voel nie, een van die ernstigste probleme in die land.

Rooftogte by woonhuise het verlede jaar met 27% (18 438) toegeneem en as die syfer oor drie jaar geneem word met 54%. Moord het effens afgeneem maar die Suid-Afrikaanse moordsyfer is steeds 37 uit elke 100 000 van die bevolking terwyl die wêreldgemiddeld vir moord 5 per 100 000 is. Dit beteken dat vyftig mense vandag in Suid-Afrika vermoor gaan word en 50 elke dag vir die res van die jaar.

As na moord op plaasboere en hulle werkers gekyk word, gaan die syfer op na oor die 200 per 100 000 van die bevolking -- plaasmoorde wat op die wreedste maniere plaasvind.

As die president dan slegs enkele sinne in sy toespraak aan misdaad wy, beteken dit dat misdaad nie 'n prioriteit van die regering is nie.

Waarom kan moorde op plase nie as afsonderlike polisie statistiek gegee word nie? Die boerderygemeenskap aanvaar die rede is dat plaasmoorde, van wit en swart, nie vir die regering belangrik is nie.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIAL FARMERS

Rural development is rightly one of the priorities of the government. In my contact with farmers throughout the country, they realise the importance of this and offer their assistance.

For rural development, it is important that especially commercial farmers create more job opportunities. The commercial farmers ask me how one creates more job opportunities and expand one's farm, if after fifteen years, one is still not certain that you will keep your farm; if your neighbour is murdered and you are not certain whether you will experience a farm attack at night; if your children have to be sent to a school 300 km away because the Afrikaans school close by has been closed by the government?

If the Minister of Human Settlements then also come and falsely accuse farmers that they are the cause of squatter camps, the offer of commercial farmers to help with rural development is then lost while they have to fight just for their own survival.

Urbanisation is an African phenomenon. Kibera, is the largest squatter camp adjacent to Nairobi in Kenya with more than 600 000 people living in an area of 4 square km's. There are no South African farmers there. How many people moved from the former Transkei to the Western Cape? How many foreigners from Africa have streamed over our borders and settled in squatter camps? Are farmers also being blamed for this?

Twenty one African states have already made offers to lure South African farmers to their countries. Even Mr. Ghadaffi of Libia promises the son and the moon. He promises diesel at 50 cents a litre and a pipeline to make unlimited amounts of water available. What do I answer these farmers?

YOUTH AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

The FF Plus welcomes the President's proposal "to subsidise the cost of hiring young workers ... to encourage firms to take on inexperienced staff."

Does this proposal include all young people or are young white people excluded from this? For which reasons can young people who were born after Mr. Mandela's release (1990), the so-called free born, be excluded from this?

The black wealthy and middle class are already considerably larger than the white rich and middle class. Affirmative action at present only takes race into consideration and not economic capacity. For which reasons should a black millionaire's children be advantaged by these measures while a poor white child is disadvantaged?

Then government is making a mistake if it does not take notice of the growing opposition and polarisation which affirmative action causes amongst especially the youth. Read the letters in the newspapers and listen to the debates on university campuses.

Let me read you apart of Selna du Toit's letter dated 12 January of this year in the Afrikaans newspaper Beeld:

"Last year our son completed his matric ... He obtained seven distinctions and scored 97% in the Alpha Math paper. He cannot get a bursary to study computer engineering.

"At this point there is bitterness in his heart because nobody wants to give him a reasonable chance.

"I therefore direct an urgent plea to our government and all those large companies who only give bursaries to students who give them points for black empowerment:

"Rise above this destructive form of intimidation and give bursaries to all deserving students in South Africa .

"Give everybody hope that there is a future for all in this beautiful country."

What should I answer Selna about her son?

The president concluded his speech with the well-known quote of Mr. Mandela:

"I have fought against white domination, and a I have fought against black domination.

I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society, in which all persons live in harmony, and with equal opportunities."

When will there be equal opportunities for the young free born?

And when will we learn not to use the race card when we differ in opinion from someone else?

RACE CARD

When Mr. Malema differs from Mr. Cronin then he calls him a "white Messiah."

When Mr. Jimmy Manyi differs from Mr. Godsell about the firing of Mr. Maroga, he calls Mr. Godsell a racist.

When Judge Motata differs from the person who testifies against him in his drunken driving case, he calls him a "white racist" - even though he does not know him at all.

Why do all 36 University Campuses in South Africa be English? When I argue that at least two or three of these campuses should be largely Afrikaans, with white brown and black South African students, then it is labelled by the government spokespeople as "hidden racism".

When you host an Afrikaans cultural festival, it is suddenly racist but a Zulu festival in KZN is not racist.

Constitutional Section 31

1) Persons belonging to a cultural, religious or linguistic community may not be denied the right, with other members of that community-

a) to enjoy their culture, practise their religion and use their language; and

b) to form, join and maintain cultural, religious and linguistic associations and other organs of civil society.

Rightly so, Mr. Vavi of Cosatu says: "The using of the racial card when there really is no racism makes it difficult to combat real racism".

This approach forces the South African population in different camps which oppose each other.

NAME CHANGES

The same happens with ill-thought out name changes.

In his State of the Nation address in June last year President Zuma said: "We will ensure a common National approach to the changing of Geographic and place names. This must provide an opportunity to involve all South Africans in forging an inclusive National Identity, to deepen our understanding of our History and Heritage." 

But names changed without this having taken place. The FF Plus understands that all groups' names should be given recognition. Against the changing of the majority of these names the Afrikaners did not raise any objection. But there is a very big difference between a name such as Pampoenfontein and Pretoria . Names such as Pretoria , Potchefstroom, Pietersburg and Piet Retief were named after Afrikaner heroes and carry a lot of Afrikaner history and emotion. Why are these names specifically targeted if it is not meant to elicit confrontation?

The FF Plus believes that with negotiation and talks, guidelines can be developed to manage the sensitivities of this issue. For example:

*Names which offend should be changed;
*Names which have great historical value for a specific group can only be changed in consultation with that specific group;
*Names can not be changed after a specific cut-off date; etc.

The way name changes are at present being approached, we will for the next 20 years from town to town be causing court cases, conflicts and aggression between communities. It is bad for relations and causes an ever increasing polarisation between communities.

All kinds of compromises are possible with examples in the world where towns have double-barrelled names and where heroes and traitors are acknowledged because it is part of history.

In London at the one end of Whitehall you will find a statue of Charles I, the king who was beheaded; at the other end of Whitehall you will find a monument to the man who did it, Cromwell. Cromwell stands in front of the Parliament which he disbanded!

CONCLUSION

Remember - You have not converted a man because you have silenced him or tried to wipe out his history.

The previous government could not change Mr. Mandela's views with his incarceration. In the same way, no part of the South African population can be bullied into nation building. If people feel accommodated they voluntary contribute to nation building. Nation building must always be a voluntary process.

Issued by the FF+, February 15 2010

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