The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy [Gwede Mantashe]: Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa Nqakula, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Mr Amos Masondo, His Excellency the President of the Republic, President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa and hon members.
The important thing is that there are two sources of knowledge, it is experience and studying a subject. Now, if you don't do both, anything you say is an imagination. I can assure you that if you don't study and don’t have experience, you don't know what you're talking about.
Let me start by reminding beneficiaries of apartheid, denialists, and apologies on what we have been dealing with over the past 20 years. Following the work of the architect, Dr Malan when consolidating the apartheid government, the apartheid’s master partisan Hendrik Verwoed said:
“We are building a system with deep roots that no future government will ever undo.”
Many people who criticise our government including some in this Parliament, argue that we must have done everything within 30 years. Never refer to atrocities of apartheid government. They conveniently forget that this country was colonised for 342 years, of which 46 were under apartheid. That is what we are swimming against, and we must continue swimming against that reality. It is a reality we must continue to swim against.
Throughout this period the apartheid passion was the mining sector which was the roughest in terms of implementing apartheid policies. I experienced it. I couldn't put my head on a blasting certificate because it was reserved for a scheduled person, which was a term used to term a white person.
Since South Africa attained democracy in 1994, government’s efforts were aimed at achieving a dream of transformation with a particular focus on ownership, management, and procurement. Hence, we enacted the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act in 2002 and introduced the Mining Charter in 2004.
During the state of the nation address, the President reported on work that has been done to transform the economic sectors, more so the mining sector. Unfortunately, some members of this House cannot see progress, even if it hits them in the face, they can't see it. It hits them in the face, they can't feel it, they can't see it.
When we did the research two years ago with the function of studying, we discovered that at the nine major mining companies that were studied, each one of them didn't have less than 50% of management structure being black. That is researched information, it is not thumb sucking.
Secondly, we saw that the procurement initiative created a lot of businesspeople who are not necessarily seen as part of the mining sector, but they have developed on the back of mining. Some ultracrepidarians in and outside the House question the figure black ownership in mining sector as quantified by the President, with one of them suggesting that it is less than 10%.
It would help for people to do research on these things before they express their opinion. If they spend time and study the industry, they would have known that if you talk coal, only one major company is white, most of them are black. Even if you take Seriti, Thungela and Exxaro, the list goes on and on. All of them will not be under 30%, or under 10%.
They would know that in the mining sector, if you talk of the African Rainbow Minerals, Kalahari Managanese, Ntsimbintle Holdings, and many other black owned mining companies, it is a long list. I can break it down and even go to gold where Arm is dominant, where Harmony is dominant, and the main shareholder is Arm.
In the Platinum Group Metals, PGMs, Nkwe Platinum, Ivanhoe, and Phalaborwa Mining Company have considered black ownership representation. So, when you quantify numbers, you don't do thumb sucking that is less than 10% without doing quality assessment of what is available then.
If you look at all these companies, you can see that there is practical progress being made. If one these as said is less than 10%, I cannot even talk about their mathematics. I can only talk about their arithmetic being flawed. Now, cognisant of the fact that mines are born out of exploration, we have just launched an Exploration Fund.
It's never late to do the right thing unless you are a beneficiary of other things earlier. If you have never been a beneficiary, it's never late. We will continue doing the right thing because the future is ahead of us. We can inherit the past, but we must build the future. If you don't know what it is to be under apartheid, you are a beneficiary. You will never know the beauty of the future. You will only imagine the beauty of the past. It is therefore important that we invest in exploration, so that the future of this very important sector continues to be bright.
We firmly believe that South Africa owns a significant quantity of minerals needed for the transition from high carbon emission to low carbon emission, which informs that the view of our mining industry is a sunrise industry. We have got the critical minerals in this country; we must discover them and exploit them.
Having appointed a service provider for design, implementation, and maintenance of mining licenses in cadastre system, we are optimistic that this system will soon help us accelerate the processing and prospecting of the mining industry.
Let me because of the pressure of time go to the contribution of mining in the future of the energy sector. President, it’s a good thing that you wrote a speech for Mr Steenhuisen. He did not have to write a speech; you wrote it for him. He only spoke about Tintswalo.
Despite the obstacles of the apartheid government guided Constitution, this government continues to strive for a national democratic society in which people enjoy equal rights and equal access to basic services. Like Tintswalo whom you wrote a speech about for Mr Steenhuisen, have access to electricity today.
Since 2019, we have successfully connected 777 776 households with electricity, taking us to over 92% of South Africans having access to electricity. If you never experienced not having access to electricity, you will shout load shedding. You will even forget that in your own house, when there's a box and you load it with several electrical appliances, it trips. When you take access to electricity from 34 to 92, you are loading that infrastructure, and we must appreciate it and work and on load shedding.
As part of the concerted effort of secure and reliable energy supply, government introduced the Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme. Since the launch in 2011, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has through the Independent Power Producers, IPP office, procured a total of 13 266,9 megawatts from 140 IPPs whose technology are based on renewables, diesel, and battery storage.
Of this capacity, 7 362,2 megawatts were from 95 IPPS that are currently connected to the grid and are supplying the much-needed electricity, but it puts to our discussion whether you can do renewables without base load. A combination of the two is what we require to deal with the challenges facing us.
But this ill-informed pressure put by the DA that we must go for renewables, switch off coal and go to renewables is ill-informed because it says, destroy base load and go to renewables. Intermediate behaviour of this is not taken into account because it is fashionable and nice to do so.
Now the remaining 145 IPPs, the combined capacity 5942 are either in construction or preparing to reach commercial close and therefore, under the administration 5939 megawatts from 46 IPPs were procured resulting in a number of them being on the grid or at various stages of development.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa, Nersa, has concurred with the Minister of Electricity, Mr Ramokgopa that 2 500 nuclear capacities must be connected. It is gazetted and is at the stage of being launched. Mileham, who is the Shadow Energy Minister would be a disaster if he were to be a Minister. This is a problem. The reality of the matter is that that is where we are. We are going to be undoing the apartheid system against ... [Inaudible.] ... opposition.
In conclusion the hon President, let me refer a little bit towards the cerebrate called cadre deployment whatever. What it has done is that it has changed the situation where every director-general, DG, was a white male in 1994. It has changed the reality where every judge was a white male, where every mayor was a white male. The cadre development has changed that reality. So run to court, do everything, but the reality of the matter is we will do it. You will get your report, but we will continue to deploy capable people. That's it. Thank you, hon Speaker.
***
Mr CAMERON DUGMORE (Western Cape): Hon President, Deputy president, House Chair, members of this House and guests ...
Afrikaans:
... ek wil net sê dat agb Du Toit nie hier moet kom en die Bybel gebruik nie, want dit was mense wat die Bybel gebruik het, wat apartheid met die Bybel in een hand ondersteun het.
English:
Please, don’t do that again. It needs to be said that the speech delivered by our President last week places beyond doubt the fact that South Africa is a better place than it was in 1994. The work done a successive ANC-led government, working with our people, has seen massive improvements in the quality of life of the vast majority of our people. At the same time, our President was honest about the challenges and the problems that we face as a nation.
Afrikaans:
... maar ons weet almal dat, as die car [motor] begin spoed optel, dan blaf die honde baie.
IsiXhosa:
Siyayazi Sihlalo weNdlu, ukuba izinja zikhonkotha imoto ehambayo.
English:
These DA speakers will not tell you, Mr President, that in the Western cape less than 3% of agricultural land is owned by black South Africans, coloured, African and white. That white South Africans own 70% of open land in the Western cape, making up 18% of the population. That coloured people, while they constitute 48% of the Western Cape’s people only own 10% of open land and African people who make up 38% only own 3% of the land.
I want to also especially thank the Minister of Electricity and also tell them that when you go and buy R100 of electricity in Cape Town ... say you live in Cape Town and you buy that electricity from Eskom, you get 42 units, but when you buy for R100 from the city, DA, you only get 22 units. Why is that? it is a no surcharge and over and above the no surcharge, they are putting more and now they want one of their powers to take control of energy.
IsiXhosa:
Asoze!
Afrikaans:
Julle gaan dit nooit regkry nie.
English:
Only 15% of Cape town residents, Mr president, have access to internet, compared to the 77% that you mentioned nationally. Workers in our province are amongst the 6 million workers in our country who have benefitted from the minimum wage. This has helped many domestic and farm workers in our province. Yet, it is the DA who actively oppose the minimum wage, and I want to quote from the 2019 manifesto, page 12. It calls for allowing potential employers to opt out of the sectoral minimum wage which would have a new minimum wage of no less than an old age pension. So, the DA wants the minimum wage to be R2000, that’s what they want.
Afrikaans:
Hulle wil ’n minimum loon van R2 000 betaal, terwyl die ANC-regering ’n minimum loon van tussen R4 100 en R4 600 gee.
English:
It is simple ...
IsiXhosa:
... icacile lento...
English:
This DA does not like ...
IsiXhosa:
... icacile...
English:
... the DA does not like black people, they like coloured people, they don’t like Palestinian people, because a senior DA leader in the Western Cape, when one of our legislature staff members was wearing a keffiyeh, he was intimidating her and saying you cannot wear that here.
IsiXhosa:
Haybo, kutheni ngoku begeza bona?
Afrikaans:
Dis hoekom die mense, wat die ...
English:
... the flower sellers are saying on the streets of cape Town ...
Afrikaans:
... hulle gaan nooit weer vir die DA stem nie.
English:
They are voting ANC. That is why that is happening. Thousands of workers in our province are benefitting as part of 550 000 workers in South Africa who have worker ownership of companies. These gains are due to national legislation and political will. The reality is that we have a DA-led government in this province which opposes each and every piece of transformative legislation. They do so to defend the privileges of those who have benefitted from colonialism and apartheid.
Afrikaans:
Kom ons praat vandag die waarheid.
IsiXhosa:
Kufuneka sithethe inyaniso ePalamente namhlanje.
Afrikaans:
’n Stem vir die DA is ’n stem teen die minimum loon.
English:
A vote for the DA is a vote against employment equity whose regulation say that regional demographics must be taken into account which benefits Africans, coloureds, Indians, the disabled and women.
Afrikaans:
’n Stem vir die ...
English:
... a vote for the DA is a vote against National Health Insurance for all. A vote for the DA is a vote against the Expropriation Bill which when it becomes law, land will be distributed to those who work it. And this will happen in terms of our Constitution. The DA are panicking, their supreme leader, Hellen Zille ...
Afrikaans:
... is nie gelukkig met die matrieks nie.
English:
She is not happy with the matric. She doesn’t believe that her matric can appeal to voters.
Afrikaans:
Zille is eintlik kwaad vir die matrieks.
English:
... and now she wants Gordin. So, now they are trying to come up with a Bill which wants devolution of powers, they are pushing for federalism and with a right-wing ally such as the Freedom Front ... [Sound lost]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Just take your seat, please. Just take your seat. Order, hon members! Order! Hon members of the ANC, order! I want to recognise the hon Radebe. Order, hon members. Hon members, I will not be able to hear the Whip of the ANC taking a point of order if you continuously interrupt him.
Mr B A RADEBE: Hon House Chairperson, one member of the DA seated there has exhibited an unparliamentary conduct by showing a middle finger to the speaker on the platform. According to our Rules, it is not allowed; we cannot do gestures in the House.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Who is the member? [Interjections.] Order, hon members!
Mr B A RADEBE: Bagraim. They say it’s Bagraim. It’s Bagraim ... [Interjections.]
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Order! Come down, hon members, come down. Where is the hon Bagraim? [Interjections.] Order, hon members!
May I ask the ANC Whips to please ... please ask your members to remain quiet so that I can deal with this matter. No amount of shouting and screaming will address the issue. So, stay calm. Hon Bagraim, did you make that gesture?
Mr M BAGRAIM: Yes, I did.
The HOUSE CHAIRPERSON (Mr C T Frolick): Please leave the House. [Interjections.] Hon Bagraim? Order, hon members! Order, hon members. Hon Dugmore, you may now continue. May I also remind all hon members in the House that the Joint Sitting has very specific Rules, and when a point of order is taken, the Rules clearly indicate that the member raining the point of order must be granted a fair opportunity to raise the point of order. I do not expect screaming and shouting. You are not making the point; the member who will raise the point of order will raise the point and it will be dealt with. Please let us observe that so that we can continue with the business of the House. Hon Dugmore?
Mr C DUGMORE: Thank you, House Chair. It is not surprising that even though the ANC in this province is working with the South African Jews for a free Palestine, the Muslim community that that hon member who showed the gesture is one of the arch Zionist in the Western Cape and maybe he can’t handle the fact that I am wearing this.
The provincial government is clear of wanting more powers. Our Republic’s Constitution does not create a federal state; it provides for a unitary state with clear powers and functions to provinces.
IsiXhosa:
Asokuze sibuyele kwinkqubo yamaphandle apha eMzantsi Afrika. Asoze!
English:
We want one country. That is what we want. We want to unite South Africans, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Coloured, African, white in this province. We don’t want that division. This provincial government undermines our Constitution and in fact, they undermine co-operative governance.
The provincial legislature’s three legal advisors - not the ANC but the DA - all three of them said that this this Powers Bill of the DA is unconstitutional. It’s been rejected by 80% of those attending the hearings. The DA is trying to spread a rumour that we are disrupting and wanting ungovernability. We’ve never said that as the ANC. That’s not our politics. Maybe it’s the politics of people who are not here today. The DA wants more powers, but I want, Mr President, to draw this House’s attention to one of the powers that the province already has, which is basic education.
It's impossible to be silent about the unimaginable descend of the state of education in the Western Cape to the point where the metric pass rate for 2023 was below the national average for the first time. In 2004 under the ANC-led government, the Western Cape pass rate for Grade 12 was 14,3% above the national rate. Twenty years later, the graph shows that the Western Cape pass rate is now 1,4% below the pass rate. While the rest of the country has been working hard and equitably to improve, the Western Cape is frankly letting its people down and effectively going backwards.
Not only have four provinces now overtaken the Western Cape at the top of the log, but criminally it sits at the bottom province in respect of the percentage of bachelor passes coming from no fee schools. The top province in no fee schools is in fact the province of Limpopo, and we can be proud of Limpopo because they have 85% bachelor passes coming from no fee schools. The Western Cape by stark contrast is the bottom, with the mere 26% of bachelor passes coming from no fee schools. That is almost 60% below.
Now they try and claim that they have got the top mass pass rate, but what they don’t tell you because ...
IsiXhosa:
... i-DA iyaxoka yona.
English:
They ignore the fact that only 25% of the learners in this province actually do Maths. The DA is crushing the hopes of our new Tinstwalos, our ... [Inaudible.], our Cindys, our Bonganis, our Jonathans. That is why this crises, I believe, Mr President, and I say this with all seriousness, needs for our national executive and the President to consider invoking section 101 of the national Constitution, which says that where a province cannot perform its function, there needs to be an appropriate intervention.
The speaker ... DA was celebrating the outcome of cadre deployment. Those celebrating this outcome are the biggest hypocrite you will ever find. In 2022, and I brought it again today, we provided evidence where the DA instructs local councils who to a point – hon Schreiber, do you remember the letters of MEC Bredell telling them who we to appoint on a DA letterhead? This DA deployment was actually racist because the best candidate, even the DA Council agreed, was a black person but the DA wrote and said you cannot appoint that person. They are the biggest hypocrites in the world.
So, when we discovered, we wrote and we said give us all your cadre deployment, but they are not even cadres; the DA doesn’t have cadres.
Afrikaans:
Hulle het maar baantjies vir boeties.
English:
A cadre is someone with the skills and the ability to drive the transformation project. Four years later, no information about all these DA so-called ...
Afrikaans:
... baantjies vir boeties, net soos die Broederbond gedoen het.
English:
I want to clarify that a cadre is a capable public servant who advances for transformation project and the national democratic revolution from within the state. It’s about bringing diversity.
Now, I want to move towards the end to say that comrade Minister Mantashe said that when the ANC took over, there was not a single black Director-General. All over the world, deployment of those who support the ruling party’s policies and meet the qualifications takes place. We as an ANC support the resolution of our national executive to review but never abandon cadre deployment ... [Time expired.] I thank you.
Source: Unrevised transcript, Hansard, 13rd February 2024
