Admin
07 May, 2015
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION: Vote 11 on Public Works
ADDRESS BY Mr ML Filtane MP Hon Chairperson, Minister and Members The United Democratic Movement supports the budget. However we want to drive home the following important issues for the department to pay the necessary attention to, during the current financial season. • For the financial year 2014/15, the Minister committed the department to creation of over a million work opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme as a contribution to the overall commitment to create 6 million work opportunities by 2019. In this regard, the department should quarterly and annually update its statistics against the targets and report accordingly. • During our oversight visit to Pretoria, one eight storey building, in which the Council for the Built Environment is involved, was discovered to be socially unfriendly and non-compliant with basic prescripts governing and regulating conditions for buildings, private and public. This matter needs to be attended to urgently. One ablution facility and toilet to serve 32 tenants in one floor is just not acceptable. • The Departmental Offices situated in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, has not been functioning optimally for a while, allegedly due to internal management challenges. This situation, if left unattended to, is compromising the efficiency and effectiveness of the department to render its services to its clientele. The Departmental Administrative Head should ensure that the situation is resolved. • The department must move with speed in finalising all the outstanding lease agreements. • The security of the Parliamentary villages remains a very sore and critical matter, this is notwithstanding all important decisions taken in the past. We still receive reports of break inns and uninvited visitors from outside in the middle of the night, risking the security of members. The department must ensure that once decisions are taken, they are implemented with the speedy they deserve. It must be remembered that this is classified as PRESTIGE PORTFOLIO of the department. • We need to get an update reports on the suitability of all government buildings in terms of access by people with disability as regulated. The department undertook last year to ensure that all Government buildings are compliant. • This budget, must also consider the funding framework for the Independent Development Trust. This should be consistent with the mandate of the IDT. The future of the employees of this entity remains uncertain, whilst this matter remains in limbo. The UDM hopes that corruption that has been widely reported, painting the department as a heaven of corrupt activities, is being aggressively addressed at an accelerated pace. I thank you. End
Admin
21 May, 2015
2015 Budget Vote 31: Small Business Development – address by Mr ML Filtane, MP
Honourable Chairperson, Minister and Members The United Democratic Movement supports the budget. • Welcome the political shift for business rescue from big business into Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME). This will help to remove the strain associated with the SMME sector so that it can be able to deliver on the expectations of the National Development Plan with regard to the creation of job opportunities. • Whilst we intensify the creation of small business, we must move with speed in creating and liberalization of access to markets for the consumption of products and services rendered. • The related area that will require immediate attention is the capacity of the SMME in meeting the market demands once the markets have been liberalized. • Currently, it is difficult to map the competitive strength of the SMME sector in SA by province and or even by municipality or locality. Most of the interventions are generic rather than focusing on niche sectors from the lowest level of our communities. • Whilst welcoming the non-financial and financial support targets and funding for small business and cooperatives, however, the department should drive an aggressive programme focusing on reaching out to communities and in particular those initiatives intended to be beneficiaries. In many instances, these policy statements and budget targets presented and adopted by parliament are not know by the would-be beneficiaries resulting to under expenditure. The personnel giving support must have business acumen. • Access to service provided by the department is therefore critical and may need either partnership with lowest levels of government like municipalities and the creation of such service centres in all municipal areas where practically possible. • Creation of critical sectors for purposes of building industries and funding must then be channelled in new developing industries and incentives must enhance the shift in that direction. • In doing so it should then be able to measure the size and success of small business to medium size industry. • The department must be able to measure the progression of designed planning. • Linkages between private sector and small business must be defined according to value chain analysis. Set asides in government procurement must be popularized and be monitored. There should be direct linkage of small business development to the black industrialist programme that is being rolled out by the Department of Trade and Industry. I thank you End
Admin
07 May, 2015
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION: Vote 11 on Public Works
ADDRESS BY Mr ML Filtane MP Hon Chairperson, Minister and Members The United Democratic Movement supports the budget. However we want to drive home the following important issues for the department to pay the necessary attention to, during the current financial season. • For the financial year 2014/15, the Minister committed the department to creation of over a million work opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme as a contribution to the overall commitment to create 6 million work opportunities by 2019. In this regard, the department should quarterly and annually update its statistics against the targets and report accordingly. • During our oversight visit to Pretoria, one eight storey building, in which the Council for the Built Environment is involved, was discovered to be socially unfriendly and non-compliant with basic prescripts governing and regulating conditions for buildings, private and public. This matter needs to be attended to urgently. One ablution facility and toilet to serve 32 tenants in one floor is just not acceptable. • The Departmental Offices situated in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, has not been functioning optimally for a while, allegedly due to internal management challenges. This situation, if left unattended to, is compromising the efficiency and effectiveness of the department to render its services to its clientele. The Departmental Administrative Head should ensure that the situation is resolved. • The department must move with speed in finalising all the outstanding lease agreements. • The security of the Parliamentary villages remains a very sore and critical matter, this is notwithstanding all important decisions taken in the past. We still receive reports of break inns and uninvited visitors from outside in the middle of the night, risking the security of members. The department must ensure that once decisions are taken, they are implemented with the speedy they deserve. It must be remembered that this is classified as PRESTIGE PORTFOLIO of the department. • We need to get an update reports on the suitability of all government buildings in terms of access by people with disability as regulated. The department undertook last year to ensure that all Government buildings are compliant. • This budget, must also consider the funding framework for the Independent Development Trust. This should be consistent with the mandate of the IDT. The future of the employees of this entity remains uncertain, whilst this matter remains in limbo. The UDM hopes that corruption that has been widely reported, painting the department as a heaven of corrupt activities, is being aggressively addressed at an accelerated pace. I thank you. End
Admin
19 Aug, 2014
Solidarity with the Cuban Five and demanding for the release and freedom of the remaining four of the Cuban Five
Address by Mr ML Filtane, MP in the National Assembly Honourable Speaker and Members The United Democratic Movement believes in productive engagement with all people of the world to improve the prospects for peace, cultural enrichment and economic well being of the people both here at home and anywhere in the globe. Further, we strongly believe in the vital importance of the United Nations and its constituent bodies in the creation of a new world order and the aspiration of mankind. A new world order that recognises all member states equally not what is currently prevailing, where there are member states who enjoys more power than others. In this regard, the UDM will enthusiastically support the United Nations and its agencies and will fully move for full cooperation with such bodies in pursuance of a regional and world peace and the elimination of social and economic inequalities and eradication of human rights violations which continue to degrade the quality of life of the majority of the world population. Our international relations must foster for the respect for, and the promotion of, universal human rights, justice and democracy. Accordingly, UDM supports and joins over 350 communities that have been established throughout the world demanding immediate freedom for Gerardo, Ramon, Antonio and Fernando. We hope Rene is really free and enjoying his freedom with his family and people of Cuba. This is further made urgent by the decision of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions, whose five judges, ruled in May 2005 that there were irregularities in the five’s trial, effectively denying them a fair trial. The working group, in its only decision regarding a trial in the United States, calls for the United States government to remedy the injustice. The only way is to release the four Cubans who remain in custody. We believe that their freedom will not depend only on the arduous work of their legal team in the legal front but just as importantly, on the public support including that of this house representing the citizens of our country. Our resolution here today will add to many other parliamentarians including those from Britain, Italy, Europe and Latin America. We also call on the government of the United States of America to lead by example on democracy and violation of human rights. Thank you.
