Budget Vote Speech on Labour by V C Gore
2004-06-22. On behalf of the Independent Democrats I would like to congratulate the minister in his re-appointment to a critical ministry. The apartheid regime created a system for the South African worker, which was skewed in favour of the employer, and resulted the abuse, exploitation and discrimination of the employee. Much has been done in the last ten years in overcoming this legacy. For this the ANC led government needs to be congratulated.
The Independent Democrats feels very
strongly about the growing problems associated with poverty and
unemployment. We are equally concerned about the growing divides
in our society, the divides between the haves and the have not, the
divides between the rich and the poor, and divides between those that
have jobs and those that do not have jobs.
We are concerned that if the unemployed lines continue to grow in our country, so too will the levels of poverty and other socio-economic problems like crime and the unraveling of our countries moral fibre.
We are also a party that believes in being an engaging opposition party that is determined in improving the lives of all our citizens. We are proudly South African and are passionate about the opportunities that exist in this country.
It is with this mind that I would like to turn my attention to a significant sector of unemployed South Africans – the disabled individual. Hon Minister I am not sure whether that you are aware that less than 1% of the approximate 4 million disabled South Africans are employed in the formal job market.
As a result almost all disabled people are forced to eek out a undignified existence of begging from friends and family and waiting for their paltry monthly disability grants; a model that simply re-enforces dependency and does not promote the integration of the disabled person into South African society.
Here I would like to pause for a moment and acknowledge the progress made by the Minister, such as the Employment Equity Act, the code of good practise, and the explemlary work done by the Services Sita, in the establishment of the Amasondo Esibendi programs targeting disabled entrepreneurs.
Where these initiatives take the first tentative step, the challenge is not too stop here, but rather to take the next, and the next and the next. The challenge Hon Minister is too take the framework of the Act and the code, and enforce the provisions, and ensure that the disabled individual does not get left behind.
The challenge Hon Minister is to replicate Amasondo Esibendi to all sitas, and to integrate the program into other leaderships, in order to ensure that disabled people are integrated with other learners.
I thank you.
We are concerned that if the unemployed lines continue to grow in our country, so too will the levels of poverty and other socio-economic problems like crime and the unraveling of our countries moral fibre.
We are also a party that believes in being an engaging opposition party that is determined in improving the lives of all our citizens. We are proudly South African and are passionate about the opportunities that exist in this country.
It is with this mind that I would like to turn my attention to a significant sector of unemployed South Africans – the disabled individual. Hon Minister I am not sure whether that you are aware that less than 1% of the approximate 4 million disabled South Africans are employed in the formal job market.
As a result almost all disabled people are forced to eek out a undignified existence of begging from friends and family and waiting for their paltry monthly disability grants; a model that simply re-enforces dependency and does not promote the integration of the disabled person into South African society.
Here I would like to pause for a moment and acknowledge the progress made by the Minister, such as the Employment Equity Act, the code of good practise, and the explemlary work done by the Services Sita, in the establishment of the Amasondo Esibendi programs targeting disabled entrepreneurs.
Where these initiatives take the first tentative step, the challenge is not too stop here, but rather to take the next, and the next and the next. The challenge Hon Minister is too take the framework of the Act and the code, and enforce the provisions, and ensure that the disabled individual does not get left behind.
The challenge Hon Minister is to replicate Amasondo Esibendi to all sitas, and to integrate the program into other leaderships, in order to ensure that disabled people are integrated with other learners.
I thank you.
