1. Hon. Chair, I need to set the record straight, Hon. Meyer of the DA in the Human Settlements debate had misled this Hon. House that I voted for a meagre 1% housing quota for Indian people, instead the DA’s Hon. Gumbi supported the 1% quota but the March 2016 debates will prove in Hansard records that I asked for the 1% to be increased to 3% as per, demographic data. The DA had let the Indian community down and he must admit that.
2. May I now focus on Public Works, and remind officials that a working public means “meaningful contribution and existence” to our vulnerable communities.
3. There are many missed opportunities in a person’s life but Phase 4 of EPWP needs to be effectively carried out. This requires effective indicators for successful implementation.
4. Hon. MEC, you have outlined infrastructure delivery management; I agree with consultant reduction but please budget for capacity building programme that churns out project managers and cost accountants. This will augur well for the establishment of SIDA or the Strategic Infrastructure Development Agency.
5. Therefore, Hon. MEC, we must avoid duplication of job description by establishing, also an Infrastructure Programme Management Unit, which could well be housed within SIDA because the focus is the Infrastructure Master Plan.
6. I am excited to be a full member of Public Works in this term and see the MF contributing constructively to a department which has so much to offer to pockets of unemployed people all over KZN.
7. Finally, the MF welcomes the empowerment of women and youth and recommends that Public Works host women, youth and environment contractors annually during Women’s and Youth month to a Public Works excellence awards event.
8. These of course will require budgeting allocations and new line items but will assist with measuring and reporting on government led job creation.
9. The Minority Front supports this R1,685 billion budget.
10. Thank you.

HON.S. Thakur- Rajbansi