Zondo confirms it is the ANC criminal syndicate that plunges us into darkness

Please find an attached soundbite by Natasha Mazzone MP

The latest instalment of the Zondo Commission report lays out in clear details how criminal collusion within the ANC, Cabinet, ANC deployees and the Guptas conspired to capture Eskom and reduce it to a shell, with consequences that are being felt to this day through unrelenting waves of loadshedding.

Evidence from the report exposed how the Guptas, working in cahoots with former President, Jacob Zuma, the then Minister of Public Enterprises, Lynn Brown, and ANC deployees at SOEs worked together to remove Eskom executives and ‘…install persons as members of the Eskom board of directors who would facilitate or at least not oppose the Guptas’ state capture scheme and appointed Eskom executives who would co-operate with the Guptas’.

In a scathing attack on the ANC’s criminal destruction of Eskom, the Commission stated that:

‘…The ANC and the ANC Government should be ashamed that this happened under their watch. The question that the people of South Africa are entitled to ask is: where was the ANC as the Guptas took control of important SOEs such as Transnet, Eskom and Denel? Where were they? What were they doing? Were they aware of everything and lacked the courage to stop President Zuma and his friends, the Guptas, in what they were doing? Were they looking the other way?’

This is a serious indictment on President Cyril Ramaphosa and members of his Cabinet, some of whom sat in the previous administration’s Cabinet, for supposedly turning a blind eye while the country was being robbed blind by the Guptas, with Zuma as the mafia boss. Their often repeated claim that they did not know what was happening is dishonest. The Commission report ask the important question, ‘How was Eskom such an important state owned entity – allowed to be captured like this under their (Cabinet) watch?’

Findings made in today’s report re-affirm the DA’s call that all those who have been implicated in state capture should be criminally charged for corruption and acts of sabotage against the state. Crippling Eskom through state capture is costing the economy through lost productivity and jobs that could have been created had there been a regular supply of electricity.

Despite the clear evidence of criminal conspiracy outlined in Zondo reports, the DA is not holding its breath. From the Zondo Dashboard Tracker launched by the DA on 25 Apr 2022, 1438 people have so far been implicated in state capture but no one has been held accountable for the part that they played in stealing from South Africans.

Still, this will not stop the DA from ensuring that all the implicated parties in state capture have their day in court. It is for this reason that we have written to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services to request that the NPA is brought before it to account for its lack of prosecutions to date.

The Zondo Commission has today confirmed that the ANC is not fit to govern as it has essentially degenerated into a criminal enterprise. South Africans will not accept more empty platitudes on fighting corruption. What the country needs is active prosecutorial action against the architects of State capture.

AmaBhungane exposé suggests ActionSA complicity in xenophobic disinformation campaign

Please find an attached soundbite by Angel Khanyile MP 

 The DA is alarmed, but not surprised, by the findings of a detailed amaBhungane analysis released today, which suggests that ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has played a key role fanning the flames of xenophobia that could result in another bout of widespread public violence. In fact, the amaBhugane analysis closely echoes the warning issued by the DA earlier this month that “if South Africa descends into xenophobic violence, it will be disproportionately due to the actions of a few political actors.”

Primary among these actors is Herman Mashaba.

Despite weak attempted denials from ActionSA, the amaBhungane analysis strongly suggests that the party is a driving force behind a disinformation campaign built around the hashtag #PutSouthAfricansFirst. In what could be the biggest disinformation scandal since the GuptaBot saga perpetrated by Bell Pottinger, this campaign sees a combination of fake and real accounts creating “follower trains” that spread anti-foreigner propaganda on Twitter for political gain.

ActionSA has been part of this movement from day one. On the very day that the coordinated – and seemingly well-funded – campaign was launched, amaBhungane finds that Mashaba used the hashtag, “even using it as a call for voters.” The analysis further suggests that Mashaba used vitriolic attacks on foreigners by anonymous Twitter accounts as a way to keep his own content “within the bounds of plausible deniability, while still including dog whistles back to the more toxic content and ideas.”

In order to “maintain legitimacy in the face of the controversial narratives [they] are trying to harness for political gain,” ActionSA employed “a multi-level strategy that speaks to different users at different levels.”

The findings of amaBhungane’s research suggests that ActionSA’s has been a pivotal driving force behind the online disinformation campaign to incite xenophobia for political gain. This makes the partly partially liable for every bout of murderous xenophobia that plays out on South African streets, including the possibility of a repeat of the widespread public violence witnessed during last year’s looting. This is why the DA has previously written to Mashaba calling on him to urgently and publicly apologise for his role in this dangerous campaign and for his party members to desist from inciting further violence. He refused to do so. (see here)

In light of this new information, which comprehensively illustrates the extent of ActionSA’s complicity in fuelling this campaign, the DA today publicly repeats our call for Herman Mashaba to apologise for fuelling this dangerous vitriol, and to call on his fellow party members to desist from further incitement.

The DA has been at the forefront of holding Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi accountable for the collapse of the department under his watch. We continue to advocate for reforms to our immigration system that will enable our country to attract skilled migrants and modernise our visa system. At the same time, we steadfastly continue to oppose the efforts of populist politicians who seek to abuse the failures of the ANC and Home Affairs to fuel hatred, violence and anarchy for political gain.

DA calls for a comprehensive infrastructure recovery plan to address flood damage in KZN and the Eastern Cape

Please find an attached soundbite by Madeleine Hicklin MP 

The DA is calling on the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Patricia de Lille, to convene an intergovernmental coordination platform, that will comprise of national, provincial and local government actors in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and the Eastern Cape (EC), to develop a comprehensive infrastructure recovery plan that would coordinate efforts to fix infrastructure that was damaged by floods in both Provinces.

This follows concerns raised by the Built Environment Professions Councils (BEPSA), an association of voluntary organizations for built environment professionals, that its members were being contacted in a haphazard manner to volunteer their services to deal with infrastructure damage. Chairperson of BEPSA, Ruben Reddy, pointed out that, “This is indicative of uncoordinated and duplicated initiatives that will result in confusion and lack of progress in achieving the repair of damaged infrastructure.”

It is counterproductive that, two weeks after the devastating floods and the subsequent declaration of a State of Disaster by President Ramaphosa, there appears to be no set plan in place to marshal resources towards the infrastructure recovery effort. Every sphere of government in KZN and the EC appears to be operating in silos with no clear coordination to expedite restoration of basic services.

With this chaotic approach to the emergency, it comes as no surprise that the KZN Premier, Sihle Zikala, pulled up a random figure through which he claimed that the cost of the flood damage is close to a trillion rand, only to walk back this absurdity a few hours later.

A comprehensive infrastructure recovery plan will help to focus resources, whether human or financial, on mapping out the extent of the infrastructure damage, technical planning for infrastructure recovery and project management. Using this recovery plan as a scheduling tool, organisations such as BEPSA will then be able to direct their contribution much more effectively on the infrastructure value chain.

South Africans in KZN and EC have already endured enough from the floods that ripped through their neighbourhoods and left a devastating trail of destruction. What they don’t need is substandard infrastructure to emerge from the ruins of their battered communities.

DA welcomes City of Cape Town getting its railway back on track

The DA welcomes the announcement from the City of Cape Town that it has started the process of getting the City’s railways and trains up and running again for its residents after years of neglect from the ANC National Government. Today, the Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis announced that the Minister of Finance has given the City the green light to proceed with a detailed feasibility study into the devolution of the metropolitan railway in the city.

The decay of South Africa’s railway system is a national crisis, and we welcome the DA led City’s achievement on behalf of its residents. This comes after the shocking revelation from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) that:

  • only 33 train sets are working compared to the 95 working trains in 1995.
  • daily train trips have been reduced from 444 per day to only 153 per day in the space of 3 years; and
  • there has been a 95% drop in South African passenger journeys since its peak in 2010.

The failure of the ANC National Government has meant thousands of the City’s residents have had to find alternative, and sometimes unsafe or more expensive, modes of transport to get to work. With the City in control, the residents of Cape Town will now have safe, affordable, and reliable transport daily.

The devolution of the railway was just one of the promises made by the DA in 2019 for its residents, and this announcement today shows that where the DA governs, the DA gets things done.

DA welcomes Cape Town’s announcement of first steps towards taking over the city rail network

In Cape Town’s city council today, Executive Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, announced that the first steps will be taken for the devolution of the metropolitan rail function to the metro. National Treasury has given the go-ahead for the city to commence with a detailed feasibility study that will put this crucial transition into motion.

The railway system in South Africa is a national government competency and the metro railway system in Cape Town has fallen in decay and has not been functioning optimally for many years. This has put tremendous strain on Capetonians since residents in Cape Town are desperately reliant on the metro rail network for commuting to and from work.

The DA in the Western Cape has promised in the 2019 election campaign that we would fight hard for the devolution of this function and that our railway system would perform better if it is locally managed. And Treasury’s green light for the feasibility study is a recognition of the DA-led City of Cape Town’s capability of managing the rail network successfully.

Therefore, we are delighted at this announcement and look forward to the work that will soon begin to get our trains up and running again, so that residents are presented with alternative transport.

We wish to thank the Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, and his team, together with Mayco member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas, for the hard work they have done to bring better services to the people.

DoH must release public submissions on draconian health regulations 

Please find an attached soundbite by Michele Clarke MP

The DA will write to the Minister of Health, Dr. Joe Phaahla, to urgently request that he releases the raw submissions to the controversial Draft Health Regulations, that were published on 15 March. If the Department is serious about meaningfully incorporating the submissions, they will be transparent and indicate which of the submissions support the regulations.

In the past, interpretation of public submissions has been subjective and has been a mere box ticking exercise. For this reason, the DA seeks to conduct an oversight role on such interpretation.

The health regulations, if passed, will ultimately force South Africans to have compulsory medical examinations, tests and treatment for certain Notifiable Medical Conditions (NMC), in the event they test positive, or merely are suspected of testing positive for a NMC (which includes covid-19).

Last week Sunday, the opportunity for public comment on the draft health regulations closed. South Africans deserve to know if their submissions will be meaningfully included in the final Health Regulations. Furthermore, the DA has requested the following:

  1. An audit be conducted on the submissions in order to decipher if all submissions have indeed been captured, considering the technical glitch that was experienced during the submissions process.
  2. Urge that the regulations must not come into effect until the audit is conducted and everything is proven to be above board.
  3. Share a final report on the submissions.

In addition to these outstanding requests, the DA will now request the following:

  1. A copy of all the submissions made.
  2. A clear indication which of these, support the regulations.
  3. An indication of how many staff members were allocated to analyse the submissions.
  4. Feedback on how the Department plans to meaningfully incorporate the submissions.

South Africa’s democracy offers citizens the opportunity to get involved in the decision-making process of government, not only during elections but also through public consultations, especially in decisions that will directly impact their lives. The DA will do everything in its power to ensure that public participation is not watered down in favour of the governing party, but rather ensure that the voices of South Africans are heard.

Appointment of Alex Moemi as the Acting DG of DPWI raises red flags

Please find an attached soundbite by Samantha Graham-Maré MP

The DA is calling for the immediate withdrawal and setting aside of the decision taken by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) to appoint Alec Moemi as the acting Director General (DG) of the Department.

Moemi’s appointment is a mockery to professionalism and fit for purpose appointments in the public service, especially when viewed against his poor record as the DG in the Department of Transport.

With Sam Vukela, the current DG of DPWI, still on suspension pending the finalization of his disciplinary case, de Lille’s Department has been lurching from one crisis to another. Moemi’s appointment does not inspire confidence in that he appears to have been snuck in behind the scenes and appointed with no experience in the Department whatsoever. The motivation behind his appointment is extremely suspect given that he was the Director-General of Transport prior to his appointment as a Deputy Director General in DPWI. 6 months later, he is the Acting Director General of an extremely complex Department that he knows very little about.

Moemi’s appointment as the DPWI acting DG also raises a lot of red flags considering that he left a trail of destruction at the Department of Transport while still the substantive DG. It is now a matter of public record that rail transport infrastructure has practically collapsed and the drivers license system is operating in crisis mode – under his watch.

With his evident record of failure in public service hanging over his head, de Lille now wants South Africans to put their trust in Moemi and allow him to oversee government’s multi-billion rand asset register – the largest property portfolio in South Africa. It is reckless and reflects badly on the Minister, whose conduct has been peppered with poor decision-making, dubious appointments and executive interference since she assumed office.

Taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for de Lille’s failure to bring stability to her Department. The appointment of Moemi is duplicitous, a waste of taxpayers money and should be set aside.

The high cost of ignoring the invisible, unsexy stuff

President Ramaphosa was quick to pin the KZN flood disaster on climate change. And yes, that is certainly part of the problem. But while it may be a convenient scapegoat, climate change is certainly not the only issue here.

We need to be clear about what caused the enormous damage, so that next time a freak storm brings large amounts of rain to the KZN coast, we are better prepared to deal with it.

Because there will be a next time. There have been at least six significant floods in eThekwini in the past six years, including a catastrophic flood in 2019 where 85 people lost their lives.

So it’s a matter of when, not if.

Every time there were floods in eThekwini, experts warned about the state of the metro’s stormwater drainage and about settlements located on flood plains. These warnings were not heeded.

It is the responsibility of a local government to make sure that its communities are shielded from the worst effects of such floods by making cities and towns flood-resilient.

This means giving town planners and engineers the full backing and budget to build this resilience into communities through proper housing planning and infrastructure.

It also means that the local government must do its actual job when it comes to things like stormwater maintenance. Fix what is broken, clear what is blocked, and replace what is old and crumbling.

This may sound simple enough, but there is a fundamental flaw to the ANC-in-government that prevents it from investing properly in infrastructure maintenance and upgrades.

These things are “invisible” services. Unsexy stuff. There is no ribbon-cutting ceremony for unblocking a sewer. These aren’t legacy projects to which a politician can attach his or her name.

This part of the job is unglamorous, budget-thirsty and thankless. Which is precisely why an elected government should do it. You choose this job to serve, not to collect praise and plaudits.

But there is not a single ANC local, provincial or national government that operates by this ethos. They’ll invite the media to the unveiling of a toilet. Waste millions on a second-rate sports track with a rickety pavilion as long as it can bear someone’s name. Spend precious public money on overpriced, ill-conceived vanity projects.

But they will happily let the invisible things go to rot. Things like storm water systems and waste water treatment plants.

This is why ANC-run towns have raw sewerage flowing down the streets. It’s why up to a third of Eskom’s generation capacity is permanently unavailable. It’s why the stormwater in eThekwini had nowhere to go but through people’s homes and businesses. And it’s why effluent washing into rivers in KZN hindered efforts to provide clean water in tankers to communities cut off from supply.

Maintenance of infrastructure is just not a priority where the ANC governs because there’s nothing in it for them.

Compare this to DA-run metros.

In their recent State of the City Addresses, DA mayors in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Cape Town announced big investments in the maintenance and expansion of infrastructure.

The City of Johannesburg will be investing R2.8 billion over the next three financial years to improve the city’s water services infrastructure.

In Ekurhuleni, the City is planning a major expansion of its electricity backbone infrastructure which includes many kilometers of new cable and the refurbishment of equipment. The City is also well ahead of its financial year target to maintain stormwater drains.

And in Cape Town the Mayor announced a capital expenditure budget of R8 billion, plus several billion more for the maintenance of existing infrastructure.

While DA metros spend at least 6% of budget on infrastructure, ANC metros spend just 2-3%.

The recently-release Green Drop report shows that of South Africa’s 850 wastewater treatment systems, only 22 are in excellent condition with over half of these being in the Western Cape.

DA governments understand not only the benefit of investing in infrastructure, but also the cost of not doing so. KZN just paid a very high cost in human lives, but there are other costs too.

When crumbling infrastructure and a lack of basic services make running a business untenable, they pack up and leave. The former employees of the Clover factory in Lichtenburg are suffering the consequences of government ignoring the invisible, unsexy stuff.

In eThekwini, Toyota had to scrap 4000 new cars at its Prospecton factory due to flood damage. They know that part of this was preventable, just as they know that last year’s riots were preventable. Toyota represents the single biggest investment in the metro and they’re a precious source of jobs, but they won’t stick around forever.

If government cannot hold up its end of the deal, these big employers will simply leave, taking those jobs with them.

DA governments build, fix and maintain the invisible, unsexy things without being begged or threatened. They think and plan and act on a far longer timeframe than just a five-year political term.

By investing in the boring, invisible, unsexy stuff, DA governments ensure not only long-term access to water, electricity and jobs. They also protect communities from the worst possible consequences of disasters.

At the same time, the DA’s Energy Policy maps out the fastest route to a low-carbon future, so that South Africa can play its part in keeping disruptive climate effects to a minimum.

These are the things voters should consider when they place their mark on the ballot paper in the next national election in 2024.

Inkululeko yokwenene ifuna ukuba siphelise intlupheko kwaye sidale imisebenzi.  I-DA iYazibophelele ekwenzeni oku.

Nceda ufumane inqaku lelizwi elincanyathiselwe nguBaxolile ‘Bax’ Nodada MP, nesicatshulwa esiguqulweyo sentetho yenkokheli ye-DA ebisenziwa namhlanje kwilali yaseGqanqu kuMasipala waseMzimvubu.

Bemi boMzantsi Afrika,

Kumnandi ukubalapha kumasipala omhle waseMzimvubu kwisithili sase Alfred Nzo eMpuma Koloni.

Enkosi ngolwamkelo olufudumeleyo.  Ndibulela kwabo bathe bavela kwezinye iiwadi nomasipala balapha.

Nangona iMpuma Koloni isenamandla eANC, umyinge wamashumi amathathu anesithoba ekhulwini (39%) yabantu bale wadi bavotela iDA ngo2021. Umgqatswa wethu wewadi uLungelani Mrhamba wenze umsebenzi oncomekayo wokusasaza umyalezo weDA wokuba masenze izinto zenzeke.

Size apha ngoSuku lweNkululeko ukuzonibulela ngo vota ngobulumko.

bububulumko ukwazi ukuba ukuhlala kwindawo enzulu yasemaphandleni akuthethi ukuba kufuneka wamkele ubomi bentlupheko nongafumani inkonzo kurhulumente onilibele ngabom.

Bububulumko ukwazi ukuba ungenza ngcono kwaye ukhethe inkokheli nombutho ono tshintsha imeko yenu yentlupheko nongafumani inkonzo.

Size apha ukuzoniqinisekisa ukuba iDA izimisele ukuphelisa intlupheko nokudala amathuba emisebenzi. Sizibophelele kwinkululeko yokwenene hayi le siphiliswa kuyo ngu rhulumente wohlohlezakhe.

Namhlanje luSuku lweNkululeko, xa uMzantsi Afrika ubhiyozela isikhumbuzo sethu sokuqala sonyulo lwethu olungenabuhlanga ngomhla wama-27 kuTshazimpuzi 1994.

Ngolo suku lungaqhelekanga, iphupha lenkululeko yezopolitiko yomntu wonke lafezekiswa.

Ngaloo mini, isizwe sethu sasizaliswe lithemba nolindelo lobomi obungcono kumntu wonke.

Kodwa kwiminyaka engamashumi amabini anesibhozo, iya isanda intlupheko, ukungabikho kwemisebenzi kunye nenkonzo ezingayiyo ebantwini ezibangelwa ngurhulumente weANC.

Bangaphezu kwezigidi ezingama-shumi amathathu abemi boMzantsi Afrika abavaleleke kubuhlwempu obunzulu.

Intswela-ngqesho ikwirekhodi eliphezulu.  Izinto ziya zisiba mbi minyaka le.

Kwiminyaka engamashumi amabini anesibhozo ukuya phambili, siyazi ngoku ukuba inkululeko yezopolitiko ayizisi inkululeko yokwenene ngokuzenzekelayo.

Inkululeko yokwenyani iphuma kwimisebenzi, amanzi acocekileyo, umbane, iindlela ezilungileyo, izindlu eziqinileyo, iikliniki ezisemgangathweni kunye nezikolo ezisemgangathweni.

Inkululeko ngaphandle kwezi zinto zokwenyani asiyonkululeko yokwenene abantu ababeyiphupha.

Apha kule ndawo sikuyo yakwa bhaca inkululeko yokwenyani ayibonwa.

Abantu balapha basathwaxwa bubuhlwempu. Nisasela amanzi nezilwanyana. Apha kwa wadi 11, iitephu zihleli nje zomile.

Kusekho iindawo apho kungekho mbane kwaphela.

Apho usebenzisa izindlu zangasese ezinemingxuma.

Apho abantwana bakho bafunda kwizikolo eziwohlokayo ezakhiwe ngodaka, apho kumele kube nzima kakhulu ukufunda nantoni na.

Apho iikliniki zingenawo  namanzi.

Phantse wonke umntu olapha uxhomekeke kwinkamnkam.  Wonke umntu olapha uyazi ukuba izibonelelo zoluntu zithenga kancinci ngoku kunakuqala.  Indleko zamafutha, kunye neswekile, kunye nenyama (inkukhu), kunye nemifuno, kwaye nombane zinyuka ngokukhawuleza kunezibonelelo zentlalo.

Oku kuthetha ukuba kukho ukutya okuncinci enikubeka etafileni emakhaya ntsuku nje zihamba.

Wonke umntu uyazi ukuba ixabiso lepetroli liyenyuka, ngoko ke kubiza ngakumbi nangakumbi ukuya kufuna isibonelelo sikarhulumente, kwiindlela eziwohlokayo.  Xa kunetha, awukwazi ukuya edolophini ukuya kufumana isibonelelo sakho okanye uyothenga igrosari okanye uye ekliniki.  Abantwana abakwazi nokuya esikolweni.

Kodwa akunyanzelekanga ukuba kube nje bahlali.

Namhlanje kufanele niyazi intoyobana iDA ingagena kurhulumente, ayizukuba nje impilo yenu, kuba sizimisele ukuphelisa intlupheko nokudala imisebenzi.

Nangona singa phethanga ooceba bethu beDA basebenze nzima ukuqinisekisa ukuba niyafikelela kwizinto ezizisa inkululeko yokwenene nesidima kunye namalungelo nenkonzo zoluntu.

UCeba weDA uFuzile Sontsi usebenze nzima ukulungisa lendlela mihla nezolo.

Ilungu leDA ePalamente uBaxolile Nodada ulwe nzima ukufumana umbane kwindawo eseWadi 12 engazange ibenawo.

Sazama ngamandla ukuba iLutateni Senior Secondary School ilungiswe njengoba niyibona namhlanje.

UCllr Nozi Mantshongo kudala elwela ibhulorho enguTebetebe pha kwaWadi 6 ngoku iyinxalenye yeprojekthi yaseWelisizwe ka President uRamaphosa.

Sithetha nje sisebenzisana nabakwaSicas-SA ukuxhasa abantu base-Encuteni ngesitsala-manzi ukuze ningazibeki emngciphekweni wokufumana amanzi kwiqula elikwithambeka lentaba.

Lemisebenzi siyenzayo yindlela iDA ezakuphelisa ngayo intlupheko kudaleke namathuba emisebenzi.  Siza kuqinisekisa ukuba imali karhulumente ichithwa eluntwini, ukunikezela ngezinto zokwenyani ezidingwa ngabantu kwinkululeko yokwenene.

Xa kukho amanzi nombane neendlela ezintle nezikolo neekliniki ezisemgangathweni, abantu bangaqalisa baqhube amashishini, nto leyo edala amathuba emisebenzi.

Le yindlela abemi boMzantsi Afrika abanokuyifumana ngayo inkululeko yokwenene nesidima.  Akukho ndlela zimfutshane ekufikelelni apho kwaye ayikho enye indlela.

Ndilapha namhlanje ukuzoniqinisekisa ukuba iDA izibophelele ekuchitheni imali yoluntu eluntwini. Ekuqinisekiseni ukuba inkonzo ziya ebantwnini hayi kwi zihlobo nezalamane ze ANC. Yiyo loo nto ungakhe uve ngorhwaphilizo lweDA.  Lurhwaphilizo lweANC kuphela.

Sizibophelele ekuhlawuleni inkamnkam nokukhusela ixabiso lezibonelelo zentlalo, ngokuqinisekisa ukuba amaxabiso ombane nawepetroli – kwaye ke ngoko namaxabiso okutya nawo – awanyuki ngokukhawuleza kunezibonelelo zentlalo (Grant).

I-ANC iyathanda ukuxelela abantu ukuba iDA izakuphelisa inkam nkam.

Ndilapha ukuze ndikuxelele ngokwam ukuba iDA ayizukuyihlutha igranti.

Ngaphezukoko, sizawuqinisekisa ukuba ukuphatha imali yoluntu ngononophelo nangokunyaniseka, siya kukhusela amandla karhulumente okugcina ehlawula igrant naxasele siphethe elilizwe.

Apho kuphethe iDA, silandela iinkqubo ezinobulungisa zeEPWP okanye amathuba emisebenzi kunye nokwabiwa kwezindlu.

Apho siphethe khona, awukhe uve ngesondo okanye imali yemisebenzi ye-EPWP, okanye ngabahlobo kuphela booceba beANC abafumana izindlu.  Kungenxa yokuba akwenzeki apho iDA iphethe khona.

Apho kuphethe iDA, abantu banamanzi acocekileyo, umbane, iindlela ezilungileyo, izikolo kunye neekliniki.  Abantu abaninzi bayafikelela kwimisebenzi kuba amashishini amaninzi ayaqala kwaye akhule.  Kaloku iDA yenza izinto zenzeke.

Kunyaka ophelileyo, iDA ibidinga ngaphantsi kwekhulu elinamashumi asibhozo (180) ukuze iphumelele ku le wadi.  Ngo-2024, unelinye ithuba lokukhetha i-DA kwaye uqale ukuzisa inkululeko yokwenyani kule ndawo.

Emva kweminyaka engamashumi amabini anesibhozo, baya besanda abemi boMzantsi Afrika baqonda ukuba iANC ayinako ukuyizisa inkululeko yokwenyani.  Yiyo loo nto iANC ifikelela esiphelweni.  Abazukuba kurhulumente kazwelonke emva ko-2024.

NgoSuku lweNkululeko, siyakhunjuzwa ukuba abantu abaninzi batsala nzima kwaye babandezeleka kakhulu ngenxa yenkululeko yokwenene.  Abalwela inkululeko Basizuzele ilungelo lokuvota.  Sibatyala eli lungelo lixabisekileyo ukuze sifumane inkululeko yokwenene.  Ngo-2024, ivoti yeDA iya kuba yivoti yokuphelisa intlupheko nokudala amathuba emisebenzi.  Yiloo nto inkululeko yokwenyani imalunga nayo.

Ndizonikhumbuza nje lonto namhlanje, nivotele umbutho wenkonzo, umbutho wemisebeni, umbutho ozawuphelisa intlupheko, umbutho owenza izinto zenzeke, yi DA keleyo, ndiyabulela.

Real freedom requires us to end poverty and create jobs. The DA is committed to this.

The following speech was delivered today in Gqanqu Village in the Umzimvubu Municipality by the DA Federal Leader, John Steenhuisen MP. Please find an attached soundbite by John Steenhuisen MP

My fellow South Africans,

It is good to be here in the beautiful Umzimvubu Municipality in the Alfred Nzo District of the Eastern Cape. Thank you for the warm welcome. Thank you to those who have come here from other wards.

Even though the Eastern Cape is still strongly ANC, 39% of the people in this ward voted for the DA in 2021. Our ward candidate Lungelani Mrhamba did an incredible job of spreading the DA’s message that we get things done.

We have come here on Freedom Day to thank you for making this brave and smart choice. It is smart to know that living in a deep rural area does not mean you have to accept a lifetime of poverty. It is smart to know you can do better and it is brave to act on that knowledge.

We have come here to assure you that the DA is committed to ending poverty and creating jobs. We are committed to real freedom.

Today is Freedom Day, when South Africa celebrates the anniversary of our first non-racial election on 27 April 1994. On that extraordinary day, the dream of political freedom for all became a reality.

On that day, our nation was filled with the hope and expectation of a better life for all.

But twenty-eight years on, there is growing poverty, joblessness and chaos caused by the ANC government. Over 30 million South Africans are trapped in deep poverty.

Unemployment is at a record high. Things are getting worse and worse every year.

Twenty-eight years on, we know now that political freedom does not automatically bring real freedom.

Real freedom comes from jobs, clean water, electricity, good roads, solid houses, good clinics and good schools. Freedom without these real things is not the real freedom people dreamt of. It’s not freedom people can use.

Here in this forgotten area of the Eastern Cape, real freedom is nowhere to be seen.

People here are still living in deep poverty. You still drink water with animals – especially in ward 12. In ward 11, the taps run dry most of the year. There are still areas where there is no electricity at all. Where you use pit toilets. Where your children attend crumbling schools built of mud, where it must be very difficult to learn anything. Where clinics have no access to water.

Almost everyone here is dependent on social grants. Everyone here knows that social grants are buying less and less each year. That the cost of vegetable oil and sugar and chicken and vegetables and electricity is going up much faster than social grants. Meaning there is less and less food on the table.

Everyone knows that the cost of petrol is going up, so it costs more and more just to go and get your social grant, on roads that are falling apart. When it rains, you can’t go to town to get your grant or shop or go to the clinic. Kids can’t get to school.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

And if the DA gets into government, it won’t be, because we are committed to ending poverty and creating jobs.

Since we’ve been in opposition here our DA councillors have worked hard to ensure you have access to things that bring real freedom and dignity and human rights.

DA Councillor Fuzile Sontsi has worked hard to get roads fixed.

DA Member of Parliament Baxolile Nodada has fought hard to get electricity for the section of ward 12 that never had it.

We fought hard to get Lutateni Senior Secondary School renovated and mobile classrooms delivered.

Cllr Nozi Mantshongo fought to get the Tebetebe bridge in ward 6 fixed and now it is part of the Welisizwe project.

We are currently working with Sicas-SA to sponsor a borehole for the people of Encuteni so that you don’t have to endanger yourselves getting water from the well on the mountain slope.

This is how the DA will end poverty and create jobs. We will make sure that public money is spent on the public, to deliver real things that people need for real freedom.

These are also the things that businesses need. When there is water and electricity and good roads and good schools and clinics, people can start and run businesses, which creates jobs.

This is how South Africans can achieve real freedom and dignity. There are no short cuts and there is no other way.

I am here today to assure you that the DA is committed to spending public money on the public. That is why you never hear about DA corruption. Only ANC corruption.

We are committed to paying social grants and to protecting the value of social grants, by ensuring that electricity and fuel prices – and therefore food prices too – do not go up faster than social grants.

The ANC likes to tell people that the DA will take grants away. I am here to tell you myself that the DA will not take grants away. On the contrary, by managing public money carefully and honestly, we will protect government’s ability to keep paying grants in the future, and we will protect the buying power of those grants.

Where the DA governs, we follow fair processes for EPWP and housing allocations. Where we govern, you never hear about sex or cash for EPWP jobs, or about only friends of ANC councillors getting houses. That’s because it doesn’t happen where the DA governs.

Where the DA governs, people have access to clean water, electricity, good roads, schools and clinics. More people have access to jobs because more businesses start and grow. Because the DA gets things done.

Last year, the DA needed less than 180 more votes to win this ward. In 2024, you have another chance to choose the DA and start bringing real freedom to this area.

After 28 years, more and more South Africans are realising that the ANC cannot and will not deliver real freedom. That’s why the ANC is coming to an end. They won’t be in national government after 2024.

On Freedom Day, we are reminded that many people struggled and suffered greatly for real freedom. They won us the right to vote. We owe it to them to use this precious right to achieve real freedom. In 2024, a vote for the DA will be a vote to end poverty and create jobs. That’s what real freedom is all about.