DA veroordeel afknouery van leerders by Hoërskool Vishoek

Vind asseblief aangeheg ‘n klankgreep deur Cilliers Brink LP.

Die Demokratiese Alliansie (DA) verwerp onomwonde die boeliegedrag wat na bewering onlangs by ‘n Hoërskool in Vishoek plaasgevind het – in die naam van sogenaamde diversiteitsopleiding.

Om enige iemand te demoniseer op grond van hul velkleur is verwerplik in ‘n grondwetlike demokrasie soos ons s’n. Des te meer as die slagoffers van hierdie boeliegedrag skoolkinders is.

Ons verwelkom die besluit van die Wes-Kaapse regering om hierdie tipe kursusse onmiddellik op te skort. Hierdie is nie die manier om mense aan te moedig om met deernis en begrip om te gaan in ‘n diverse omgewing nie.

Dit is ook heeltemal onaanvaarbaar dat onderwysers uitgesluit is van die verpligte “diversiteitskursus” waar leerders na bewering getraumatiseer is, en dat leerders verbied is om die lokaal te verlaat of besware te opper.

Die nasionale leierskap van die DA gaan met die politieke leierskap van die Wes-Kaap praat om seker te maak dat die individue wat verantwoordelik is vir hierdie gebeure aan die pen ry. Geen leerder in enige deel van die land moet onderwerp word aan die boeliegedrag wat hier beweer word nie. 

DA condemns abusive bullying of learners at Fish Hoek High School

Please find attached an English and an Afrikaans soundbite by Cilliers Brink MP.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) unequivocally condemns the abusive and racialised bullying allegedly directed at learners of Fish Hoek High School on Monday. The demonising of people, particularly of children, on the basis of race has absolutely no place in our constitutional democracy. It is also completely unacceptable that teachers were barred from the compulsory “diversity course” where learners were allegedly abused, and that learners were prohibited from leaving the room or raising objections.

Genuine and constructive conversations about diversity will never succeed if they are conducted in an environment of bullying.

The DA welcomes that the “diversity courses” have been suspended by the Western Cape Government. We will also urgently engage the political leadership of the province with an eye towards holding accountable the individuals responsible and abolishing courses used to bully and racially indoctrinate learners. No learner should ever have to go through this type of bullying at the hands of adults and the DA will take swift corrective action.

Looming public sector strike will add to misery of cost of living crisis

Please find attached a soundbite by Dr Michael Cardo MP.

The looming public sector strike comes at the worst possible time, as millions of South Africans struggle with a cost of living crisis and increasing socio-economic hardships.

The Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi (who is also the acting Minister of Public Service and Administration), must not be caught napping, as he was with the recent Transnet strike. The Minister must stand ready to invoke his powers in terms of Section 150 of the Labour Relations Act (LRA) in order to prevent a collapse in normal societal functioning.

Four unions in the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council have been given certificates of non-resolution after wage negotiations deadlocked. They are the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa), the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) and the Health & Other Services Personnel Trade Union of South Africa (Hospersa).

We have seen in the past how members of these unions are ruthlessly prepared to put their own narrow interests ahead of the broader national interest. Meanwhile, the Public Servants Association is also poised to strike next week. Together, the unions represent over 800 000 public sector workers.

Such a massive strike will sow destruction and bring many public services – on which the man and woman in the street depend – to a halt. Coupled with the cost-of-living crisis, which is causing no end of economic pain for ordinary South Africans, the strike will throw a spoke in the wheel of our social order.

Section 150 of the LRA enables the Director of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) – on the Minister’s authorisation – to resolve a dispute through conciliation, whether or not that dispute has been referred to the Commission or a bargaining council. Section 150A empowers the Director to appoint an advisory arbitration panel, in the public interest, to make an advisory arbitration award in disputes.

One of the grounds on which this can be done is if a strike causes or exacerbates “an acute national…crisis affecting the conditions for the normal social and economic functioning of the…society”. The threatened public sector strike more than meets this criterion.

Minister Nxesi must not be scared to tread on the toes of his trade union comrades. He should be prepared to invoke Section 150 of the LRA to its full effect, and avert another full-blown crisis.

South Africans need affordable food, not more SOEs

Please find attached a soundbite by Dr Dion George MP.

Just one week after the Minister delivered his mid-year adjustment budget comes the startling news that government wants to gamble with hard earned taxpayer money by establishing yet another state-owned enterprise (SOE) in the form a national shipping carrier. This in addition to government’s will of funding a Post Bank that is to also be capitalized with taxpayers’ money.

After delivering his “tough love” maiden speech as the new Minister of Finance, Mr Godongwana assured South Africans that he would not tolerate the endless bailouts to failed SOEs and he would take a stand. As expected, his stance never lasted long.

By tabling a Bill with his MTBPS to give R30 billion in bailouts to the failed state enterprises Denel, Transnet and SANRAL, the Minister is effectively incentivising bad management and corruption. Although he mentioned that strict conditions would be attached to the bailouts, no mention was made of what they are, and they are unlikely to ever be implemented.

The Minister also took it upon himself to, in the coming months, transfer upwards of R200 billion in debt from Eskom to the national balance sheet – increasing the load on an already overburdened tax base.

In addition to establishing a “super” state owned enterprise to operate as a holding company for the other SOEs and another utility company to compete with Eskom, government now wants to experiment with taxpayer money by funding a state bank and a shipping line. This is delusional, and the Minister is silent on where the funds will come from.

The Minister is either so out of touch with the realities of South Africa’s fiscal position, or he is unable to hold the financial line within his party. Either way, this is a clear indication that the ANC government intends to press on with its model to position the state at the centre of our economy. This despite the clear evidence that, as an incapable and woefully corrupt institution, it has been unable grow our economy. Instead, it gets in the way of the growth that we could achieve.

Amidst a cost of living crisis, rising debt levels, unsustainable deficit spending, devastating unemployment rates and deteriorating service delivery South Africans have had enough with the uncaring ANC Government.

The DA calls for the Minister to abandon the disastrous SOE funding model and reprioritise funds to serve the needs of the most vulnerable in our society by increasing the zero-rated VAT food basket and cutting the fuel levy.

It is time for the ANC government to take our water crisis seriously

On Wednesday, the Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo, admitted that the ANC has neglected to invest in water resource infrastructure since coming into government in 1994.

This comes on the back of Gauteng suffering from one of its worst water crises in years – to the point of it almost becoming a human rights crisis.

Metropolitans such as Tshwane and Ekurhuleni have had major water shortages during the course of this year, with water restrictions being imposed on the residents by Rand Water since September.

However, the biggest issue was not a lack of water, but rather the infrastructure itself which prevented water from reaching the residents.

The Deputy Minister again confirmed the neglect on infrastructure by admitting that as much as 42% of water, on average, is lost between the source and the tap due to the terrible piping systems and related infrastructure. This, coupled with the ANC’s failure to ensure stable electricity generation at Eskom means that many of the pump stations are unable to pump water through the pipes to the metros’ residents.

With South Africa’s water quality being rated as “below average”, and with some water infrastructure being over 100 years old, it is time the ANC National Government take the water crisis in this country seriously.

The National Department of Water and Sanitation, in conjunction with National Treasury, needs to sit down with these metros and find solutions to fix the aging infrastructure, with the help of the private sector as the ANC government does not have the funding available due to continuous bailouts of SOEs like Eskom and SAA as well as the interest charges on all the loans the government has taken out.

If the aging infrastructure is not dealt with in the foreseeable future, it will not just be the residents of  Tshwane, Johannesburg or Ekurhuleni that are left without water, it will be an entire country.

This is a matter of grave national importance and as such, the Democratic Alliance has written to the Speaker of Parliament to request that an urgent Debate of National Importance takes place in the National Assembly to get the ball rolling so that citizens of South Africa are not left without water again in the future.

Department’s unqualified officials threaten agriculture and land reform

It comes as no surprise that the department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) is burdened with one of the highest numbers of unqualified senior officials, as revealed in a parliamentary question posed by the DA earlier this year.

The high number of unqualified personnel is mirrored by the number of challenges that the department faces.

We have witnessed the dismal failure of managing Presidential Employment Stimulus Initiatives (PESI) vouchers, several outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in six out of the nine provinces, poor management of overall bio security in the country, lack of animal vaccines, the Department’s continuous decline in meeting their targets and dismal failures of land reform that has led to many land invasion across the country.

While Minister Thoko Didiza is crisscrossing the country making empty promises to farmers, launching programmes year after year with poor results on the ground, the severe lack of competence in this department contributes to poor implementation of corrective measures on the ground.

Policy uncertainties and the weakened role of agricultural colleges in strengthening the DALRRD, have left the Department unable to manage the basic elements of agriculture and land reform. Instead of empowering and utilising these colleges under their helm to support land reform and agriculture transformation, the department opted to abdicate the responsibility to the Department of Higher Education.

Agriculture and Land Reform is at the heartbeat of food and tenure security. Failing these two entities will be disastrous for the country’s agriculture economy and land administration.

I will be writing to the Chairperson of the Portfolio to request that she invite Minister Thoko Didiza to brief the committee regarding the actions she has taken to address this problem of unqualified officials because this goes against the grains of Agriculture and Agroprocessing Master Plan.

The revolution has failed. Let’s try devolution.

The following article by DA Leader John Steenhuisen was published in News24 this week and is republished here in place of John’s usual newsletter.

As retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke put it recently, the revolution has failed. It’s harvest time, and South Africa is reaping the result of a quarter century of cadre deployment of incapable political cronies into every institution of the state. Load-shedding, water-shedding, job-shedding, investment-shedding, skills-shedding. And it won’t end there. We’re on track for fuel-shedding too.

With the national government failing on all fronts, the announcement on 26 September 2022 of the formation of the Western Cape Devolution Working Group was welcomed by many. But some interpreted it as an elitist, exclusionary first step towards Cape secession. They are mistaken.

Western Cape devolution will massively improve the lives of all those who live in the Western Cape, especially the poor. But it is also in the whole country’s interest. Let me explain.

Better services

Anyone who cares about poverty reduction, community safety, job creation and social inclusion should welcome the idea of national government assigning to the Western Cape government and the City of Cape Town any services which would be better delivered by these lower levels of government.

There can be little doubt that poverty and crime would go down and living standards would improve for everyone in the Western Cape if policing services and passenger rail, for example, were devolved to the Province and City. These DA-run governments are far better positioned to deliver safety and affordable transport to the people of the province.

Not only are they geographically closer to the challenges and therefore have a better understanding of the specific issues at play, but they also have a better track record of delivery. Their LEAP programme, which deploys crime-fighting resources to Cape Town’s 13 murder hotspots, has already yielded positive results.

Closer to people

Devolution is consistent with the constitutional principle of subsidiarity, which holds that social issues should be dealt with at the lowest effective level. Bringing government as close as possible to the people tends to yield better outcomes, by increasing responsiveness, knowledge, accountability and collaboration.

It makes it easier for citizens to hold public officials accountable and brings on board more resources by enabling collaboration between government and local community groups. This all-of-society approach has been instrumental in bringing murder rates down in Cape Town’s crime hotspots, where LEAP officers have worked closely with SAPS, community policing forums and neighbourhood watch groups.

Inclusive

Far from being an elite pursuit as some commentators oddly suggested, Western Cape devolution will benefit poor communities most since, being unable to afford private transport and security, they are most reliant on govt services such rail and policing.

As he set out in his well-titled article Getting Capetonians back on track on Monday, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is determined to build a reliable and integrated public transport system for Capetonians with rail as its backbone. This will reduce the cost and time it takes people to get to work and play.

The City of Cape Town is soon to release the first findings of its feasibility study in response to national government’s recent White Paper on National Transport Policy, which opens the way for devolution of public transport to competent cities.

In South Africa’s interest

But it’s not just those living in the province who will benefit from Western Cape devolution. South Africa as a whole will be better off. First, and quite simply, because a stronger, more prosperous Western Cape will contribute jobs, economic growth and tax revenue to South Africa.

Second, because Western Cape devolution will set an important precedent for any other provinces and metros able to improve on national government delivery. If a DA-led coalition runs Gauteng after the national and provincial elections in 2024, then Western Cape devolution will clear the path for Gauteng devolution too. KZN also looks likely to be shot of the ANC after 2024. Together, these three provinces account for two thirds of South Africa’s economy.

Third, because devolution to provinces and metros opens the opportunity to try different approaches, which could then be applied elsewhere. It will show South Africans that progress is possible and relentless decline not inevitable.

Removes pressure for secession

Far from being a steppingstone to secession, devolution will decrease the pressure for this. As the South African state fails, so calls for Cape independence ramp up. Far better to release that pressure through devolution than secession. Ultimately, it’s not the route but the outcome that people care about. They want to know there is a future for themselves and their children where they live. Devolution is the achievable, realistic path to the progress they want to see.

Realistic and achievable

The South African Constitution allows for devolution in many instances. Section 99 says that a Cabinet member may assign any power or function that is to be exercised or performed in terms of an Act of Parliament to a member of a provincial Executive Council or to a Municipal Council.

Section 156 (4) says that the national and provincial governments must assign to a municipality, by agreement and subject to any conditions, the administration of a matter which necessarily relates to local government, if that matter would most effectively be administered locally, and if the municipality has the capacity to administer it.

It is now up to the Western Cape Devolution Working Group, and the Province and City, to win public and national government support for devolution by showing that it will reduce poverty, improve lives, grow the economy, and offer South Africa a way to bend its trajectory towards progress, social inclusion and shared prosperity.

Tone deaf SANDF conducts joint military exercise with Russia

Please find attached Afrikaans and English soundbites by Kobus Marais MP.

South Africa has reached a new low on the international stage, which can enhance the risk of being grey listed.

While Ukrainians live in fear of when the next bomb is going to drop on civilian targets, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is happily participating in the so-called Tri-national Maritime Exercise with the Russian navy.

This is yet another terrible error of judgement by the Defence Minister, Thandi Modise, and the South African Government given the world’s opposition to the Russian military transgressions in Ukraine, and the potential consequences for grey listing.

Participation in these military exercises confirms without doubt the South African government’s support to Russia for their illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The UN and countries around the world have publicly condemned this invasion, yet the South African government, who considers itself a human rights champion, has not.

It is mind-boggling that the SANDF spends money on such a joint operation when there are huge defence force budget constraints, with not nearly enough money available for maintenance and acquisition of essential prime mission equipment, essential resources to our soldiers deployed in hostile environments, and for them to protect the integrity of South Africa. The ANC government, including the Minister of Defence and the Commander in Chief of the SANDF, is clearly prepared to sacrifice the safety of our soldiers and our citizens to their knee-jerking to please the Russians.

The DA strongly condemns government’s actions and defence priorities, portraying SA as a country that sides with Russian war criminals. The Minister of Defence and the ANC government must be held accountable for this joint military exercise.

Mkhwebane must pay back the money

Please find attached soundbite by Adv Glynnis Breytenbach MP.

Yesterday, in the Section 194 impeachment inquiry, it was revealed that suspended Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane has been spending outrageous sums of taxpayer money to defend poor quality reports emanating from her office, as well as running a Bell-Pottinger style propaganda campaign to defend her public image.

It has become increasingly clear that the Public Protector, contrary to the very purpose of her office, has no qualms about spending vast swathes of taxpayers’ money on failed bids to defend her reports, and bolstering her public image through clandestine media campaigns.

Some of the most shocking revelations include the following:

  • Dali Mpofu earned approximately R12 million in briefs from Seanego Attorneys.
  • The Public Protector spent approximately R147 million in legal fees over the last 6 years.
  • The Public Protector’s Office spent approximately R4 million defending her CR17 Report, R3.4 million defending her Estina Dairy Report, and R15 million on litigation against Minister Pravin Gordhan. Each one of these matters, with a total value of around R22,4 million were defeated in court.
  • The payment of approximately R120 000 for a media campaign to rehabilitate the Public Protector’s image and criticize the courts that ruled against her.

The DA will be writing to the Acting Public Protector to request that a full audit is conducted on all funds spent by the Public Protector to defend Mkhwebane both in court and in the media space. It should be determined if any of this expenditure was inappropriate, and if so the repayment of these funds should be sought from Mkhwebane.

The Office of the Public Protector is central to our constitutional framework. All funds spent by the institution must be in furtherance of its core mandate. Should any expenditure be found to have been inappropriately spent by the Office to further personal agendas of the Public Protector, every effort should be made to recoup these costs from the suspended Public Protector directly.