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Diverse, youthful and competent DA caucus ready to build One South Africa for All

Ahead of tomorrow’s opening sitting of the 6th Democratic Parliament of South Africa, the DA’s caucus sat for the very first time this morning. On behalf of the 84 National Assembly (NA) Members, and 13 National Council of Provinces (NCOP) members, we are truly humbled and honoured to have been elected as the Official Opposition in this 6th Parliament and we thank you for voting for us to be your elected representatives.

We take our constitutional duty very seriously and will work hard to ensure that the work of this Parliament will be to better the lives of all South Africans – nothing more and nothing less. Every bill, policy, regulation and motion will be measured against this, and we will fearlessly stand up to those whose sole aim is to undermine this project for their own enrichment.

The DA’s work in this 6th Parliament will be guided by the following two hold principles: (1)holding government accountable for the exercise of their powers, and (2) putting forward fresh ideas and credible alternatives to government plans and policies. This is how we intend to ensure parliament comes alive and works for the people, and not for politicians and their connected cronies.

 The DA’s Caucus

As Leader of the DA, I am immensely proud to lead this caucus. It encompasses the spirit of South Africa. Individuals from all walks of life – old and young, black and white, gay and straight – who are bound together by shared values and a desire to see our nation prosper and grow.

Of the 14 political parties represented in this 6th Parliament, I have no doubt that the DA’s caucus is the most diverse and competent of all. In this caucus you won’t find anyone with allegations of corruption or wrongdoing hanging over their head. Our selection process produces quality, fit for purpose MPs – not a patronage network of self-serving loyalists.

Some of the notable newcomers to our caucus include: Banking Executive and Founder of AgriProf, Noko Masipa; Youngest MP in democratic history, Sibongiseni Ngcobo; Former NFP National Chairperson, Maliyakhe Shelembe; DA Federal Youth Leader,Luyolo Mphithi; Author, Leon Schreiber; Outgoing Communications Director, Siviwe Gwarube; Eastern Cape DASO Chairperson, Baxolile Nodada; and Former MMC in Tshwane, Cilliers Brink.

In terms of caucus leadership, I can today announce that I have decided to appoint John Steenhuisen as the DA’s Chief Whip in the National Assembly for this 6th Parliament. John served as Chief Whip during the 5th Parliament and excelled in the execution of his duties. I have full confidence in his knowledge and experience of parliamentary operations, rules and procedures, and he adds incomparable value to the leadership of the DA caucus.

All other leadership positions will be contested through a caucus election. These are Deputy Chief in the National Assembly; Leader in the National Council of Provinces; Caucus Chairperson; and Deputy Caucus Chairperson. The election for these caucus leadership positions will be held in due course on date which will be communicated to the media and the public.

I have no doubt that with such a talented mix of skill, expertise and experience, this diverse caucus is well-equipped to serve the people of South Africa for the next 5 years.

In terms of this caucus’s agenda in the coming months, we have prioritised the following key interventions which we believe will strengthen Parliament and serve the people of South Africa.

Tabling the “Jobs Bill”

With 9.9 million South Africans without a job, and an expanded unemployment rate of 38%, our nation’s biggest challenge remains how we create work for the growing number of those without.

Therefore, within the coming weeks, the DA will table the “Jobs Bill” – our legislative blueprint to create an enabling environment for accelerated job creation in South Africa. This Bill focuses on two key areas critical to job creation: Foreign investment and SMMEs.

In this light, it aims to:

  • Provide for special tax incentives and property allowances for foreign companies that meet certain socio-economic empowerment goals, including key areas such as industrial projects, enterprise investment, critical infrastructure, research & development, agri-businesses and film and TV production;
  • Address many concerns that foreign investors have around the resolution of disputes in South Africa, providing certainty as to encourage investment;
  • Protect and supports SMMEs by ensuring greater flexibility in the labour market through minimum wage exemption for businesses that fall into certain classifications. This will keep the doors open to thousands of small businesses and protect the jobs of hundreds of thousands of employees;
  • Eradicate unnecessary red tape that small businesses still have to comply with; and
  • Create a special forum for dispute resolution specifically for SMMEs.

 Establishing Standing Committee on the Presidency

 As it stands, the Presidency – an integral government department – operates without any direct parliamentary oversight. Unlike other government departments, the Presidency can appoint and remove staff, pass budgets, and perform all other functions without the constitutional oversight which parliament is mandated to perform. This cannot continue.

Therefore, the DA will be pursuing the establishment of a Standing Committee on the Presidency – a dedicated committee which has oversight power over all the affairs of the Presidency. Indeed, “nine wasted years” showed us the extent of damage unchecked power in the Presidency can cause. We must remedy this loophole in accountability, and have no doubt that other parties will support this move to strengthen our democracy.

 Shadow Cabinet Meetings and Briefings

In the coming days, I will appoint the official opposition’s Shadow Cabinet, comprising of Shadow Ministers tasked with holding government accountable for the exercise of their powers, and putting forward fresh ideas and credible alternatives to government plans and policies.

This Shadow Cabinet will officially meet every fortnight to be chaired by the Chief Whip. The purpose of these meetings will be to discuss the upcoming legislative agenda; to deliberate on new policies, debates, and motions; and to table any other matters. The Shadow Cabinet will hold a media briefing after each meeting.

Establish a “Caucus of the Opposition”

While opposition parties differ on a litany of matters, there are issues which find accord with all those who find themselves on opposition benches. The collective work done by opposition parties in the build up to Jacob Zuma’s removal shows that despite our differences, we can find common ground of select issues.

Therefore, I will work to establish a working group of opposition party leaders in which we consider issues that transcend party politics – on a case-by-case basis – and work together to charter a way forward that puts the interests of South Africa first.

Regular Engagement with Leader of Government Business

The President is required to appoint the Leader of Government Business in Parliament – responsible for maintaining a cordial, working relationship between Parliament and the Executive. The LOGB is obligated to meet with Opposition Party Leaders on a regular basis – something which has not routinely happened in the recent past. I will be formally approaching President Cyril Ramaphosa, in writing, requesting his commitment to ensure that the LOGB is a present and engaged player, so that constructive dialogue between all parties becomes a standard practice of the 6th Parliament.

Conclusion

The DA is committed to making the 6th Parliament work, so that South Africa works. We will not oppose and critique just for the sake of it. We will engage in a practice of constructive opposition. Our mission is to work for the people of South Africa and rebuild a country and its institutions which have been hollowed out and broken.

Where we are in government we have shown that even under harsh economic circumstances there can be growth, job creation, and improving living conditions for all – especially the poor.

It is clear that the ANC has not reformed, and it shows no signs of doing so. To allow compromised characters such as Nomvula Mokonyane, Silvia Lucas and Pemmy Majodina to be appointed to senior parliamentary positions shows weak leadership by Cyril Ramaphosa and exposes the hollow fallacy of a “stronger mandate”. Instead of a stronger mandate, we are given the same corrupt ANC. Because in the ANC, corruption and unethical behaviour is a prerequisite for promotion.

In this light, the role of the DA as the Official Opposition has never been important, and we will work each and every day to uphold the country’s Constitutional Democracy and offer credible alternatives that seek to build One South Africa for All.

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The ANC government that allowed Gaddafi’s millions to be smuggled in and out will not secure our borders

The following remarks were made today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, at a public meeting in Nkomazi, Mpumalanga. 

My fellow South Africans,

Our border posts, such as the one near here at Jeppes Reef, are meant to protect South Africans and their interests, whether it be from cross-border crime, drug trafficking, illegal immigration or the illicit flow of money. But they don’t. Instead they are weak and vulnerable to exploitation, and pose a risk to all South Africans.

Understaffed, under-equipped and poorly maintained, our borders and border posts have become easy pickings for those who want to enter our country illegally, or conduct illegal activities on both sides of the border. And it is mostly poor South Africans, and not the rich and powerful in government, who bear the brunt of this problem.

It is poor South Africans who are targeted by the cross-border drugs trade. It is poor South Africans who fall victim to human trafficking syndicates. It is poor South Africans who have to face increased competition for healthcare, education and housing resources. And it is poor South Africans whose lives are most affected when we lose precious tax revenue to illicit trade and smuggling.

When the DA makes the call for more secure borders and better documentation of all people entering our country, it is because we are acting in the interest of those who are most affected: poor South Africans.

Ironically, it is precisely our porous, weak borders that seem to benefit the ruling elite and their billionaire friends across the world. How else would Jacob Zuma have brought hundreds of millions of Rands of Gaddafi’s money into South Africa in the first place to hide it at his Nkandla homestead? And how else would he manage to shift this vast amount of money across the border into eSwatini?

And if the former President of the Republic can do so with impunity – and allegedly with the knowledge of government and the current President – then what does that mean for the Rule of Law here in South Africa? How are ordinary South Africans meant to respect the laws of the country if they see those at the very top disregarding these laws at will?

If our borders were secure, and if these border posts were properly equipped and properly staffed by personnel who were prepared to do their job without fear or favour, Gaddafi’s millions would never have entered our country illegally, let alone left our country again the same way.

No country in the world can afford to turn a blind eye to the comings and goings across its borders. Yet our government has allowed the situation here to deteriorate to the point where some stretches of our land borders are a complete free-for-all.

The fact is, the ANC government does not care what happens to ordinary South Africans when it neglects to do its duty. It only cares about itself. The ANC government has neither the plan nor the desire to fix our border fences, bolster our border posts and reform Home Affairs.

The DA, on the other hand, has a comprehensive plan to immediately plug our porous borders and reform Home Affairs to rid it of its debilitating corruption and incompetence. If the old ANC government won’t fix it, then the new DA government will.

Our plan includes auditing, properly recording and, where appropriate, regularising all undocumented foreign nationals already in the country.

We will make legal entry and residence easier for skilled immigrants and businesses from all countries, especially from within Africa. We will also help South Africans to travel and do business, and we will assist those wanting to live, work and trade in South Africa legally.

Our plan also includes assistance and support for asylum seekers, and the protection of refugees and those who have been trafficked across our borders.

We will review the number and size of border posts to increase the number of points of legal entry and exit, and we will ensure effective and coordinated border security through increased policing capacity at our border posts and along our borders.

We will also increase the 15 SANDF companies protecting South Africa’s borders to the required 22 companies, and ensure that they are properly resourced and trained.

Those are just some of the steps a DA government will take to ensure that South Africans are kept safe, and their interests protected. I urge you to read our manifesto to get the full plan for our borders, as well as our plan to clean up Home Affairs.

But if we are to make this plan a reality, we will need you to do your bit first. You need to add your vote to the millions of others who are tired of the empty promises and the endless corruption of the ANC government, and who want change.

Grab this opportunity on 8 May to shape the destiny of our country, and to help build the kind of South Africa you want to live in. It is only through the power of our collective votes that we can make our democracy work for us.

Let’s make 8 May the day we take the power back from those who have abused it for too long. Together we will build one united, prosperous South Africa for all.

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DA ready to deliver change and renewal to the Eastern Cape

The speech below was delivered by DA Eastern Cape Premier Candidate, Nqaba Bhanga, during the party’s Provincial Manifesto launch in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape. 

Molweni My Democrats

As I welcome you here today, I want to say that you will not find a more beautiful part of the country than the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape. Or a more strong and resilient people.

The people of the Eastern Cape have accomplished great things, despite the hardships we have endured. I want to start by acknowledging some of these extraordinary individuals,

Like the young Siyabulela Xuza, from the townships of Mthatha, who developed his own rocket fuel.

Like Siya Kolisi, who rose from the dusty streets of Zwide, to become the first black Springbok captain in South Africa.

Like Sinowhetu Mfedu, who is the third best matric performer in quintile 1 in the country, despite having to walk 30km to and from her school in Bizana every day.

Like young Avukile Nkayi, from Elliot, whose mother makes a living as a street hawker, that bagged seven distinctions, making him the second-best learner in quintile 2 schools, in the country.

But today, I also want to acknowledge each and every single individual here. As I look at the crowds gathered before me, I can see that there is a blue wave of change sweeping through this province.

It is no accident that we have chosen this venue to launch our provincial manifesto. You see, for far too long, the rural people of the Eastern Cape have been forgotten by the government, who do not care about you.

Let me say that again, the Government does not care about you.

But we have heard your cries for change.

For the past six months I have travelled the length and breadth of the Eastern Cape, listening to the cries of our people.

I have seen first-hand how you are being deprived of basic services, roads are disintegrating, there is NO water, NO electricity, NO houses, NO jobs, NO opportunities.

I am here to tell you NO MORE!

Recently I visited Myolo Primary School in Kwanyathi Village Lusikisiki where almost R3 million was wasted on constructing 9 pit toilets of shoddy workmanship. What happened to this money, money that should have ensured our children’s health and safety?

Last year five year old Lumka Mthethwa drowned in a pit toilet at the Luna primary school in Bizana.

Yesterday I met with the families of six children from Popopo Primary who lost their lives when they were washed away in a flooded river near Matatiele. Our children are literally being forced to risk their lives on a daily basis just to get their basic education.

I went Engobo, Nkhonkota – where two children drowned. When it rains, the children cannot get to school for two weeks. Instead of acquiring school certificates, they are getting death certificates

I have seen children going to bed hungry, because there is no work, which means no money for food.

Families are being ripped apart, as breadwinners leave to seek work elsewhere.

Just this week, while walking the streets of Mthatha, I saw young people struggling to make a living. They told me that they are desperate for work, because they do not have the necessary education.

Mthatha was once the economic hub of the old Transkei, but it is no longer the case, the infrastructure has collapsed, the sewerage is running down the road and the water is contaminated.

I have seen how crime has destroyed the lives of our women and children, who are raped and murdered every day.

Lutho Qudalele, a 19-year-old who was brutally raped and murdered – this happened in Engcingana, Dutywa at the preschool.

Two great South Africans, Nicola Irvine and Fezeka Mbiko, who worked together to build a multi-purpose centre, using eco-friendly construction including plastic bottles and fish net.

I sat in the PE Magistrates court, beside a family that have been robbed of a loving son, Zavier Jassen, as the man who is believed to have brutally gunned him down in front of his family home last year made his first appearance.

As I have said, it is no coincidence that we have chosen the Wild Coast as the venue for our Provincial Manifesto Launch.

The DA is working towards building One South Africa For All and the principles of Team One SA is rooted here.

At university I learnt about how, three hundred years ago, a ship ran aground, and a young white girl named Bessie, was washed up on these shores. Bessie was taken in by the local tribe, given the name Gquma, the Roar of the Sea, and was raised as one of their own.

This girl was treated no different than any other, was seen as an equal, and went on to marry a local chief, and bore him many children.

This, my fellow democrats, is just one example of how we can live together in harmony, regardless of race, gender or background. 300 years ago, we lived together. We have done it before, we can do it again.

We, the DA, are here today to tell you that we have heard you. You are not the forgotten people of the Eastern Cape.

You are in our thoughts when we say that the Eastern Cape NEEDS change.

We need to change the way things are done in this province, we need to take away the power from the failing ruling government who do not care about the people.

We need to tell the government NO MORE!

We need to put an end to the corruption of the government, who take your money and eat it. Money meant to build your houses, your schools, your hospitals is being used to buy luxury cars, build mansions and buy cattle for the connected few.

We know that you, the people of the Eastern Cape, are fed up with the continual empty promises.

By voting for the ANC you are entering into a five year contract with them;

To say that you want your child not to have an education,

To say that you do not want work,

To say that you do not want basic services like water and electricity.

We are not making empty promises, we have a plan that will turn South Africa around, that we want to share with you today.

Our Federal Leader, Mmusi Maimane, will shortly lay bare all our plans to turn the country around.

But first, let me tell you how the Eastern Cape can untap its potential to become one of the economic leaders in South Africa.

FAIR ACCESS TO JOBS

  • Did you know that the Eastern Cape has the highest expanded unemployment rate in the country, which means that 1,2 million people are unemployed.
  • Those in power are exploiting this, demanding sex for jobs.
  • Recently, during a visit to Komani in the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, I came across women who were told they cannot get EPWP jobs if they don’t sleep with officials.
  • What is even more shocking is that, in Komani, I was informed corrupt officials are also insisting on sex for houses.
  • The DA will criminalise sex for jobs. If you demand sex for a job, or a house, you are going to go to jail!

BASIC SERVICES

  • We will invest in our roads, because the roads are the veins of our economy, and the better the roads the faster we will grow
  • This wild coast with its natural beauty and friendly people could be an economic hub of the province, attracting tourists from all over the world, while creating jobs for local people
  • The Wild Coast has a special place in my heart. It is a place that has many special memories for me, but it is also a place of great sadness.
  • Three years ago, my brother came out here to explore the beauty of the wild coast, but he lost his life when he drowned in the ocean.
  • I cannot help but wonder, if the infrastructure was better, he might still be with me today

CORRUPTION

  • Corruption is out of control in this province.
  • Local government has been crippled by billions of rands of corruption.
  • I have seen first-hand the impact corruption has had on municipalities such as Makana; Ngqushwa; Enoch Mgijima; Emalahleni; Intsika Yethu; Great Kei and Dr Beyers Naude.
  • And right here, in Ngquza Hill!
  • The DA will strengthen our finance procedures across the board, to ensure that money for the people is spent on the people, and those who steal it, go to jail!

CRIME

  • As I have said, my fellow democrats, crime is out of control. 10 people are murdered in this province every single day, and it is getting worse!
  • The Eastern Cape also has the second highest recorded murders for women and children in the country, with 550 women and 180 children murdered last year.
  • The DA will expand the number of sexual offences courts and will train the people to treat victims better.

IN CONCLUSION:

I am here to tell you NO MORE!

No More will we allow our women to be exploited for sex!

No more will we allow our children to die in pit toilets!

No more will our children drown in raging rivers!

No More will we be deprived of basic services!

No more will be deprived of opportunity!

No more will we be the forgotten people of the Eastern Cape

My fellow democrats we the DA say no more!

 

No More!

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Ramaphosa’s refusal to disclose his son’s Bosasa earnings to Parliament shows he has something serious to hide

In today’s Oral Question Session in Parliament, I asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to come clean and disclose the fee Bosasa paid his son, Andile Ramaphosa, for “strategic and financial advisory services” as it appears in the contract agreement between Andile and Bosasa – a contract which the President said he had personally seen.

The President flatly refused to answer my question, stating that the Public Protector is considering the matter. This is disingenuous and simply not true. The Public Protector is investigating whether President Ramaphosa misled Parliament and violated the Executive Ethics Code – not what his son earned from Bosasa.

The President is accountable to Parliament, not the Public Protector, and his refusal to disclose this information shows there’s something serious to hide between the Ramaphosa’s and Bosasa.

It is no surprise that the President was hastily protected by the Speaker of Parliament, Baleka Mbete. It cannot be that the President is allowed to get away with not accounting to Parliament, as was the case under the Zuma Presidency. We have moved from a parliamentary culture of protecting uBaba ka Duduzane, to now protecting uBaba ka Andile.

It is clear that President Ramaphosa is compromised when it comes to Bosasa. He received a R500 000 “donation” from a company that has been paying the ANC bribes to secure government tenders for almost two decades. This smacks of “corruption 101”. Bosasa gives money to ANC officials, including President Ramaphosa himself, and in turn the ANC in government hands lucrative tenders to Bosasa worth billions of rands. It is this corrupt relationship that also leads to individuals like the President’s son, Andile Ramaphosa, striking multimillion-rand business deals with Bosasa.

Ramaphosa and his son are not the only one to have benefited from Bosasa. A long list of ANC ministers and other cadres of the party have received extensive security upgrades like CCTV cameras, alarm systems and electric fencing free of charge from Bosasa. This list includes Gwede Mantashe, Nomvula Mokonyane, Thabang Makwetla, Dudu Myeni, Linda Mti, Mbulelo Gingcana and Vincent Smith. The company also allegedly funded former President Jacob Zuma’s birthday bashes in 2015 and 2016, to the estimated value of R3.5 million.

The people of South Africa must know that this system of corruption has become part of the very fabric of the ANC – regardless of who leads the organisation. It is the entire ANC that is corrupt, not just Jacob Zuma, the Guptas and his associates. It operates as a system of corruption that locks out the poor and the unemployed – to the benefit of the politically connected few.

 

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Put the corrupt in prison, not Parliament

The following remarks were made today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, in Umlazi, eThekwini, during the KwaZulu Natal leg of his Kasi-to-Kasi Tour. Maimane was joined by DA KZN Premier Candidate, Zwakele Mncwango.

Fellow democrats,

It is great to be here today in KwaZulu Natal, to bring the DA’s message of One South Africa for All to the almost 12 million people who call this beautiful province home.

One South Africa for All is a vision I personally hold dear, and a vision the DA is fighting for each and every day. That is, to bring change that creates a prosperous and reconciled nation that works. A South Africa in which jobs are created, corruption is eliminated, our communities are safe, our borders are secure, and basic services are delivered to all.

Because the truth is, South Africa is still split into two nations. We are still a nation of insiders and outsiders – of “haves” and “have nots”. We remain divided along racial, economic and social lines, and it is these divides that halt our progress. The DA’s vision is to break down these divides, whereas the ANC continues to keep us divided as this serves their own narrow interests.

Fellow democrats, corruption remains the biggest obstacle in our pursuit of One South Africa for All. Corruption is not a victimless crime, as former President Jacob Zuma would like to believe. The victims of corruption are the outsiders and the “have nots”, who remain locked out of the economy without any hope of a better tomorrow. And the beneficiaries of corruption are ANC fat cats who use their positions to make themselves extremely rich.

Over the past few days, testimony before the Zondo Commission has given us an intimate account of ANC-style corruption as it relates to the embattled facilities company, Bosasa. These revelations have shattered the well-peddled myth that corruption in the ANC was simply a feature of Jacob Zuma and the Gupta family. A system of corruption that builds a wall between insiders and outsiders is alive and well within the ANC.

From bottles of brandy to braai-packs to monthly cash bribes, ANC officials, heads of parastatals, and government ministers were bribed in order to ensure public money was channelled way from South Africans and into the pockets of Bosasa executives. From Nomvula Mokonyane to Lindiwe Sisulu; from Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula to Vincent Smith; from Lindiwe Zulu to Gwede Mantashe – the ANC chose to turn its back on the people of South Africa in pursuit of personal gain.

Worse still, President Ramaphosa himself is personally and directly implicated in the Bosasa scandal. Not only did he receive half a million rand “donation” from Bosasa CEO, Gavin Watson, towards his ANC presidential election campaign, but the President admitted in Parliament in reply to my oral question that his son Andile does business with Bosasa.

Following the Zondo Commission revelations, it is difficult not to view this R500 000 donation as a bribe. The fact is that Ramaphosa received R500 000 from a company that has been paying the ANC bribes for the better part of two decades. And it is to this that the President owes the people of South Africa the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Since Ramaphosa became President, not one ANC connected individual involved in corruption has been arrested. We need to ask ourselves frankly, what has changed? Cyril Ramaphosa will always sacrifice the unity of South Africa in favour of the unity within the ANC. We saw this here in KwaZulu Natal two week ago, where Ramaphosa and former President Jacob Zuma were arm in arm, cutting cake and drinking champagne.

Fellow democrats, this is not the South Africa we imagined in 1994. It was Nelson Mandela who, when referring to the ANC, said the following words:

“Little did we suspect that our own people, when they got a chance, would be as corrupt as the apartheid regime. That is one of the things that has really hurt us.”

We cannot continue along this path any longer. The ANC, like their counterparts in Zimbabwe, thought they could trick South Africans by simply changing the bus driver of a broken down bus. However, South Africans in their numbers are realising that we don’t need a new bus driver, we need to change buses. We need to climb onto a bus that is headed in the right direction.

This is where the DA’s offer provides South Africa with a clear choice. We can choose the ANC’s record of perpetual, unabated corruption. Or we can choose a different path. The DA’s record in government when it comes to corruption speaks for itself. We have zero tolerance towards corruption as it steals opportunity from ordinary South Africans.

In the Western Cape, corruption has been eliminated, as the government continues to produce clean audits, year in and year out.

In Johannesburg, the DA-led administration has uncovered over R20 billion in corruption inherited from the previous ANC administration – opening up criminal cases with the SAPS.

And in national government, Bosasagate offenders will be first in line and find themselves behind bars for 15 years in prisons that Bosasa and ANC government facilities management still hold the keys to.

Bribery is corruption, and this is the very antithesis of bringing change that builds One South Africa for All.  We must always stand up to corruption as it steals opportunity away from ordinary South Africans.

My call to South Africans is to join us this weekend in registering to vote for change that builds One South Africa For All.

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Only the DA can build One South Africa for All

Today’s manifesto launch confirms that Cyril Rampahosa is just another driver of a completely broken vehicle. His speech today was full of more empty promises that all South Africans know he will never deliver on.

Today’s ANC Manifesto Launch today confirmed three things of vital importance to the people of South Africa: The ANC has not changed, Cyril Ramaphosa cannot deliver the immediate change our country needs, and his promises are empty.

At a time of acute racial division in our country, the President offered no leadership on how we can come together as a country and build One South Africa for All. The DA is the only party pursuing the vision of shared prosperity.

Most of what he promised has already been promised over and over again by previous Presidents, and have never been delivered on.

Ramaphosa showed no sense of urgency. All of his solutions are long term and slow, when South Africa needs urgent change now.

Nothing shows this more than his empty, pointless words on job creation. Ramaphosa promises 275 000 new jobs a year, but in his first year in the Presidency, South Africa lost 278 000 jobs. He lost more jobs in his first year in office than he is now promising to create. This shows how meaningless this promise is.

Even if he achieves this target, it will take 35 years to defeat unemployment (and that is without future population growth). Unemployed people don’t have 35 years to wait.

It will also take 35 years to deal with all outstanding land claims at the current wait, despite many promises to speed it up. Land reform claimants do not have 35 years to wait.

The President made no mention of combating the unfair access to job opportunities, where opportunities are reserved for the connected, and where people are forced to pay ANC councillors or sleep with officials just to get a job.

On education, the President spoke of teaching young children coding and the “internet of things”, while 78% of 10 year olds cannot read for meaning, and children are dying in school pit latrines. The President is totally out of touch with the real problems our country faces.

In honour of Jacob Zuma, who received a hero’s welcome at the stadium, the President offered barely a word on corruption and had no plan on how to tackle it urgently.

And the President himself has been tarnished by the same corruption suspicions by accepting money from the tainted Bosasa and letting his son benefit from them too. To say Ramaphosa is weak on corruption is an understatement. He is complicit.

This shows that the ANC is still a vehicle of corruption that has broken our country.

The DA is proposing tough real consequences for corruption, including 15 year sentences for anyone guilty of stealing public money.

On basic services, the President did not even mention the power cuts which have made daily life so much more difficult for our people, and which have hurt our economy so badly.

What is clear is that President Ramaphosa is Mr Delay rather than Mr Deliver, as he hides his inability to take action on any issue behind endless talk shops and summits. He is simply not able to make a clean break from the corrupt ANC that brought our country to the brink of a failed state. But more crucially, he cannot introduce the bold reform our economy needs to create jobs and access to opportunity.

The choice facing South Africans in this election is clear: between an ANC that cannot deliver the change needed, and the DA’s proven commitment to deliver the South African dream of One South Africa For All.

South Africa needs change and a true new beginning.

Change that fights corruption, creates fair access to jobs, creates honest and professional police, secures our borders and speeds up basic service delivery.

The DA proved that where we govern, we deliver on our promises for all.

Only the DA can build One South Africa For All. A South Africa that is united and where the economic inequalities of the past are redressed.

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DA notes that criminal charges have been laid against De Lille by the Speaker as per City Council resolution

The DA notes that the Speaker of the City of Cape Town, Dirk Smit, has today laid criminal charges against Patricia De Lille and Brett Herron in terms of a resolution taken by the Cape Town City Council which flowed from an independent investigation led by Bowmans Gilfillan.

A 2000 page report by the independent investigators details how Patricia de Lille’s conduct systematically broke down good governance in the City of Cape Town.  She did so by actively shielding and defending officials allegedly guilty of criminal acts in relation to the BYD bus tender (where processes were fraudulently manipulated to illegally favour one bus provider) and the Volvo chassis matter (where the mayor chose to ignore and shield consequential action for irregular payment of R50 million).

Her failure to bring the matter to the attention of Council was a failure of her duties in respect of the Municipal Systems Disciplinary Regulations 5 (1) and (2), as well as Regulation 3(2) of the Financial Misconduct Regulations.

As a result, the Speaker has laid the charges in accordance to s119 of the Municipal Systems Act which records as follows:

“119(1) A councilor who attempts to influence the municipal manager or any other staff member or an agent of a municipality not to enforce an obligation in terms of this Act, any other applicable legislation or any by-law or decision of the council of the municipality, is guilty of an offences and on conviction liable to a fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years.”

Speaker Smit also laid charges against Brett Herron, the Mayoral Committee member for TDA in terms of Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.

In terms of the Council resolution, only the City Manager may lay charges against Melissa Whitehead, the Commissioner for Transport and other officials for their conduct.

The DA has noted with surprise Ms De Lille’s comments that she had no agreement with the DA to resign. This is simply untrue. Not only did she make the announcement that she would resign at a briefing with the DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane in August, we have a signed resignation letter from her attached hereto.

Based on her comments, our lawyers have written to Ms De Lille’s lawyers to state that we expect her to vacate the mayoral office tomorrow as per the agreement. It is important that we restore stability to the City of Cape Town as soon as possible. As such, Mayor-Elect, Dan Plato, will be sworn in as a councillor on Thursday the 1st of November in preparation for him to be nominated as the Mayor of Cape Town.

The DA’s main priority remains the people of Cape Town. Ms De Lille’s never-ending delaying tactics are wearing thin and every day she shows more and more that she is not to be trusted and that she puts herself ahead of the people she is meant to serve.

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Post-Fedex Briefing: DA leadership is united to build one South Africa for All

The Democratic Alliance’s Federal Executive (FedEx) met on Friday and Saturday to discuss and decide on a number of issues.

Central to the FedEx deliberations was the 2019 election campaign. The DA is getting ready to launch its election team that will support DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, in driving our key electoral messages to the people of South Africa.

As such, FedEx has undertaken to launch the party’s election movement on the 22nd September 2018 at Mary Fitzgerald Sqaure in Newtown. At that point, all provinces would have elected premier candidates and provincial teams which will feed into the main federal structure.

It was also noted that the various structures and branches across the country are readying themselves to knock on doors and engage with South Africans in various communities. The election machinery is primed to begin its work which will span over the next 10 months for a May election.

In addition to adopting a strategy and messaging framework focused on the issues affecting South Africans, the FedEx also discussed and decided on a number of national issues:

The ANC’s state-sanctioned and job-killing ‘Land Grabs’

Land reform is essential to redress the ills of our past. South Africa’s history of racial dispossession has left the country with skewed patterns of ownership that excludes most South Africans from land. And we maintain that the most appropriate way to address this is through the current constitutional provisions. This is the position we have advocated for throughout the country during the land hearings.

The  failing ANC’s intention to amend section 25 of the Constitution to limit ownership of agricultural land to 12 000 hectares is an irresponsible and regressive idea that demonstrates the party’s inability to properly understand the nature of modern agriculture in the 21st Century. This proposal is must be rejected in its entirety. The failing ANC’s bulldozing over this matter, is nothing more than a state-sponsored ‘land grabs’ and job-killing process. Populism by the failing ANC government is already undermining confidence in the economy, with overburdened taxpayers being asked to shoulder multi-billion rand bailouts and government guarantees for underperforming State-Owned Enterprises. This coming Wednesday, 22 August 2018, DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane will be back in Parliament to demand answers from the President on what he plans to do to stem job losses and grow the economy.

The DA will strongly oppose any attempts by the failing ANC to undermine the Constitution and Parliament after reports emerged that the failing ANC top 6 gained access to the approximately 700 000 written submissions made by the public on Expropriation without compensation (EWC), most of which opposed a change of Section 25 of the Constitution. In order to ‘cook the books’, the failing ANC resolved to instruct its branches to collect more submissions from its members to support the failing ANC’s position, for possible submission to the CRC. This is despite the deadline for submissions being closed.

The failing ANC’s handling of the land debate has led to an exponential increase in land invasions. As at July 2018, there has been 87 land invasion incidents outside of the metro in the Western Cape. In the City of Cape Town Metro, Law Enforcement Department have attended to 925 protest actions and 621 land invasions in the 2017/2018 financial year. This is a 249% increase in protest action compared to the 2016/2017 year, where there were 265 protest actions. Relatedly, there has also been a 53% increase in land invasions compared to the 405 incidents in 2016/2017.

DA’s attempts to improve equitable access to land and reverse skewed apartheid spatial planning in Cape Town continue to be frustrated by the failing ANC led national government to release tracts of land in Ysterplaat and Wingfield which could provide could provide approximately 100 000 housing opportunities. The DA-led Western Cape Government has always maintained that the global trend of urbanisation should place the land reform spotlight firmly on urban land and housing. The DA in the Western Cape has a 62% success rate when it comes to land reform and restitution compared to the  failing ANC’s paltry 10%. We are the only party with a workable plan that places title in the hands of South Africans oppressed by poverty and high unemployment.

Economy

The South African economy remains stuck in a low growth trap, offering no hope to almost 10 million unemployed South Africans. Instead of cutting fat and promoting fiscal discipline, the failing ANC government has become addicted to borrowing and spending beyond what it can afford. A recent announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that his government is considering a R43 billion economic stimulus package, R59 billion bailout package for SOEs, on top of an estimated unbudgeted R30 billion more for the public sector wage bill, begs the question of how this will be financed.

SOEs have become a perennial drain on our fiscus and the government should not hold the country to ransom by refusing to consider part privatisation of these entities, in order to reduce taxpayer exposure and return them to profitability.

South Africa now runs a real risk of being downgraded to junk status due to unrestrained spending by government. To avoid any further downgrade, which would be disastrous for our economy, any additional spending must remain within the current budget. The failing ANC must accept that we cannot borrow our way to prosperity. President Ramaphosa should not saddle South Africans with more debt as this will only worsen the country’s perilous economic situation.

South Africans are already facing a rising cost of living due to the 1% VAT increase, petrol hikes and rising transport costs. When the President appears before Parliament on Wednesday, he must give South Africans concrete answers on what his government is planning to do to ease this economic burden, create jobs and restore the dignity of the unemployed.

DA position on BBBEE

South Africa finds itself at a crossroads where urgent economic and governance reforms need to be implemented to jolt the country out of its technical recession.

We need to get back on a path towards realising the potential of our nation. Towards building one nation where there is access to opportunity for all.

This is why the DA’s has been seized with developing an economic policy which is not only credible but also implementable where we govern and where we should govern next. A policy focused on economic inclusion; to develop a productive workforce that is able to meet the demands of a 21st century economy in an increasingly competitive global economy and one which places cities at the forefront of economic growth and development. This is the debate that the party has been having across our structures, flowing from our recent Federal Council.

It is clear – even by the ANC’s own admission – that it’s policy of BBBEE has failed. It has only managed to enrich the politically connected and by extension widened the gap between those who are included and excluded in the formal economy. This is why the DA rejects the ANC’s version of BBBEE. We will not be forced to view our own alternative through the prism of the ANC’s failed policy formulation.

The function of any policy which seeks to redress the injustices of the past, which saw black South Africans systematically locked out of opportunities, cannot replicate the very evil of Apartheid. It must seek to actively empower those who have been disempowered, the majority of whom are black. And that empowerment must focus on creating jobs. The DA unreservedly supports the goal of economically empowering black South Africans who are currently left out of the economy.

No policy of this nature can negate the fact that race still remains a proxy for disadvantage in South Africa. While we should strive to get to the point where this is no longer the case, we are certainly not there yet. In building One South Africa for All, the DA will seek to rely less on race as the inequality gap lessens in our country. Until then, we must be innovative and look at various models such as reviewing the score-card in order to ensure that black empowerment is truly broad-based. Following the discussions and decisions at FedEx, the party will will launch our full economic offer to the people of South Africa.

Achievements of DA-run Metros

Running South Africa’s biggest metro’s has put the DA in a unique position to create opportunities for South Africans as cities have now become governments of last resort. Following a meeting between the DA Leader, Mayors of DA run metros and the Premier of the Western Cape, it was clear that DA run cities continue to make key interventions to speed up service delivery, improve the standard of living and grow the economy.

Too often, DA led governments are becoming the government of last resort, having to fill the vacuum left by a collapsing national government led by the ANC. Despite this, DA governments are leading the charge with city-led economic growth and creating sustainable job opportunities.

The City of Cape Town, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), and the Western Cape Government signed a memorandum of agreement which will see the formation of a dedicated enforcement unit to focus on the safety and security of Metrorail commuters and infrastructure. The unit will consist of at least a hundred members and will focus on commuter safety as well as vandalism and the theft of crucial Metrorail infrastructure and assets.

The National Department of Transport is planning to devolve control of commuter rail networks to local municipalities, as set out in its National Rail Policy (draft White Paper) of June 2017. However, this could take up to three years to implement, and the City is therefore seeking to fast-track the process. The City’s proposed business plan, approved by Council in October 2017, has been submitted to the National Department of Transport to secure the necessary approvals and funding to take over the commuter rail function in a structured and incremental manner.

In addition, Cape Town has become an example of global best practice on how to beat unprecedented drought conditions. We remain grateful to the residents for their efforts in saving water and helping us defeat Day Zero.

Going forward, the City will consider how to address the current restriction levels and tariff structure to ensure responsible demand management, but also to ensure that the city remains the most viable investment and tourist destination in South Africa and across the world.

As dam levels increase to the 60% level, the immediate danger has been dealt with, however, now we need to ensure that we strengthen CoCT’s long term water supply.

FedEx has discussed the process of electing a new Cape Town mayor. The process will be finalised by the end of September so that we can ensure a proper handover that will not distract us from the core business of delivering services to the residents of Cape Town.

DA administrations in Johannesburg and Tshwane inherited a financial mess in but have since made great strides in restoring financial stability. The City of Johannesburg closed out the 2017/18 financial year with improved performance in the unaudited financial reports. Cash reserves now stand at R1.9 Billion with R6 billion in loans now repaid. The City is raising over R3 billion per month in revenue ensuring the City is in a much stronger financial position to deliver better quality services to more people and meet its debt obligations

The City of Tshwane, on the other hand, closed out the 2016/17 financial year with an operating surplus of R704 million. The City’s capital budget expenditure is projected to end at 87.7%, which is a big improvement from previous financial years.

Fedex noted that the failing ANC’s political gimmicks in Nelson Mandela Bay failed to remove an accountable and responsive government that was turning around the fortunes of the metro from years of failing ANC plunder. The people of NMB had categorically rejected the  failing ANC’s corrupt government. Those who seek to bring back this government to the hands of those who stole are putting themselves first and the people last. We will not be deterred in speeding up service delivery to the people that we serve.

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s experience offers up valuable lessons to South Africa that we ignore at our peril. It demonstrates how a political elite will destroy a nation’s economy, collapse its wealth and ruin millions of lives if that is the price of holding onto power after its authentic moral authority has evaporated. Zimbabwe’s recent election shows how difficult it is to restore true democracy once a single dominant party has entrenched power over decades. The admission by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) that it made an error in tallying the votes for the Presidential election brings into question the validity of the entire election and the legitimacy of those who were declared as winners. This is why the work of a strong opposition in a multi-party democracy can never be under-estimated. The DA will work closely with our sister-party, the MDC Alliance to lend support in any way we can with their legal challenge. It is disappointing that the South African government and SADC (The Southern African Development Community) have been conveniently quiet on this matter. We cannot be remain silent when our neighbours on the continent are embroiled in electoral disputes which threaten the very fibre of democracy.

Conclusion

We are on track to build one South Africa that puts the people first by ensuring we liberate our people from the oppression of corruption and unemployment. The DA leadership remains united behind the mission of building One South Africa For All.

The FedEx recommitted to our priorities as a party. Where we govern and where we will govern, we will create fair access to jobs, speed up service delivery, secure our border, ensure that we have a professional police service and run corruption-free governments.

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New information reveals the SABC knew Ramaphosa’s address was as ANC President

The Democratic Alliance (DA) can today reveal that the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) knew that the statement by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Land Expropriation without Compensation was in his capacity as ANC President and not as the President of South Africa.

The SABC knew the address was of a party-political nature but still chose to broadcast it as “President Ramaphosa addresses the nation,” creating the impression that he was addressing the South Africa in his capacity as State President and not ANC President.

It was only after public uproar that the SABC changed it to “ANC President makes a special address.”

Furthermore, we have it on good authority that statement by Ramaphosa was prepacked by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) and distributed to a number of media houses. This further reveals the ANC’s abuse of a state institution for party-political purposes.

The SABC has now a number of questions to answer:

  1. From whom was the statement by the ANC President received?
  2. Who authorised the GCIS to package and distribute the content to media houses?
  3. Who at the SABC, after viewing the content, made the decision to interrupt regular programming and air it?
  4. Who made the decision to describe it as an address by President Ramaphosa as State President?
  5. Who made the decision to later change it to a “special address” by the ANC President?

The DA has given the SABC until midnight tomorrow, 8 August 2018, to air a message from the Leader of the Opposition, Mmusi Maimane, on the topic of land reform. The clip has been sent it to the SABC.

It is against the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa’s (BCCSA) Code of Conduct for the public broadcaster to accept a packaged video from a political party, to interrupt normal programming to air the recording, and then deny opposition parties the opportunity to do the same.

The clock is ticking and if the SABC is as impartial as they claim they will air the clip sent to them by the DA by midnight tomorrow.

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DA gives SABC until midnight, Wednesday, to prove impartiality and broadcast packaged content

Please find attached a soundbite by the DA Shadow Minister of Communications, Phumzile Van Damme MP.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will today submit a packaged video of the DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, speaking on land reform to the SABC. This follows the public broadcaster’s refusal to grant the DA’s request for a right of reply to the ANC President, Cyril Ramaphosa’s, recent late-night announcement that his party supports land expropriation without compensation.

We will give the SABC until midnight on Wednesday, 8 August 2018, to air this packaged content. This is not just about the content of the broadcast but the principle that the public broadcaster must uphold.

This is highly irregular and unacceptable for the public broadcaster to accept a packaged video from a political party, to interrupt normal programming to air the recording, and then deny opposition parties the opportunity to do the same. The explanation that this package was intrinsically newsworthy is dishonest because had that been the reason, they would have aired it as part of a news bulletin and not a special broadcast.

This points to a public broadcaster that is pandering to the views and opinions of the ruling party.

Even more troublesome was the SABC Board Chairperson, Bongumusa Makhathini’s response to the DA’s request stating that “the SABC as a responsible public service broadcaster, made efforts to deliver a balanced story by soliciting reactions from other political parties, including the Democratic Alliance. In fact the Democratic Alliance represented by the Spokesperson for the leader of the DA, was on Morning Live today responding to this story.”

By having the DA Leader’s Spokesperson on Morning Live the following morning to provide comment, is simply not enough. In order to ensure fair and “equitable coverage” the SABC has a duty to air the video package the DA has sent, to provide the public with adequate knowledge on the matter of land expropriation.

A failure to do so, speaks to a lack of understanding of the SABC’s duty and responsibility as the public broadcaster. Major political parties should enjoy “equitable coverage” on the SABC, particularly when it comes to matters of national importance.

Section 13 (1) of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) states that “In presenting a programme in which a controversial issue of public importance is discussed, a broadcaster must make reasonable efforts to fairly present opposing points of view either in the same programme or in a subsequent programme forming part of the same series of programmes presented within a reasonable period of time of the original broadcast and within substantially the same time slot”.

The BCCSA  has received the DA’s complaint regarding this matter and we will now wait for the SABC’s response.

The SABC has a mandate to educate and inform the public in an impartial manner. However, giving the ANC’s a special broadcast on their President’s video on land redistribution without compensation, the SABC has robbed the public of adequate knowledge, from different points of view, on issues of public importance. They have abused this public institution.

With the 2019 elections fast approaching, it seems as though the ANC’s toxic influence over the SABC is once again rearing its ugly head.  The DA will never shy away from challenging those who attempt to capture the SABC and making it their mouthpiece.