Dlodlo must publicly reveal SABC bailout amount

The DA will push for the amount of the bailout the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has applied for to be revealed publicly when the public broadcaster’s interim board appears in Parliament on Tuesday, 1 August 2017.
The Communications Ministry has stated that the decision on the funding proposal submitted by the SABC will be announced after 4 August 2017, only after National Treasury has considered its proposal.
The SABC interim board first announced in May 2017 that it would be submitting a funding request to National Treasury and asked the Minister of Communications, Ayanda Dlodlo, to engage with National Treasury on its behalf.
It cannot be that a bailout, likely in the billions, may be awarded to the SABC without prior consultation with Parliament, and indeed the public.
We strongly caution Minister Dlodlo against sullying what has been great performance thus far by attempting to sneak past Parliament and the public a multi-billion rand bailout. This matter cannot be decided in secret.
The Minister must take Parliament and the public into confidence.
It is not the first time the SABC has applied for a bailout. In 2009 it applied for a government guarantee of over R1 billion. That amount was made public and not announced to the public once a fait accompli.
The DA looks forward to engaging not only Minister Dlodlo but the SABC interim board when it appears before Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications on Tuesday on this matter. We trust that the Minister will choose openness over secrecy.
We need to know how much of our money will be given to the SABC, and we need to know it now.

We’ve come a long way in Drakenstein. Let’s do the same for SA

The following remarks were delivered today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, at a public meeting in Mbekweni, Wellington. This forms part of the Western Cape leg of the DA’s National #Change19 Tour.
My fellow South Africans
I have come to Mbekweni today as part of my Change 19 Tour. We call it the Change 19 Tour because this is where we speak to people across the length and breadth of the country about the change we need to bring about in South Africa.
I think we all agree – our country is desperate for change. Millions of South Africans have been waiting years, even decades, for the freedom that was promised back in 1994. Yes, much has changed since then, but we are nowhere near achieving this economic freedom for all our people yet.
And with every passing day it becomes clearer that the ANC government has no plan for realising this dream. Instead, we are moving backwards as a country. More people are unemployed than ever before. More people live in poverty. Crime is rising. The cost of living is rising. And all we hear from the ANC these days are stories to cover up their corruption.
The ANC might not have a plan, but the DA certainly does. We have a plan to attract job-creating investment to this municipality. We have a plan to open opportunities for the young people of Drakenstein. We have a plan to make the streets of places like Mbekweni safe again. And with every election we win in municipalities and metros across South Africa, we get to implement more and more of this plan.
The DA has been in government here in the Drakenstein municipality for six years now. And in those six years this local government has seen a lot of changes. When it comes to good governance, it is unrecognisable from the Drakenstein that was run by the ANC before 2011.
During the ANC’s last term in office here, the financial management of the Drakenstein municipality was so poor that every single indicator of financial stability was in decline.
Under the ANC, Drakenstein was falling deeper and deeper into debt. Service delivery was stalling and housing projects were blocked. All the money meant for maintaining infrastructure was spent on operating expenses, and service delivery budget was spent on government salaries and perks.
This local government was heading for disaster, and the only thing that saved it was the 2011 local government elections. Because in those elections, the people of Paarl, Mbekweni, Wellington, Gouda and Saron said to the ANC: “Enough is enough. You’ve had your chance.”
By voting for a DA government in 2011, the people of Drakenstein took it upon themselves to save this municipality from financial disaster. They took their future in their own hands.
The DA has been taking over metros and towns from the ANC for many years now – Cape Town back in 2006, and more recently Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay. In all these places we discovered massive hidden debt, widespread corruption and a very poor understanding of how to look after the people’s money. Drakenstein was no different.
But in the six years the DA has been in charge of Drakenstein, we have taken it from a municipality on the brink of financial disaster to one of the best-run local governments in the country. It has just received its third clean audit and it was named by National Treasury, along with Stellenbosch, as the best performing municipality in South Africa when it comes to financial management.
What this means for communities like yours is that all public money is spent on the people. None of it finds its way into the pockets and bank accounts of government officials and their crooked friends, as we see happening so often in ANC-run governments.
The DA government here in Drakenstein has gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure that fraud and corruption have no place in this municipality. From a special fraud risk management unit to a fraud prevention hotline, the safeguarding of the people’s money so that it can be spent on the things that really matter is a top priority.
And one of the things that matters most is access to housing. Since coming into office, the DA has unblocked all the housing projects that had stalled under the ANC. One by one, dormant projects like Drommedaris, Kingston, White City, Fairyland, Siyahlala and Lantana were revived.
Over the past five years, more than 2100 houses have been handed over to beneficiaries in the Drakenstein municipality. This is a direct result of spending the people’s money where it matters.
This is also why the DA is now able to upgrade the waste water works, re-seal the roads here and electrify hundreds of informal structures.
It is why the DA is able to implement a drought plan for the municipality, which includes drilling boreholes and limiting water losses through effective maintenance.
It all comes down to putting the needs of the people first. And the only thing still holding us back here is the scope of our influence. In other words, as a local government, there is only so much we can do. If we really want to bring about the type of change you are so desperately waiting for, we have to do so as a national government.
Because to truly change the lives of those who live in poverty we must make the kind of changes only a national government can make. We must grow the economy by attracting investors and supporting businesses so that we can create the jobs so many of you need.
More jobs don’t only mean more breadwinners in the home. It also means less crime, less drugs and fewer gangs in your community. It means that a place like Mbekweni can become a place of safety and a place of hope.
My fellow South Africans,
I know life is still far from perfect here in Mbekweni. I know what drugs and gangs do to a community like yours. I know how hopeless it can seem for young people who can’t find jobs. I know that poverty and unemployment are preventing many of you from tasting that freedom that was promised in 1994.
But I assure you that the DA has a plan to change all of that. We have a plan to get South Africa working again – to get the sons and daughters of Mbekweni working again. And we can only do this with your help.
Lend us your vote in 2019 and help us build the kind of South Africa that benefits everyone who lives here. A South Africa full of hope and opportunity for all.

SAA R2,207 billion bailout only a part of the final bailout

Note to editors: please find the attached sound bite in English and Zulu
The DA notes Finance Minister, Malusi Gigaba’s, report submitted to Parliament yesterday that the R2.2 billion SAA bailout will be funded by the sale of assets. It is however appalling that SAA has been allowed to accumulate losses that amount to R15.7 billion over the last five years.
The DA will robustly monitor Gigaba and National Treasury closely to ensure that the recapitalisation of SAA is budget neutral and that former Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan’s, other commitments in his 2017 budget speech to prioritise a return of SAA to profitability as well as to expand private participation in SAA are adhered to.

Hands off the Treasury: Gupta-puppet Malusi Gigaba must resign!

The following speech was delivered today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, at a protest outside the National Treasury Headquarters in Pretoria. The Leader was joined by Tshwane Mayor, Solly Msimanga, DA National Spokesperson, Refiloe Nt’sekhe, and DA Gauteng Leader, John Moodey.
Today we are gathered here outside the headquarters of National Treasury to send a clear message to Jacob Zuma, his ANC, and the Guptas: keep your hands off of Treasury and the people’s money!
We are here to demand that the keys to Treasury be taken back from the Guptas and be given to the people of South Africa so that our money can be spent on improving the lives of all in our nation – not just the connected few.
Fellow Democrats,
Treasury is by far the most important government department in the entire country. It is responsible for managing the country’s money – our entire R1.4 trillion national budget.
Treasury decides as to how our country’s money is spent on the people – such as building houses, roads, schools, hospitals, and creating jobs.
There are thousands of good and honest employees of Treasury who work tirelessly to ensure the right amount of money is spent, by the appropriate government departments, on the needs of our people and our country. We salute you!
We are currently in a fight for the future of South Africa. This fight is between those who are benefiting from the current corrupt system and those who believe we need to change this corrupt system totally.
I am in the latter group, and there are millions of South Africans who are standing with us.
Most patriotic South Africans inside the Treasury are doing what is right and honest, despite the enormous pressure they face. They are heroes.
Keep doing what is right and you will have the respect and support of the nation!
In the right hands and under the right leadership, Treasury has the ability to change the lives of South Africans and to allocate resources to building a better, brighter and more prosperous nation.
However, the Treasury is under siege.
Just over 100 days ago, Malusi Gigaba was appointed Minister of Finance, after Jacob Zuma swiftly fired Pravin Gordhan as he refused to allow the Guptas control over the people’s money.
It has been a long standing desire of Jacob Zuma and the Guptas to take full control of the Treasury, in order to control the flow of all public money.
That’s why back in 2014, the Guptas and Zuma planned to fire then-Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene, and replace him the ultimate “yes man” – the unknown Des Van Rooyen.
From the outset, Pravin Gordhan made it clear he was no one’s puppet. And this meant less stealing and corruption for Zuma and his cronies.
With their initial plan having failed – and costing the country’s economy billions of Rands in the process – the Guptas and Zuma resorted to “Plan B”: fire Pravin Gordhan and replace him with a proven loyalist: Malusi Gigaba.
And just over 100 days ago, Zuma and the Guptas carried out this plan. Malusi Gigaba was appointed Minister of Finance with a mandate from Saxonwold.
There was no explanation for the firing of Minister Gordhan and his Deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, other than to make way for a Gupta yes-man in Malusi Gigaba. Which is why the DA challenged this decision in court.
We asked the court to rule that President Zuma should give us his reasons and a record of his decision for firing Gordhan and Jonas, which it did. But, predictably, President Zuma missed the deadline, deciding to appeal the court decision instead. He is just playing for time, but he will not get away with it.
Fellow Democrats,
There is no question where Malusi Gigaba stands in the fight to change this corrupt system. Since 2010, when he was first appointed as a Minister in the Cabinet, Gigaba has been doing the Gupta’s bidding.
During Gigaba’s spell as Public Enterprises Minister, his main job was to capture our country’s State Owned Entities (SOEs) for the sole benefit of the Guptas. He appointed to the boards of Eskom, Denel, Prasa, and Transnet, individuals who have been shown to be closely associated with the Gupta family. These include Brian Molefe, Anoj Singh, Iqbal Sharma, Nazia Carrim, Romeo Khumalo, Mark Pamensky, Marriam Cassim, Ben Ngubane, Kuben Moodley, and Viroshni Naidoo.
This allowed Gupta-owned companies to control those SOEs and to secure many lucrative deals, ensuring the Guptas and the Zumas become rich, and the people of South Africa stay poor.
After he had shown his loyalty to the Guptas, Gigaba was moved to Home Affairs, were as Minister he rolled out the red carpet for Guptas friends, employees, business partners to easily gain citizenship and access to the country.
Gigaba fast-tracked dozens of visas to benefit Gupta businesses as they moved employees, associates and family members between South Africa, India and Dubai. And when the Guptas themselves were denied South African citizenship, guess who make sure it was granted under “exceptional circumstances” – Minister Gigupta!
This Gupta ally is now in charge of all our country’s money. We must stand united against the capture of our Treasury.
Fellow South Africans,
We cannot allow our country’s budget to be crafted at Saxonwold.
The budget is meant to be spent on developing our country, not developing Zuma’s new Dubai mansion.
It is unfair that the ANC has created a system which keeps ordinary people stuck, while only the ANC and people with connections get ahead.
What’s more is that in the three months Gigaba has been at the helm, we have seen our economy tumble. We have now been officially downgraded to “junk” status, and our unemployment rate is at a record 14-year high of 27.7%.
What is clear is that Malusi Gigaba is bad for our economy and our country, and good for the Guptas. As a Gupta appointee, we cannot allow him to be in charge of our country’s finances, and its jobs plan to create work for the 9.3 million unemployed South Africans.
We are therefore here to hand over a memorandum demanding that Malusi Gigaba resigns as Minister of Finance Minister immediately, so that we remove the hands of the Guptas from our Treasury and our money.
The DA will continue to fight tirelessly, through every mechanism possible, to free our institutions and our governments from State Capture and corruption.

Vrede Dairy Farm: We will seek justice for those robbed by the ANC, Guptas

Note to Editors: the following remarks were made today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, outside the Estina dairy Farm in Vrede, Free State.
Today we are joined by the rightful intended beneficiaries of this project. Daily now we see the faces of the Guptas and Jacob Zuma in the news. But we never see the faces and hear the stories of the direct victims of these schemes. But here with us today are the most direct victims of the corruption and theft of our country’s resources by a small political elite – led by the Guptas and Jacob Zuma.
I stand here today with the residents of the town of Vrede – ordinary South Africans who should have been the direct beneficiaries of this large scale dairy farm which was supposed to fill the fields and the land directly behind us. Today I stand in solidarity with these South Africans, who face the real consequences of state capture by Zuma’s ANC and the Gupta dynasty.
The farm behind us was established in 2013 by the Free State Government, and was set to empower local residents and boost provincial agriculture through the establishment of a large scale dairy farm. The community based project, which targeted 80 intended local beneficiaries, was a joint private-public project between the Free State Department of Agriculture and Gupta-controlled Company, Estina. And that’s when it became clear the project wasn’t about the community of Vrede. It was about the pockets of the Guptas.
From the outset, this project was about self-enrichment. It appeared to be the idea of Mosebenzi Zwane – then MEC of Agriculture – who hails from Vrede. Coincidently, it was put into motion in early 2013 – just months after Zwane and officials from the Free State Department of Agriculture enjoyed a Gupta-funded trip to India in October 2012. This trip included multiple stays at Oberoi Hotels in India and a dinner at the Guptas’ house.
What followed was a clearly corrupt process leading to the Gupta-controlled company Estina “winning” the tender. Following extensive investigations, including one by the National Treasury, we now know that the awarding of the contract to Estina failed to follow many standard practices. These include:

  • The Free State Government failing to follow supply chain procedure when they agreed to fund the project;
  • The absence of any sort of due diligence carried out on Estina or its partnership with Indian Dairy Company, Paras;
  • Funds being deposited directly into Estina’s bank accounts without any verification process as to where the money was being sent; and
  • Estina has been given an upfront amount of R183 950 000 for infrastructure development of the farm without a single cent of their own investment.

The Gupta-controlled Estina still sits with R184 million of public money while the beneficiaries are left penniless. The only beneficiaries have been the Guptas and their ANC stooges. The Guptas ended up funneling money out of the company to launder through their UAE shell corporations, and then bounce back to South African Companies. Much of the money was used to pay for their Sun City wedding.
Some of the beneficiaries have been reported to have sold off their own livestock in anticipation of their participation in this project, but have received no dairy cows. They have told me of their pain and anxiety in waiting for a promise that is clearly never coming. It never was coming. Sadly, it was a lie from the beginning.
Their stories are our stories. We are all being robbed by a captured ANC who have in turn captured the state.
I am here today to tell the people of Vrede that the DA will not stop until justice is served for those who were meant to benefit from this project. And this fight doesn’t start today, it’s been ongoing for some time.
The DA laid a complaint on this matter with the Public Protector, and that report is set to be released in the next 48 hours. I will ensure that those recommendations are implemented without delay, so that those who ought to have benefitted from the Vrede Dairy Farm project are held to account and made to pay for stealing the peoples money.
In addition to this, the DA has taken criminal action against those involved. Last week, DA Shadow Minister of Finance, David Maynier, laid criminal charges against Mosebenzi Zwane, Atul Gupta, Ajay Gupta, Rajesh Gupta, Ronica Ragavan and Kamal Vasram. The charges include:

  • racketeering, money laundering, assisting another to benefit from the proceeds of unlawful activities, and acquiring, possessing or using the proceeds of unlawful activities in terms of the Prevention of Organized Crime Act (No. 121 of 1998); and
  • submitting false, or untrue, tax returns in terms of the Tax Administration Act (No. 28 of 2011).

We will closely monitor the process regarding these charges, and ensure that those who stole money and broke the law are put behind bars. In addition to this, we believe that crimes may have been committed in those other countries through which this money was laundered, particularly the United Arab Emirates. We will therefore be exploring criminal charges against the Guptas in the UAE for money laundering. We believe every possible avenue must be pursued to recover as much of this money as possible for the benefit of the people of Vrede.
I will also be writing to an array of international corruption watchdogs tasked with investigating cross border money laundering, including the Financial Action Task Force, the Financial Intelligence Centre, and the IMF’s Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism Unit, requesting that they launching investigations into this matter.
And lastly, I believe that the intended beneficiaries – who have been forgotten – deserve a voice, and deserve an explanation from those who were involved in profiting at their expense. I have therefore approached Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture, requesting a full public hearing into this matter. Most importantly, we will make sure that these beneficiaries come to Cape Town to testify in Parliament and tell their story to the public hearings. The DA will cover the full cost of this trip.
I have also requested that the Chairperson of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Themba Godi, summon the former Free State MEC of Agriculture, Mosebenzi Zwane, the Premier of the Free State, Ace Magashule, and the current Free State MEC of Agriculture, Oupa Khoabane, and any other implicated individuals to appear before the committee.
Parliament must represent the people, and therefore the Chairperson of the Agriculture Committee must ensure that Parliament’s Constitutional mandate is fulfilled, and these residents be heard are given a voice and a public platform.
Those who steal from the people of South Africa belong in prison, not in power. The DA will continue to do all in its power to hold those in power to account, and seek justice for South Africans – especially the poor and the disadvantaged.

Myeni failed to hand over reports on SAA corruption to Parliament

Yesterday, I was informed by the Chairperson of the SAA Board, Dudu Myeni, after the disastrous meeting of Parliament’s Finance Committee, that she had in her possession copies of forensic investigation reports into SAA, yet failed to table them before the committee.
The DA will today write to the Minister of Finance, Malusi Gigaba, and his Deputy, to demand that the investigation reports be tabled in Parliament immediately.
There can be no further delays particularly if the reports confirm the SA Cabin Crew Association’s (SACCA) allegations of widespread corruption at the national carrier.
For 7 months the DA has been requesting these reports. However, National Treasury has refused to hand them over. Last month, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Sfiso Buthelezi, promised to release these reports to the finance committee, he has failed to make good on this promise.
Given the accusations of corruption that Myeni has recently alluded to – which coincidently was highlighted by SACCA immediately after Myeni appeared before Parliament – the DA finds it surprising that Myeni did not inform the finance committee that she had, apparently in her briefcase, investigation reports which expose the corruption she referred to.
These reports include, but are not limited to:

  • An investigation into the sale of surplus materials such as rotables and consumables;
  • An investigation into SAA Technical with respect to Commercial aircraft leases between SAA and Mango;
  • Investigations into various allegations against primarily SAA’s former CEO, Mr Khaya Ngqula; and
  • An investigation into the alleged irregular awarding of a tender for dry snacks by Air Chefs.

If these accusations of corruption are true and are not just tactics to divert attention away from the failures of Myeni in her role as SAA Board Chair, they must be fully interrogated by Parliament.
SAA is on the brink of bankruptcy, with the South African taxpayer very close to having to meet the guarantees of some R 9,0 billion to pay off maturing loans to SAA. If this were to happen the consequences for South Africa’s sovereign ratings will be dire.
There is no longer a choice – SAA must be placed under Business Rescue now before it is too late.

DA welcomes the appointment of Dondo Mogajane at director-general of National Treasury

We welcome the appointment of Dondo Mogajane as the director-general of National Treasury.  His appointment puts to rest fears that a rogue, such as Brian Molefe, may have been appointed to the top job at National Treasury.
The fact is Dondo Mogajane is a career professional with nearly eighteen years of service in senior positions within National Treasury.
We wish him well because he is going to have his hands full fighting off the fixers, rent seekers and state capturers who are desperate to get their hands on National Treasury.

Human rights need to be the guiding principle of our international relations

Note to editors: The following speech was delivered in Parliament today by the DA’s Shadow Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Stevens Mokgalapa MP, during the Budget Vote on International Relations and Co-operation.
Today, as we mark the 54th anniversary of the AU, we salute the founding fathers and visionary leaders of the African continent. Happy Africa Day.
Agenda 2063 contains the blueprint for a paradigm shift in Africa’s future that aims to create an environment of inclusive economic growth and sustainable development. It strives for an integrated continent with shared values, good governance, democracy, rule of law, justice and a peaceful and secure Africa.
We want to acknowledge and commend the hard work done by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) programmes that seek to facilitate Africa’s renewal and reshape its future. Unfortunately, the current crop of leaders are working hard to reverse the noble deeds of our forefathers and in the process, are tainting the legacy of our continent. Africa is still ravaged by civil wars, conflict, underdevelopment, unemployment, power-obsessed dictators, undemocratic regimes, human rights abuses and corruption.
The current global environment is volatile, as the rise of populist, nationalistic and extremist movements are posing a threat to global security and undermines international order, which brings fear and mistrust among people and states.
This trend has led to many states adopting a narrow nationalistic approach as opposed to globalisation to foreign policy. For example, the presidential election in the USA and BREXIT.
This trend is compounded by growing expectations and disappointments, as well as demographic shifts and migration.
All of this leads to a scramble for scarce resources due to jobless economic growth which contribute to unemployment and poverty. National interests become the focal centre of a state’s approach to foreign policy. States are pursuing a zero-sum game through a narrow nationalistic focus in trying to outsmart each other for the maximum benefit of attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Globalisation and urbanization are a twin reality which must be managed by states, as non-state actors are intensifying their role and involvement in the foreign policy space.
Chairperson, allow me to address you on some of the Department’s programmes:
Programme 1: We are concerned about the ill-discipline of the staff and urge the Minister to take steps against the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) immediately.
Programme 2: International Relations addresses the core business of the Department with a budget of R3.6 billion. This programme still remains a source of concern with 126 missions abroad in 107 countries and 160 resident in South Africa. This is unsustainable and hurtful to the fiscus under the current economic conditions.
It is prudent under these circumstances to follow the National Development Plan (NDP) and National Treasury’s advice to consider rationalization of our missions and to cut expenditure on foreign infrastructure projects.
It is also important to consider the reduction of maintenance costs on foreign leased properties, as over 1000 properties are leased at a cost of R575 million.
Economic diplomacy is still lagging behind the number of high level visits and bilateral commissions still yield little in terms of value for money. We need quality outcomes, not quantity in number of visits. This requires a concerted effort in skilling and equipping our diplomats as economic diplomats to market and sell our country abroad.
Our current crop of diplomatic cadets are a shame as they serve personal interests rather than public interests.
Some are criminals, others are dishonest by faking their academic credentials.
We need more vigorous vetting processes to ensure that these cadets are beyond reproach and are people of integrity, ready to serve with pride, dedication and patriotism.
This is the reason why the DA supports the finalization of the Foreign Service Bill to professionalise and regulate our foreign service and eliminate the dumping ground syndrome.
Programme 3: This provides an opportunity for South Africa to play a meaningful role and take leadership in global politics by influencing the multilateral agenda through its constitutional values.
However, South Africa is failing dismally in multilateral forums when it comes to promoting our constitutional values and principles and championing human rights. This is evident from our failed withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and our relationship with dictators like Mugabe, al-Bashir, Nkurunziza and Kabila.
We cannot afford to be quiet when opposition leaders are persecuted and on fabricated charges as is the case in Zambia with Hakainde Hichilema. That is why DA leader, Mmusi Maimane, will attend the treason trial of Mr Hichilema in Zambia tomorrow to offer him our full support.
We must also use our chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to address this serious issue. In a seemingly democratic country like Zambia, the intimidation and suppression of opposition parties should be strongly condemned.
Programme 4: On public diplomacy, we are happy to see an increase in the allocation to this programme. We would like to see this programme provide early warning systems on major international events and we suggest organising a national dialogue on South African foreign policy and national interests to ensure participatory diplomacy of non-state actors and civil society in foreign policy matters.
Programme 5: We need to evaluate our participation and commitment to international membership. We also need to ensure that we respect and uphold our constitutional values in the global arena.
The DA is concerned about the recurring and serial adverse audit opinions. For three consecutive years, the Department has received a qualified opinion. This raises serious concerns in the Department and we hope that these issues will be addressed urgently.
We have abandoned our moral high ground to stoop low to a slippery slope. If South Africa is to realise its vision of a better South Africa in a better Africa and a better world, we must shape up and be counted or ship out and lose all credibility in the global arena.
We must be vocal and speak out against wrongdoings and also be bold to challenge our allies when they do wrong. The days of failed quiet diplomacy are over. We need to redeem ourselves by ensuring that our voting patterns in the multilateral forums are consistent with our values.
In conclusion, Chairperson, the DA foreign policy is centred on three key pillars of constitutionalism, human rights and economic diplomacy. Under the DA government, we will not roll out a red carpet to dictators and mass murderers. We will respect international law and institutions, we will speak out against wrongdoings, we will ensure our diplomats are well trained in economic diplomacy and are assessed on what value they add to FDI.
Human rights will be the guiding principle in our international relations as we aim to promote intra Africa trade and prioritise regional integration and trade. In 2019, South Africans can choose more racial nationalism, populism and division on the basis of race, or we can choose progress towards an open opportunity society for all. Our country’s national interest consensus will be defined clearly and pursued in all our international relations for the benefit of the people and not only the connected elite.
I thank you.

The ANC cannot be trusted with our children’s education

Note to Editors: The following speech was delivered in Parliament today by DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Basic Education, Nomsa Marchesi MP, during the Budget Vote on Basic Education.
Chairperson,
I would like to dedicate this speech to the 18 learners who tragically lost their lives in a minibus taxi accident in Bronkhorstspruit in April this year.
As they say in Isi Xhosa: lala ngoxolo, akuhlanga kungahlanga.
Many children in this country are forced to travel vast distances to get to school.
Like the learners at Chief Nogonyama Technical School in Illembe district in KwaZulu-Natal – which we visited at the beginning of the year – who walk up to 10km a day to gain access to a basic education.
Chairperson, we need to speak honestly about providing education infrastructure in rural and township areas.
On Monday I visited Vuwani in Limpopo, a full year after 28 schools there were burned to the ground during protest action.
As I visited school after school, I quickly realised the Department had sent contractors and architects to assess the damage, but then disappeared. The mobile classrooms are still there, and buildings have not been mended.
My oversight ended at Vhafamadi Secondary School – a school that was burned to the ground. It now stands as a state-of-the-art school built in just three months by a donor – the Shandukani Foundation – together with the National Lottery.
In just three months, a quality learning environment is available to learners. But sadly not to all in the area.
Historically disadvantaged learners are not getting fair service delivery. Is this because they are not allocated enough funds? Shockingly, the fact is that the money allocated to improving these schools is not being spent.
In the 2015/16 financial year alone, R424 million was returned to National Treasury instead of being spent on infrastructure. Limpopo returned R86 million in that year, and in 2016/17 underspent on infrastructure by another R67 million.
Learners of Vhudzani Secondary School – another school burned during protests – has to this day, not received even one of their allocated literature books. They are forced, by an uncaring ANC government to make do with photocopies.
We learned last week that the Limpopo Department of Education has again failed to meet a deadline to deliver textbooks to schools. This is after the MEC promised they would be available by the end of March.
531 Limpopo schools are still waiting for crucial Maths and Science textbooks.
Education departments cannot continue to blame bad contractors and implementing agents.
The reality is, that when these problems with underspending and not delivering textbooks happen every year, it is time to take a long hard look at the leadership in that province who have been appointed by the ANC.
MECs who are repeat offenders must be taken to task, so should the Minister of Basic Education.
Minister Angie Motsekga is ultimately responsible and must be held to account – yet on the textbook issue she told us “I don’t do the plan”.
When protests flared in Vuwani again this year, disrupting the education of nearly 30 000 learners who missed 11 days of school, she simply said: “if they continue to burn schools, let it be”.
This is not leadership. This is passing the buck.
The ANC cannot be trusted to step up to the plate and achieve real change across this country.
The DA takes the commitment to a quality basic education for all learners very seriously. Where we govern, we work with, and not against, other stakeholders to achieve the best possible outcomes for our learners.
This is why the Minister last week confirmed that according to the new ‘inclusive basket of criteria’ for matric results, the Western Cape came out tops in 2016.
Is it not time that we see that kind of progress in other provinces too?
I thank you.

President Jacob Zuma is guilty of the pre-meditated murder of the economy in South Africa

Note to Editors: The following speech was delivered in Parliament today by DA Shadow Minister of Finance, David Maynier MP, during the Budget Vote on National Treasury.
Madam Speaker,
The Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, was at a fashion show, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, when the call came informing him that he had got the top job and would be the next Finance Minister.
It was not long before the new Minister and his sidekick, Mayihlome Tshwete, swooped down, rather like Batman and Robin, on National Treasury.
The Minister, to his credit, passed the first big test of any South African Finance Minister – he lasted the weekend.
This was the culmination of a shameful midnight Cabinet reshuffle. President Jacob Zuma had:

  • Recalled the former Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, from an international investor roadshow on the basis of a bizarre “intelligence report” claiming he was part of a plot to mobilise people to overthrow the state; and
  • Then promptly fired him to, can you believe it, “improve efficiency and effectiveness”.

The truth is that, had the President been serious about improving efficiency and effectiveness, he would have fired Bathabile Dlamini and Faith Mthambi who, together, could barely run a bath.
The Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa, condemned the Cabinet reshuffle, saying it was “unacceptable”.
Even, ANC Secretary General, Gwede Mantashe, condemned the Cabinet reshuffle, saying he was “very uncomfortable”.
But, the Minister defended the Cabinet reshuffle by condemning those who had condemned the Cabinet reshuffle.
He dismissed them as “a mixed bag of so-called ANC stalwarts and disillusioned ex-ANC leaders who were ill-disciplined”.
The fact is President Jacob Zuma’s midnight Cabinet reshuffle had nothing to do with improving efficiency and effectiveness and everything to do with the capture of National Treasury for his most important clients, the Guptas.
And the President had the perfect man for the job in his new Finance Minister, Malusi Gigaba, because in his own words, “I don’t ask questions, I simply comply with instructions.”
Things have been in absolute shambles since the Minister took over, as he somersaulted between “radical economic transformation” and “inclusive economic growth”, and between attacking orthodox and right-wing economists at National Treasury and supporting the skilled and experienced team at National Treasury.
However, things went from bad to worse when the Minister appointed Professor Chris Malikane, who seems to have been trained at the “Hugo Chavez School of Economics”, and who has some mad ideas on the economy, including nationalising the banks, mines and insurance companies, as his economic advisor at National Treasury.
Of course, when you have a Minister, who in his own words simply complies with instructions, who advises him is an important issue.
Things began to spin out of control as the Minister told his economic advisor to “keep quiet”, but the economic advisor told the Minister he would not “shut up”.
The Minister was forced into damage control mode, sending his economic advisor to the equivalent of the “re-education camp” to be “rehabilitated”.
Now, I have said before that the Minister was “Des van Rooyen in a designer suit”.
But, I was wrong.
Because, at least Des van Rooyen has a Master’s degree in finance, even if half his assignments were done by the Parliamentary Budget Office.
Whatever the case, the Minister has lost control and the message is now one part Bloomberg, one part ANN7, and one part The Real Housewives of New York.
The National Treasury’s legislative mandate, and the R30.79 billion budget for the 2017/18 financial year, are directed at ensuring transparency, accountability and sound fiscal controls in the management of our public finances.
But the question is: how long can this last?
Because, like all politicians accumulating power, the Minister has concealed his real political agenda, which he revealed, in an unguarded moment, during his maiden press conference, and which included:

  • A strong commitment to implementing “radical economic transformation”; and
  • An attack on National Treasury, which he believes is dominated by big business, international investors and orthodox economists.

The fact is, and let us not be naïve about this, the Minister has been appointed to “defang” National Treasury.
And he will do it with charm and cunning, and he will do it patiently and slowly:

  • By exerting political control and reducing the institutional independence of National Treasury;
  • By diluting the legislative mandate to reduce the institutional strength of National Treasury;
  • By controlling the procurement process;
  • By controlling the Public Investment Corporation; and
  • Most importantly, by approving the nuclear build programme.

If you look carefully, the work is already underway “below the line” with

  • The Minister in the Presidency, Jeff Radebe, “power-grabbing” the budget prioritisation process from National Treasury; and
  • The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Michael Masuta, “power-grabbing” control of the Financial Intelligence Centre from National Treasury.

The truth is that National Treasury is in danger of being “defanged” and reduced to a bunch of bookkeepers under the new Minister and his boss, President Jacob Zuma.
We cannot afford to surrender to the mafia state and so we are going to have to fight to maintain the institutional independence and institutional strength of National Treasury.
What this means is that the Finance Committee is going to require a reset from legislative mode to oversight mode and carefully scrutinise procurement, public investments, contingent liabilities and fiscal risks, including most importantly the nuclear build programme.
The fact is that, in the end, President Jacob Zuma must have known that the midnight Cabinet reshuffle would push the economy off the cliff.
We are now in deep trouble with the midnight Cabinet reshuffle and radical economic transformation delivering:

  • stagnant economic growth;
  • declining per capita incomes;
  • a collapse in investment;
  • a spike in disinvestment;
  • massive unemployment;
  • staggering national debt;
  • “zombie” state-owned enterprises;
  • junk status; and
  • ultimately, a loss of hope for the millions of South Africans who do not have jobs, or who have given up looking for jobs, and who live without dignity, without independence, and without freedom, in South Africa.

That is why it is not an exaggeration to say that President Jacob Zuma’s midnight Cabinet reshuffle, and his policy of radical economic transformation, amounts to the pre-meditated murder of the economy in South Africa.
So, if you do not have a job, or you have given up looking for a job, you need to know this: You do not have a job because the ANC-government has systematically mismanaged the economy; and

  • You do not have a job because the ANC-government has systematically mismanaged the economy; and
  • You will never get a job as long as the ANC-government is in power in South Africa.

That is why you will have a choice, in the 2019 National Election, between a strong know-how economy, which creates jobs for all, led by the DA, or a weak know-who economy, which creates jobs for the few.
We say: bring it on.