The DA’s plan to get SA growing

The following statement was delivered by the Leader of the Democratic Alliance, Mmusi Maimane, at a press conference in Johannesburg today. Maimane was joined by DA National Spokesperson, Refiloe Nt’sekhe.

This week, Statistics South Africa confirmed that we are in recession. This news came as a surprise only to foreign ForEx and bond investors, and it would seem, to our government.

This is no surprise at all to anyone living in South Africa. The truth is that South Africans have known this for months – they have felt it in their own homes as the struggle to make ends meet gets more difficult, they have heard it as the word spreads about more job losses every day, and they’ve seen it in the streets and in the shops and in their pockets.

There is little that needs to be said about the cause of this recession. It is beyond debate. The President and the government’s confused spin cannot discount the facts:

  • This is our first recession since 2009. It was thought that we had entered recession in 2017, but this turned out to have not been so.
  • This is the fifth consecutive year that we have been in recession on a per-capita basis. This means, simply, South Africans have been getting poorer and poorer each year.
  • Of the world’s largest economies, South Africa is now the weakest, and is the only one in recession.
  • Africa is growing at around 3%, with growth in Ethiopia, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Rwanda above 7%.

This is not a recession borne of global economic conditions. This is a home-grown recession, borne of economic mismanagement and bad policy. There are two main contributing factors to this recession, both at root attributable to economic mismanagement and bad policy.

Firstly, South Africans are feeling poorer, and are poorer: Household spending makes the largest single contribution to GDP, but five consecutive years of real per capita negative growth has left South Africans with less to spend each month. In turn, government has also taken more cash from every pocket. Petrol tax increases, VAT increase, sugar tax, income tax increases – all of these decisions punish the poor and middle class and take more money away from hard working families. All of this extra money is demanded by an inefficient, corrupt and captured state, and is not spent on productive investment.

Secondly, investors are feeling skeptical: Global investment is just that, global. It does not owe loyalty to South Africa. It requires certainty of policy. And it requires certainty of the rule of law, and of basic protection of property rights. All of these non-negotiable elements are in question in South Africa. This will make investors second-guess our country as a destination for safe and profitable investment and will make them look elsewhere.

We are now only beginning to see the consequences of this economic mismanagement. There are currently 9.6 million unemployed South Africans, the highest number ever. And the Rand has “blown out”, which leads to higher inflation, and even lower growth.

In response to this recession, the government has been flailing. They are confused, and it shows. Now is not the time for confusion. Now is the time for a decisive agenda for reform to get South Africa growing.

We know that our economy can get growing if we do the following seven things right now:

  1. Scrap reckless economic policies like the proposed nationalisation of the Reserve Bank and the undermining of property rights through expropriation without compensation.
  2. Announce the privatisation, or part privatisation of SAA, and the split of Eskom into separate power production and distribution businesses.
  3. End Eskom’s monopoly and allow cities to purchase directly from independent power producers, increasing competition and lowering costs.
  4. Introduce a fiscal austerity package to contain current spending and stabilise national debt at 50% of GDP. Commit to funding any further revenue shortfalls by cutting wasteful expenditure, not through new taxes.
  5. Cut the size of the Cabinet to around 15 ministries.
  6. Exempt small businesses employing fewer than 250 employees from complying with restrictive labour legislation, other than the basic conditions of employment.
  7. Immediately pay all outstanding invoices owed to small businesses from National and Provincial Governments, amounting to a fiscal stimulus for small businesses of R 20.7 billion and R 7.1 billion respectively.

These seven interventions represent more than just a policy shock to get the economy’s heart beating again. They represent a change in approach from the belief that more state intervention is the only antidote to the failure of previous state intervention. Instead, we pursue a lean, capable state that creates conditions that promote investment in a broadly open, competitive, market-driven economy.

In this, no change is more urgent than our failing SOEs. These SOEs pose an existential financial risk to our country. They are bottomless pits into which billions of rands of public money is poured never to be seen again, on top of the higher prices the public must pay for often-shoddy services.

Privatising, or part-privatising our SOEs will introduce competition in key industries like power production, and transport. This will very quickly reduce the cost of these goods, which alone will be a major growth boost to our economy.

We believe that this change alone would increase private sector investment and economic growth by as much as 3%.
Our plan then emphasizes making it easier for entrepreneurs and small business owners to succeed. Growing the small business sector is the only route to job creation on a massive scale. We must remove the constraints on entrepreneurs by simplifying regulations where possible and by exempting them from restrictive labour legislation.

Despite many constraints imposed by national government, the DA has shown that where we govern we can grow the economy and create jobs. Three quarters of all jobs created in the past year were created in the DA-governed Western Cape, despite a crippling drought. That amounts to 123 000 new jobs created, while during that same period 124 000 jobs were destroyed in Gauteng, the country’s biggest provincial economy.

This has been made possible by deliberate interventions aimed at creating a conducive environment for investment, competition, and economic growth. Cutting corruption and breaking down barriers to entry has seen direct investment triple in the City of Tshwane over the past 24 months. Despite a devastating drought, the Western Cape achieved R2.7 billion in investment in the past financial year, and innovation in the energy sector – through a provincial government “gamechanger” – has stimulated new industries and lowered operating costs for businesses.

The City of Johannesburg has attracted over R6 billion in investment into the country’s economic capital, increasing employment by 109 000 since the beginning of 2018. Johannesburg has also focused on stimulating collaborative growth through calls for private sector investment in city’s inner-city rejuvenation project.

The DA has a plan to get the economy growing. A healthy, growing economy will be able to collect the taxes required to fund better education and healthcare systems, a compassionate welfare programme, effective land reform and restitution programmes, and an effective police service, trained, resourced and equipped to be able to maintain law and order and keep people safe.

Without growth, revenues slide and none of this is possible. Jobs disappear, investors flee, poverty grows. It is then that the soil is most fertile for the simplistic promises of populist demagogues.

That is why we cannot afford to let this recession persist. We must take these seven bold steps now to get South Africa growing again.

Cyril’s first 100 days = R100 more to fill up a tank of petrol

The following statement was delivered today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, at the Noord Taxi Rank in Johannesburg CBD. Maimane was joined by DA National Spokesperson, Refiloe Nt’sekhe, DA Gauteng Provincial Leader, John Moodey, and DA Shadow Minister of Transport, Manny De Freitas.

Today we’re here at the Noord Taxi Rank in Johannesburg CBD to engage with both commuters and taxi drivers as to how we can mitigate the negative effects of last night’s astronomical fuel hike on the pockets of poor, working class, and middle class South Africans

At midnight last night, the price petrol hit a record high of R15.79 per litre – the highest it has been since the dawn of democracy in 1994.

The DA will therefore be writing to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, to request for a debate of national importance in Parliament about the tax and levy structure of fuel in the country. Because we simply cannot tax our way to prosperity.

Over the past 100 days, we’ve seen Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC declare financial war on ordinary South Africans. Through increases in Value Added Tax (VAT), Income Tax, RAF levy, General Fuel Levy, and so-called “sin taxes” – the South African public has been strong-armed into paying for the sins of the ANC government. This is not the change we hoped for.

We are here to say enough is enough to this “tax attack” aimed at the backbone of our country – the poor, working and middle classes. These are everyday South Africans who are made to pay for the shortcomings and corruption of the ANC government.

When Cyril Ramaphosa was elected President of South Africa the price of petrol per litre was at R13.76. Today just over 100 days later, petrol costs R15.79 per litre which is a R2.03 per litre – or 14.75% increase. After just over 100 days of a Ramaphosa Presidency, it cost approximately R100 more to fill the tank of an average sized car. South Africans are angry – and rightly so.

This fuel increase will directly affect poor and working-class South Africans through increase in the cost of taxi fares. According to the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), during the last fuel increase of 67c/l in September last year, the increase per journey was up to R5 – depending on distance and region. There will no doubt be an even heftier increase this time around, affecting the more than 50% of South African households that are dependent on taxis for transport.

Even when using the conservative R5 estimate by SANTACO, for a person taking two taxi journeys a day, that’s an additional R300 per month just on taxi fare. This is crippling to the livelihoods of poor and working South Africans.

In addition to this, the indirect and often hidden costs of this unprecedented fuel hike will again hit ordinary South Africans the hardest. Due to the fact that most food in South Africa is transported via trucks, a fuel price increase inevitably leads to a food price increase.

According to a report published by the Department of Agriculture entitled The South African Food Cost Review, food accounts for 18% of household costs. For a family with a household income of R10 000, this fuel increase could result in a R270 increase in food bills. For the millions of families with less household income than that, or the millions with no formal income at all or who are living on grants, this fuel price is devastating.

The bottom line is that South Africans are spending more of their hard-earned money on food and transport under Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC government. And this could be avoided.

Last year alone, the Road Accident Fund (RAF), which brings in 99.6% of its revenue from the fuel levy, made a loss of R30 billion – the biggest loss of any State-Owned Entity (SOE) for the financial year – running a deficit for five consecutive years. This is down to sheer mismanagement and tolerance of corruption. In truth, ordinary South Africans are now paying to plug this R30 billion black hole. President Ramaphosa must at once place the RAF under independent and external administration in order to eradicate corruption, install competent and independent leadership, and begin the process of tackling its R160 billion backlog in unpaid claims.

Despite all the enthusiasm and expectancy that greeted Cyril Ramaphosa when he was elected South African President, the economy cannot grow under the stranglehold of all of these tax increases. This is illustrated by yesterday’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth figures for Q:1 2018 – which shows the economy shrunk by 2.2% – the highest quarter-on-quarter in almost a decade – taking us back to the pre-Zuma era.

We are left to ask where the so-called “New Dawn” is for ordinary South Africans. It appears to be just more taxes and less money at the end of the month. This shows quite clearly that talk shops, summits and PR stunts will not fix our economic mess and bring real and immediate change to South Africa.

South Africa requires real change, and real change lies outside of the ANC.

DA thanks Phumzile van Damme for her incredible work as National Spokesperson

The DA would like to thank Phumzile van Damme for the incredible work she has done as the DA’s National Spokesperson (NSP) over the last four years.
As the longest-serving NSP, she has shown immense dedication in what it is often a demanding job. She has travelled the length and breadth of South Africa delivering the DA message professionally and with passion and grace.
While Ms van Damme has resigned from this position, for personal reasons, she remains the DA Shadow Minister of Communications where she will continue to conduct effective oversight as she has done and at which she has been highly successful.
Refiloe Nt’sekhe will continue as the DA’s National Spokesperson, responsible for communicating on issues that crosscut or fall outside the portfolios of our shadow cabinet and will remain the first point of contact for members of the media.

ANC govt stole R330-million from the poor in Mandela’s name

Every day South Africans wake up to fresh scandals that involve those claiming to serve the people and the theft of the people’s money. Billions of Rands go unaccounted for under the mismanagement of ANC administrations across the country – from Gauteng to Eastern Cape; from Mogale City to Bisho. These are monies meant for the development of our beautiful country and her people but instead these monies end up in the back pockets of politicians who have long forgotten what it means to put the people and country first.
The events happening at Nasrec next week will do nothing to stop the ANC from lying and looting. The ANC cannot self-correct; the ANC is dead and South Africa deserves a New Beginning under a Democratic Alliance-led government, which invests the people’s money into building a better country. Only the people of South Africa have the power to stop corruption through the ballot box come 2019.
The DA stands here today, having studied the Mandela Funeral Report, which painfully states that R330-million meant for education through the abolishment of mud schools in the Eastern Cape, was used to buy t-shirts. R330 million meant to deliver electricity to villages was used to enrich those close to power.
What kind of government steals from its people? What kind of government undermines the future of the youth in order to buy t-shirts? The answer is that a corrupt and uncaring ANC steals R330-million, in the name of the late former President Nelson Mandela, from the people of the Eastern Cape and South Africa.
The Mandela Funeral Report paints an ugly yet clear picture of the kind of corruption that the ANC has become so good at. One only needs to read a report of the Public Service Commission or Auditor-General or live where the ANC governs to know that the ANC specialises in looting and lying, in contrast to the DA, which has set the gold standard for government that places people and service delivery first. The theft of R330-million by the ANC in this province is another indicator of a crony criminal network masquerading as a ‘government of the people’.
At the centre of the Eastern Cape Mandela Funeral Funds scandal is the current Eastern Cape Director-General and at the time of committing this crime the Head of the Provincial Treasury, Ms Marion Mbina-Mthembu. Ms Mbina-Mthembu’s name features more than 100-times in the 333-page report by the Public Protector.
During her time as the Provincial Head of Treasury, Ms Mbina-Mthembu authorised decisions that are described as “irrational” and “unlawful”, it is therefore only right that she and others under investigation are held fully accountable for their role in the theft of R330-million.
The former Head of the Provincial Treasury has violated a number of statutory provisions, including the Constitution, Treasury Regulations as well as the Public Finance Management Finance Act (PFMA). These are important pieces of legislation which speak to the conduct of the State, officials and the management of people’s money. It cannot be business as usual while laws and the people are actively and illegally undermined.
The Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities empowers the SAPS to investigate the most severe forms of corruption. We implore the SAPS to act without fear or favour, and to treat this case with the importance it deserves. Investigators assigned to this case must also reject political considerations or pressures.
Ms Mbina-Mthembu and others must face the full might of the law and swop their suits for orange overalls. The Premier of the Eastern Cape must do the right thing by removing the province’s Director-General, Ms Mbina-Mthembu.
The Mandela Funeral Report acts to supplement ongoing investigations and the basis of opening new charges.
Furthermore, we will be writing to the National Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, to seek an update on the ongoing investigations.
Without delay, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba must, as instructed by the Public Protector, write to President Jacob Zuma to sign a proclamation directing the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate a litany of legal transgressions “with a view to institute civil action for the recovery of the loss of public money by organs of state in the procurement of goods and services for the funeral of President Mandela.”
The longer the ANC remains in office the more our people will robbed of opportunities. South Africans have an opportunity to usher in a New Beginning, where money is not stolen, schools are built, job opportunities are created and women and children are kept safe.
Corruption is not normal, it is crime that steals from our people, especially the poor. Those found to be taking from our people must put behind bars, not promoted to be the Director-General of the Eastern Cape.
Come 2019, South Africans must say no to corruption. Corruption and ANC are synonymous. By voting out the ANC, they will be rejecting corruption.
Only the DA can build a future for the Eastern Cape and South Africa.

Willing buyer, willing sellout

The following remarks were made today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, in Saxonwold, Johannesburg, at protest against State Capture by the Gupta’s and Jacob Zuma. Maimane was joined DA National Spokespersons, Refiloe Nt’sekhe and Phumzile van Damme, and DA Regional Chairperson, Khume Ramulifho.
Fellow democrats,
Today we are gathered here in Saxonwold to protest the capture of our country by Jacob Zuma, his ANC, and the Gupta Family.
Our message is clear: we reject the capture of our country by the rich and the corrupt, and we want real change. South Africa needs a new beginning, ushered in by a new government committed to fighting for the poor and the jobless, not the rich and the connected few.
We need a new government that is committed to our nation’s new struggle – the struggle for access to jobs.
And we demand accountability! The justice system must do its work so that those who have robbed our country are put behind bars.
Fellow South Africans,
Just a few hundred metres down the road from here is the Gupta’s mansion – the very site were Jacob Zuma and his ANC government were captured, and where they sold our country to the highest bidder.
Today we had planned to march to the gates of the mansion, to show South Africa what Jacob Zuma’s capture site really looks like.
But when they heard we were coming, the Guptas ran to their lawyers, who threatened to take us to court.
What do the Gupta’s have to hide? And why are they scared of us?
The truth is, they don’t want South Africa to see Jacob Zuma’s real capture site!
Democrats,
Just 24 hours ago, President Jacob Zuma attended the official unveiling of a multimillion rand monument in his honour, just outside of the small town of Groot Marico in the North West Province.
The monument, according to the President, was erected to commemorate the 1963 arrest of over 50 members of Umkhonto we Sizwe, who were en route to Botswana to take part in military training. Jacob Zuma was one of the members who were arrested.
At the entrance of the newly sprung monument stands an official sign which reads “Jacob Zuma’s Capture Site”.
Anyone who has picked up a newspaper, turned on a radio, or watched the evening news over the past year knows that there is a new “Jacob Zuma capture site” here in Saxonwold.
It is behind the high walls, electric fencing, and stringent private security of the Guptas mansion where many important decisions affecting our country are made. Where ministers are appointed and fired, where government contracts are signed, where national budgets are written, and where policy is decided.
Every decision made there is made guided by one criteria: make Jacob Zuma, his friends, and the Gupta rich.
The Gupta mansion is not only the capture site of Jacob Zuma, but several Cabinet Ministers too, including Malusi Gigaba, Faith Muthambi, Mosebenzi Zwane, Des Van Rooyen; as well as numerous top executives at State-Owned Entities such as Eskom, Transnet and Prasa.
The Gupta mansion is the real capture site of Jacob Zuma, and the headquarters of corruption in South Africa. How sad that a young man in 1963 willing to risk his life for a free South Africa, has allowed his own legacy to be defined by corruption and the selling-out of that struggle. Indeed, the struggle for democracy and freedom has been abandoned by Jacob Zuma and his ANC.
And while they get richer, South Africans are getting poorer.
Democrats, it has been months since the infamous “Gupta Leaks”, which implicate members of the Gupta family, the President, his cabinet, and senior officials and SOE executives. Yet they all walk free.
To this day, not one single person has been prosecuted for their crimes. We cannot continue to sweep this under the carpet. It’s time to fully expose the rot throughout government and the private sector.
It is vital that we establish a platform through which we can get to the very bottom of this matter. That is why I have called on the Speaker of Parliament to immediately establish an ad hoc committee into State Capture by no later than 31 October 2017. The Speaker has been put on notice, and if she fails to act, we will have no hesitation in approaching the Courts to ensure this matter is resolved.
You see, the Jacob Zuma of the past shares many similarities with the ANC of the past.
Both fought for freedom, both put the nation before self-interest, and in doing so, both won the trust and support of the majority of South Africans.
Today, like in the past, Jacob Zuma and the ANC share many similarities.
Both are captured by private interests, and operate for the benefit of itself and those connected few – instead of the country and its people.
Today the ANC, like Jacob Zuma, has resorted to divisive rhetoric and race-baiting to divide South Africa for its own selfish benefit.
And today, the ANC, like Jacob Zuma, has lost the trust and the support of the majority of South Africans. That is why come 2019, South Africans will use their power to vote out this corrupt ANC government at the ballot box, and choose a new beginning for our country.
The future of South lies in a post-ANC South Africa, free from corruption and State Capture, and focused on our nation’s new struggle – the struggle for access to jobs. Our fight is to ensure that all South Africans can enter the economy, find meaningful work, and create a better life for themselves and their loved ones.

Don’t let economic exclusion be the heritage of our children too

The following speech was delivered today by DA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, at the old Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) building in Newtown, Johannesburg. Maimane was joined by DA Gauteng Leader, John Moodey, DA Regional Chairperson, Khume Ramulifho, and DA National Spokesperson, Refiloe Nt’sekhe.
My fellow South Africans
We are blessed to live in one of the most colourful and diverse nations in the world. Our strength lies in this diversity. We are greater than the sum of our parts.
We don’t want to be a homogenous society with uniform views on the world. We don’t want to speak one language, share one culture or practice one religion.
South Africa is like a bright garden, brimming with many different flowers. This is what makes us who we are, and we must celebrate this diversity.
On this Heritage Day, it is wonderful to see all this variety in our society – to see so many people embracing their own history and taking pride in their culture. It truly is a day where we get a glimpse into the worlds of our fellow South Africans.
Given our brutal history, where large sections of society’s culture and traditions were dismissed and oppressed, it is important that we reclaim our heritage. It is important that we say: This is part of who I am, and no one will take it away from me again.
But when we talk about our heritage, we cannot only speak about these unique cultural practices. Because we share a common heritage too. We have inherited something as South Africans that cuts right across race, language, age and religion.
Half a century of Apartheid rule – of the oppression of one race over another – has left us with a shared heritage that is as much a part of our identity as our cultures and our languages. And this shared heritage is the deeply skewed economy from which millions of our people remain excluded.
Our shared heritage is a society where a child’s opportunities in life are still determined by the circumstances of her birth.
We’re gathered here outside a building that has a profound symbolic meaning when it comes to this unjust society of ours. This building used to house the Johannesburg Stock Exchange – an institution that represented the exclusion of black South Africans from the economy.
It stood here as a monument to Apartheid’s biggest weapon: economic dispossession. It said that ownership of the economy was reserved for a minority and that resources were extracted for the benefit of some, not all.
It reminded black South Africans that while their labour was good enough to build the country, they themselves were not deemed good enough to own any of it.
All of this was meant to change after 1994. The political freedom that came with the right to vote was meant to be followed by economic freedom. Because only through full participation in the economy – through jobs and through owning property, businesses and shares – could people consider themselves truly free.
And for a while it looked like this would happen. As people’s daily lives improved and access to education and jobs improved, it seemed as though the promise of economic freedom would become a reality.
But ask most South Africans today, and they will tell you that this promise of economic freedom has faded to the point where it feels like a distant dream. They will tell you that they feel let down and abandoned by their government.
More than two decades into our democracy, the project of building a prosperous and inclusive economy has ground to a halt, because the people entrusted with this project have shifted their attention to other things.
They have turned their attention to ways of helping themselves to the money meant for the people. They have turned their attention to fighting off the factions that threaten their grip on power and wealth. And they have completely forgotten about the people.
The result is growing poverty, growing unemployment and growing anger.
Today, 55% of South Africans live below the poverty line. That’s more than 30 million of our people.
Today, more than 9.3 million South Africans can’t find work, most of whom are under the age of 35.
Today, South Africa has the highest youth unemployment rate in the world.
Today, South Africa has among the highest income inequality in the world.
That is our shared heritage. And it is the duty of each and every one of us to change this – to ensure that this does not become the heritage of our children too.
It is our duty to build an economy that is truly inclusive. Not the fig leaf of ownership that the current BEE model has provided.
Because if you strip away the wealthy cronies who got rich thanks to their ANC connections, you’re not left with a lot of black ownership of our economy. I mean real economic empowerment for ordinary South Africans.
It is our duty to fix our broken education system so that children can leave school confident that they have something to offer the world. We must give them the skills they need to make the most of every opportunity out there.
It is our duty to support and nurture every job-creating business, no matter how big or small. This means making it simpler to run a business and employ people. It also means investing in the sectors with the highest potential for job creation.
It is our duty to unite South Africans around shared values and to fight the scourge of racial nationalism wherever we encounter it. We cannot allow our country to slide back to a place where people are turned against each other because of the colour of their skin.
It is our duty to bridge divides between people; to build roads and transport networks that connect us.
It is our duty to step into each other’s worlds more often and really get to know our fellow countrymen and women. To learn each other’s languages.
And, above all, it is our duty to bring change where it is desperately needed. Each of us has the power of the vote, and with this power comes responsibility. We owe it to our country to use our votes to bring change.
And we owe it to our children to ensure that their heritage is a more just, inclusive country than the South Africa you see today.
A South Africa in which the place where you are born and the colour of your skin are not the things that determine your tomorrow.
A South Africa that no longer has white suburbs and black townships, or a white JSE and black enterprises.
A propserous South Africa that belongs equally to all her people.

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.

DA Gauteng Debates Social Development Budget for 2017/18

The following speeches were delivered in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature today by DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Social Development, Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL and DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Social Development, Justus de Goede MPL, during the debate on the Department of Social Development’ss 2017/18 budget.
Speech by
Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL
“GP Social Development does not care”

  • There is also a severe shortage of Social Workers
  • Gauteng has only 11 social workers who are able to work on adoptions and foster care
  • The budget for people with disabilities has remained relatively stagnant since 2010

The full speech can be found here.
Speech by
Justus de Goede MPL
“GP Social Development budget doesn’t focus on the right programs” 

  • Funds in many instances are not being channelled where they can be most usefully applied
  • The budget gives the impression of being unfocussed
  • I strongly recommend that the MEC investigate the Chrysalis Program in the Western Cape, as a project which is both successful and value for money.

The full speech can be found here.