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Redressing the Regress of our Democratic Freedoms

by Janho Engelbrecht MPL, DA Gauteng Legislature Caucus Chairperson

Today I stand in front of this house as a proud but disappointed South African.

Proud because of what we have achieved in the fight against the Apartheid regime.

However, in the same breath, my disappointment comes from the regress and weakening of our democratic freedoms.

Unfortunately, due to ANC maladministration and mismanagement of state operations; our democratic freedoms have suffered to the point of unbearable concern.

I would like to highlight one lesson we can take away from the fight against Apartheid is that freedom does not come for free.

We must fight for it, nurture it and protect it at all costs.

The Democratic Alliance today is standing up against the cronyism and patronage ANC network that infringes on our people’s right to access free and fair opportunities for all.

here are three specific areas where regress has been notably worrying; firstly, the South African Police Services has taken several leaps backwards. Instead of SAPS being a strong trusted police institution, it has amounted to nothing but an office where cases go to die. An office where dockets can go missing if your brown envelope is thick enough, an office where sexually abused victims investigated for being “provocative”, rather than being victims of a crime.

Secondly, employment cannot flourish without an educated or skilled workforce. The South African education system is still far from where we should be as a middle-income country that spends 15% of its total budget on education.

Work opportunities in South Africa have become so scarce that the youth have resorted to desperately begging for employment on street corners. This is one sad reality that the ANC government has failed dismally on. There is no doubt that for a citizen to experience true social and economic freedom, they need access to employment.

The Democratic Alliance supports the right to freedom of movement. However, we must stress that this must be within the confinements of the law.

The law exists to protect both the state and the immigrant. Therefore, the third and final issue that needs redress includes the problem of unmonitored boarders.

We have seen the rise of Xenophobic attacks within the past few years. This was due to a combination of issues, but the main ones are unemployment and the influx of unaccredited immigrants moving down to South Africa.

Therefore Speaker, Freedom Day marks a very important day for us to reflect; reflect on where we have come from. Reflect on where we are now and envisage where we should be going.

The Democratic Alliance truly believes that if we can focus on these three issues; creating jobs, the overhaul of SAPS and improving the functionality of our boarders, South Africa will truly be heading the right direction in strengthening economic and social freedoms for the citizens of the country.

I would like to end off with a quote by our late Former President Mandela; “For to be free is not merely to cast off ones’ chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others”

The time has come. A time where we commit to action. Action that enhances Freedom.

Thank You.

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R15.2 million allocated for all public holidays in Gauteng

In a written response to a DA question, Gauteng Premier David Makhura revealed that R15.2 million of the provincial budget will be spent on public holidays in the province.

This is a colossal waste of public funds as money could be better spent in developing the township economy and assisting the 242 000 young people that are unemployed in the province with finding a job.

The Premier revealed the breakdown of costs per public holiday as follows:

Freedom Day – 27 April R2.4 million
Workers Day – 1 May R200 000
Youth Day – 16 June R3.2 million
Women’s Day – 9 August R2.5 million
Heritage Day – 24 September R8 million + R2.5million from Arts & Culture budget

The Premier and the ANC have only paid lip service to the “radical economic transformation” they wish to implement in the province.

The provincial government could have collaborated with civil society, trade unions and private organisations to drastically cut expenditure and save money on these days of national celebration.

However, the ANC-run province of Gauteng will now further extend a hand of patronage to service providers closely linked to their organisation.

The DA will submit further questions on these celebrations to ascertain the exact amount of money spent, supply chain management processes followed and the procurement of service providers in order to celebrate these days.

It is disingenuous that jobseekers in the province struggle to find work whilst millions of rands are spent on frivolous ribbon-cutting exercises.

Media Enquiries

Kingsol Chabalala MPL
DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts, Culture and Heritage
060 558 8299

Yaseen Carelse
Media and Issues Specialist
073 895 5789

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DA Debates Freedom Day

Note to editors: The following speeches were delivered in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature today by the DA Gauteng Caucus Leader, John Moodey MPL and DA Spokesperson on Economic Development, Ashor Sarupen MPL, during a debate on Freedom Day.

 

Speech by: John Moodey MPL

 “Millions jobless despite 22 years of freedom”

  • 22 years of the peoples’ choice in government and the best constitution in the world yet far too many of our people are still struggling.
  • Millions of South Africans are still in chains and denied their dignity and are robbed of a brighter future.
  • 22 years on yet far too many of our people will remain oppressed by unemployment and poverty – they are denied quality basic services, their future remains bleak because of corruption and self-enrichment by those in authority.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Speech by: Ashor Sarupen MPL

“The DA embodies the values of uTata Madiba”

  • On the 27th of April 1994, we as a nation cast off our shackles, our prejudices, forgave each other, and, for the first time, elected a government on the basis of one person, one vote.
  • Using stereotypes to discredit people is wrong.
  • Verwoerd’s dream was to box people in on identity politics. To say that if you are Indian, or black, or coloured you live only in certain areas, practice certain religions, sound only a certain way with a certain language and can only attain a certain level of education was his dream – and it was wrong. It was evil.

The full speech can be obtained here.

 

Media enquiries:

John Moodey MPL

DA Gauteng Caucus Leader

082 960 3743

 

Ashor Sarupen

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Social Development

060 558 8303

[Image source]

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SPEECH BY MR ASHOR SARUPEN, MPL ON FREEDOM DAY, DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON THURSDAY, 26 APRIL 2016

The DA embodies the values of uTata Madiba

Thank You Madame Speaker.

I had started school in 1994. My memories of our first election, to be honest, was that I had a day off from school. I remember being even more excited that I got a full three days off from school when voting had to be extended. I even hoped for a fourth day to be added. I was only 6 years old and I did not understand the gravity of the situation, the changes that were happening, or the impact that this would have on history.

It is only now, as an adult, looking back, that I can truly appreciate how lucky I was to have been alive during this time.

On the 27th of April 1994, we as a nation cast off our shackles, our prejudices, forgave each other, and, for the first time, elected a government on the basis of one person, one vote. The ballot knew no colour, no creed, no gender – it expressed the will of everyone who participated. It produced our first ever government of the people, by the people. It led to our constitution, widely acknowledged to be the gold standard as far as constitutions go the world over.

My childhood memories of the time before and after that election was stark. I was enrolled in the Indian-only school in Springs but shortly after that election my parents made the necessary financial sacrifices to get me into a former whites-only school Little did I realise at the time that the reason I didn’t start my schooling there was because of the colour of my skin.

I remember my parents having a sense of uncertainty before that election, but a sense of confidence after.

I took for granted that I could have all my friends at my childhood birthday parties regardless of the colour of their skin. It didn’t even occur to any of us that this wouldn’t have been allowed a decade earlier.

Which is why, for me, it is incredibly disappointing when our political discourse descends into insults based on identity politics rather than ideas. To discredit arguments, there are people engaged in our discourse who make fun of people based on their accents, their skin tone, their backgrounds and not their ideas. This is wrong. Using stereotypes to discredit people is wrong.

Verwoed’s dream was to box people in on identity politics. To say that if you are Indian, or black, or coloured you live only in certain areas, practice certain religions, sound only a certain way with a certain language and can only attain a certain level of education was his dream – and it was wrong. It was evil.

Those in this house and in our political discourse who perpetuate this do a disservice to our democratic project and the values of our constitution and the hope people felt in 1994.

I could name members in this house who continue to do this, but in the spirit of the values I refer to, I will not. You know who you are.

Rather, I will commend those members with whom I have political differences, who disagree with me on the issues and on policies, but never insult or degrade anyone because of how they look, how they sound, or the colour of their skin. Because, this helps me keep the faith that our democracy can still work.

Honourable Speaker, Honourable Khumalo, Honourable Magerman, Honourable Mmbata, and especially Honourable Nkabinda, thank you for adhering to non-racial values.

There are a small handful of others, but time is limited – thank you too. Whatever our political differences, at least you take me on for my ideas and not my identity. I still think some of your ideas are wrong, but we have a few more years to debate.

Lastly, thank you to every member of the DA caucus – my own caucus embodies the dream of the rainbow nation, my own caucus does not play identity politics and my own caucus makes me feel part of a family. Thank you especially for waving the flag for non-racialism and embodying the values of Nelson Mandela and our constitution.

 

Media enquiries:

Ashor Sarupen

DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Economic Development

060 558 8303

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SPEECH BY MR JOHN MOODEY, MPL ON FREEDOM DAY, DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON THURSDAY, 26 APRIL 2016

Millions jobless despite 22 years of freedom

Honourable Speaker

It was a Sunday afternoon and about one kilometre from our home in Western Township. We were confronted by a group of about 10 very young men who beat my dad to a pulp. It took about five months to recover from the assault – six weeks thereof as he was hospitalised. When my mom reported the incident to the police their response was “wat het die hotnot daar gesoek!”

Yes we were reduced to the status of sub-human under an oppressive regime that we had no hand in choosing.

Voltaire once said and I quote: “Man is born free yet, everywhere he is in chains.” We cannot deny our past a very painful past, most of us in this house spent the better part of our lives living in chains.

It is the experiences such as the one I mentioned, that gave us the strength to persevere, fight and to overcome.

The dream became a reality 22 years ago.

After decades of struggle and a few years of negotiations we were free to choose the government of our choice – Our Constitution the supreme law of our country finally recognised all of us black, white, coloured or Indian as equals before the law.

22 years of the peoples’ choice in government and the best constitution in the world yet far too many of our people are still struggling.

Millions of South Africans are still in chains and denied there dignity and are robbed of a brighter future.

22 years on yet far too many of our people will remain oppressed by unemployment and poverty – they are denied quality basic services, their future remains bleak because of corruption and self-enrichment by those in authority.

Friends and colleagues, we in this house need to constantly remind ourselves why we are here, who put us here and what our mandate is.

What do our people expect from us? Are we really representing the interests of all the residents in Gauteng? Are we candidly doing everything possible to improve the plight of our people and to address their challenges?

Are we truly working on building a better South Africa with a brighter future and are we satisfied with what we as individuals have achieved.

Honourable members, let us find the true meaning of freedom, may it be economically, just and fair with the values enshrined in our Constitution to continue to seek opportunities to lift South Africans out of poverty.

 

Media enquiries:

John Moodey MPL

DA Gauteng Caucus Leader

082 960 3743

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SPEECH BY MRS MICHELE CLARKE, MPL ON FREEDOM DAY MOTION DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON TUESDAY, 28 APRIL 2015

The MEC asked referring to the DA why we did not attend the President’s Freedom Day celebrations. MEC We would rather be working in our communities assisting them with service delivery issues for e.g. the community of Barcelona who still have no basic services after 21 years is that true freedom

Yesterday on the 27th April South Africans from all walks of life celebrated freedom day.  On this day 21 years ago, our nation participated in the first post-apartheid elections that heralded the dawn of truly, non-racist, non-sexist, all inclusive democracy.  It is always valuable, in fact it is critical that we reflect on the lives of the brave men and woman, through their selfless actions, delivered us unto a peaceful and democratic South Africa, ensuring that our freedom would be protected by one of the finest constitutions ever crafted.  Their efforts enabled South Africa to become a Country of opportunity and prosperity, allowing citizens to become the masters of their own destinies

Today, let us remember the contribution our beloved Tata Madiba made to ensure the freedom of our country.  21 years on, the colours of that rainbow dream has started to pale.  How free are we really under the current ANC Government?  It would appear that our alliances with freedom is slowly eroding.  A nation that was filled with hope and dreams of prosperity has been reduced to a grubby shadow of its former self.  Callous, barbaric attacks on our foreign brothers and sisters, bring back the haunting memories of violence that rocked the nation in the late 80’s and 90’s.  The actions of these opportunist criminals must be dealt with harshly.

High levels of unemployment, and a floundering economy has gouged the gulf of inequality ever wider.  For people to be truly free we need policy certainty.  The unemployment rate within Gauteng is around 29,6% with around 42% of the population living below the poverty line.

With the overwhelming amount of violent crime meted out on a daily basis, we have become a nation with an ailing psyche.  With no dignity, no opportunity and a low growth rate in our economy we are essentially devoid of leading meaningful lives.

All South Africans should be afforded the opportunity to contribute to the growth of this beautiful country.  Government must provide proper leadership, we must invest in knowledge, education and skills development.

While the ANC May have a notable history as a liberation movement, they have certainly failed to emulate their success as an inclusive government.  One need look no further but at the housing crisis in Gauteng.  Many community members have received RDP houses have not received their title deeds to prove that they are in fact the legal owners of these houses

Instead of having a foot up on the economic ladder, these piece meal offerings are of little substance or use.

21 years have passed since our democratic transition, and the ANC has failed to empower people to achieve the kind of freedom as enshrined in our constitution.

Bureaucratic and cumbersome red tape has stifled economic growth.  It must be easier for small businesses to establish themselves, allowing for broader participation with in the economy.  Entrepreneurs must be able to operate in a regulated framework that protects and promotes their interests.

Addressing these critical factors will enhance the freedom of our people.  Government must create an environment conducive to stimulating growth resulting in much needed job creation in the province, jobs not limited only to the few well connected.   While aggressive steps must be taken to deal with corruption, strong punitive action must be taken against those involved in nefarious activities to safe guard the public purse

The freedom that we celebrate today is a precious gift.  We earn freedom by protecting it, we win our freedom by ensuring that our children have the opportunities to live lives free from poverty and inequality.  Tata Madiba said that “for to be free is not merely the cast of ones chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”  We have the ability to meet this end, but to do so, we must be the sum of our Provinces parts.

I thank you.