Premier David Makhura: You must ensure the safety of Gauteng’s citizens

 

The deployment of 600 ANC MK Veterans from Kwa-Zulu Natal to Gauteng in anticipation of various democratic and peaceful marches scheduled around the province on Friday 7 April is an open incitement to violence – and a clear sign that the ANC has now condoned violence as a means to shield President Jacob Zuma from national scrutiny.

 

As the Premier of Gauteng, David Makhura must put his position in the ANC aside and hold true to his oath of office by ensuring that every single participant in any one of the marches scheduled for Friday in Gauteng is protected.

 

Premier Makhura has the power to avert a crisis by deploying more SAPS members to these marches.

 

As South Africans from all walks of life, and from across the political divide, gather to exercise their democratic right to protest President Jacob Zuma, it is the now imperative for good men to stand up and be counted.

 

Premier Makhura cannot sit idle while thousands of lives are placed in danger by the ANC who would see democracy eroded in defence of the indefensible.

 

Our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers – young and old will be peacefully standing in solidarity on Friday.

 

Premier Makhura, the people will not be deterred. We will continue our march, and encourage all concerned South Africans to join us.

Media Enquiries:

John Moodey MPL
DA Gauteng Provincial Leader
082 960 3743

Warren Gwilt
DA Economic Cluster Manager
073 601 6144

We will never stop defending Human Rights

Today we think back to dark days when the people of this country were oppressed and impoverished by the dehumanizing system of colonialism, and then Apartheid.

Colonialism and Apartheid stripped South Africans of their dignity. Slavery, forced labour, displacement, violent subjugation, racial classification with its humiliating tests, making people think they were inferior because of the colour of their skin, industrialised exploitation — these things are all, and much else besides, the legacy of those systems of repression and exploitation. 

Now there are some people who believe that this was the price of development and infrastructure.

Well, if this was the price of development, then I say that this price was too high.

Development that is forced upon a country under threat of violence is not human progress. Development achieved by free exchange with the global community, harnessing the best of human ingenuity and fostering a unity of purpose – that is the development we desire.

Because, as a party that stands for individual freedom, we can never condone any aspect of oppression.

The DA will never stop defending human rights, at home or abroad. Oppression has no place in the world we live in.

We will continue to build bridges to unite South Africans, bringing them together when everyone else is seeking to divide them. Madiba dreamed of a country united around a common South African identity, where South Africa would truly belong to all who live in it, both black and white.

We are now the only party that still believes in and works for this vision. The ANC has long abandoned it, they too seek to divide us against each other. They may have abandoned it, but we never will. It is the only sure way to shared prosperity for our country.

We will continue to hold the ANC to account for shielding dictators like Al Bashir.

We will continue to condemn human rights abuses wherever they are committed, whether it is in Zimbabwe, Western Sahara, Sudan, Russia, Syria or anywhere else.

We will continue to fight for the human rights of South Africans here at home, when they are harassed and met with violence from their own government, as they were in Marikana; or when the vulnerable are neglected and left to die, as the “Esidimeni” patients were.

We will stand against the new wave of populists on the right and the left. From Marine Le Pen to Nicolas Maduro. From Donald Trump to Robert Mugabe. From Geert Wilders to Viktor Orban.

Here, at home, we will stand up against those who justify majority tyranny or express sympathy for those systems. Just as we stand up against those who are nostalgic for minority rule.

The painful legacy of colonialism and apartheid is still with us today, and still impacts the way that most South Africans live: cut off from economic opportunity, geographically dislocated and badly educated. These South Africans have been let down by a corrupt ANC government that is more concerned with helping itself and its cronies, than with fixing the inequities of apartheid.

We will continue building a social compact based on non-racialism and reconciliation.

We will continue to stand up for a strong Constitution that protects everybody’s rights.

We will continue to develop new policies that empower South Africans to rise above their circumstances of their birth and build a better future for their families.

We are focusing on expanding opportunities for every child to get the education they need to compete in the global knowledge economy of the 21st century.

We are focusing on skills development for young people, including internships, apprenticeships and vocational training.

And we are looking at ways to grow the economy so that more young people can begin meaningful careers in their chosen fields.

Above all, we are focused on the project of defeating the ANC so that every South African may one day be truly free.

The ANC has become the corrupt and ignoble parasite we were warned against. The ANC cannot be salvaged, it cannot self-correct, it must be defeated at the ballot box.

We will not be derailed by those who put their own interests before the project.

We will not be distracted by sideshows.

We will not be divided.

Together, we will build a non-racial society based on freedom, fairness and opportunity for all.

Ke a leboga. Thank you.

DA Leader Maimane to commemorate the sinking of the SS Mendi

Today, 21 February 2017, Democratic Alliance Leader, Mmusi Maimane, will commemorate the sinking of the SS Mendi, a tragedy which took place a century ago, on 21 February 1917.

This tragic sinking saw 616 South Africans perish, including 607 black men serving in the South African Native Labour Contingent.

The Leader will be joined by DA Gauteng Provincial Leader, John Moodey, DA National Spokesperson, Refiloe Nt’sekhe and Johannesburg MMC for Community Development, Nonhlanhla Sifumba.

The media is invited to cover the commemoration as follows:

Date: 21 February 2017

Time: 10:00 – 10:30

Location: Beyers Naude Square, Johannesburg CBD (Opposite the Gauteng Legislature)

 

 

 

Media enquiries:

Mabine Seabe

Spokesperson to the DA Leader

084 677 7851

 

Graham Charters

Event Liaison Officer

072 635 0440

[Image source]

Tomorrow We Can Win Tshwane And Bring Real CHANGE

We Can Win

The DA is on the brink of making history in Tshwane. We can win and move our capital city forward again, by bringing change that creates jobs, delivers better services and stops corruption.

South Africans face an important choice this election: more of the same, under an uncaring ANC, that has allowed corruption to steal from our people, and joblessness to sky-rocket. Or real change that will help realise Nelson Mandela’s dream for our country.

Tshwane Residents

Together we can bring the change the DA has an excellent track-record of, to Tshwane, but this is only possible if each and every voter who wants to see the Capital move forward again comes out to vote for the DA.

I invite my fellow Tshwane residents, proud of our home-town, to come out tomorrow and make our mark for change. Together we can win Tshwane, and every vote will count.

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

SPEECH BY MRS REFILOE NT’SEKHE, MPL ON THE MOTION IN REGARD TO 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FREEDOM CHARTER DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON TUESDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2015

Thank you madam speaker!

Today it is an honor to be debating the Anniversary of the Freedom charter of the African National Congress.

First I wish to honour the founding members of the ANC. The question I have is to all South Africans:  is today’s South Africa the South Africa which was envisioned when the ANC was founded or when the charter was drafted?

It is concerning to me as a mother of 3 young children that even today we live in a country divided on racial lines perpetuating by the ruling party.

ANC says they practice non-racialism yet in everything they say and do divides the people of South Africa: they tell South Africans that the DA is for whites, not looking at the facts: yes the DA is for one race: the human race!

As the DA we believe that as a country we are better together than we are apart.

The freedom charter says that the people shall govern yet in true terms the ANC does not respect South African people: the disrespect of the ANC to the constitutional institutions:  only the DA realizes that by protecting these institutions then we protect the constitution and ultimately democracy.

The independence of these institutions is vital to ensuring that criminal elements in government and in society are held to account for their criminal activities. The judiciary should be independent. As long as they feel free from the threat of accountability because these institutions are undermined, the criminal elements will continue to loot and plunder state coffers at the expense of South African citizens.

As the DA we will fight to protect these institutions.

The charter says that we shall have equal rights yet under the ANC government, it seems that those who are politically connected have more rights than other South Africans.

That is concerning because the charter further says we are equal before the law: yet is seems that there are” South Africans who act as if they are above the law.

The charter then goes on to say that there shall be work and security.

There shall be work: to me it seems South Africa has entered a second wave struggle: the struggle for economic freedom: Unemployed youth currently account for 67% of unemployed people in South Africa.

Having a job not only puts food on the table but gives people a sense of dignity and accomplishment. The ruling party has failed to grow the economy and create jobs. In the South West in South Africa, there is a blue province. This province boasts the lowest unemployment average, at 29.9%, compared to the average of 36.9% across the country.

Under  a DA government there is good government that ensures that its youth have good education where-ever they are.

Under a DA government the economy grows and all South Africans especially the youth are able to create businesses and find jobs with ease.

Under a DA government South Africans will be safe

Under a DA government, South Africans should have access to services such as water, electricity and good health care.

Under the DA, the government  is free of corruption: clean, open practices by those in office and they will be accountable to the people.

A DA government will facilitate economic growth thereby moving those who are are not vulnerable from welfare to economic independence.

This is the DA promise which we are already delivering on where we govern. When we take over other municipalities we will implement our promise the the people of South Africa.

That is the promise of a delivering party who values are enshrined in Freedom, Fairness and Opportunity.

SPEECH BY MR KHUME RAMULIFHO, MPL ON THE MOTION IN REGARD TO 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FREEDOM CHARTER DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON TUESDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2015

Honourable Speaker

Thank you for the opportunity to debate this charter. Instead of debating who owns the charter, whether is ANC, COPE or even newly established party it’s immaterial, so I will focus on what the charter was developed to address.

The charter talks about South Africans. All of us not some of us. The charter declared to the world that in South Africa, the doors of learning and culture shall be opened! I must confess that the ANC government has done well to provide access to education. Unfortunately this access was not matched by provision of quality basic education but by sub-standard education.

The charter urged government to discover, develop and encourage national talent for the enhancement of our cultural life but we had three great moments where almost all South African shared something in common. I remember 1995 Rugby World Cup, 1996 Africa Cup of Nation and hosting 2010 World Cup. These were real experiences which tried to bring some commonality in our country but we have turned to be a nation of scandals.

The aim of our education is no longer to teach the youth to love their people and their culture, to honour human brotherhood, liberty and peace. Why I’m saying this, look at how we are so violent, our learners are being gang raped at school, they are falling pregnant at primary school level, we are failing to embrace all our culture looking at languages except on heritage month. Instead of encouraging more African languages to be taught in schools or used as medium of instruction we bash the established language rather than learning how it was done.

The charter requires us not to see colour in cultural life, sport and education. But today as we speak, we still talk about race rather than merit. Possibly because government has failed to provide necessary facilities to create an inclusive society where criteria to play for national team will be based on competitiveness.

21 years later, there are no rugby, cricket, tennis, hockey, swimming and netball facilities in township. They are still in suburban areas. Where there are one or two, they aren’t being utilized to benefit locals rather they are white elephants.

The DA support certain commitments made as declaration adopted at the Congress of the people in Kliptown on 26 June 1955. We support these commitments as they are in line with our country’s constitution. That’s why, we are proud and committed to build one nation with one future. We promote diversity and encourage excellence work. We condemn and discourage people who celebrate mediocrity.

In a fair society, we need government to create opportunities for its people so they can use their talents to promote our country. This is the best way for our people to exercise their hard won freedoms.

SPEECH BY MR JOHN MOODEY, MPL ON THE HERITAGE MOTION DELIVERED IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE ON TUESDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2015

In his autobiography, former President Nelson Mandela said: “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.”

Mandela’s legacy is one which teaches that our common humanity is more valuable to us than our differences. We must all take personal responsibility for advancing reconciliation, and respecting and protecting all South Africans in their racial and cultural diversity.

This Heritage Day, let us all engage in a dialogue about taking responsibility for furthering the goal of a unified South Africa.

Statues are just inanimate objects built to commemorate a historical event or the life of an influential person. But times change and statues that commemorate figures from the past which might have been appropriate for their time are no longer fitting.

It must be clear to us all that we cannot erase history and we cannot escape the fact that our heritage is intertwined as South Africans.

Vandalising statues detracts from the conversation we should be having. Let’s have a conversation about every person getting the same opportunities to be the best they can be – irrespective of race or social standing.

A statue of our colonial past will be a constant reminder of the loss of our dignity when we lost our land, but at the same time it could be symbolic of our victory over apartheid. The challenge of our time is to build a new heritage and a new vision for an inclusive future.

No matter where we come from, no matter our race, no matter our culture, no matter our position in life, we all have a history – we all have a heritage. And it was Nelson Mandela who made our heritage the core of reconciliation.

Freedom and choice is the hard-won right of all South Africans.

Freedom is the right to think, say and do as we see fit, and to make our own choices in life, while remembering that in exercising them, we have responsibilities to not infringe on the rights of others.

The Constitution sets out all our freedoms. They include the right to equality and human dignity, as well as the freedom to be safe; the freedom of religion, belief and opinion; the freedom to earn a living; and the freedom that comes with having access to housing, health care, food and water. The ANC is curtailing the residents of Gauteng’s Freedoms by not giving people access to these basic rights.

People can’t enjoy their freedoms and take up their responsibilities if they don’t have the means – the skills, the tools and the opportunities – to do so. Opportunity is what enables people to be truly free; to live lives they value, to pursue their dreams, and to develop their full potential.

How can a child follow her dreams and develop her talents if she is born into poverty, if she does not receive a quality education, and if she cannot find work? That is still the situation for Gauteng’s children. Opportunity kills poverty.

The heritage of South Africa is one of diversity, united through reconciliation.

And we must continue to build that reconciliation. We must appreciate and respect the rights of every other citizen. No matter their heritage. No matter their position in life.

The state must take active measures in line with the Constitution to promote fairness – where everyone has equal access to rights and opportunities – and to ensure that the playing field is level for all South Africans.

This is the vision that is encapsulated by the DA’s Freedom, Fairness and Opportunity.

The ANC is working hard to create lasting unfairness with its cadre-deployment and nepotism.

In direct contrast, the DA wants to open this great province up to business, and to investment, so that we can stimulate economic growth and create jobs that benefit every person in Gauteng.

That is a heritage worth fighting for. That is a heritage that I want to see become a reality in Gauteng.

We must bridge the gap of inequality.

The heritage we will leave behind must be one of opportunity for all of our children.

This is what the DA is delivering where it governs and what it wants to bring to Gauteng.