Home Affairs still in breach of court order to re-open Cape Town Refugee Reception Office

The self-congratulatory tone of the Department of Home Affairs on the unveiling of a new building to house the Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office (RRO) is unbefitting a department which is still in breach of a court order to re-open the Cape Town RRO.

It has taken seven years for the department to comply with a court order to reopen the Port Elizabeth RRO. The reopening of the vital RRO only came about as a result of a lengthy legal battle fought all the way to the Constitutional Court.

The re-opening of the Port Elizabeth Office was ordered in 2015 and it is shocking that it has taken this long for the department to comply.

The DA will continue to put pressure on the department using all means at our disposal to ensure that the Cape Town Office is re-opened urgently.

Even as we speak, legal action has been instituted by NGOs to find the department in breach of a court order. It is an indictment on Minister Malusi Gigaba’s leadership that the applicants seek the appointment of a Special Master, a court appointed official, to oversee the compliance of Minister Gigaba with the court order.

The inefficiency of Home Affairs negatively affects asylum seekers who seek to regularise their stay in South Africa. The Department’s inability to process asylum applications could fuel illegal immigration as it will leave many refugees undocumented.

We will be visiting the Musina Refugee Reception Office on Tuesday, 19 June 2018, to conduct an oversight of that facility, and to speak with the clients at that Office about their experiences as we know that the mere presence of an open facility does not guarantee service delivery.

The DA will continue to fight for the efficient running of the Department of Home Affairs so that they assist applicants and do not continue to contribute to illegal immigration.

Young South Africans must, once again, claim their future

The following remarks were delivered by the Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), Mmusi Maimane, at the Hector Pieterson Memorial in Orlando West, Soweto, today. The Leader was joined by DA Gauteng Provincial Leader, John Moodey, DA National Spokesperson, Refiloe Nt’sekhe, Regional Chairperson, Heinrich Volmink and DA Youth Gauteng Chairperson, Pogiso Mthimunye.

My fellow South Africans,

42 years ago, tens of thousands of young South Africans marched from their Soweto schools to the Orlando Stadium to protest having to learn their school work in Afrikaans. They marched for the right to be taught in their own mother tongue.

But this protest was about more than just a language. It was also about demanding a fair and just society. It was about wanting to be seen in their own country – to be recognised as valid citizens and important members of society. It was about fighting for equality, and the dignity that comes with this.

These children were expressing what millions of other South Africans felt. And when the police opened fire on them with live ammunition, killing hundreds and injuring many more, they were attacking each and every South African who also wanted these freedoms for themselves and their families.

The brutal assault by the government on those children in Soweto was an assault on all who suffered under Apartheid. And this is why the Soweto uprising became the spark that ignited the powder keg. It galvanised and united the struggle.

The children of 1976 didn’t hate the language, they hated what it stood for. They hated that it represented a system designed to keep them down – to turn them into second-rate citizens. They hated the system that would deny them a chance to live the life they chose – a life of value in which they could make a contribution to society.

What started as a protest for mother tongue education became a rallying cry for freedom and equality that focused and intensified the struggle. Fourteen years later, Apartheid would fall, Nelson Mandela would walk free and we would take our first steps as a united South Africa.

We are honoured today to have some of the veterans of the ’76 uprising here with us. Our guests include the mother, sisters and brothers of Thili Mabaso, a young Soweto child who lost his life in the uprising. Thili was only ten years old.

I would ask that you all stand now for a minute’s silence in tribute to these men and women, and in memory of their brothers and sisters who lost their lives that day.

Thank you.

Many of our freedoms today are because of their sacrifice. It is our duty to remember them and stand with them. And this includes those who have disappeared – people like Mbuyisa Makhubu, the young man who carried Hector Pieterson in that famous photograph. We dare not forget their stories.

Back then, they took to the streets in protest because their prospects in life were grim. They knew that these prospects wouldn’t improve unless they did something about it.

But today there are still freedoms that have not materialised for many South Africans. Four decades after the children of Soweto paid the ultimate sacrifice, our children are still not truly free, and the prospects for a young person leaving our broken education system are still grim.

As early as the foundation phase of school we have already failed our children. Four out of five children in grade 4 cannot comprehend what they read. How must these children complete the rest of their grades and one day enter the world of work? This education inequality will drag them down for the rest of their lives.

Two-thirds of South Africans under the age of 24 cannot find work, and many of them eventually give up looking. Our official unemployment statistics don’t even include these “discouraged job seekers”. When we say unemployment is at 27%, we only mean the people who are still actively searching for a job. Once we include those who have given up, this number shoots up to almost 37%.

That is the future that young people in South Africa must face. And thanks to our education system, which is consistently ranked among the worst in the world, most of these people are very poorly prepared to step into that future and make it their own.

So what must we do? How do we change the course we’re on?

If there is one lesson we can learn from 1976, it’s that any change you want to see has to come from you.

By now you must know that this government is not going to improve your prospects in life.

This government is not going to suddenly turn thousands of dysfunctional schools around and improve the quality of teaching. If that was their plan, they would have done so already.

They’re not going to limit the power of SADTU and prevent them from further hijacking and damaging our children’s education. SADTU is their alliance partner, and clearly more important to them than the fate of our children.

They’re not going to stop half our children from dropping out of school before they get to a matric exam. Improving the matric pass rate is more important to them than ensuring that all our children get an education.

They’re not going to open opportunities for our children after school through better access to colleges and universities, more internships, more apprenticeships, or any out-of-the-box thinking like a year of national civilian service. If they were going to any of these things, they would have by now.

They’re not going to suddenly become a caring government that acts in the interests of our children. Just last month police in Fochville opened fire with live ammunition on protesting school children. We stand here today and recall, with horror, what the Apartheid police did to children 42 years ago, but it’s still happening today by this government.

This government has proven, over two decades, that it neither can nor wants to improve the prospects of its young people. And so it falls to each and every young South African to learn from the class of ’76 and take matters into their own hands.

But I don’t mean go out and protest. I don’t mean use violence and put yourself in danger. I mean use your true power.

The children of Soweto ’76 laid down their lives for a better, more just South Africa. They helped ensure that each of us today has the freedom to replace a government that doesn’t work for them with one that will. That’s your power.

If you’ve come to realise that this government won’t fight for your future, then you can stand up to them. But this isn’t 1976. You don’t have to face their bullets. You can take the fight to them at the ballot box. That generation back then fought for freedom and for a better life. This generation today must continue this fight by using those freedoms to improve their lives.

Decide what it is you want in life – which opportunities you need to succeed, what kind of community you’d like to live in, what job you’d like to have, what education you’d like your children to receive.

Decide what a fair South Africa looks like to you. Is it one in which poor black South Africans remain locked out of the economy while connected cronies get rich through BEE deals and government contracts? Or is it one in which a growing, inclusive economy opens new opportunities for millions?

Decide what you’d like our society to look like. Do you want it to be divided and full of bitterness and blame, or would you rather live in peace, with kindness and respect among your fellow South Africans.

Do you believe that we were meant to hate and mistrust each other, or do you believe that we are better when we tackle our problems together? One nation with one united future.

Decide these things for yourself, and look carefully at the options available to you. And then use the power of your vote to stand up to this government.

Let the sacrifices of the Class of ‘76 not be in vain. They fought against Apartheid, but today there are those who want us to be apart again. You don’t have to accept this. Your voice in our democracy is just as loud as anyone else’s. Use it to help shape the South Africa you want to live in.

Together, we will build a country that works for all of us – a country that equips our children with a cradle-to-career plan to tackle the future.

A country where the social issues that hold our children back – issues like teenage pregnancy, the “blesser” culture, underage drinking, drugs and gangs – are spoken about openly.

A country where every single child is regarded as precious and given an education that will allow her or him to make the most of life’s opportunities.

A country the Class of ’76 would be proud of.

 

Eskom tariff increases an assault on the poor

The DA notes with concern the decision by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) to grant Eskom’s request to recover more than R32 billion by increasing electricity tariffs, essentially making electricity more expensive for South Africans.

This is on top of the confirmation that load shedding has been confirmed for today.

These future tariff increases combined with the recent VAT increase and unprecedented petrol hikes highlight how the ANC continues to make South Africans pay for their failures.

The cost of living for all South Africans is increasing, and it will be felt the most by the poor and marginalised.

The ongoing strike at Eskom will also no doubt have serious consequences for consumers and rolling blackouts could become the norm again. Unions are demanding an unrealistic 15% wage hike and have threatened to continue with the strike until their demands are met. With the annual inflation rate in April 2018 at 4.5%, these demands are unreasonable.

Based on our calculations, the average Eskom employee excluding executives earns R662 282 per year and a 15% increase would deepen Eskom’s financial woes and hasten the financial precipice moment where Eskom is no longer solvent.

The DA notes that Eskom has obtained a Court interdict prohibiting the intimidation of workers who are not participating in the strike action, as well as the high jacking of coal trucks. We trust that this will send a strong message to those who have made themselves guilty of intimidation and prevent any further load shedding.

The Ramaphosa administration continues to punish ordinary South Africans for years of corruption. It is clear that the “New Dawn” has not come to Eskom as the power utility lurches from one crisis to the next.

Poor South Africans already have to pay for the ANC’s corruption at Eskom, they cannot be expected to cough up more to pay for these salary and tariff increases at Eskom.

The people of South Africa, especially the poor, can no longer depend on the ANC to better their lives; the ANC continues to bring misery. It is time for a change in government, where the people come first. Only a DA-led government has the capacity to bring positive change to the lives of South Africans.

Solly Malatsi appointed as DA National Spokesperson

The Democratic Alliance (DA) wishes to inform members of the media that Solly Malatsi (33) has been appointed as a National Spokesperson. The Federal Executive (FedEx) took the decision to appoint an additional National Spokesperson, to serve alongside Refiloe Nt’sekhe, in order to fully capacitate the Party’s media and communications operation ahead of the 2019 General Elections.

Malatsi, a Limpopo Member of Parliament, brings with him strong political and communications expertise. He is a DA Young Leaders Programme graduate and previously served as a spokesperson in both the Western Cape Provincial Government and the City of Cape Town. He currently serves as the DA Shadow Minister of Human Settlements.

The DA wishes Malatsi well in his new position and welcomes him to FedEx.

Load shedding: SA still suffering the consequences of the ANC’s State Capture

The confirmation that stage 1 load shedding would be implemented this evening is disturbing, to say the least. This is despite repeated assurances, just last month, from Eskom that this would not be necessary as the entity had put in place their “winter readiness plan”.

Clearly, the plan has failed. Eskom must urgently brief the public and detail exactly why load shedding has become necessary tonight, what acts of sabotage have occurred and where, and if load shedding will become the norm once more.

Make no mistake, the current situation is a direct result of State Capture. For years the ANC allowed their cronies and the Gupta’s to suck the lifeblood out of state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

SOE funding was stolen for the personal benefit of the politically connected, high-paying jobs were handed out to those with no experience and now South Africans are made to pay for it. Over and over again.

At Eskom, the monster that is State Capture has gorged itself to bursting point. The entity has massive debt and a bloated workforce it cannot afford. All the while, the price of electricity keeps going up, which ordinary South Africans cannot afford.

Every day, South Africans are forced to bear the brunt of the ANC’s failings. The cost of petrol, food and transport have increased significantly and the daily struggle just to get by is becoming harder.

Tonight’s announcement is a stark reminder that there is much more work to be done to rid our country of the scourge of State Capture. This is because its architects still govern.

In next year’s elections, South Africans will have a choice between those who have put themselves first and robbed the country blind and those who have a proven track record of improving the lives of South Africans.

It is time for change that only a DA-led government can deliver.

Mala Mala land deal: Portfolio Committee finally agrees to initiate forensic audit following DA’s proposal

The DA welcomes the multi-party Rural Development and Land Reform Portfolio Committee’s decision to initiate a forensic investigation into the Mala Mala land deal.

Mala Mala is South Africa’s most expensive land deal to date and has cost taxpayers R 1.1 billion. It was finalised and restored to the Nwandlamharhi Communal Property Association (CPA) in 2013/2014.

Both the Land Claims Court and High court ruled that the price envisioned for Mala Mala was excessive and not in the best interests of South Africans. However, the deal went through before the case reached the Constitutional Court and this needs to be investigated.

After the DA pushed for the Portfolio Committee to discuss the Mala Mala claim, a multi-party committee heard a presentation by the Land Claims Commission and the committee adopted the DA’s proposal to initiate proceedings for a forensic investigation by the Special Investigative Units.

The report presented to the committee detailed how the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform handled the Mala Mala deal and further detailed possible corruption currently within the CPA, but could not explain why the state originally opposed the proposed amount of R751 737 million but finally settled on the increased amount outside of the courts.

The High-level Panel report chaired by former President, Kgalema Motlanthe, specifically stated that the Mala Mala claim is part the issue of inconsistent prioritisation of land claims, with other older claims being held back.

Additionally the panel found that “the community, recently formed for the purpose of lodging the land claim, was also not in fact eligible for restitution, but this fact was ignored by the Mpumalanga Land Claims Commission, despite the findings of a historical research report that was paid for by the Commission.”

Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, through the Executive, must ensure that a forensic audit into Mala Mala is instituted so that any past or current corruption can be exposed.

The DA stands at the forefront of fighting corruption and ensuring that land claim beneficiaries actually benefit from progressive Land reform decisions.

Fee-free Higher Education is floundering as more than 120 000 students are affected by NSFAS failures

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has revealed in a reply to a DA Parliamentary Question that at least 121 974 students have been affected by a delay in the payment of allowances. This is a much higher number than we initially thought and is cause for serious concern.  Of this number, 83% are university students, while 17% are Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students.

And not only that –  they have conceded that there are many more in the pipeline, still to be processed and paid, but they are unsure how many more. The much vaunted fee-free higher education system is failing tens of thousands of young people.

Only 17% of the known payout delays have been as a result of students not signing their agreement forms, while 83% were due to alleged “technical problems” in matching registration data for students.

NSFAS has been reluctant to take responsibility for depriving these students of accommodation, food and other necessities. The DA has therefore called for the immediate establishment of an emergency student allowance fund by the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Naledi Pandor, to ensure that this problem of delayed payments is brought to an end.

NSFAS has noted that 12 universities and 11 TVET colleges have been disrupted and faced protest action since the beginning of the year many as a result of NSFAS problems. This is unsurprising, given the students’ frustration.

In an attempt to deal with the situation, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has made a number of upfront payments to universities and TVET colleges to help cover costs in the meantime. But neither Colleges nor Universities are equipped to pay out grants accurately, and to the right students.

At TVET colleges, where living allowances are disbursed by the TVETs themselves, the DHET has “requested TVET colleges to proactively identify all students in need of allowances and submit their details to the Department for intervention.” But NSFAS has not confirmed to them who the eligible students really are.

NSFAS declined to say precisely how many students overall were still to receive allowances, despite admitting that while they know of 120,000 students who haven’t received payment, they actually simply do not know how many students in total should still be receiving allowances.

The academic year has reached its halfway mark, yet students are still uncertain as to whether they will be given living allowances the next month or if their institution will be shut down by protest. This has a devastating effect on their academic studies, sabotaging their chances of gaining employment.

There are already 9.5 million jobless people in South Africa and the country’s economy has contracted by 2.2%. We certainly cannot afford to have an increase in unemployment. The NSFAS situation threatens to lead students to give up their studies. Many young people have dropped out because of the delayed payments. Without educating our youth, the country cannot hope to create jobs.

South Africa needs the kind of change that ensures that students are be prioritised. The DA believes that investing in higher education will translate to more job opportunities and guaranteed economic growth, and that students need to be treated with fairness and dignity. What is happening now is a travesty.

#HealthcareCollapse: Public Hospitals have become a death-trap for the poor. Time for drastic action

Over the past month, the DA embarked on a countrywide oversight inspection of Public Hospitals and Clinics as part of our #HospitalHealthCheck campaign. Our aim was to assess the real conditions and quality of care at public health facilities.

This campaign highlighted a sobering reality that the counrty’s health system is teetering on the brink of total collapse. Public health facilities are no longer places of healing, they have become death-traps for the poor, who have no other options available to them.

The Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, continues to downplay the severity of the countless crises in our public health sector. This is the worst form of denialism, as countless South Africans have lost their lives due to the poor health conditions available to them.

The ANC government has failed the poor and vulnerable by subjecting our people to inhumane and degrading healthcare services. It is now clear that neither the Minister nor the ANC government, have the apatite to turn things around.

It is for this reason the DA embarked on the #HospitalHealthCheck oversight campaign – to bring to light the suffering of the sick at the hands of the ANC. Among the myriad of issues we identified throughout the provinces, there were 8 areas that were particularly alarming to the DA:

  • Chronic Staff Shortages and Long Waiting times

Hospitals and clinics are plagued by long waiting times for patients, this can be directly linked to the chronic staff shortages which have also led to the neglect and even deaths of many patients. All the facilities we visited lacked staff in critical positions.

During our inspection of the Bongani Hospital in the Free State, we found that the facility only had one nephrology Sister to attend to patients suffering from kidney diseases. This, despite health Norms and Standards indicating that hospitals should have 9. We also found that there are only 4 porters available to service the whole hospital.

While inspecting the Pediatric Ward in Taung District Hospital in North West, the DA found that there was no qualified resident paediatrician to treat children and that the ward is severely understaffed, from nurses, cleaning staff and cooks.

Tembisa Hospital in Gauteng only has 40% of the nurses that are required. According to international Norms and Standards, the hospital should have at least 628 more nurses to provide proper health services to patients.

The Soweto-on-Sea Clinic in Port Elizabeth is only visited once a week for four hours by a doctor while the clinic services 3 000 patients per month. This was also mirrored in our visit to KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) St Mary’s and RK Khan Hospitals, where KZN’s Health Department has vacancies of 5 926 critical staff.

At the South Rand Hospital in Gauteng, the benchmark waiting time for medicines is supposed to be 40 minutes, but most patients said they wait two hours and sometimes much longer.

  • Equipment shortages

One of the key system failures that have been identified by the DA is the purchasing and maintenance of medical equipment. Medical devices and equipment are essential for the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of medical conditions.

During our inspection of RK Khan Hospital in KZN, the DA found that the X-ray department still has no defibrillator despite us having alerted MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo in 2014 that it was broken. This is a busy hospital where the need for what is a potentially life-saving piece of equipment is critical.

Children at the Pediatric Ward in Taung District Hospital in North West are also at risk of continual infection, as there is currently no isolated ward and basic equipment to control infections.

At Bongani Hospital in the Free State, the hospital has 9 theatres but only 3 are operational due to ineffective equipment. The renal plant has not been operational since its inception. The hospital relies on mobile Reverse Osmosis machines, which means they can only assist 8 patients a day. Had they focused on operationalising the renal plant they would have been able to assist 28 patients a day.

  • Oncology Crisis

President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised action with regards to cancer treatment. This promise was not realized as there is not a single radiation oncologist in Limpopo or Mpumalanga. In fact, half the country’s provinces may be relying on just nine radiation oncologists in Gauteng as cancer services in five provinces buckle. In contrast, the Western Cape has 16 cancer specialists in the Public Sector.

While inspecting the RK Khan Hospital in KZN, we learned that waiting times for CT scans are as long as three months while the next available mammogram appointment is in 2019. This waiting period has had a huge impact on patient care as only “possible cancers”, those that can be surgically treated or are in early stages given priority.

  • Shortages of consumables and medicine

At both hospital and clinic level, there are serious concerns over the lack of availability of medicines, vaccines and consumables. This hampers the efficient functioning of facilities and the safe treatment of patients.

While inspecting various Hospitals in Nelspruit and Barberton in Mpumalanga, Emergency Medical Care personnel told the DA that they have resorted to buying vital medical equipment such as high blood pressure machines out of their own pockets due to the department failing to provide such equipment.

In the Northern Cape at the Kimberly Hospital, procurement is done at the provincial office, which is out of touch with the actual needs of the hospital. This results in a shortage of basic supplies such as toilet paper and often results in the purchase of inferior supplies, such as surgical gloves.

For the past two months at Maphutha Malatji Hospital in Limpopo, the pharmacy has not had an Iron supplement drug, a vital medicine for pregnant women and HIV patients as well as Panado Syrup – a pain-killer for children.

While at St Mary’s Hospital in KZN, doctors and nurses complained of shortages of simple and everyday disposables such as syringes, needles and “jelcos” which are used for intravenous access to set up drips.

  • Negligence and claims

Furthermore, medical negligence claims have led to large payouts which have put a strain on the health budget.

Currently, medico-legal claims run in the billions. Last year, the Gauteng Health Department had R18.6 billion in negligence claims, Eastern Cape had R16.7 billion and KZN had over R9.2 billion. In comparison, the Western Cape Department of Health has R135 million in claims lodged against it.

The DA’s oversight inspection to Maphutha Malatji hospital in Limpopo shockingly revealed that of the approximately 230 babies born at this facility every month, an average of 28% (about 64) die.

  • Transport and Ambulance related issues

Access to health care is a particular concern given the centrality of poor access in perpetuating poverty and inequality.

In one of the hospitals that we inspected in Mpumalanga, we found that the area was allocated 4 ambulances but only 2 are operational. The other two weren’t operational due to mechanical problems. Many of the ambulances had travelled more than four hundred thousand kilometres and posed a risk to patients and medical personnel.

The inspection of St Mary’s Hospital revealed that the hospital does not have an onsite laboratory. The result is that patients are often taken into theatre without the necessary blood tests. According to staff, routine blood samples are taken to RK Khan Hospital, some 20 kilometres away, which has its own problems in terms of transport and delays in ensuring that tests are returned on time.

  • Infrastructure/Lack of Maintenance

Infrastructure is a major concern in the Health sector. The Department’s Annual Report shows that out of the 44 Community Health Centres which were to be constructed and revitalised, only 22 were completed. Out of the 8 hospitals that were supposed to be constructed or revitalised, only 3 were completed. The Department is not reaching more than half of its goals when it comes to infrastructure and this is very worrying, as the vast majority of South Africans have to suffer in inadequate health facilities.

No maintenance has taken place at the Bongani Hospital since it was built 20 years ago. Shockingly at our visit to the Schoemansdal Clinic in Mpumalanga, the toilets haven’t been working for a very long time causing embarrassment to both patients and staff. The pit toilet which is currently being used leaves an unbearable stench which is aggravated by rain.

  • Mental Health Crisis

Following the Life Esidemieni tragedy in Gauteng, government is yet again failing to stop future mental health tragedies in South Africa.

At Tembisa Hospital, psychiatric patients are kept for long periods of time as there are not enough beds for them at Weskoppies Mental Hospital – they should only be at Tembisa Hospital for 72-hour observation before they are discharged or sent to a longer-term facility.

While at Life Esidimeni in Limpopo; rather than increasing their budget to assist with the maintenance of the facility, a decision has been made to halt the funding of the non-profit and for the Limpopo Department of Social Development (DSD) to take over the management and functions of the centre.

Given the bad track record of the DSD in Limpopo, its financial constraints and record of mismanagement, every effort must be made to ensure that the mental health centre in Shiluvana remains in the hands of the of Life Esidimeni.

  • The DA’s Offer

The findings from our #HospitalHealthCheck oversight inspection campaign makes it clear that all is not well in our public health sector. Although there are financial constraints facing the Department, it is evident that at the heart of our failing health system is maladministration, poor oversight and the ANC’s disconnect with the vulnerable and sick South Africans.

Minister Motsoaledi’s National Health Insurance will not solve the mess that is the public health system. The NHI is not feasible, as seen with the disastrous pilot projects across the country.

The DA has launched our plan for universal healthcare in South Africa, which we have titled Our Health Plan (OHP). We believe our offer is the most credible and workable option that seeks to ensure that no person is denied quality healthcare because they are poor.

The DA’s mission as a national government-in-waiting is to guarantee universal health care for all South Africans.

Our Health Plan includes:

  • Faster delivery – Our Health Plan will provide quality healthcare to all within 5-8 years, whereas NHI will take 10-15 years to implement;
  • More affordable – Our Health Plan will provide quality healthcare which is affordable. It can be implemented using our current health budget. This would mean that medical aid contributions would no longer be tax deductible. The additional revenue would go to reducing the costs of medical aid. The NHI, on the other hand, is budgeted to cost up to an additionalR182 billion per year, which we simply cannot afford;
  • Fairer – By bringing the medical aid tax credit on budget, and allocating some of it to build better services in the public health sector, those with medical aid are cross-subsidising those without, an act of health justice; and
  • Works in practice – Many of the aspects of Our Health Plan have successfully been implemented in the Western Cape, and the results speak for themselves. The DA-run Western Cape Province has a track record of delivering better health care than any other province. For example, the maternal mortality rate in South Africa is 153 deaths per 100 000 live births, while the rate for the Western Cape is almost half that, at 84.

Our Health Plan is the most practical approach to universal healthcare, as it aims to keep what should be kept, fix what should be fixed, and smartly extend services that should be extended within the limits of the national purse.

Hospitals under DA governance will be places where people are cared for and lives saved; not places where people are abused and die.

There is a need for a more immediate solution to the health system which will save lives and provide decent services to people of South Africa. The #HospitalHealthCheck oversights have clearly showcased that the National Department of Health and Provincial Departments of Health have failed in their mandate to act and intervention is needed.

  • Strengthening Health oversight bodies to save lives

The Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) is an independent body established in terms of the National Health Amendment Act of 2013 to ensure that both public and private health establishments in South Africa comply with the required health standards. While the OHSC monitors and evaluates health services in the health sector, it lacks the necessary statutory power to act against transgressors.

The current Health Ombudsman under the OHSC, can investigate and make recommendations to the CEO of OHSC. If the CEO does not pursue the case the Ombud can elevate the case to the Minister of Health. But as evidenced by the lack of action by the current Minister of Health, the DA proposes that the Health Ombudsman and the Public Protector coordinates to enact recommendations that are truly enforceable and independent.

  • Conclusion

The #HospitalHealthCheck has exposed both the current state of public healthcare in South Africa, as well the ANC’s failure to intervene and perform oversight in the collapsing health care system. Poor, sick South Africans do not have dignified access to healthcare because their government chooses to ignore their plights.

We are of the strong belief that the ANC government has not fulfilled its obligations in terms of Section 27 of the Constitution. Section 27(1)(a) states that “Everyone has the right to have access to healthcare services, including reproductive health care”.Subsections (2) and (3) go on furhter to say that “The state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of each of these rights; and No one may be refused emergency medical treatment.”

We have reported many of these cases to the Health Ombudsman Prof Malegapuru Makgoba, but we believe that the collapse of the health system requires wider and more direct intervention so the full scale of the problem can be uncovered with the mission of finding a lasting an workable solution.

We have therefore written to President Cyril Ramaphosa to estbalish a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Collapse of South Africa’s Healthcare System. See the letter here. The President is empowered to do so in terms of Section 84(f) of the Constituion. We also wrote to the South African Human Rights Commission (letter here), which oversaw hearings into the KZN Oncology Crisis, the Public Protector (letter here) and the Health Ombudsman (letter here) to throw their weight behind the establishment of a Judicial Commission. 

The DA has shown through our management of the Western Cape Health Department, our Health Plan and the strengthening of health oversight that better services are possible is in South Africa.

A change in government is ultimately the most direct way the people of South Africa can effect change in the heatlhcare system.

The DA will continue to expose negligence, inhumane treatment of patients and poor health services in our public healthcare facilities because of our people deserve access to quality health services irrespective of the socio-economic backgrounds.

DA-led Western Cape has created 487 000 jobs

The Lansdowne Bottling Company (LBC) that I visited today is not simply a bottling company. It is an institution in Cape Town that continues to be successfully owned and managed by the Patel family who founded the company 84 years ago.  The Patel family’s bottling operation can be traced from the origin of their Marshall Bros product in 1934 District Six to its Salt River expansion and eventual acquisition of the over 20 000 square metre plant bottling its signature “Double O” and “Co-ee” soft drinks in Lansdowne.

This company has played a leading role in the DA-led Western Cape government’s “Energy Security Game Changer” which aims to bring down the demand for energy by the industrial sector in the province by 10% by 2020. By going green they have joined many other businesses in benefitting from the DA-led City of Cape Town’s Renewable Energy Feed In Tariff (REFIT) programme.

The company’s decision to implement a 260KW solar system in 2015 has seen them become less reliant on Eskom and lowered their cost of energy. These savings have allowed LBC to focus on their core business, growing it exponentially and creating new jobs. In this time, they’ve expanded to a work force of 85 employees. They’ve now achieved green building status, and by encouraging others to embrace solar, there are now more renewable energy companies and many more new jobs in this growing green energy industry that is forecast to be worth R75 billion in the province by 2035.

And even after the worst drought in recorded history, the Western Cape continues to see the highest year-on-year employment increase over the past year with 123 000 nett new jobs created. Which is 75% of all jobs created in the entire country in the past year.

Since 2009 when the DA was elected in the Western Cape, 487 000 nett new jobs have been created by the DA-led Western Cape government. That is why unemployment in the Western Cape is the lowest in the country, and that is why only 1% of unemployed people in the province are “discouraged” work seekers who have given up looking for work. People who live in DA-governments know that there is more hope of finding work, and more opportunity for work for everyone.

This is the best demonstration of what the DA will do if elected to govern in other provinces. By governing well and attracting investment, the economy grows and hundreds of thousands of new jobs are created. In the 9 years we have governed the Western Cape, we have expanded opportunity to more than half a million people who were previously excluded from the economy.

The DA’s fight will always be for the 9.5 million people who do not have jobs or have given up looking for jobs in South Africa. The 487 000 people who now have jobs in the Western Cape are testament to this commitment to put the people of South Africa first.

DA calls on Parliament to remove Mkhwebane

Today, 13 June 2018, the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services met to consider a request by the Chief Whip of the Democratic Alliance to remove the Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, after months of delay. This follows several formal requests to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Baleka Mbete, to expedite these proceedings.

The DA has now finally had a formal opportunity to present its case for having Adv Mkhwebane removed from office. Through her conduct she has demonstrated that she is unable to act lawfully, she consistently acts without regard to procedural fairness and that her findings are patently unreasonable.

The overwhelming evidence presented against the Public Protector has compelled the committee to take action. Having heard the submissions of the Chief Whip of the DA, the Chairperson, Mathole Motshekga, has now resolved to allow Adv Mkwhebane the opportunity to reply, whereupon the Committee will decide on whether or not to hold an enquiry.

What is unfortunate, however, is that the Chairperson and the ANC refused to commit to firm deadlines for Adv Mkwhebane’s submissions. Instead, South Africans have now been left with a flimsy commitment that she will be afforded a “reasonable time” by which she will be expected to respond to the submissions against her.

This is yet another delay tactic to ostensibly protect the patently compromised Public Protector from being held to account. The DA will now ensure that Adv Mkwhebane submits her responses to the Committee as soon as reasonably possible. The DA will continue the fight to protect the integrity of this essential institution of our democracy.