United Democratic Movement President, Bantu Holomisa, MP spent Human Rights Day with the Amadiba Community in Bizana.
“As I reflect on Human Rights Day, I think of the human rights abuses that still happen on a daily basis in South Africa, where people are assassinated for their beliefs, political or otherwise, or where a simple activity of enjoying oneself, becomes dangerous thinking of the tavern massacres that took place just a few years ago”, Holomisa said.
“One would expect South Africa to be better than the South Africa of thirty years ago, yet our law enforcement agencies are failing to keep our people safe. What does that say about a government that cannot keep its people safe?”
Referring to the murder of Sikhosiphi Radebe, the Xolobeni anti-mining community leader that was gunned down on the evening of 22 March 2016, Holomisa said: “Here was a man who was active in his community, advocating for his and his community’s beliefs, and he was killed in cold blood and the police are seemingly doing nothing – controversial figure or not.”
The Marikana Massacre comes vividly to mind…”, Holomisa said, “…over thirty miners lost their lives at the hand of the South African police on 16 August 2012 during a six-week wildcat strike at the Lonmin platinum mine near Rustenburg. How is this the “New South Africa” where we thought this kind of mass murder was a thing of the past, worst still that it was black-on-black violence?”
“As I spend Human Rights Day with the people of Bizana and Eastern Capetonians, I also reflect on the service delivery issues in the province and the country. Water, electrification, waste disposal, the list goes on. Our people live in squalor in the townships and small towns in the Eastern Cape, competing against vermin and rats the size of cats. What is the ANC government doing about this?” Holomisa said.
“The United Democratic Movement, has detailed in its manifesto what it would prioritise as a government or as a coalition partner”, Holomisa goes on, “Our people will be put first, to address the backlogs and imbalances of the past. Our manifesto is our contract with the people of South Africa.”
