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19 Jun, 2019
Youth expectations for SONA: #DataMustFall
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s expected state of the nation address (SONA), must be solution orientated with a clear plan and time frames for its implementation. We as young people, and as the majority of the population, need things to happen and happen fast. We cannot have another rehash of old promises that raise our hopes with every SONA, only to be disappointed. We are expecting to hear more from the president in terms of job creation and strengthening the economy with youth participation in particular. The United Democratic Movement Youth Vanguard has been consistent in its call that young South Africans must become wealth creators. It is therefore incumbent on government to create an economic environment that fosters entrepreneurship. We however wish to raise one significant point, which we hope that President Ramaphosa will touch on. We are of the view that exorbitant data charges need his immediate attention. To be youth inclusive we need a government that is serious about creating opportunities for young people in this digital era. Data must completely fall as it hampers learners’ studies, fetters youth looking for jobs and their registration of small businesses, etc.. Young South Africans must stand up and join us in this quest as we use the internet to access all opportunities. Issued by: Mr Yongama Zigebe Gauteng Provincial Secretary, UDM Youth Vanguard
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12 Feb, 2019
The UDM’s reaction to #SONA2019
• Honourable Speaker and chairperson of the NCOP • Mister President • Honourable Members South Africa needs key interventions in order to eradicate poverty, place more citizens in jobs, in particular young people, whilst closing the gap between the haves and the have nots. Firstly, we need massive investment in the maintenance and development of a well-coordinated and integrated socio-economic infrastructure that is driven by government. Reading the City Press report recently on the state of the Mahikeng’s socio-economic infrastructure is further confirmation that the country cannot wait for another year without this massive investment into the infrastructure development. Mr President, we invite you to visit places like Ikhwezi township, Norwood and Northcrest suburbs in Mthatha, to witness the reality of a road infrastructure that is non-existent. Like in many other parts of the country, these potholes have caused damage to private property such as motor vehicles. This is not only limited to the infrastructure that does not exist, but it includes that which has been upgraded but not maintained properly. A classic example of this is the Mthatha airport which was upgraded in 2013, yet it had to be closed due to poor maintenance. Instead of correcting this anomaly, government is busy fighting with itself on the so-called authority and responsibility. I have no expectation of any leadership to be provided by the current serving Minister of Transport given that in November 2018, he was made aware about this but he ignored the warnings. For that reason, I suggest that you ask the South African Air Force (SAAF) who have specialists on Aviation to assist with the Mthatha Airport whilst we are waiting for the sleeping Minister. This Aviation intervention is urgent Mr President, because the ongoing closure of that Airport is negatively affecting the economy of that part of the country. Many projects announced and started by this government are never get finished. There was a project to connect water from Mthatha Dam to the surrounding villages up to Coffee Bay. This project was stopped for almost three -and-half years, and we are told that there is no money to complete the project. What happened Mr President, is it this lack of proper planning or another day of looting. In a village near Burgersfort, in Limpopo, more than 72 RDP houses have been left unfinished since 2014. This is the same municipality that is alleged to have illegally deposited R200 million into the VBS Bank which has since been found to be a source of funding bottomless pockets of politicians from the ruling party. Again, another example of daylight looting from the poor. Mr President, the challenges facing the higher education sector are to governing party’s lack of proper planning for the roll out of fee free higher education in South Africa. This crisis management style of leadership has to be a thing of the past. In some health institutions instead of getting medication you are greeted and kept company by monkeys, this is the case at the Durban’s RK Khan Hospital. Despite the government’s knowledge of the infrastructure challenges in the health sector, there is no convincing strategy to address these problems. The current load shedding by Eskom is contrary to the pronouncement and commitments made by government recently. We were told, that load shedding is the thing of the past, yet Eskom is currently on stage three or four. Eskom comes up with a new excuse from the known diesel and coal. Now we are told that the project of Hitachi and Chancellor House in Medupi and Kusile which they built are the reasons for this load shedding. Chancellor House is the ANC fundraising front, it is therefore prudent that your party must take full responsibility for turning South Africa into darkness. It is also clear that the ever-increasing electricity tariffs are as a result of decisions of companies that are syphoning millions from the tax payers to the governing party. We welcome the reconfiguration of the intelligence service as it is a long overdue decision. It has been delayed because of the abuse of its mandate and resources. I thank you
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05 Mar, 2018
UDM NEC’s plans and checks readiness for 2019
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) National Executive Committee (NEC), met at the weekend, to discuss several issues of national importance and gauged the Party’s readiness for the 2019 National and Provincial Elections in terms of its planning. Amongst its plans had been to host election workshops and meetings, in 2018/9, in the lead-up to the elections. The UDM in the Western Cape has already indicated that they are geared to host a mass meeting on 17 March, whilst the Party in Gauteng shall be ready to engage with the public on 21 March. The UDM in the Eastern Cape will follow in their tracks on the 27th of April. We will of course be mobilising communities to register new voters and to encourage existing ones to check their address information on the voters roll at Independent Electoral Commission’s registration weekend on the 10th and 11th of March. We will keep the nation abreast of any changes and additional events on our calendar as time progresses. A National Elections Workshop of the UDM will have its own strategy session, in the third week of May, where the draft manifesto will be presented and to keep its finger on the pulse of the Party’s nationwide campaigns. In addition, the UDM’s national leaders have been invited to, on the 12th of March, visit the Entlangwini Palace to meet with the King, AmaKhosi and the community. The NEC also discussed the status quo of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal Council and noted that the Economic Freedom Fighters called for the removal of Mayor Trollip. The “new dawn”, promised at this year’s State of the Nation Address, was discussed and the UDM NEC expressed the opinion that it sounds a hollow prospect, as events unfold, with some of the prime suspects in state capture surviving the recent cabinet reshuffle. With this move, President Ramaphosa has already started off on the wrong foot and the UDM NEC believes that South Africa is in for more-of-the-same. The involvement of former President Zuma in the African National Congress’ (ANC) electioneering activities, casts doubt that it is at all serious about its plans to eradicate corruption. Mr Zuma’s token removal only happened, because the opposition and civil society put so much pressure on the ANC that they no longer had room to manoeuvre. Their keeping Mr Zuma at the forefront of their election work is like asking a bank-robber to guard the money. Statement issued by: Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP UDM President
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22 Feb, 2018
Subject for Discussion: Debate on the State of the Nation
Address by Mr LB Gaehler, MP (NCOP) in the National Assembly The UDM has been vindicated When His Excellency the President of the Republic of South Africa Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, during his State of the Nation Address 2018 responded positively to the issue of the service providers being paid on time by the government departments, within the policy of thirty days. The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has been advocating the issue of service providers through its public representatives in parliament since 2005 and talking to all departments. The UDM has been calling on the government since 2005 through speeches and members statements to pay service providers within the thirty days, as it is the policy of government. The President has now reiterated that this issue is going to be looked at and rectified as people and political parties has been complaining about this issue. We are very much happy that now the people of South Africa will benefit extremely as there are many South Africans who are doing services for government. The government must always keep its promises; as well, it is also the policy to pay service providers within thirty days. Thank you
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19 Feb, 2018
Subject for Discussion: DEBATE ON SONA
Address by Mr LB Gaehler, MP (NCOP) in the National Assembly Honourable Speaker and Honourable Members Mr President, we welcome your commitment to make the public service work. We therefore call on you, to professionalise service delivery as a function of public servants. They are employed to serve the people and not to be served by the people. Your administration, must put South Africa First. We must, as you have promised, make sure that public service is not a dumping site of unqualified, incompetent and lazy people, who are a product of your party’s deployment policy. This must come to an end now. Secondly, we welcome your commitment towards the Small Business Development. Accordingly, we suggest, that there must be consequences for failing to pay service providers within the specified time. There must be consequences for those who fail to implement government policy. For example, if a service provider is not paid within 30 days, there must be an interest accrued and such must be taken from the salary of the defaulting government official. As you establish your advisory streams, we call on you, to ensure that, this good initiative is not merely a payback for loyalty to you or your party. Therefore, you must, tap into the rich knowledge, expertise and wisdom of the society at large beyond party political confines. Mr President, industrialisation must not fly above the head of the majority of our people. It must originate and be driven from below. Your administration must invest in local economic development and prioritise rural economy. We are in this morass, as a consequence of poor management of state affairs by the governing party. However, you must be able to acknowledge this in order to steer the country on the correct course. It should be said that charity begins at home, cleansing must begin at home too. You must take the lead and deal decisively with those who commit crime against the people of South Africa. South Africans must be shifted from greed and corruption in which they have been accustomed to by previous leadership, and now focus on creating a society that we can all identify with and be proud to promote. If I judged correctly I would say approximately 80% of your speech was concentrated on economic matters and need for entrepreneurial revitalisation. We welcome your message of charting a new path for our country and imprinting footprints for what you call our future greatness. The idea of concentrating on JOBS, especially to tackle youth unemployment is well advised. I become concerned when politicians mention Extended Public Works jobs as part of tackling unemployment, as if they were sustainable jobs. These are dig a hole and fill it kind of jobs, they are great as emergency bailouts but are not real sustainable jobs. If we going to create real low skill jobs we must, as you have emphasized, you need to look deeper at construction and agriculture. We must couple it with the agenda of modernising our schools, building new community medical clinics that would expand access to quality low-cost care. We must include them on plans to upgrade broken-down electrical substations, localising the building of trains and buses and public housing to mention a few. The Job summit and investment conference are good ideas – provided it is not a white-wash in the manner in which government currently conducts its public consultations without effecting any suggestions from the public. You need to take seriously other people’s views, especially when they conflict with yours, because that is the only way you will also test and strengthen yours. Do not come with the dismissive attitude of thinking that the voice of experts on the field carries more weight. Often it is people on the ground, who know where it pinches and how to solve it. I am also sure opposition parties, like the UDM, who’ve been calling for an Economic Indaba will support you on this. Thank you
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19 Feb, 2018
State of the Nation Address 2018 debate
Contribution by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP and President of the United Democratic Movement on the occasion of the State of the Nation Address 2018 debate in the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa • Honourable Speaker & chairperson of the NCOP • Mister President • Honourable Members 1. Congratulations Mr Ramaphosa! When an opponent has done well, one must applaud and say: “Well done”. Well done on your speech Mr President! Your message has restored hope and put South Africa on the right track for the restoration of our dignity. This opportunity was given to you on a silver platter by the steadfast efforts of the loyal opposition, the media and civil society, while your party’s leadership turned a blind eye to brazen looting of state resources and fiddled while South Africa was burning. Who will forget the hundreds of thousands of South Africans who marched in a united display of dissatisfaction over an ill-suited and irresponsible President of the Republic. 2. Corruption is the lynchpin in giving effect to your SONA vision 3. Madam Speaker, Institutionalised corruption has been exacerbated by political heads usurping the powers of accounting officers in all three tiers of government. And Mr President, there must be consequences for those who have been found guilty of corruption. 4. The work of the State Capture Inquiry The State Capture Inquiry must be beefed up with the inclusion of forensic audit experts and even the Hawks. The Justice Department must be directed to make special provision for prosecuting capacity and the establishment of dedicated courts to expedite justice, as was done in 2010 with the Soccer World Cup. Once the Inquiry identifies an incident of corruption, the Hawks must pounce, the judicial system must take the baton, whilst the Inquiry continues. 5. On a side note Mr President, you mentioned infrastructure development in your speech; and specifically referred to roads, millions of South Africans are forced to travel long distances to work in the cities and mines. These long-distance travels are marred by accidents, death and injury, with some using insensible transport. It might be time for us to consider state of the art, safe, speed trains to decongest roads, decrease accidents and to save time and lives. Also, Mr President, we need to attend to the phenomenon of anarchy in our society, the general lack of discipline and disrespect for the law. 6. Thuma Mina Your call to action resonates with all South Africans Mr President! We all want to see it prosper so that we might thrive as a collective and as individuals. Your call builds on the action initiated by opposition parties and civil society of the course of the past year or so. We all said “we wanna be there” to stay the rot of corruption; and we were there on the streets in our thousands. We commend your consultative style and welcome the initiatives you mentioned in your SONA, but you did not go far enough. There must be a broadening of the collective consultative process and a wide range of topics that should be interrogated and discussed. Call it what you will, an indaba, convention or a summit, but we need to convene under one roof to discuss the critical challenges facing South Africa today. Contrary to the opinion of some political gurus, who said the opposition was exclusively obsessed with getting rid of former president Zuma, we have laid the groundwork for this national dialogue. With the input from some academics, we compiled a draft “Problem Statement”, which was released in August last year, to serve as a fundamental basis for such a dialogue. The identified issues are: • The reinstatement of our Constitutional order and the Rule of Law; • Reaffirmation of our founding vision and values; • Measures to ensure inclusive economic participation and to address inequality; • Reversing our economic decline. • The establishment of a shared consensus on land reform. This should include the rural tenure system, bodies like the Ingonyama Trust, as well as selling of urban land to foreigners. • Review the National Development Plan, with regard to its implementation and outcomes; • Reviving our national morality and the eradication of systemic corruption; • The reformation of our electoral system to enhance accountability and responsiveness; • Review of the powers and functions of the President to resolve the over- concentration of power; • The development of a capable and professional state, which requires fair employment opportunities in government, for all South Africans as opposed to non-professionals being parachuted into positions of power. • The rehabilitation of our international standing based on a human rights approach. • The reinvigoration of our structures and systems of education and training to ensure skills development and meaningful participation in economic and social activities; • Reversing social decay and putting a stop to violence against women and children; • The fostering of reconciliation, social cohesion and nationhood; • Resolving impediments to the progressive realisation of our basic human rights; • Strengthening and ensuring the independence of our Chapter 9 Institutions; • The reformation of party-political funding; • Securing the attainment of all role players towards the attainment of a state of good governance and the values that underpin it; We are here Mr President and we wanna be there to help find sustainable solutions. I thank you
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13 Feb, 2018
Success! UDM reaction to “Suspect Number One”; Jacob Zuma being recalled
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) welcomes the decision to recall Mr Jacob Zuma as the President of the Republic of South Africa (SA). It has taken far too long for this to happen, once it became patently clear (years ago) that he was not fit to hold the highest office in the Country. We can rightly say that the African National Congress (ANC) only reached this decision because of the continued, consistent pressure exerted by opposition parties; civil society; and the media, who played a critical role in exposing institutionalised corruption such as #GuptaLeaks. It is encouraging that those who campaigned for Mr Zuma to vacate his office, had free access to media and radio talk shows. This demonstrates that the tools of democracy and a free society, as provided by our Constitution, work. The ANC’s much vaunted self-correcting nature is a damp squib. South Africans, especially eligible voters, have realised that the ANC has lost its moral high-ground and had relinquished its status as South Africa’s liberation movement. If it wants to be taken seriously, the ANC – which have been protecting Mr Zuma, at all cost – must own up to this mess and immediately charge Mr Zuma and his fellow gangsters. In the end him and his colleagues your deployees! Regarding the future, the UDM is positive, but recognise that it will take the nation years to recover from the damage caused by the tangible effects of Mr Zuma’s administration on the lives of our people on a daily basis. It will also take time to convince the international community, the ratings agencies, and investors that South Africa no longer has a weak and corrupt government that easily succumbs to the influence of pirates and privateers. However, only half the battle has been won at this time. All patriotic South Africans, opposition parties, civil society, and the media should not now rest and lower their guards. We must ensure that the culprits face the full might of the law and that the billions of stolen Rands be returned to the last cent! South Africa has learnt several harsh, but valuable lessons in this experience. One thing that should be done to curb corruption in Government – perpetrated by political deployees and officials alike – should be the appointment of specialist investigating units, with forensic auditing capacity, as well as dedicated courts to expedite the prosecution of offenders. We hope that Mr Zuma’s departure from office also signals a departure from this almost cult-like hero-worshiping of certain individuals just because they have “struggle credentials”. Struggle credentials do not maketh the man! There is no place in our history for people who have tarnished the legacy of our freedom fighters; we must draw a line in the sand and start from scratch to create a corruption-free government that works in the service of the people. Issued by: Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP and UDM President
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25 Apr, 2017
“Leading in the South African context” Bantu Holomisa’s presentation at the Spar Gala Dinner in Durban
1. What is leadership? If we accept that leadership is a process of social influence which maximises efforts of others towards achievement of a goal, what does it mean in the South African context? 2. What is the South African “goal” Surely it is to give expression to South Africa’s Constitution; specifically, the Bill of Rights. The Country’s basic vision, as detailed in the Constitution, includes our various personal freedoms, property and labour rights, adult suffrage and so forth. 3. The Constitution versus the State of the Nation But, most sober South Africans would agree that the State of the Nation has for some time stood in stark contrast to the Constitution’s vision. Developments over the past few years, and even weeks, have increased the speed with which we’ve been sliding down the slippery slope of corruption and poor governance. South Africa is stuck with an ill-suited deployee, foisted on us by the ruling party, who does not seem to realise – or care about – the impact of his decisions. With President Zuma’s recent midnight cabinet reshuffle, South Africa literarily has jumped from a very hot frying pan, straight into the fire. Government leaders, with President Zuma in front, no longer serve the people and our constitutional democracy. They don’t seem to understand clean governance, never mind, practicing it. We suffer from a leadership vacuum that makes it impossible for the Country to move forward. Therefore, instead of concentrating on the “basic stuff” such as education, health care and housing, we are fighting to not drown in our seemingly insurmountable woes. 4. The unintended consequence of President Zuma’s actions Ironically President Zuma has achieved one positive thing with his bull-in-a-china-shop approach: he has galvanised this Nation. We have a new short-term goal: #ZumaMustFall. But we cannot afford to be short-sighted… should Zuma fall, what then? Or worse, should he not vacate his office, what should happen? We have made much progress since 1994, but there are fundamental problems that need addressing. The land issue is a case in point; whether one likes it or not, it is an issue at the core of our national identity. It needs to be laid to rest once and for all so that inflammatory rhetoric does not lead to South Africa becoming a second Zimbabwe. 5. National Convention The problems we face are bigger than any one solution, one political party can proffer. We need to find common ground and all stakeholders, including yourselves, must voice their opinions. We need to listen to each other and renegotiate a new vision. This is why the United Democratic Movement advocates for a National Convention. A Codesa-type forum, where we have a safe space to raise issues; to actively listen; to engage and to convince each other and/or compromise. With our struggling economy, lawlessness, poverty, unemployment and many other ills, we need to have leaders who are equal to this task. To answer the question of accountable leadership, we need to institute a deliberate, direct participatory democracy model where the President and Members of Parliament report to people. In the end, the National Convention should produce a well hammered-out, common vision in which we can all believe and Government can implement. 6. Conclusion My and your role as leaders are to do everything in our power to maximise our efforts to make South Africa a Winning Nation, not only for our benefit, but also for those who follow in our footsteps. Thank you
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14 Feb, 2017
Address by Lennox Gaehler in Parliament: UDM reply on the State of the Nation Address(SONA) 2017
Honourable Speaker, Honourable President and Members The task of creating a developmental state where the primary mandate is to build an inclusive economy by fundamentally changing the status quo in favour of the poor majority, who find themselves in the rural hinterland, is now more urgent than ever before. Further and any unnecessary delay will have grave consequences for our hard-won freedom and the governability of state. In this regard, South Africa must indeed review the many agreements entered into before, and at, the Codesa negotiations. Such an exercise will identify the bugbears which makes it difficult to ensure that all citizens enjoy equal economic freedom. Whilst our welfare system has helped millions, who would have gone to bed with empty stomachs, the painful truth is that the super-exploitative economic system the new South Africa inherited, continues to produce structural inequality and remains enemy number one. The United Democratic Movement suggests that radical economic transformation should not just be mere rhetoric and we believe that: • Patronage and corruption must fall, and that prudence and good governance must rise; • Free education must not be “free of quality”; but it must produce young adults, and especially black young adults, who are ready to operate new enterprises and be job-creators rather than being job-seekers; • Whilst progress has been made with housing delivery; the minister should have clear, achievable timeframes for the correction of the defects in some of the existing buildings and act decisively against those found to be on the wrong side of the law; • Recent reports on alleged maladministration, and possible corruption in the department of water affairs, is worrying. If true, it flies in the face of the spirit of the announced radical economic transformation. Speedy action must be taken, especially given the current drought. • In agriculture, we need to train more agronomists with practical skills to utilise and manage the land once it is returned to the people. Indeed, and in the words of OR Tambo whose centenary we are commemorating, liberation has no meaning without the return of the country’s wealth to the people and therefore the existing economic arrangement must be radically changed to the equal benefit of ALL South Africans. I thank you
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14 Feb, 2017
Address by Bantu Holomisa in Parliament: debate on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2017
Honourable Speaker, Honourable President and Members As we enter the 23rd year of our democracy, we see a rise in the levels of anxiety and anger among citizens, with anarchy knocking at our door. Notwithstanding these trends, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) acknowledges the great strides South Africa has made since 1994. The most disturbing reality is that we see an increase in the politics of patronage, uncontrollable corruption, the collapse of government institutions, a high unemployment rate, lack of development, failing health and education systems, widening inequality, chronic poverty and ineffective provincial governments. With regard to provincial governments; the question is, do we really need these glorified homelands or rather strengthening the local sphere of government and let national government take control and introduce the lacking uniformity. We are commemorating the late OR Tambo; an undoubted champion of the struggle for a just and free society. It would be interesting to know his thoughts on the so-called leaders who have dumped the deprived masses and took care of themselves at the expense of the poor. We believe that no individual party’s policy conference could proffer all the sustainable solutions to the challenges we face as a nation. This is even more apparent when the governing alliance lacks policy coherence; thus threatening investor confidence. It is in this regard that the UDM resolved that, in preparation for 2019 and beyond, we will during this year convene a consultative conference which will be open to all citizens, to amongst others: • Take stock of the 22 years of our democracy; • Identify areas of intervention to bring about meaningful economic transformation; • Review the legislative framework that impedes fundamental socio-economic transformation, including the Constitution; • Develop mechanisms to stop corruption and maladministration; • Take stock of the quality, qualification and placement of our civil servants including those who provide security services to the nation; • Improve our constitutional democracy with the introduction of a people-driven electoral system; • Introduce legislation for transparent political party funding; and • Find a lasting solution to reduce tension between the social partners at NEDLAC in particular labour, government and business. At the envisaged National Consultative Conference, we shall also evaluate the agreements between the ruling party and the apartheid government pre- and during the Codesa negotiations. Meaningful transformation, including the transfer of land and control of the economy, will never realise so long as those agreements are used as scarecrows and lock the majority of our citizens outside the economic mainstream. South Africans, it is our collective task to ensure that the ideals of a truly democratic and prosperous society as envisaged by OR Tambo and others, are realised. In this regard, I encourage you to take advantage of the proposed conference to ensure that we reclaim the original objective of the struggle we have so dearly fought for. I thank you
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02 Nov, 2016
Address by Bantu Holomisa at the March Against State Capture
Fellow South Africans We are here today to talk about the challenges we face as a Nation and we wish to send a strong message to Government. Our Nation finds itself on the slippery slope of corruption, lawlessness, anarchy and dissatisfaction. We must capture the lost ground of the past 22 years. We are frustrated. We are tired. We are hungry. We don’t have houses. We don’t have jobs. Election promises that were made, such as free education, have not realised. Our resources are syphoned out of the Country at the expense of our people. The agencies, that are there to protect the interest of the public, are being openly abused and/or undermined. We want things to be better. We want our people to be happy and to be proud South Africans. The big question is: can we trust the current establishment to lead the nation out of this quagmire? For instance, instead of delegating representatives of Government to talk to dissatisfied citizens, they dispatch the police. The Marikana example, and other related incidents, remain the tragic products of this style of leadership. Must this country wait for the ruling party’s congress next year for them to elect new leadership whilst the country is burning in the meantime. Even if they choose new leadership, there is no guarantee that those new leaders will be able to address the current challenges. If not for the work of the opposition parties in Parliament, the situation would have been worse; but it can no longer be the opposition parties alone, being tasked to find solutions. Don’t you think it is each of our responsibility, as citizens of the country, to work together in finding solutions? All sectors of civil society should participate in a dialogue. During the negotiations, after the Municipal Elections of 2016, the African Christian Democratic Party, the Congress of the People, the Democratic Alliance, the Economic Freedom Fighters, the Freedom Front Plus, the Inkatha Freedom Party, the United Democratic Movement and the United Front, agreed in principle that it is necessary for the Nation to meet. In this regard, we proposed that a National Convention should be held as a platform to discuss the problems facing South Africa today. Some of the issues we need to talk about date back to the Codesa era. We can no longer afford a situation where discussions around South Africa’s problems devolve into a talk-shop or yet another useless bosberaad. Should there be an emerging consensus at the proposed National Convention that there is a need to change legislation, it should go straight to Parliament for ratification. We must not lose momentum. We must harness the energy we’ve generated thus far, and use it to find solutions to the current challenges. For anyone who is interested in reading more about the concept of the National Convention, the proposal that the UDM sent to other political leaders yesterday, is available on https://udm.org.za/road-map-towards-south-african-national-convention-udm-perspective/. Thank you Delivered at St Alban’s Cathedral, Pretoria
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01 Nov, 2016
Road map: towards the South African National Convention: A UDM perspective
This document is a suggestion of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) to find a way towards the hosting of a National Convention, as agreed upon in the Co-governance Agreement for Local Government between the several political partners. INTRODUCTION The participating political parties have agreed on four main challenges confronting South Africa i.e. poverty, unemployment, inequality and corruption, which requires that the nation unites around a strategic and fundamental interventionist programme of action. Our constitutional democracy is unitary in nature with elements of federalism. Government, the organs of state, legislation, the role of Chapter Nine Institutions and the national fiscus, fall within the national sphere. Accordingly, and if any strategic intervention is to be made, to aggressively address the four challenges, such intervention must be done at a national level – both in terms of form and content. After our meeting on 7 August 2016, of the Congress of the People, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the United Front (UF), as well as the UDM, we developed a framework to form the basis of any discussions about co-operation and/or coalition. The aim of this proposal was to guide these parties in case they were approached by either the African National Congress (ANC) and/or the Democratic Alliance (DA) about the possibility of forming part of governments in certain municipalities. Our goal was to obtain a commitment to finding answers to the various challenges facing South African on the short, medium and long term. There is no denial that some national issues impact daily on how local government operates, e.g. water, land, electricity, environment, etc. During that period of negotiation, other parties joined this initiative, such as the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). Our discussions culminated in an agreement that was signed with the DA. The ANC was however not interested in engaging with us about our wish-list. The EFF, in the end, did not form part of any coalitions, but they indicated that they would support other parties in countering the ANC in municipal councils. The coalition partners agreed that after municipal governments were put in place, we would meet again to map the way forward in implementing the goals we articulated in our agreement. Some of the key issues, that were identified during out talks, were however not within the ambit of local government, but could only be addressed at a national level. As was articulated in our co-governance agreement: “These challenges include, but are not confined to, land reform, electoral reform, education and how it is financed, the independence of Chapter 9 Institutions, and the professionalization of the civil service.” One of the stated goals was to hold a National Convention to address these and other issues of national importance. There is no doubt that the agreements that culminated in the new dispensation were not cast in stone, they served a certain purpose at that point in the time. There are however still challenges that impact today and we need to review those decisions. An evaluation of the past 22 years, and identifying inherent deficiencies in the management of government, is a complex exercise that needs to have stakeholders give input so that we arrive at a holistic solution to South Africa’s problems. Some of the frustrations are people express with civil disobedience and the general anarchy are attributed to the agreements that were made at Codesa. The complaints about the lack of economic emancipation, struggles to get access funding, as well as land and property issues are well documented. We hear calls such as that the ANC sold out the people and that some of the concessions made, were not in the interest of the disenfranchised masses. THE PURPOSE OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION A National Convention will provide a platform for stakeholders from all sectors of society, and South Africans in general, to find each other and map a way towards: • Economic emancipation of all South Africans; • Eliminating corruption • Land reform and property ownership; • Bolstering Chapter Nine Institutions; • Basic and Higher Education • Health and social welfare • Professionalization of the civil service; • Electoral reform; • Legislation governing the funding of political parties; and • Any other matters of national interest. We cannot deny that many policies have been developed and then chopped-and-changed. As an example, let us look at the Reconstruction and Development (RDP) programme right through to the latest National Development Plan (NDP). But this constant shifting of the goal-posts and the tensions between government, labour and business, scuppers implementation time and again. PARTICIPANTS AT THE NATIONAL CONVENTION To achieve the objective of maximum participation in the proposed National Convention and to ensure buy-in, the participation of the following participants is envisaged (but are not limited to): • Government departments (at all three tiers); • Parliament and provincial legislatures; • The National Planning Commission; • All Parastatals; • Chapter Nine Institutions; • Financial institutions like the Reserve Bank; • National Development Council; • Professional Associations and Governing Bodies; • The Judiciary; • Business; • Religious communities; • The media • Traditional institutions and bodies; • Labour and unions; • Civil Society and Non-Governmental Organisations; • Institutions of higher learning (Intellectual community) and student bodies; • Special interest groups and issue based organisations; • Women and youth based organisations; • Political parties; and • The South African citizenry. Certainly, to resolve the chronic challenges confronting our nation, we need to tap into our collective wisdom. Codesa delivered political freedom, but more still has be done with regards to economic emancipation and our economic policies in general. For instance, the divergent opinions of business, labour and government creates a situation where there is no consensus on what kind of macro-economic policy South Africa should have. The intention must be to ensure that all South Africans can participate fully in determining their future. In this regard, the National Convention will be a tool to ensure maximum and meaningful participation of all stakeholders. COORDINATION OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION: NOT ANOTHER TALK-SHOP For a proper and a productive dialogue at a forum of this magnitude, the following important points must be considered: • As the initiators of project, the participating political parties, should have a meeting with Leader of Government Business in Parliament, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, as soon as possible to unpack the idea of a National Convention and garner government support. • A National Convention Planning Committee (NCPC) should be appointed and convened to develop a framework to guide all participants at the proposed National Convention and plan what form it should take. • The NCPC should meet and discuss the appointment of an independent person with a certain gravitas as its chairperson. For instance, a person such as retired Chief Justice Ngcobo could be considered as a person who would ensure impartiality and who has the necessary knowledge and wisdom to make sure that participants, with divergent and/or conflicting ideas, can engage constructively and reach consensus. • This is a long-overdue exercise where we can make introspection as a nation. Government must fund the proposed National Convention, because a sponsorship model will not work. A scenario where a company could sponsor the event, but would also wish to be a participant, might be accused of “buying” influence to ensure a certain outcome. • It would be realistic to have the proposed National Convention somewhere in 2017/18. • The proposed National Convention cannot be just another talk-shop or a useless bosberaad. Should consensus emerge on the issues discussed, immediate action (with attending time-frames) should be taken to ensure that that the National Convention’s resolutions are implemented. For instance, if there is legislation that needs to be changed, Government must set the ball rolling as soon as possible. Such resolutions should not be subjected to more ideological debates in Parliament and changes to existing legislation should be ratified without delay. • The National Convention will also have to mandate the NCPC to manage and monitor the implementation of its resolutions. • The NCPC must always accountable to the National Convention, in other words, the people of South Africa. CONCLUSION We need to capture the lost ground. South Africa has been on the slippery slope with scandal after scandal, even at the highest office, and we need to reignite South Africans’ pride in their Country and confidence in government. We need to convince the world that South Africa is a well-run state and a worthwhile investment destination and not a junk status nation. The National Convention must emerge with a comprehensive blue print for a flourishing South Africa. We must remain committed to the Country and its citizenry and always put South Africa first. Thank you Prepared by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP – UDM President
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18 Feb, 2016
SONA Debate: UDM comments on the reply by the President
The United Democratic Movement welcomes the comment made by the President in response to our call for an All-Inclusive National Economic Transformation Indaba. Notwithstanding his fears, we remain convinced that South Africans from all political and socio-economic persuasions are prepared to do everything possible for the growth and development of our economy. As South Africans did with the political transition, decided to embrace each other irrespective of different ideological positions and a painful experience, surely there is a possibility that they can find each other on the economic ground. The fact that captains of industry are not only prepared but ready to engage with labour movements, all parties confirmed the need for something drastic to be done in the economic front, should be a positive indicator. In any event, South Africa has been able to find each other on the National Development Plan. Indeed and as we have proposed, the process towards the Indaba should be preceded by a National Summit which shall agree on the national framework that will guide the Indaba and reduce areas of disagreement. Such will address his fears. However, the fact the President elected not to consider the following, has appalled UDM. 1. Whilst the President has re-iterated government’s commitment to fight corruption, we thought that he would specifically provide leadership on the questionable transactions taking place in the Public Investment Corporation, where pension monies of the poor working people are flowing into the back pockets of the cronies of the ruling elite. These include the deals done to benefit amongst others, the consortiums called Kilimanjaro Sakhumnotho and a not-for-profit organisations, “Global Fund for Christ”. These include provided funds of many of the ex-mine workers who have been marching between the Union Buildings and Parliament with no answer. 2. This also includes the crisis in the Construction Education and Training Authority, where corruption whistle blowers are reported to SACP leaders for reprimand. The levies paid by poor workers are being abused just under the nose of the Minister of Higher Education and Training who is an SACP chief. 3. The abuse of public funds through the so-called ‘War on Leaks Project’ launched by the President in Port Elizabeth, where only those young people associated with the ruling party gets jobs. Effectively, this projects funds campaign activities of the ruling party’s volunteers. We thought that the President would condemn the usage of public money by government leaders of the ruling party assisted by government officials. We also thought that the President would take the nation into his confidence and explain why after such painful experience the country has gone through due to his actions, he remains in office. This is so important given the fact that some of these actions have compromised the national legislature and members of the cabinet. In this regard, UDM shall continue to make a call for the revolutionary consciousness of Mr Zuma to prevail and for him to vacate the Office of the President with dignity. Statement issued by: Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP UDM President
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17 Feb, 2016
SONA Debate: contribution by Mr Lennox Gaehler, MP in the Joint Sitting of Parliament
Honourable Speaker, President and Honourable Members The drought that has visited our land has affected big, small, formal and informal farming sector, depending on their proximity to a scarce source of water. In this regard, United Democratic Movement suggests that, drought relief interventions, whether at a planning or implementation stage, should deliberately target the small and informal farmers too, as their contribution in providing food security and fight poverty, is relevant and significant. Honourable Speaker the infrastructure needs of a country present themselves as an opportunity and threat, while we want to position our country as an investment destination but the dire need for infrastructure remains a repelling effect. We are happy that transport infrastructure was identified as a catalyst for economic growth, but the sad reality is that this has just become an academic exercise, because if you go to the Eastern Cape, for instance, and ask for a transport infrastructure master plan, you shall find none. In addition, the socio – economic infrastructure of the rural areas does not keep up to standard, to respond to the ever increasing demands. The current interventions are insufficient as they tend to benefit urban areas. In this way, a better rural livelihood will be difficult to realise. In this regard, the UDM suggests that a realistic, reasonable and requisite Rural Infrastructure Development Grant be created. Such a grant will first help to address the rural infrastructure backlogs and unlock the great potential located in the rural areas. Masigxinisise kuphuhliso lwasemakhaya ingakumbi kwimicimbi yendlela, umbane, amanzi acocekileyo, nezonxibelelwano. Madam Speaker, as the campaign for the Local Government Elections has started, we call for an end to the blandishments of basic services to sway votes in favour of the ruling party. Already, we have witnessed government activities, being turned into party rallies, at the expense of other citizens. In these government activities, party members and officials in full regalia of their party intimidate other members of the public and openly campaign on a government platform. Food parcels and Expanded Public Work jobs, like the ‘War on Leaks Project’, in Port Elizabeth, are already campaign instruments. Such abuse of a public office is a breach of oath, a neglect of citizens and it undermines the Constitutional rights of the people in particular the indigent. Makuyekwe ukusetyenziswa kwe-mali zabahlali xa kukhankaselwa iivoti. Wonke ummi weli lizwe unelungelo loku thatha inxhaxheba kuphuhliso lwelizwe noku-xhamla kuwo onke amathuba emisebenzi yase kuhlaleni. Thank you
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06 Feb, 2016
2016 SONA debate: contribution by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP
ADDRESS BY Mr BH Holomisa MP IN PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Hon Speaker, Hon President and Members The South African economic situation demands that we adopt an approach that is all inclusive and pragmatic. One of the credits to our country is our ability to resolve challenges through dialogue. Perhaps in resolving the current economic crisis, we need to borrow from our recent past. CODESA delivered political liberation with more still to be done on economic front so that we can have a binding consensus on the macro-economic policy of the country. In this regard, the United Democratic Movement suggests: • That an all-inclusive National Summit be convened to develop and adopt a framework to guide all role players towards a National Economic Transformation Indaba whose resolutions will result to a progressive amendment in the current legislative regime. The proposed Economic Indaba must emerge with a comprehensive blue print of a road to be traversed by the country in dealing with such matters as land, education and skills development, black economic empowerment. Madam Speaker – the security of the worker’s pension needs immediate attention. Given that the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) seems to be a sources of questionable deals for cronies of the ruling elite through amongst others, consortiums like Kilimanjaro Sakhumnotho and some not-for-profit organisations like the “Global Fund for Christ”. In this regard, UDM suggest to all contributors to the Pension and Provident funds, to consider establishing an Independent National Pension Fund Forum, to amongst others: • Monitor investments, auditing and usage of their monies by the Public Investment Corporation and other Financial Institutions. We further propose that a task team led by a retired Judge be established in order to: • Investigate all complaints from ex-mine workers who have been marching to Parliament and Union Buildings, demanding information on their provident funds, allegedly not paid either by the state and or their employers. Madam Speaker, a widely publicised offer by the President to bring finality to the Nkandla saga in the interest of national unity is noted. There is no doubt in any body’s mind that the Nkandla saga has affected many individuals and institutions adversely due to his handling manner against many advices. As we speak, this has affected the trust and confidence of many Public Representatives in this house, who felt abused during this process. In this regard, we appeal to his revolutionary consciousness as a patriot with unquestionable struggle credentials, to place the interests and unity of the nation first and vacate the office with dignity. Further and to avoid another embarrassing sitting President, scoring own goals, the house must demand the long-time promised Ministerial Handbook for scrutiny. South Africans, whilst SONA was very lean on corruption, billions that were supposed to help improve our social ills in this country is being looted left and right. A new phenomenon has emerged through SETAs which are used to divert skills development funds to bottom-less private pockets. Employees who are suspected of blowing the whistle, on alleged corruption against the CEO of the Construction SETA, are either expelled and or suspended in droves. To make things worse, some of these employees were paraded and humiliated when they were taken by the CEO and Chairperson of the Board to an outsider, the Provincial Secretary of the SACP in KZN. The victimised employees have appealed to the Presidency without success. Surely, South Africans, we cannot allow SETAs and the Department of Higher Education and Training to be an SACP employment bureau and a funding vendor. I thank you
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11 Feb, 2016
UDM SONA Expectations
Statement issued by UDM President Bantu Holomisa The United Democratic Movement expects the President to outline: How is the government going to bring concrete and realistic solutions to our economic woes: Instead of the consumptive policies that the current leadership is obsessed with characterised by targeted corrupt consumption like in the case of pension fund in which Nedlac failed to play its role. It would be a bold and positive stance if the President was to announce the appointment of a steering committee to prepare framework for an inclusive Economic Indaba, which would among others, come up with a comprehensive and implementable plan with time frames to take our economy forward. High on the agenda of the Inclusive Economic Indaba would be the issue of land, role of the state, business and labour in addressing the triple challenges facing the country, being unemployment, inequality and poverty. The SONA must also provide an answer to the questions: • How can we make sure that we invest on the majority citizens of this country as opposed the so – called BEE deployees who have no control and ownership of the economy; • How do we deal with tensions between labour, government and business; and • How do we extricate ourselves from the tinge of corruption, sadly perpetrated by country’s leadership. End
