Admin
24 Jan, 2019
SA’s education system is ruining learners’ futures
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) notes with concern the 2018 matric pass rate. The “so-called” improvement of 79.4% in 2018 to 76.5% in 2017 is only a dream. After scrutinising the results, it is crystal clear that something is not adding up. Another concern is that so many pupils have made it to the newspaper and moreover have “obtained bachelors” as per the minister of basic education Angie Motshega. However, they cannot be accepted in institutions of higher learning and education. This contradicts the lie that the country has been made to believe. There is so much that is wrong with the existing education system. So much noise has been made before about the passing mark. What we witness currently is the fruits of the flopped curriculum system. We have also been made aware that some of the universities have raised their points for admission. This means these institutions do not have confidence in the education system. We wonder what Umalusi is doing regarding to whether it has something to do with the adjustment results. How is it that a matriculant passes with flying colours only to find out that s/he does not qualify to be a university student. The point system is hitting them hard while their matric results are speaking another language. In our understanding, the current education system is more about numbers than quality of education. Minister Motshega and her department, together with all those involved, are in denial. To them it is all about higher percentages of pass rates at the expense of the blameless children who will tomorrow not be eligible to get proper jobs due to the quality of the education they received. Swift investigation into the results must be done. We cannot endorse a system that will in no time backfire; not only in the futures of our children, but the country as a whole. Issued by: Mr Bongani Msomi UDM Secretary General
Admin
09 Jan, 2018
State Capture Inquiry should look into R350m Hlano deal to ascertain ANC & Zonkizizwe involvement
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo Private Bag X1 Constitution Hill Braamfontein 2017 Dear Sir STATE CAPTURE INQUIRY: INVESTIGATION NEEDED INTO AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS AND ZONKIZIZWE INVESTMENTS’ INVOLVEMENT IN GAUTENG ROU HOUSING LOAN PORTFOLIO DEAL BETWEEN HLANO FINANCIAL SERVICES AND THE GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS To provide context, we refer you to a 2016 agreement between Hlano Financial Services, Nimble Collection Services and the Department of Human Settlements regarding the resolution of Hlano Financial Services’ ROU housing loan portfolio – see attached. We in particular refer you to a November 2015 collection mandate between Hlano Financial Services, and Nimble Collection Services and NMI Housing Solutions in respect of the Gauteng ROU housing loan portfolio. We point you to a “bulk settlement” of R350 million, specified on page 6 of the document, which government was requested to consider and approve as the aggregate outstanding balance of R443 million in respect of 5,159 properties located in the Gauteng region over which Hlano held mortgage bonds. On a Zonkizizwe invoice, dated 16 August 2018, (attached) African National Congress (ANC) Treasurer General Paul Mashatile, was invoiced for “consultancy services” rendered in terms of “collection of Hlano Financial Services; Gauteng Housing Loan Portfolio at 3% of R350,000,000.00”. It is clear that something untoward is going on here. The origins of Zonkizizwe Investments are common knowledge and like with former ANC Treasurer General Dr Zweli Mkhize’s involvement in the Afric Oil/Public Investment Corporation loan mess, it seems as if the incumbent ANC Treasurer General is also involved in odd transactions involving the ANC, Zonkizizwe Investments and government. I further draw your attention to a letter dated 22 March 2017, regarding a further 2016/2017 budget adjustment request, from the national department of human settlements to its Gauteng counterpart which lists an approved amount of R200 million for “Hlano Financial Services”. What is the connection between this R200 million-item to the aforementioned R350 million? What was the money used for and, if it relates to the same deal, where did the balance of R150 million go? Perhaps Zonkizizwe’s management and Mr Mashatile should be made to explain if they had any involvement in this? Given the above information, it is clear that there might be some elements of state capture in this deal and the United Democratic Movement humbly requests that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture also investigates this matter. Lastly Sir, even if claims were to be made that any or all pertinent documents were lost in last year’s fatal fire that destroyed Gauteng Health, Human Settlements and Co-operative Government and Traditional Affairs’ office building, it would be easy enough to have a look at the bank statements to see how much money were paid into whose bank accounts. Yours sincerely Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP UDM President
Admin
30 Dec, 2018
UDM’s New Year’s message
In 2018 South Africa saw the pressure exerted by opposition parties, over the past three years, culminating in the resignation of a self-serving and negligent president. Our unwavering insistence led to commissions of inquiry being instituted to start rooting out the cancer of institutional corruption in government. Notwithstanding the ruling party’s leadership moving in the right direction, there is an unwillingness to have the perpetrators of corruption arrested. Its so-called self-correcting nature has proven to be a castle in the air. This coming year is therefore an opportunity for voters to consider whether they want to put their trust in a party that places unbridled looting of resources before the people of South Africa. We wish all who live in this country a blessed New Year. Let’s declare 2019 a year of action to fix the problems that embarrassed South Africa and its people in recent years. Issued by: Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP UDM President
Admin
28 Dec, 2018
Clifton Beach incident
The City of Cape Town (CoCT) needs to account for what happened in Clifton beach on Sunday, 23 December 2018, when a paramilitary private security company, Professional Protective Alternatives (PPA) acted unlawfully by asking holiday makers to leave the beach after eight in the evening. Whatever their reasoning, short of an emergency situation, this was a clear contravention of the National Enviromental Management: Integrated Costal Management (ICM) Act 36 of 2014. From media reports and contradicting statements of the CoCT and PPA it is obvious that the company was acting on tacit agreement with the city’s security arrangements. The CoCT is denying this yet we’ve not seen it institute criminal charges against the company. The Camps Bay Ratepayer Association who’ve been alleged to be the ones paying PPA have also distanced themselves from its actions. It stands to reason that the CoCT would have then laid criminal charges against PPA if they were not in cahoots with them. If the company acted with any form of arrangement with the CoCT, then the city must explain under which laws the arrangement was made. We urge the relevant national departments and parliament to prioritise the process of bringing the CoCT to book should it emerge that they acted illegally. We also ask that they be put under scrutiny and sharp review in terms of the municipal by-laws, in particular the CoCT to make sure they’re in line with our constitutional imperatives. Such actions of blocking people’s access to public spaces were always going to produce a vehement outcry from our people in whom the experiences of apartheid are still raw as an open wound. We commend our people, those in Cape Town in particular, for being vigilant in guarding their human rights. Such actions of pure classism and racial profiling by private and public security personnel around the Atlantic Seaboard are common, but should never be tolerated by poor people in particular. Cape Town is notorious for racial incidences during holidays, something that should bring shame to most of us who love this city. On the other hand, we’re glad when the whole world is exposed to extant racism that still abounds within this city. CoCT is probably the worst South African city that still operates with apartheid geography, economic access, mores and sociabilities. Black people, in particular from other cities, towns and provinces, feel as though they’ve travelled on a time scale machine into the eighties when they visit Cape Town. Each year we get promises from authorities to clamp down on the scourge racism. Yet it has become so endemic that it is the very city administrators that are now bringing segregation by the back door. The UDM is a party of all South Africans and with them we stand in the fight against racism and corruption. We urge people of Cape Town in particular to be vigilant about who they vote into power. There are many political parties that are wolves in sheep clothings out there; who’re closet racists that want to bring us back to the dark times of apartheid by the back door.
Admin
12 Dec, 2018
Motion and amended motion on expropriation of land without compensation
The original motion: Draft resolution (Mr JS Malema): That the House — notes that South Africa has a unique history of brutal dispossession of land from black people by the settler colonial white minority; further notes that land dispossession left an indelible mark on the social, political and economic landscape of the country, and has helped design a society based on exploitation of black people and sustenance of white domination; acknowledges that the African majority was only confined to 13% of the land in South Africa while whites owned 87% at the end of the apartheid regime in 1994; further acknowledges that the current land reform programme has been fraught with difficulties since its inception in 1994, and that the pace of land reform has been slow with only 8% of the land transferred back to black people since 1994, and that the recent land audit claims that black people own less than 2% of rural land, and less than 7% of urban land; recognises that at the centre of the present crisis regarding the resolution of the land question is section 25 of the Constitution, the “property clause”, which protects private property rights, and requires of the State to pay compensation when expropriating land in the public interest and for a public purpose further recognises that this property clause makes it practically impossible for those dispossessed of their land to get justice for injustices perpetrated against them; acknowledges that in his State of the Nation Address, President Ramaphosa made a commitment that government will embark on a radical land reform programme that entails expropriation of land without compensation; further acknowledges that any amendment to the Constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation must go through a parliamentary process as parliament is the only institution that can amend the constitution. establishes an ad hoc committee, in terms of Rule 253 (l)(a), the committee to: – Review and amend section 25 of the Constitution to make it possible for the state to expropriate land in the public interest without compensation; – Conduct public hearings to get the views of ordinary South Africans, policy makers, civil society organisations and academics, about the necessity of, and mechanisms for expropriating land without compensation; – Propose the necessary constitutional amendments with regards to the kind of future land tenure regime needed, and to the necessity of the State being a custodian of all South African land, – consist of 11 members, as follows: ANC 6, DA 2, EFF 1, and other parties 2; – exercise those powers in Rule 167 that may assist it in carrying out its task; and – Report back to the National Assembly by no later than 11 May 2018. The amendment moved by ANC and agreed to by the EFF: Amendments to be moved by the ANC to the motion by Mr J S Malema 1. That paragraph 6 of the motion be amended as follows: “Recognises that the current policy instruments, including the willing buyer willing seller policy, and other provisions of section 25 of the Constitution may be hindering effective land reform.” 2. Delete paragraph 7 of the motion as printed on the Order Paper. 3. Substitute paragraph 8 of the motion with the following: “notes that in his State of the Nation Address , President Cyril Ramaphosa, in recognizing the original sin of land dispossession, made a commitment that Government would continue the land reform programme that entails expropriation of land without compensation, making use of all mechanisms at the disposal of the State, implemented in a manner that increases agricultural production, improves food security and ensures that the land is returned to those from whom it was taken under colonialism and apartheid and undertake a process of consultation to determine the modalities of the governing party resolution.” 4. Amend paragraph 10 as follows: “with the concurrence of the NCOP instructs the Constitutional Review Committee to a. review section 25 of the Constitution and other clauses where necessary b. after the word “amendments” to insert “where applicable” and delete all the words after “needed”. c. delete sub-paragraphs (c) and (d) d. amend the date for reporting to the Assembly to “30 August 2018″.”
Admin
05 Dec, 2018
UDEMWO welcomes appointment of new NDPP boss
The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation (UDEMWO) welcomes the appointment of Advocate Shamila Batohi as the new National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP). We strongly believe that her appointment is based on merit, as well as her hard work and dedication she has shown in the justice field. Her track record speaks for itself. The NDPP desperately needed a person of such calibre to head the unit and we hope that Advocate Batohi will do well in the duty conferred to her. We are very pleased that, for a change, a woman has been appointed into a high position. This position comes with great responsibility and needs a disciplined person at the helm. We hope that she will perform her duties to the best of her abilities. Her acceptance speech restored our hope. Women have lost faith in the justice system, because when it comes to women and children abuse and other crimes against women, it favours the perpetrator and not the victim. We hope that Advocate Batohi’s appointment will restore our faith that women and children’s rights will no longer be trampled on. We wish Advocate Batohi all the best once she has taken over the NDPP reins in February. Issued by: Thandi Nontenja UDEMWO Secretary General
Admin
05 Dec, 2018
Sexual abuse of children living with disability
As the world this week marked the international day for persons living with disabilities, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) is extremely worried about the continued abuse of children living with disabilities in special schools across the country. The recent revelations, of sexual abuse of children living with disabilities, made by SABC 1 current affairs programme, Cutting Edge, send chills down the spine. The programme showed that child abuse should in fact be a matter of national concern; in particular where it concerns children living with disabilities. It is sickening that those in positions of trust are the main culprits in sexually abusing these most vulnerable children. Teachers are the very people who are supposed to protect them. Teachers who rape and abuse children living with disabilities are no longer educators, but are monsters who prey on innocent lives. It is clear that the system is failing our children and we cannot fold arms whilst they are suffering. What are the concerned government departments doing about this egregious abuse of children’s rights? One solution to this disturbing problem is that special schools should be regularly inspected to ensure that our children are safe, healthy and flourishing. We regrettably live in a society where persons living with disabilities are treated as if they are something less than human and the stigma attached to persons living with disabilities crushes their lives. Efforts to educate the nation about people living with disabilities should be intensified. Issued by: Mr Bongani Msomi UDM Secretary General
Admin
04 Dec, 2018
GEPF’s R7,4 billion write-offs are shocking
The United Democratic Movement noted with disbelief, the Government Employees Pension Fund’s (GEPF) write-offs amounting to R7,4 billion for the 2017/2018 financial year. These write-offs are of direct consequence of some of the Public Investment Corporation’s (PIC) most controversial deals such as investments in Steinhoff/Lancaster 101, as well as with companies controlled by Iqbal Surve. All of which happened under the management of former PIC boss, Dr Dan Matjila. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Why were these PIC investments given the green light? Why was the GEPF board allowed to make these write-offs? Why was there a delay in appointing the PIC commission of inquiry? Has anything been swept under the carpet? Minister of Finance Tito Mboweni and his deputy, Mondli Gungubele has much to explain. The Mpati Commission of Inquiry must get to the bottom of this mess; sooner rather than later. It should, in particular, look at these transactions that led to the write-offs. The PIC board and Dan Matjila should not get away with this immoral and egregious abuse of people’s retirement money. Merely resigning from a position cannot be the end of the road, if corruption is proved, the guilty must go to jail. The state pensioners, whose moneys are invested at the PIC, have a right to be very worried about how the GEPF and PIC boards are handling their funds, because the powers that be has cast them to the wolves. In the meantime, the disciplinary action taken against any PIC staff members should be immediately suspended pending the outcome of the work to be done by the Mpati Commission. For further comment: Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP UDM President
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