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12 May, 2017
March to the Constitutional Court: #SecretBallot
JOINT STATEMENT BY POLITICAL PARTIES AND CIVIL SOCIETY March to the Constitutional Court: #SecretBallot (Issued on 12 May 2017 at the Parktonian Hotel in Braamfontein, Johannesburg) It is clear to all patriotic citizens that our country, South Africa, is experiencing the worst crisis of leadership since 1994. Our nation has reached a point where the conscience of every Member of Parliament (MP) matters in deciding whether a rogue President is removed from office or not. Next week Monday, the 15th of May 2017, the Constitutional Court will hear arguments by lawyers representing the United Democratic Movement and others arguing why a President who was elected by Parliament through a secret ballot must be removed by a secrete ballot. We the leaders of political parties (the African Christian Democratic Party, African Independent Congress, African People’s Convention, Congress of the People, Agang SA, Democratic Alliance, Economic Freedom Fighters, Inkatha Freedom Party and the United Democratic Movement), together with the Freedom Movement and SaveSA, are united behind the call for MPs to be allowed to decide, by secret ballot, whether President Jacob Zuma must vacate office or not. We believe that a secrete vote will provide the safest space for every individual MP to be guided by his or her free conscience, not by the dictates of political bosses who issue instructions to Parliament from party headquarters. When a country is burning, it is time for conscience to speak! The heavy-handed threat of punitive action by the governing party against its representatives in Parliament who may choose to uphold their oath of office is a grievous threat to our democracy. The Constitution is the only instrument our people can and must use to neutralise this threat. We believe that the matter that will be argued at the Constitutional Court next Monday goes to the heart of the Constitution. This is why we will together lead a march to demonstrate our resolve to defend our country. We call upon all citizens who share our call for President Zuma to be voted out of office to join our march. The details are as follows: Date: 15 March 2017 Time: 08h00 Meeting point: Marry Fitzgerald Square (Johannesburg) Marching to: Constitutional Court The Constitutional Court is the last line of defence for citizens when betrayed by those who wield political power. We believe that President Zuma’s continued stay in office poses a major threat to constitutionalism in South Africa. It threatens to weaken our economy, to impoverish millions of our people, and further to corrupt and ultimately collapse our state. This negative trend can and must be reversed! History will judge us harshly if we do not stand up to defend our country in its hour of need. South Africans must unite in the interest of their country. We call upon all citizens from all walks of life to join us in our historic march. I thank you! ……………………………… (Presented by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP, on behalf of the organisations listed above)
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08 May, 2017
Vuwani no-show: A sign of disrepect
Statement issued by UDM Secretary General – Bongani Msomi It is with sadness that we witness the belittling behaviour of President Jacob Zuma towards the people of this country. His no-show at Vuwani, at the weekend, displays the clear arrogance of his government and his party. There have been widespread service delivery protests but nothing changes. Citizens need to realise that the ruling party does not consider them and that it is time to make different choices. President Zuma and his allies should be made to feel the anger of the citizens; the only ways to do this is for South Africans take back their power and punish the ruling party in 2019. President Zuma must stop taking people for a ride and they must stop allowing this to happen.
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03 May, 2017
Open Letter by Thandi Nontenja to Western Cape Community Safety MEC Dan Plato
Mr Dan Plato Western Cape Minister of Community Safety 35 Wales Street 5th Floor Cape Town 8000 Dear Mr Plato UDEMWO calls for quick intervention on crimes against the women and children on the Cape Flats The unabated incidents of rape and murders, on the Cape Flats, targeted at women and children caught our attention. Since the beginning of the year, several women and children have fallen victim to such crimes and we are worried that not enough is being done to eradicate this phenomenon. Gang related violence, drug and alcohol abuse seem to be endemic to these areas. The situation is out of control with the City of Cape Town Metro Police reportedly saying that teams will only enter ‘red zones’ in large numbers to avoid potential threats and attacks from residents. There is obviously a challenge with the affected communities not trusting the police and this must be addressed without further delay. The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation, would like to know what drastic interventions, if any, you and your department are taking to deal with the problem. It cannot be that we fold our arms while these terrible crimes continue; something must be done to restore dignity to these citizens and heal the ills in this society. We urge that you and all the involved stakeholders to come up with strategy that will see to the safety and protection of the vulnerable. In the meantime, we welcome the arrest of the four suspects in the horrendous murder of four-year-old Iyapha Yamile in Khayelitsha over the long weekend. May justice be swift. Yours in Nation building Ms Thandi Nontenja UDEMWO Secretary General
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27 Apr, 2017
Freedom Day 2017, Bantu Holomisa’s contribution at a Multi-Stakeholder Rally
Colleagues in civil society and political parties My fellow South Africans 1. Thank you to the organisers We thank today’s organisers for hosting all of us at this historic celebration of Freedom Day. It can be argued that civil society was at the centre of the campaign that brought Apartheid to its knees. We have not forgotten the work of, amongst others, Bishop Tutu and the various faith based organisations, the labour movements and the United Democratic Front. People were marching across the globe in answer to the clarion call for solidarity against an evil regime. Little did we know that our new democracy would be vulnerable to a cackle of hyenas that is hell bent on destroying the gains of our freedom. Fortunately, we are blessed with civil society organisations that have emerged with the message: “No, not under our watch!”. Truth be told, many did not understand where the opposition parties were coming from when we started our campaign for Jacob Zuma to go once it was clear the he was unsuited for the post of President. As time has gone by, civil society has cottoned onto this critical mission and we are at last walking in the same direction. Civil society is the conscience of a nation and should continue to play this role. Your mettle will be tested once this suspect President has left office. We expect you to stick to your guns for the good of South Africa and not engage in a battle for the soul of the ruling party. 2. Celebrating Freedom Day “And so we assemble here today, and in other parts of the country, to mark a historic day in the life of our nation. Wherever South Africans are… our hearts beat as one, as we renew our common loyalty to our country and our commitment to its future.” This is what uTata Mandela said on 27 April 1995 at the first commemoration of the 1st democratic elections of the New South Africa. 3. An unhappy people: South Africa today Those words resonate today as we are jubilant in celebrating our free, democratic society. But, as loyal South Africans, we also express our concern about the slippery slope on which our Country finds itself. 4. The proposed National Convention We would be naive to deny that South Africa has made make progress in certain areas, but the challenges confronting the Nation are many and complex. The United Democratic Movement (UDM) therefore mooted the idea of a National Convention. A safe space, on a similar scale to Codesa, where all stakeholders, interest groups and individuals may raise issues; actively listen; engage and convince each other and/or make compromises. The product of the National Convention should be a hammered-out, common vision in which we can all believe and which Government can implement. So far, the response to the UDM’s call is encouraging. There is a clear expression of interest from many stakeholders. I had been requested last week, by opposition leaders, to coordinate the establishment of a steering committee to drive this process. A meeting will take place on the 3rd of May and the steering committee, in its current form, plans to expand for the inclusion of representatives of civil society. Regarding the No-Confidence Motion in President Zuma, the opposition parties have already met and our programme of action is underway. We will keep you posted on developments. 5. Conclusion In line with what we are trying to achieve with the National Convention in which we all participate, Madiba concluded his 1995 speech by saying that “…there is no short-cut to making South Africa the country of our dreams. • It requires hard work by those entrusted with positions of responsibility in government. • It demands that workers and employers work together to produce efficiently and compete with the best in the world, to achieve equity and to help create more jobs. • It requires hard work on the part of farmers and farm-workers, to feed the nation and provide raw materials, even in the face of adversity. • It requires hard work by students and teachers to build a literate, skilled and learned nation. • It requires greater exertion by our sports-persons and artists to always offer the best for the country and its people. • It demands of all of us, wherever we may be, to exercise our rights as citizens; and do so without infringing on the rights of others.” How true! Thank you Freedom Day 2017 speaking notes of Mr BH Holomisa, MP (UDM President) at a Multi-Stakeholder Rally at the Caledonian Stadium (Pretoria)
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26 Apr, 2017
Nuclear deals: Western Cape High Court judgement is an indictment of a Government involved in sneaky deals
Statement issued by UDM President Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP The United Democratic Movement (UDM) welcomes the Western Cape High Court ruling in favour of the case brought against Government by Earthlife Africa Johannesburg and the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute. This ruling is a good lesson for Government to understand and accept that accountability and transparency are non-negotiable Constitutional dictates. Government must stop trying to sneak such deals without the knowledge of the people. The ruling is also in favour of the millions of citizens who would have had to service this long-term debt for a deal that could have bankrupted the national fiscus. South Africa’s economy has already been downgraded to junk status and therefore would not have been able to raise external funds without punishing the poorest of the poor. The UDM warns Government leaders to stop placing their personal interests and that of their party ahead of the people of South Africa. End
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26 Apr, 2017
ANC must stop looting state resources
Statement issued by UDM Secretary General, Mr Bongani Msomi Eastern Cape is one of the worst struggling provinces with severe challenges such as poor infrastructure. It is with great sadness that we observe those who are in power abusing resources meant for uplifting the poor. The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is however happy to note that action has been taken against those who allegedly stole from the state purse. The recent court appearance of the former Amathole district municipality mayor Nomasikizi Konza, as well as Buffalo City Metro mayor Zukiswa Ncitha with their co-accused, bodes well. It gives us hope as a country that the Hawks have finally woken up to smell the coffee and are doing their job. We hope to see a maximum punishment being meted out to all found guilty. The leadership of the ruling party seems to be in denial while the state is being looted. It is high time that they own up to the widespread corruption within the ranks of their political deployees and officials.
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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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21 Apr, 2017
UDM condemns police killings
Statement issued by UDM Secretary General, Mr Bongani Msomi The United Democratic Movement (UDM) sends condolences to the family and friends of the brutally killed police officers while on duty. As UDM, we note with shock and concern the increasing numbers of officials killed throughout the country. The recent killings bring much alarm and it warrants that something should be done urgently. We cannot carry on as if nothing happened. The attack on police is an attack to the citizens. UDM calls on community members to help in the protection of the police. They must be allowed to do their job without fear. When a police officer dies, not only the family is affected but the whole community and nation at large. The police must be trained in such a manner that will allow them to defend themselves when they are attacked. We wish to extend a speedy recovery to the police officer who was wounded during shootout in Soweto. We hope he gets well soon. We call on the security agencies to work tirelessly to arrest the culprits. We hope they will get arrested and brought to book. End
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