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30 Sep, 2025
Bantu Holomisa on the passing of Ambassador Nathi Mthethwa
Statement by President of the United Democratic Movement, Deputy Minister Bantu Holomisa, MP I am deeply saddened by the passing of His Excellency, Ambassador Nathi Mthethwa, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. Ambassador Mthethwa served our nation with distinction, demonstrating unwavering dedication to advancing South Africa’s diplomatic and strategic interests. His professionalism, wisdom, and commitment earned him the respect and admiration of colleagues and international partners alike. During my recent visit to the French Republic for the IHEDN Forum on the African Continent (FICA) and related bilateral defence engagements in June 2025, Ambassador Mthethwa, through the Embassy, provided vital logistical support, mobility arrangements, and a comprehensive briefing to our delegation prior to departure. His guidance and insights were invaluable in ensuring that our engagements were well-prepared, strategically aligned, and impactful in representing South Africa’s interests. The meticulous support he provided, including coordinating transportation, scheduling, and access to key stakeholders, significantly contributed to the success of our working visit to France, making the trip smooth, effective, and productive. One thing Ambassador Mthethwa always never forgot to mention whenever we were in the same room, to audiences who cared to listen, is that he received his early military training under the supervision of the Transkei Defence Force officers, where he completed a special military training course in Port St. Johns for ANC liberation movement operatives during the struggle. That formative period helped shape his disciplined approach to service and his deep understanding of strategic defence matters. This early experience informed the wisdom, perspective, and professionalism he later brought to his distinguished diplomatic career. The United Democratic Movement mourns the loss of a devoted public servant and a true patriot. Ambassador Mthethwa’s contributions to strengthening South Africa’s bilateral relations and advancing defence diplomacy will leave a lasting legacy. I extend my prayers and deepest sympathies to his family, loved ones, and colleagues. South Africa has lost a remarkable diplomat and a servant of the people. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
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30 Sep, 2025
Bafana Bafana betrayed by the boardroom
Statement by Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP, UDM Deputy President and Leader in Parliament The United Democratic Movement (UDM) notes with concern the admission by the South African Football Association (SAFA) of the administrative blunder that has led to Bafana Bafana losing valuable World Cup qualifying points and being fined by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). While SAFA has taken responsibility and apologised, this is not enough. An apology does not repair the damage done to the team’s qualification campaign, nor does it address the deeper governance weaknesses that allowed such an avoidable error to occur in the first place. Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has himself described this incident as an embarrassment and has promised a probe. The UDM supports this call. However, it must not end with another report gathering dust. We need genuine reform that ensures accountability at leadership level and the strengthening of administrative and compliance systems within SAFA. Football is the passion of millions of South Africans. The players on the field have given their all to carry the hopes of a nation. They should never have to see their efforts undermined by failures in administration. The UDM therefore calls for urgent reforms at SAFA, accountability measures for those responsible, and stronger oversight mechanisms to safeguard the integrity of our sporting institutions. South African football deserves leadership that is competent, transparent and worthy of the people’s trust.
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30 Sep, 2025
The R2 billion warning: reform procurement or repeat Tembisa everywhere
Statement by Thandi Nontenja, MP, UDM Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has note with alarm the interim report of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into the looting of Tembisa Hospital. The SIU has confirmed what many South Africans feared: more than R2 billion was siphoned away through coordinated syndicates that exploited procurement loopholes. The report reveals that 2 207 procurement bundles, 4 501 purchase orders and 207 service providers are under scrutiny. Three criminal networks alone are linked to nearly R1.7 billion. At least 15 officials have been implicated, while R122 million in corrupt payments have been traced to insiders. Services were invoiced and paid for but never delivered. Even losing bidders were paid. The sophistication of these schemes, including fake supply chain documents, front companies and manipulation of three quote rules, proves that this was not opportunism but organised criminality within the state. The assassination of whistle-blower Babita Deokaran is a tragic reminder of how dangerous it has become to expose corruption in our country. Her murder was not in vain; the SIU findings vindicate her warnings. But South Africans cannot be expected to rely on martyrs to defend public money. The UDM is clear: Tembisa is not an outlier. It is a mirror of how corruption has hollowed out our state. The same patterns can be seen in housing projects, water schemes, municipal contracts, state owned enterprises and schools. This case must be treated as a wakeup call for comprehensive reform across all sectors, not only in health. We therefore call for: 1. Swift prosecution of all implicated individuals with clear timelines for referrals from the SIU to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and public updates on progress in the courts. 2. End to end digital procurement across government with full transparency and audit trails. 3. Whistle-blower protection as a matter of urgency, with the state ensuring that the next Babita is not left vulnerable. 4. A specialised anti-corruption task team combining the SIU, NPA, Auditor General and SAPS commercial crimes units, with quarterly public reporting. 5. Swift recovery of assets so that mansions, cars and bank accounts bought with stolen funds are seized and redirected to service delivery. 6. Political accountability so that senior officials and politicians who presided over these failures must answer, not hide behind process. South Africa cannot afford another decade of commissions and reports gathering dust while syndicates loot unchecked. Every stolen rand is a bed without linen, a clinic without medicine and a community without water. The Tembisa heist is not only about one hospital. It is the clearest example yet of a state where corruption has become a parallel system of government. Unless procurement is reformed from top to bottom, we will see Tembisa repeated in every department and municipality. The UDM stands ready to fight for reforms that restore dignity to our public finances, protect whistle-blowers, and return stolen resources to the people they were meant to serve.
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28 Sep, 2025
Restore our teachers’ dignity: support them, pay them, protect them
Statement by Zandile Phiri, Acting Secretary General of the United Democratic Movement The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is deeply alarmed by the growing crisis in South Africa’s education system, as mounting evidence shows that thousands of teachers are either leaving the profession or contemplating resignation. Reports this year confirm that nearly half of South Africa’s teachers want to quit, citing unbearable stress, excessive administrative duties, intimidation by learners and parents, poor pay, and lack of meaningful support. Teaching is one of the most critical professions in South Africa’s economy. Yet teachers are being demoralised, overburdened, and driven from classrooms at the very moment our country most needs stability and quality in education. This is not only an education crisis but a national crisis, directly affecting the learning outcomes of millions of children. The UDM’s position is clear: we must restore dignity, respect, and proper support to the teaching profession. We therefore call for: • Reducing administrative burdens by investing in support staff and digital systems so teachers can teach rather than drown in paperwork. • Strengthening teacher well-being through counselling services, professional development, and programmes to address burnout. • Improving safety and discipline in schools by addressing disruptive and violent behaviour from learners and parents. • Fair and competitive remuneration that recognises the value of teachers and secures their role as central to national development. • Investment in infrastructure and resources so that classrooms are fit for learning. The UDM also believes reforms to teacher training must be urgent and far-reaching. Closing teachers’ colleges was a case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The UDM has long argued for their reopening, with reformed curricula to meet modern needs. In addition, we call for: • Proper orientation and induction for new teachers so that they are supported rather than burned out in their first years. • Stronger inclusion of early childhood development (ECD) practitioners in teacher training to build the pipeline from the earliest stages of learning. • Comprehensive language training to help teachers manage the difficult transition from mother tongue instruction to English in early grades. • Modern, evidence-based pedagogical tools and continuous professional development to ensure teachers remain prepared for the classrooms of the future. • Compulsory training and awareness on professional ethics and abuse prevention, to ensure that the rare but devastating cases of sexual misconduct by teachers are never repeated and that the integrity of the profession is protected. This crisis is further compounded by reports of job losses in early 2025 due to budget cuts in provincial education departments. No teacher should be jobless because of government failures. Teachers deserve a living wage, stability, and job security, not retrenchment notices. It is unacceptable that those tasked with shaping the nation’s future are the first to face the axe when budgets are squeezed. The root cause is plain: wasteful spending and corruption are bleeding provincial budgets dry. Funds meant to pay teachers and fix schools are stolen by inflated contracts, ghost workers, luxury perks for officials, and failed projects. Every rand looted is a teacher not paid, a school left to crumble, or a child robbed of education. Until this rot is confronted head-on, it is our teachers and learners who will keep paying the price for provincial government’s failures. We call on Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube and the Government of National Unity to act with urgency, and for basic education reform to be placed firmly on the National Dialogue agenda as a collective national priority The UDM believes that teachers are central to the success of our basic education system. Without them, the future of our children and of our nation itself is at risk.
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26 Sep, 2025
Children must be protected, not burned: UDMYV on murder of 12-year-old Centane boy
Statement by Zintombi Sododile, Chairperson of United Democratic Movement Youth Vanguard in the Eastern Cape The United Democratic Movement Youth Vanguard (UDM Youth Vanguard) in the Eastern Cape is horrified by the recent gruesome death of a 12-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten and set alight by three suspects, aged between 30 and 41. The incident occurred at Nkondwane Location in Centane in the Eastern Cape. The suspects were reportedly arrested and have already appeared in the Centane Magistrate’s Court where they were remanded in custody. It is alleged that the 12-year-old boy was not the only victim of this horrendous crime, as another boy was also assaulted. According to police reports, the children were playing football when a male came and grabbed the boy, slapped and kicked him, and accused him of stealing money. The boys were then forcefully taken to a homestead where they were assaulted and set alight. One of the boys managed to extinguish the flames and escaped, but the other was unable to escape. He was rushed to Butterworth Hospital and later to Frere Hospital where he sadly succumbed to his injuries. This horror cannot be normalised. While the frustration of communities who live under constant crime is real and understood, taking the law into our own hands cannot and must not be condoned. No amount of anger or desperation can justify the murder of a child. The UDM Youth Vanguard in the Eastern Cape demands that the suspects who took the life of this innocent boy should be imprisoned for life and never see the light of day again. They are a danger to society and must be treated as such. We call on the National Prosecuting Authority to build a watertight case to ensure that justice is not delayed and that no technicality allows these men to escape accountability. The UDMYV also calls for urgent psychosocial and material support to be provided to the grieving family of the deceased and to the surviving child and his family. No parent should have to endure such a devastating loss, and no child should have to carry the trauma of such violence without care and support. We further call on communities to work to ensure the safety of children and to report any kind of abuse or violence to the police rather than resorting to vigilante justice. The UDM Youth Vanguard in the Eastern Cape believes that this tragedy must galvanise all of us to confront violence and crime with unity and lawful action. Our message is clear: children must never again be left unprotected against such cruelty. It is in this context that we must remind ourselves that South Africa has strong legal protections for children, yet violent crimes against them remain shockingly high. Section 28 of the Constitution explicitly safeguards the rights of every child to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse, and degradation. These rights cannot remain words on paper while children continue to be brutalised in our communities. We are further disturbed by other recent reports of children being burned, beaten, and killed in South Africa, incidents widely covered by the media and condemned by child rights activists. Police dockets and advocacy groups like the Khula Community Development Project have repeatedly highlighted the scale of this scourge. This appalling pattern deepens the urgency for action, as no society that tolerates such cruelty can claim to value its future.
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26 Sep, 2025
UDM at 28: honouring the past, acting today, shaping tomorrow
Statement by Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP, UDM Deputy President and Leader in Parliament As the UDM marks another year in its journey, we pause to reflect, not with pride alone but with renewed purpose. From its birth in on 27 September 1997, this Movement has never sought glory. It has always sought impact, to stand between power and the people, to guard against complacency, and to speak truth to authority. Our record tells its own story. We have defended the rights of South Africans against loadshedding, where the courts ruled in favour of our challenge, compelling government to shield schools, hospitals, and police stations from blackouts. We have championed accountability in Parliament and beyond, from helping abolish the immoral floor-crossing legislation to exposing corruption at the Public Investment Corporation, IEC, NSFAS, and within Cabinet itself. We have protected democracy and transparency through our fight for fair party funding, electoral reform, and clean governance, work that has shaped laws and strengthened institutions. And we have stood with the vulnerable and voiceless, whether by rallying behind rural sub-headmen, advocating for SATBVC pensioners, or demanding the eradication of pit latrines in our schools. In the 2024 elections, the UDM demonstrated measurable growth and renewed public trust. Nationally, we expanded our parliamentary representation to four Members of Parliament, and in the Eastern Cape Legislature we secured three seats. These gains are a clear sign that our message of integrity, service, and accountability resonates with the people of South Africa. Since joining the Government of National Unity in 2024, the UDM has assumed a special responsibility. Not merely to govern but to scrutinise, to hold every decision, every policy, and every expenditure to the light. That has always been our defining role: not power for its own sake but oversight in the public interest. As Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans within that framework, UDM President Bantu Holomisa’s tireless diligence has revealed systemic challenges such as legacy lapses, budget distortions, and capacity gaps. His work has compelled deeper accountability in areas where many had ceased to ask hard questions. Through this role he has ensured that even those serving in government would not escape public scrutiny. Looking ahead to the Local Government Elections of 2026, the UDM is actively preparing to build on its track record of principled leadership. We are strengthening our structures on the ground, growing our membership base, and empowering the next generation through the UDM Youth Vanguard and United Democratic Students’ Movement. Far from resting on the shoulders of one leader, the UDM is building collective leadership and preparing its public representatives to serve with accountability and integrity. Our focus is on issues that matter most to the people, including reliable access to water, proper housing, safe schools, dignified healthcare, and responsive municipalities. These priorities will shape our manifesto and guide our contribution to local government renewal. As we celebrate, we recommit ourselves to the children still forced to learn in unsafe schools, to the pensioners whose years of service were forgotten, and to the communities left without reliable access to water, dignified housing, proper sanitation, or dependable electricity. We recommit to exposing corruption, resisting abuse, demanding consequences, and never allowing power to rest while service delivery continues to fail our people. We stand with the vulnerable and voiceless, confronting gender-based violence, rural neglect, and the scourge of maladministration that robs our nation of dignity. Happy Birthday, UDM. Twenty-eight years later, our purpose is unchanged. We guard, we challenge, we serve. The road ahead is long, but our resolve remains rock steady.
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24 Sep, 2025
Heritage Day 2025: celebrate, protect and pass on our heritage
Statement by Zandile Phiri, Acting Secretary General of the United Democratic Movement In commemoration of this year’s Heritage Day, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) would like to remind South Africans about the importance of our diverse cultures and uniqueness. As we celebrate Heritage Month, we must consider that there are some setbacks surrounding our heritage. For instance, when looking back at the past 31 years, what is sad is that people have been assimilated to tourists of their own heritage. Our identity is no longer an anchor of our daily lives; it is something we now visit occasionally. Western cultures and tendencies have now formed habits which create new identities and heritages. It is these new heritages that the current generations will bequeath to forthcoming generations, and old ones will be extinct if we do not do something about it. We must invest in the preservation of South African history and heritage. Our government and other related sectors and stakeholders should invest more funding in creative productions that teach South Africans about their history and heritage; cultural storytelling through film, theatre and documentaries to make our past accessible, engaging and inspiring. We acknowledge and congratulate the producers who have been filming and delivering an exceptional portrayal of South African stories and its rich history. Indeed, nations are made up of a collection of stories and legends. These stories shape the way we think about our country and our standing within it. And for our children to know exactly where they are going, they first need to understand where they come from. That is an important symbol of heritage. Our identity cannot be bound solely by sporting triumphs, such as the excitement surrounding the Springboks’ victories. True nationhood is built on a shared understanding of history, culture and heritage. That is the framework through which we understand our collective purpose and navigate our shared destiny, and it must be actively nurtured for generations yet to come. On this Heritage Day, the UDM calls on all South Africans to celebrate not only the diversity of our cultures but also to commit to their preservation. Let us pass on traditions, languages and stories with pride, so that future generations inherit a South Africa that honours its past while building a united and inclusive future.
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24 Sep, 2025
UDESMO calls for justice and protection for learners across South Africa!
Statement by Lucia Matomane, UDESMO Eastern Cape Provincial Chairperson The United Democratic Students’ Movement (UDESMO) is horrified by the continuing violation of children in schools by those who are meant to protect them. The recent flood of cases, from St John’s College in Mthatha (Eastern Cape), to Tiyelelani Secondary in Soshanguve (Gauteng), from St Bernard High in Bloemfontein (Free State), to Thubalethu Secondary in Pinetown (KwaZulu-Natal), and Sunward Park High in Boksburg (Gauteng), shows that what should be a place of learning has become a hunting ground for predators hiding behind the title of “teacher.” We cannot pretend these are isolated incidents. Girls as young as 12 and 14 are being preyed upon. They are being impregnated, forced into abortions, infected with diseases, and threatened into silence. These crimes are ripping futures away from young people before their lives have even begun. The pain and anger of learners are boiling over. When pupils are forced to protest and shut down schools just to be heard, it shows the system has failed them. The silence of adults who should act faster is part of the problem. But there are signs that justice can prevail. In one case, a teacher who impregnated a learner, infected her with HIV, and then tried to escape responsibility was struck off the roll and ordered by a court to pay maintenance. That is what it looks like when the law works — but it should never take this long, and it should never be the exception. UDESMO demands more than words of sympathy. We demand: • No bail for accused teachers; our children’s lives matter more than the freedom of predators. • Swift prosecutions and maximum sentences for offenders. • Educators found guilty of sexual offences against learners must be struck off the roll and permanently listed the National Child Protection Register. • Real support for survivors in the form of counselling, protection, and dignity. We say enough is enough. Our schools must be safe. Our teachers must be trustworthy. And our generation refuses to accept a future where classrooms are places of fear.
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