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08 Oct, 2013
Youth Day
Address by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP (UDM President) at a UDM Youth Day Rally, on Sunday, 16 June 2013 at Blybank Taxi Rank (Carletonville, Gauteng) Members of the UDM NEC; Presidents of the UDM Youth Vanguard and Women’s Organisation UDM Public Representatives Fellow UDM members and supporters and Young South Africans WELCOME Thank you to each person who took the time to celebrate Youth Day with the United Democratic Movement (UDM) today. To the UDM structures in Gauteng, thank you for the hard work. To our Secretary General, Mr Bongani Msomi, our National Treasurer, Mrs Thandi Nontenja, a special thank you for the time and effort you invested to make today a success. YOUTH DAY 2013 Every year we commemorate the sacrifices made by our youth on 16 June 1976 in the Soweto. The iconic picture of Hector Pieterson, brought home to many people, within and outside South Africa, the unfairness and brutality of the Apartheid regime. What happened that day is a testimony to the innate strength and tenacity of young South Africans. Our youth knows what is right, and what is wrong. They have the courage to stick to their convictions and stand their ground in the face of terrible odds. The UDM is convinced that the youth of today, across racial lines, is capable of consolidating and protecting the order that was ushered in after all the suffering, sacrifice and dedication. SOUTH AFRICA TODAY Yes, we have attained political freedom, but much still needs to be done to realise the dreams and the aspirations of our fallen heroes and heroines. When we assess South Africa since 1994 we need to ask: “Are South Africans more free in 2013?”. Or, has past eighteen years of unemployment undermined our hard won freedom? Despite the major strides that have been made, unemployment is ever increasing; poverty and homelessness are everywhere, crime holds people hostage in their homes, our hospitals have become places of death, our education system fails to provide adequate skills for employment and the majority is still without property. To add insult to this list of injuries, our Government wastes millions-upon-millions of Rands to pay consultants to tell them what “the realities are” – as if they cannot see with our own eyes. These so-called consultants come with their “cut-and-paste solutions” that are a mere regurgitation of their proposed solutions of last year (and the year before). Of the projects that find their way to implementation, the majority are of such poor quality, they have to hire more consultants to tell them they have failed. Of course it makes sense, if you are a card-carrying member of the ruling party, to register such a “consultancy”. Become a tenderpreneur and build a bridge to nowhere or, even better, hire a boyfriend, or a wife and a few mzalas to “share in the profits” at the expense of our people. THE UDM’s PROPOSAL FOR AN ECONOMIC INDABA South Africans, young and old, daily ask some of the following questions: Why have subsidies, intended to help labour intensive industries, disappeared? Why was our skilled and unskilled labour force never absorbed into labour intensive industries? Why did the promise of thousands of job opportunities never realised; and why has government failed to combat poverty and joblessness? Why was the dream of free education, which was promised in 1994, never realised? Why do hospitals and clinics run out of medicines, and lack proper equipment? Why do doctors, nurses, teachers and civil servants (such as soldiers and police officers) earn paltry salaries and why do they leave for greener pastures? Why do we loose billions of Rands because of the capital and skills flight – with one in four young South Africans wanting to leave? Why are our infrastructure, government buildings and roads falling apart? and Why, most importantly, is the gap between the rich and poor still widening? These are all legitimate questions and the UDM has been advocating for an Economic Indaba to be hosted to find solutions to these fundamental challenges. The UDM wants all stakeholders, especially the youth, to participate in such an Indaba, for it is the youth that will inherit this mess. It is therefore the youth of today, who should claim their space and devise the solutions of tomorrow. WE CAN COMPLAIN FOREVER, BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING? It is a fact that many things are wrong, or they could be better, in South Africa. We could, however, stand here for hours-and-hours complaining, whinging and whining about our lot and how unfair things are. I am not saying we should not complain, of course we should, because South Africans have a contract with their Government called the Constitution. Just as we citizens are accountable for our actions, so our government must be held accountable. We will keep making noise; speaking our minds and making our feelings known to those who lead us. But, we must draw the line somewhere in the sand and say: “You know what; I am going to make this work! I, as a young South African, take charge of my destiny.” DO WHAT MR HOLOMISA? Be practical, get issue orientated. Do not wait for the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) to fight your battles, for they will not. Their track record speaks volumes. NYDA will rather spend hundreds and thousands of Rands on party supplies and, this week, they did not even pitch for their meeting with Members of Parliament. Are these people, who pretend to be youth leaders, fit represent you? For those of you who are graduates from, technikons and universities, it is high time that you make the effort to swell ranks of decision-makers in Government. Become servants of your communities and peers, by making yourselves available as councillors, Members of Legislatures and/or Parliament. Don’t stay on the sidelines and be mere spectators. The current crop of leaders in the ruling party is only interested in one thing, using the remainder of their terms to get rich at your expense. Do not put all your eggs in one basket and wait for the older generation, of which I am part, to make decisions for you. You need to be in the thick of things, roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty by tilling the soil of your own prosperous futures. TAKE WHAT IS GOOD FROM THE PAST Young people, you have reached a crossroads, much the same (in some respects) as the youth of 1976 faced themselves. Not only are there too many South Africans who are marginalised by the government of the day, but they are so very desperate for Government’s attention that they resort to violent civil disobedience. As you stand here today, you must ensure that you are at the vanguard to demand transformation of the economy. In 1976, the Soweto youth stood up for themselves and conveyed their unhappiness loud and clear, the tragedy that followed was not of their making. Their goal was noble and good; they wanted to show a government that did not care, that it should listen to the young people of South Africa. Do not sit around for another eighteen years, before taking a stand, because if you do, we might have this very same conversation in 2031 when I am stuck in an old age home. WHERE TO FROM HERE? This is the message I want you to leave with today. Stand up, make your voices heard, claim your space and if you don’t like what the ruling party is doing, vote with your feet. Don’t wait for the powers that be to change the current situation. They have not done so in eighteen years, and they will take another eighteen years if you allow them to abuse you and you will be left to explain to your . Thank you.
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08 Oct, 2013
National Youth Day Commemorations
Address by Mr Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, UDM Deputy Secretary General, at the National Youth Day Commemorations, at eMadadeni, Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday, 16 June 2013 Programme Director, Mister President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers; All protocol observed, Fellow South Africans: Much has been achieved in the development of young people since the advent of democracy in 1994. However, it should concern us that today we commemorate the 37th anniversary of June 16 1976 against the backdrop of extraordinarily high levels of youth unemployment in South Africa. According to the latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics South Africa, unemployment for people between the ages of 15-34 currently stands at 70.7 per cent. This means that, not only do young people still occupy the periphery of economic activity, but the problem of unemployment in South Africa appears to be one of youth unemployment. This is a ticking time bomb which threatens to worsen the alarming levels of political instability in South Africa. At the heart of youth unemployment problem is the poor quality of our education system, which is failing to equip the youth with basic skills or the skills the South African economy requires. In addition to these challenges, South Africa is also battling with high prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse among the youth. We have to leave no stone unturned in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse. Programme Director, Apart from these challenges, we are also faced with the problem where political connectivity determines one’s altitude. For many young people, coming from the wrong side of the political spectrum is increasingly becoming a fixed impediment to individual success. While this occurs, those who enjoy political connectivity become overnight millions. The danger of breaking the important link between effort and reward is that we send a wrong message to the young people that they can take the escalators to success. No winning Nation can be built on this formula. On numerous occasions people who are tasked with running youth development institutions publicly proclaim commitment to youth development, while privately practicing unrestrained extraction of private wealth from the public purse. Mister President, I wish we could wave a magic wand and get rid of these problems, but unfortunately we cannot. Nor do we have the time to develop another plan because South Africa has an abundance of plans. Our only limitation is that we do not implement them. To turn this situation around, we require bold and decisive leadership from all the sectors of society to implement the plans we have developed thus far, as failure to do this will portray us a Nation that lacks the moral resolve to tackle its challenges. We have to improve the quality of our education to ensure that our youth are both employable and capable of becoming employment creators rather than employment seekers. We have to re-establish the link between effort and reward and root out corruption and maladministration in our society. Fellow South Africans, We have to work hard to ensure that we put selfless service to the people above all else. Adam Smith puts this aptly in his book The Theory of Moral Sentiments, when he says and I quote: “When the happiness or the misery of others depends in any respect upon our conduct, we dare not, as self-love might suggest to us, prefer the interest of one to that of many.” Providing this bold leadership entails making important choices as a Nation. Former President of the United States of America, JF Kennedy once summarised these choices succinctly in one of his political campaign speeches in the 1950s when he said and I quote that: “…the American people have a choice to make…. a choice between national greatness and national decline…between the public interest and private comfort.” He continued and said: “All mankind awaits our decision. We cannot fail their trust, we cannot fail to try.” More than fifty years later, South Africa finds itself at this crossroad. The decision we take today will determine the kind of South Africa we seek to become. Borrowing the words of JF Kennedy, I say that the peoples of Africa and the world wait upon our decision. We cannot fail their trust, nor can we fail to try. I thank you.
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08 Oct, 2013
UDM Rally part of celebration of Youth Month
Address by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP (UDM President) at the UDM Rally part of celebration of Youth Month Impala No. 8, Freedom Park (Rustenburg, North West) on Monday, 17 June 2013 Members of the UDM NEC; Presidents of the UDM Youth Vanguard and Women’s Organisation UDM Public Representatives Fellow UDM members and supporters and Young South Africans WELCOME Thank you to all of you who have come today to make this celebration possible. The structures of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) in the North West in particular have worked very hard to bring us all together; thank you. To our Secretary General, Mr Bongani Msomi, and our National Treasurer, Mrs Thandi Nontenja, thank you for the hard work and hours of sweat. YOUTH DAY 2013 Every year we commemorate the events that took place on 16 June 1976 in the Soweto. What happened that day is a stark reminder of what an oppressive government is able to do to its people. One would have expected that the incumbent government would have learnt a lesson from the past and strive at all cost to not repeat history. The problem is however, that South Africans from all walks of life, especially the mining communities in this part of the world, feel powerless and voiceless – nobody listens. Do they? THE STATE OF THE NATION 2013 Yes, we have attained political freedom, but much still needs to be done to realise the dreams and the aspirations of our fallen heroes and heroines. When we assess South Africa since 1994 we need to ask: “Are South Africans more free in 2013?”. From the UDM’s point, socio-economic freedom depends on certain basic conditions that affect citizens’ physical ability, but are also directly linked to their dignity, including the following: Jobs – there must be productive employment and a decent living wage for our people. In the long run, food security can only be achieved and hunger beaten if people have jobs. Education – without knowledge and skills people cannot make informed decisions and achieve their goals, and so enhance their livelihoods. Health – people need to be healthy and have adequate health care in order to reach their full potential and share in the benefits of a democratic society. Security – people who feel under siege from criminals in their homes, neighbourhoods and places of work cannot fully concentrate on pursuing their aspirations. Property ownership – without ownership of land and property people are unable to participate actively in the economic and social life of the country. Considering these factors, one cannot draw any other answer to the question I posed earlier i.e. are South Africans truly free? The answer is no. MINING INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AFRICA For instance, it cannot be right that, since the days when our grandfathers worked the mines no mineworker has benefited from digging our mineral wealth. Many mineworkers die poor, while thousands suffer from incurable diseases caused by working in the mines. Big mining companies, such as Anglo American and Billiton own mines and still have mining rights which are valid for many years. They use these rights to unilaterally decide when to mine and why. They abuse this power during the wage negotiations with labour by threatening to close down shafts when workers make demands. They often get away with this unbecoming behaviour because of the protection they receive from the select few members of the ruling elite, who have mining rights. We have to nip this behaviour in the bud by getting mining companies to offload some of their mining rights to the people. This will serve as an incentive to employees and the new mining companies to promote productivity and to increase competition in the industry. Another weakness in the economic policies of the current government is beneficiation. Every time we send goods overseas to be processed. Government brags about its planned railway line project. However, what it does not tell the public is that the manganese to be used in its construction is going to be processed outside the country. This is sadly the case in all too many of our industries, including the mining industry. At this day age control and ownership of the economy is still a pipe dream despite Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). To create jobs, we need to demand that Government take steps to ensure that 50 per cent to 60 per cent of our goods are beneficiated locally. We, in particular, understand the challenges Platinum Belt mineworkers face on a daily basis, and this includes the collusion we observe by those in the ruling party who are “mining business partners”. We see a double standard applied; the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) have larger numbers than the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and yet, in terms of the law, you are not given due recognition. Instead, they play delay tactics. Now that we are going for elections, they resort to shenanigans and say: “let’s talk”. It is clear that the laws are there for them, and not others. The question should be can you trust them. You are not schoolchildren, to be treated as such, and the UDM is of the opinion that you need to engage directly with the employer, and if possible avoid “negotiating” with BEE fronts. Mineworkers and their communities have gone through a particularly bad period of frustration, violence and sadness. It is a difficult time for you, but the UDM supports all attempts to make sure this industry is sustainable and violence free. IT IS EASY TO CAST STONES, BUT WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS? SOLUTION: ECONOMIC INDABA The UDM believes that an Economic Indaba, on the scale of Codesa, should be hosted as soon as possible to find solutions to the aforementioned fundamental challenges. The UDM wants all stakeholders to participate in such an Indaba, to give them the opportunity to say their say, and be heard – but most importantly to be part of the solution. SOLUTION: GOVERNMENT MUST DO MORE Our point of departure is that socio-economic freedom can only be achieved by a Government that is willing to invest in its own economy and its people, especially considering the history of our country. “Government must do more” i.e. it must: Reverse the decision of the de-industrialisation which led to millions of lost jobs and reintroduce incentive schemes, because we are competing against products that are heavily subsided. Review the funding model of our expensive education system which fails to produce skills required by employees. Take another look at the rural and urbanisation strategy, as the current policies have allowed people to build anywhere they like – as a result our cities are turning into slums. Start properly integrating the former homelands and townships’ infrastructure into the developed parts of this country. Look at our system of budgeting – do we allocate resources according to the size of the population or its needs? Address South Africa’s failing food security programmes. Build an internal economic capacity in our country to minimise the growing xenophobia which is spawned by competition for scarce resources by locals and immigrants. Constantly review South Africa’s international trade tariffs and duties to protect developing local industries, encourage exports, increase international trade and support inbound tourism. Urgently address rampant crime and lawlessness. Ensure that the civil service, government departments and state owned enterprises are run effectively and are corruption free. Lead in the promotion of entrepreneurship amongst our people and remove the bureaucratic obstacles. Continue to contribute to the peace and stability inside our borders, with our immediate neighbours and the rest of the Continent. Make the environment a priority today, or our children and their children will face great hardship tomorrow. WE CAN COMPLAIN FOREVER, BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING? It is a fact that many things are wrong, or they could be better, in South Africa. We will not forget those who lost their lives, at that time and afterward and may their souls rest in peace, but we need to take important lessons from the history of this Country. It would however be wonderful if we could all leave here today; feeling inspired. Each of us have power and have choices; we can sit and cry forever about what is wrong, or we can roll up our sleeves and make things change. Each and every one of us must take hands with those around us, even those with whom we disagree; and take responsibility for our actions. The UDM is convinced that the all South Africans are capable of consolidating and protecting the order that was ushered in after all the suffering, sacrifice and dedication. CONCLUSION The tragic events of 1976 and 2012, amongst other such dates, should be a stark reminder that we have to work harder to resolve our differences by talking and not physical violence. As a nation, we should be vigilant and create more opportunities for debate on a regular basis with the express purpose of trying to heal the wounds of our divided past and continue building on the gains we have made to transform South Africa into a Winning Nation. I thank you.
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08 Oct, 2013
Centenary of the Native Land Act of 1913
Address by Mr Stanley Ntapane, MP in the Parliamentary Youth Day Debate: Centenary of the Native Land Act of 1913 (20 June 2013) Mr Speaker, and Honourable Members, This year marks the 100th anniversary of Natives Land Act of 1913, a piece of legislation which decreed that only certain areas of the country could be owned by black people. This led to a situation where the majority citizens owned only15 per cent of the land, while the minority groups owned the remaining 85 per cent. We are aware that since 1994 Government has transferred millions of hectares of land over to people dispossessed under apartheid in an effort to implement effective redress through land restitution. Despite the major strides, the legacy of the Land Act still lives on, as the majority citizens are still landless and have no access to land. Numerous challenges with the current land redistribution programme also entrench the legacy of the Act. Many beneficiaries of land redistribution programme have been complaining about inadequate post-settlement support. This lack of support has led to a situation, where some of them have had to sell back the land given to them by Government. For example, according to media reports, the Sunset Game Lodge in Kimberly was bought for R18 million by the Department of Agriculture for the benefit of more than 100 women from the Province. However, due to a lack post-settlement support, the women found themselves in a difficult position, where they could not run the farm and ended up selling it back to the previous owner. Another key hindrance to land redistribution and building a non-racist society are “pro-rich” housing developments. Every day golf estates, gated communities are developed, which give the rich access to the best land, while the poor have to make do with little or no land. Often, the prices of the properties in these “pro-rich” settlements are inflated in order to keep the poor out of the market. On such example is a media report where a steel magnate bought a flat in Clifton, Cape Town for R198 million as a gift for his daughter. The question now remains: “How does one reverse the legacy of the Act when people charge exorbitant prices for properties that most South Africans cannot afford to pay? This is sadly the case in all too many “pro-rich” settlements around the country and needs to be stopped. These challenges, among others, require urgent attention, if we are to ensure that Government reaches its land redistribution target and that we build a racially integrated society. I thank you.
Admin
08 Oct, 2013
UDM Eastern Cape Congress 2013
Address by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP (UDM President) at the UDM Eastern Cape Congress 2013 at Mthatha Primary School Sports Grounds on Sunday, 30 June 2013 Members of the UDM NEC; Presidents of the UDM Youth Vanguard and Women’s Organisation UDM Public Representatives Fellow UDM members Ladies and Gentlemen Thank you to all of you who have come today to make this Provincial Congress possible. The structures of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) in the Eastern Cape have worked hard to ensure that this Congress comes to fruition; thank you. To our National and Provincial Office Bearers, thank you for the time and effort you invested to make today a success. This has been a difficult week for South Africa, as millions of people around the world have been praying for our struggle icon, Tata Madiba to get well. This Congress joins the millions of people here at home and around the world in wishing Madiba a speedy recovery. I would like to ask our National Chairperson; Mr Zolisa Lavisa to, on behalf of this Congress, say a short prayer for Madiba. Could I request that the Congress sings Madiba’s favourite Methodist Church hymn, Thixo akunangqaleko, Thixo awunangqibeko, before the prayer? Once more you are given an opportunity to elect leaders who will lead you for the next three years. The leaders who are about to be elected today are very fortunate in that the ground is very fertile because the ruling alliance, which in the past impeded our efforts to grow the UDM in this Province, is imploding. We have to seize the opportunity the political infighting in the ruling alliance presents to us by growing the UDM in every corner of the Province. In doing so, we must acquaint ourselves with the challenges facing the people of this Province. You are aware that the Eastern Cape continues to be one of the poorest provinces in the country and is battling with high levels of unemployment. The infrastructure of this Province is both undeveloped and collapsing. Corruption and maladministration have been allowed to take root. There is a serious regression in every aspect of service delivery in this Province. These occur despite it being the home province for many of South Africa’s greatest leaders. With the bleak picture I have briefly sketched above, it is not difficult to conclude that this Province is on a slippery slope to dysfunction and anarchy. We have developed a flyer which clearly shows that the whole country is in fact on a slippery slope. Please familiarise yourselves with it so that you can be bale to be able to explain it to the public. You have to make people to understand that only a change of Provincial Government leadership can rescue the situation. The other practice that you need to strongly oppose is one where the allocation of the country’s resources is done along ethnic and regional lines. You will recall that recently we wrote a letter to President Zuma requesting him to intervene in the looting of State resources taking place at the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA), a portfolio organisation under the Department of Communications. Apart from asking for strong action against corruption and maladministration, the letter also calls for the broadband infrastructure to be rolled out fairly and equitably, as it is currently skewed in favour of certain regions and ethnic groups. For instance, in the first phase of Government’s infrastructure broadband rollout project, 23 out of 33 sites that are targeted for this programme are in KwaZulu-Natal, while only eight are in Mpumalanga and two in the North West Province. The question now remains: “What criteria did Government use to rollout this infrastructure and why have other Provinces been sidelined in this project?” The implication of this skewed infrastructure rollout programme is that school going kids from other Provinces will not have access to computer labs with internet connectivity. This reminds us of the failed Verwoerdian policies, which sought to improve the education of one sector of our society at the expense of others. The letter to President Zuma has been circulated to your structures. However, should you require more copies, feel free to ask National Office for assistance. From the 15th of July 2013, we must circulate this letter to traditional leaders’ kraals, communities, businesses, churches, schools and School Governing Bodies around the Province so that they can see for themselves what we are talking about. We should mobilise civil society to sign a petition demanding that computer labs be rolled out to schools in this and other Provinces sooner rather than later. We have to stop this discrimination! This is not what our struggle heroes fought for. However, a long-term solution to this problem revolves around ensuring that the composition of future Cabinets truly reflects the demographics and the geographical spread of South Africa. This will ensure that government not only understands the challenges facing the people, but it is also responsive to the needs of all the communities around the country. Ladies and gentlemen, Looking at the political situation in South Africa, there is a need for political realignment to avoid a one party dominance. The implosion of ruling alliance both facilitates the need for this realignment. In this regard, we must work hard to give the people who have become apathetic a political home. The results of the 2009 Elections clearly indicate that people have lost interest in voting; even the ruling party was saved by the increase in voter-turnout in KwaZulu-Natal. In return, the ruling party has rewarded KwaZulu-Natal by allocating a disproportionate share of the country’s resources to it. However, this political realignment project should not deviate from the original agenda of creating a truly better life for all. You will recall that we have over the past few months given you regular feedback on the status of the political realignment project. Discussions about the best possible models to use in this regard are underway. We will give you feedback as soon as there are new developments on this matter. I am however more than willing to take questions on this matter during the questions and answers session later on. I am not going to talk much today. Our Deputy Secretary General, Mr Nqabayomzi Kwankwa is going to do most of the talking. I have asked him to tackle possible policy areas dominating the State of the Nation today. In conclusion, we need to walk out of here with the voting map of this Province. This map will enable us to plan and prepare properly for party building and for the forthcoming 2014 elections. We need to go out and build UDM in all the corners of this Province in preparation for the 2014 elections. I would like to report that since January this year we have been busy building and promoting the UDM in the following Provinces: North West, Limpopo, Gauteng and the Western Cape. Best wishes with all your endeavours to build the UDM! Mr Kwankwa, over to you Sir. I thank you.
Admin
08 Oct, 2013
Eastern Cape Provincial Congress
Address by Mr Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, UDM Deputy Secretary General, at the Eastern Cape Provincial Congress, at Mthatha Primary School Sports Grounds, Eastern Cape 30 June 2013 Programme Director, UDM President, Members of the UDM NEC; Presidents of the UDM Youth Vanguard and Women’s Organisation UDM Public Representatives Fellow UDM members Ladies and gentlemen: As we gather here today to elect the Eastern Cape provincial leadership, we should make use of this opportunity to review the progress the UDM has made thus far and to also reflect on possible policy areas that dominate public discourse and the State of the Nation today. However, before I delve a bit deeper and shed light on these issues, let me ask from the outset whether the time has not come for us to review our policies ahead of the 2014 Elections to avoid becoming politically irrelevant. In this regard, we should ponder the relevance of our policy position and slogan: “Government Must do More”. Our policy document defines this as “a government willing to help all of its people become productive and self-reliant, capable of taking care of themselves and to contribute to the whole Country’s success.” Considering the relevance of this policy position is particularly important considering that we now have a government that appears to be doing a lot more, but doing it less well. In addition, our detractors often argue that the “Government Must Do More” economic policy position implies that citizens are passive recipients of government programmes and that their fortunes depend on the generosity of government. This weak argument is probably what led the Pirates of Polokwane to steal our slogan and rephrase it to: “Working Together, We Can Do More”. In order to frame an appropriate response to whether or not our economic policy position is still relevant, one needs to briefly outline the State of the Nation. Economic indicators reveal that the South African economy is on an unsustainable economic trajectory, as growth levels are too low to meet the demands for employment. Nowhere is this poor performance of the South African economy more evident than in the fact that according to Statistics South Africa’s latest Labour Force Survey the unemployment rate in South Africa increased to 25.20 percent in the first quarter of 2013 from 24.90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012. This put the number of unemployed people in South Africa at 4.6 million. To make matters worse, the unemployment figure rises to 36.7 once the figure of 2.3 million people who have stopped looking for work is taken into account. Add to this the fact that inequality levels in South Africa rank among the worst in the world. Such high levels of unemployment and inequality are a recipe for political instability. We have already seen the signs of this in the rise in protests and acts of civil disobedience around the country. Increasing the severity of the matter is Government’s poor management of the fiscal framework. President Holomisa summarised this concisely in his Parliamentary Budget Vote on Economic Development recently when he said and I quote that: “…South Africa seems to be on a fiscal slippage. In the year 2007/2008 our budget balance declined from a surplus of 1.7 percent, to a deficit of 5.2 percent in the year 2012/2013. Our debt-to-GDP ratio has increased from 23 percent in 2008 to approximately 40 percent in 2012/2013.” End quote. Our education system ranks among the worst in the world.The 2013 World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Information Technology Report ranks South Africa’s Maths and Science education second last in the world, only ahead of Yemen. It further ranks the quality of our education system 140 of 144 countries. Our Internet Access in Schools – which General Holomisa spoke about earlier, is ranked 111 of 143 countries. Reasons for this poor performance are teacher competency, the number of teachers available, to language barriers, to mention but a few. Needless to say, this jeopardises our children’s future. The entire healthcare system is falling apart. Millions of our people are landless in their own country of birth. Often, the few that benefit from Government’s land redistribution programme do not receive adequate post-settlement support. Everyday news comes to us rife with stories that show increasing levels of crime in our country, which points to a disintegration of public safety. Corruption in the ANC-led government is endemic and institutionalised. For proof one has to look no further than the ruling party’s stake in the Eskom/Hitachi/Chancellor House deal, where every time Eskom raises the electricity price the ruling party gets a share of the spoils. Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) has only served as a get rich quick scheme for the politically connected few. The high levels of corruption and failed BEE polices handicap service delivery and as a result, investors are jittery about South Africa’s prospects. With the bleak picture like this, where the country appears to be on a slippery slope to a dysfunctional state and anarchy, we should return to the question I posed earlier, that is, whether “Government Must Do More” policy position is still relevant. I am sure you will concur with me when I say the answer to this question is an emphatic YES! With such extraordinarily high levels of poverty, unemployment and growing levels of inequality, Government must indeed intervene in the economy to promote economic growth, increase employment, eradicate poverty, redress past imbalances and reduce inequality, among others. Ladies and gentlemen, At the beginning of this address I ventured an opinion that we are dealing with a government that appears to be doing a lot more, but doing it less well. After the brief outline of the Station of the Nation above, I am sure you concur with me when I say that here we are not dealing with a government that is not doing a lot more but doing it less well. Instead, we are dealing with a government that is doing the same things it used to do a decade ago but it is doing all of them less well. Government must therefore do more in the following areas in order to improve economic performance and thus reduce unemployment: – Investing in the development of labour intensive production techniques. – Promoting regional development. – Promoting Small, Micro and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMMEs). – Improving the investment climate. – Expanding educational and training and retraining facilities. – Providing incentives for on the job training. Another critical way of stimulating employment is the provision of incentives through subsidies. While we understand the inefficiencies caused by subsidies and that they are not a long-term solution, they are important in giving infant industries time to learn the tricks of the trade until they are ready to face competition. Industrialised countries do not hesitate to protect their industries by introducing subsidies to protect struggling industries. For example, France uses subsidies to protect its famers, while other industrialised countries gave bailout packages to their financial institutions during the subprime crisis. We should revive the closed factories around the country in areas such as Dimbaza, Mthatha and so on, and use subsidies to protect them from foreign competition. These factories should then be run and managed by South Africans to ensure that they employ students, graduates, and the skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled sector of our population. Such a step would create employment opportunities for our people. Coming back to the challenge of land redistribution, you will recall that the Natives Land Act of 1913 decreed that only certain areas of the country could be owned by black people. This led to a situation where the majority citizens owned only15 per cent of the land mainly in native reserves, while the minority groups owned the remaining 85 per cent. Strides have admittedly been made in redistributing land since 1994. However, even snails move faster than the pace of Government’s land redistribution programme. Almost two decades since we attained freedom, only a fraction of the land has been redistributed. To expedite the land redistribution programme, Government should consider relocating people to fully serviced land in areas, such as Elliotdale, Port Shepstone and Maclear, and so on. Post-settlement support programmes should then be put in place to ensure that these communities engage in subsistence farming. Such a programme would not only reverse the current trend, where only a select few benefit from the land redistribution programme, but it would also contribute to food security. We make these proposals fully cognisant of the fact that only an Economic Indaba would help South Africa develop a coherent and comprehensive economic blueprint for the country. We should therefore continue to call for an Economic Indaba to ensure that South Africa develops its own Master Plan for the economy. Thank you
Admin
08 Oct, 2013
Workshop with Branch Chairpersons and Secretaries of the UDM in Limpopo
Address by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP (UDM President) at a workshop with Branch Chairpersons and Secretaries of the UDM in Limpopo on Saturday, 6 July 2013 Members of the UDM NEC; Limpopo Provincial Leadership; UDM Public Representatives; Ladies and Gentlemen; I welcome you in the name of party building. Thank you to all of you who have come today to make this Provincial Workshop possible. To the organisers and facilitators of this workshop, thank you ever so much for your hard work. Workshops are an integral part of our party building strategy because they help us to sharpen our axes for our political work. They are a critical way of keeping us abreast of latest developments in the political arena, which enables us to be responsive to the needs of the communities we serve. I have said it many times before; the ground is fertile for us to go out and grow the United Democratic Movement (UDM) in every corner of Limpopo as well as in other provinces. This is because the ruling alliance is imploding and this has handicapped service delivery in all spheres of government. The fact that, in April this year, I was here to collect a list of service delivery complaints from the people of Limpopo, bears testimony to this. This list was thereafter forwarded to President Zuma for attention and action. The leadership of this Province has done a sterling job of encouraging communities to come forward with their service delivery complaints and concerns. I am aware that the Presidency, working together with the office of the Premier, dispatched senior government officials to look into those complaints. We should not rest until the Premier’s Office has given us service delivery plans for the areas in question with clear timeframes. When one looks at the list of service delivery complaints, one discovers that they have one thing in common. That is: public representatives have either failed to consult, or account, to the people about service delivery. Democracy is subverted when elected politicians do not consult and account to the electorate, and when they deliberately misinform the public about some of their decisions. We should do everything in our power to ensure that this does not happen. We should use the list of complaints as a tool to campaign for the 2014 National and Provincial Elections, because we now know what our people’s service delivery needs are. We should also use this list as a tool to hold public representatives to account for service delivery in this province. This is the only way in which we can make improvements both in the pace and quality of service delivery. Ladies and Gentlemen, The UDM has warned many times that, unless something is done about the high levels of corruption in Government, we are on the slippery slope to anarchy and dysfunction. Corruption in Government is widespread despite assurances to the contrary. Nowhere is this more evident than in the extent to which National Government went to prevent the Public Works Task Team Report on Nkandla, which lays bare all the corruption that took in this project, from coming out. Another example where the ruling party condones corruption is what took place in Tlokwe Municipality (Potchefstroom). Here ruling party councillors voted their mayor out of office for the second time and handed the mayorship to the Democratic Alliance (DA). These councillors have publicly stated that they had so done because the African National Congress (ANC) mayor is corrupt. However, instead of working with its councillors in fighting corruption, the ruling party chose to expel them with immediate effect. This occurred despite the fact that none of them were brought before a disciplinary hearing. This begs the question: “Can we trust them to fight corruption when their actions both in private, and in public, condone it?” What comes out clearly from the Tlokwe Municipality incident is that ours is a controlled democracy, in which people are punished for exercising their democratic rights, for the simple reason that their decisions are not in line with the wishes of the masters from the palace. We need to double our efforts in calling for the review of the current electoral system, which makes politicians accountable to political parties instead of the electorate. The other practice that you need to strongly oppose is the allocation of the Country’s resources along ethnic and regional lines. You will recall that recently we wrote a letter to President Zuma requesting him to intervene in the looting of state resources taking place at the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA), a portfolio organisation under the Department of Communications. Apart from asking for strong action against corruption and maladministration, the letter also calls for the broadband infrastructure to be rolled out fairly and equitably, because it is currently skewed in favour of certain regions and ethnic groups. For instance, in the first phase of Government’s infrastructure broadband rollout project, 23 out of 33 sites that are targeted for this programme are in KwaZulu-Natal, while only eight are in Mpumalanga and two in the North West Province. The question now remains: “What criteria did Government use to roll out this infrastructure and why have other provinces been sidelined in this project?” The implication of this skewed infrastructure rollout programme is that learners from other Provinces will not have access to computer laboratories with internet connectivity. This reminds us of the failed Verwoerdian policies, which sought to improve the education of one sector of our society at the expense of others. The letter to President Zuma has been circulated to your structures. However, should you require more copies, feel free to ask National Office for assistance. As from the 15th of July 2013, we must circulate this letter to traditional leaders’ kraals, communities, businesses, churches, schools and School Governing Bodies around the Province so that they can see for themselves what we are talking about. We should mobilise civil society to sign a petition demanding that computer labs be rolled out to schools in this and other Provinces as soon as possible. We have to stop this discrimination! This is not what our struggle heroes fought for. However, a long-term solution to this problem revolves around ensuring that the composition of future cabinets truly reflects the demographics and the geographical spread of South Africa. This will ensure that government not only understands the challenges facing the people, but it is also responsive to the needs of all the communities across the country. I want to motivate you to go out and work hard; we should host a UDM provincial congress in Limpopo by the end of September this year. With branches that are properly constituted you will be ready when the time comes for the compilation of party lists for Parliament and the Provincial Legislature. I encourage the women and youth of Limpopo to claim their space; use the UDM as a vehicle to ensure that your are properly represented in Parliament and the Provincial Legislatures. Roll up your sleeves; go out and spread the gospel; make sure that you change your destinies and that of the people of Limpopo. Best wishes with the workshop and all your endeavours to build the UDM in this Limpopo. Thank you.
Admin
08 Oct, 2013
Funeral Service of Mr Ntopile “Prof” Kganyago
Address by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP (UDM President) at the Funeral Service of Mr Ntopile “Prof” Kganyago held at the Seshego Stadium, Seshego, Limpopo on Saturday, 27 July 2013 Programme Directors, The Kganyago family; in particular his wife and children UDM NEC Members, Provincial Executive Members of the UDM in Limpopo, Presidents of the UDM Youth Vanguard and Women’s Organisation Members and Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Leaders and representatives of political parties, Distinguished guests, UDM Members, Ladies and gentlemen, WHY WE CALLED HIM “PROF” I have yet to come across a person who knew Mr Ntopile Kganyago as anything else but “Prof”. He sometimes said it caused him embarrassment because he was not a “professor”. He was however, widely regarded as a pedagogue (a teacher or professor in other words) and that is why the name stuck. In the UDM, we knew him by no other name; he was just that; our teacher; our “Prof” and like all true pedagogues, he was the eternal student; he always asked questions until he was sure that he was on top of a discussion. WHAT NTOPILE KGANYAGO DID FOR UDM Ladies and gentlemen, Today we are paying our last respects to a pioneer that helped establish the UDM. This he did at a time when the political situation was volatile and it was considered a taboo to form and join a new political party in South Africa. Prof took this risk despite the notoriety of the UDM for its strong stance against corruption. We commend him for the conscious decision he took to help establish and join a party that advocates for adherence to the principles and ethics of good governance in both the public and private sectors. His academic qualifications would have guaranteed him senior positions of leadership in society, but Prof chose to invest his time, effort and expertise towards making the UDM project a success. Prof, we salute you for your courage and commitment! South Africa needs more people of Prof’s calibre to continue where he left of in the fight against corruption; people to help develop and entrench a culture of selfless service in the public sector. Most people laughed at Prof and the UDM Limpopo Provincial leadership when they were batting on the wicket of anti-corruption. However, today even some of the doubting Thomases admit that Prof and his crew have been vindicated on most, if not all, the acts of corruption they were trying to expose. Prof was a humble man. In 2004, when former President Thabo Mbeki chose him to serve as Deputy Minister of Public Works, I phoned him to break the news, he, inquisitive as always, asked what it meant to be a minister [ad lib]. Prof said at the time that he could not believe the trust placed in him. The Parliamentary Portfolio Committees, where Prof so diligently served, has lost an important voice which gave intellectual impetus to their work. He also led the UDM team in our discussions with other political parties around the possibility of co-operation during the 2014 National and Provincial Elections. South Africans are keenly aware that we are witnessing a deviation from the original agenda; with the backlogs and imbalances of the past accumulating. Prof’s departure has left a void and we have to go out and bolster the UDM’s machinery in Limpopo. We have to work harder than ever before and pull together to fulfil Prof’s mission to fight the scourge of corruption, poverty, inequality, the lack of education and joblessness. Let us not disappoint him. WHAT WE, AT THE UDM, WILL REMEMBER ABOUT PROF Prof had an excellent sense of humour and he loved to tell stories. The thing about this custom was that he always tried to teach a lesson, or make you understand, using his natural style. He enjoyed laughing and we will miss his expression of spontaneous and boisterous joy. Prof was, and always will be, universally loved by each member of the UDM. We acknowledge the role he played in this Party and the manner in which he touched so many lives during his time on earth. He is now with our Heavenly Father, and we say: “Thank you Prof, you have worked hard, it is time to rest”. VOTE OF THANKS To the UDM members and supporters who have attended both Thursday’s memorial service and those here today, thank you for showing that we appreciate Prof’s contribution to our Party. To each person here today, thank you for honouring his memory. The fact that so many people put aside their busy lives to mourn with us, is a testimony to Ntopile Kganyago’s character and the impact he had on our lives. We say: thank you Prof for your example, your time, your dedication and loyalty, your enthusiasm, your sense of humour, the lessons you taught and, your stories. We will sorely miss you. To Prof’s family, thank you for sharing him with us, it was not always an easy road, but you never shirked in your support of him. Thank you for sustaining him whilst he was sustaining us. Phumla ngoxolo. Robela ka Kgotso Thank you
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