Statement by Yongama Zigebe, UDM Secretary General

The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has announced Professor Mthunzi Perry-Mason Mdwaba as its Premier Candidate for Gauteng.

A rural boy, proud father and grandfather, endurance sportsman, serial entrepreneur, seasoned businessman, advocate for organised business, academic, and global social justice advocate, Professor Mdwaba brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. With a BA in African Politics and Industrial Sociology, as well as an LLB degree from the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS), his credentials are impeccable.

Professor Mdwaba’s commitment to issues of social justice at the international level, particularly through organisations like the International Organisation of Employers(“the IOE”) where he was the first African to become the Vice President since 1920 and at the International Labour Organisation (“the ILO”), where he was the first African to be the Vice-Chairman since 1919, from 2017 to 2021, showcases his dedication to making a difference. The IOE is the largest private sector organisation in the world, with over 150 employer organisation members that include BUSA, the South African business federation. The IOE represents over 50 million companies. The ILO is the only tripartite special agency of the United Nations (UN) family. He was additionally the IOE Chairman for Business and Human Rights in the UN, as well as the Business 20 (“B20”) representative for South African business, part of the G20 countries, from 2009 till 2021 and co-chaired the German and Italian B20’s. On the international level, he is currently the Chairman of the South African Norwegian Association (“SANA”) which is made up of local and Norwegian board members. His proven track record speaks volumes about his capabilities. His past roles include being the Chairman of Council at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) as well as Productivity SA which falls under the Department of Employment and Labour. He is currently, the CEO and Chairman of Tzoro Strategic Advisory and Thuja Holdings.

The UDM is thrilled to welcome Professor Mdwaba on board, knowing that his energy, experience, and leadership will invigorate the campaign in Gauteng. With the full support of the party’s structures, he is poised to lead the charge effectively.

Professor Mdwaba took to the floor, after UDM President Bantu Holomisa introduced, him saying that: “Gauteng, typically of the whole country, is on the precipice of a disaster on so many levels- it is a classic turn around case that requires us to hit the ground running to be able to fix it.”

He further stated that: “Faced with being a failed state and Gauteng as the economic hub of the country, as well as largest of the provinces must lead the regeneration or deal with the tragedy of going down with all the other provinces. To be able to have collective confidence for the team, as well as the Gauteng citizens we must have short term quick wins, as well medium- and long-term objectives that we must implement literally on the run. As an endurance and multi-disciplinary fitness and health fanatic, the UDM team and I can and will achieve this.”

“We must end theoretical conjecture by deployees who lack the knowledge, experience and understanding of what needs to be done for our province to be a job-rich, poverty-busting and thriving world class economy.” Professor Mdwaba stated.

He went on saying that: “The days of sloganeering and populist rhetoric designed to manipulate the citizens must be flushed out of the system.”

“The UDM has by far one of the best manifestos. The UDM has by far the best track record and pedigree in dealing with corruption and being the leader in getting corrupt officials and politicians from the current regime and has demonstrated a fearlessness, decisiveness and passion in confronting corruption head on!!”

Mdwaba further stated that: “The UDM has one of the best manifestos amongst all the political parties. We shall use it as a guide as we focus on Gauteng priorities. Given the messy situation in which the socio-economic realities are in, the list is rather long for areas that require urgent attention. I shall in a more comprehensive format, set out my Gauteng plan and objectives in the next few days.”

What follows are matters that are top of Professor Mdwaba s mind for Gauteng:-
1. South Africa is the sum of all its constituent parts, namely, nine provinces. The country as a whole as I have mentioned requires an urgent turnaround plan. Strategy becomes key. Structure follows this. A knowledgeable diverse team that has delivery and operational experience is peremptory! I thrive in assembling teams chosen on merit that have the ability to seamlessly do what needs to be done without a sense of self-importance, brought together by doing good for others.
2. Services such as water provisioning with water leaks making up about 48/49% of the Gauteng water volumes require urgent pipe repairs, quite separately from shortages of water borne out of the growth that has not been catered for by the current administration. The repair of roads that are characterised more by potholes than the tarmac is equally low hanging fruit that can be dealt with in the short term. I will elaborate on these in my more detailed plan. In the townships, peri-urban and rural areas, the construction of good roads becomes a huge priority as part of tackling the informal and township/ekasi economies.
3. With an annual budget of R165.813 billion as of the 24/25 financial year, with a population of 16.1 million citizens, the prioritisation of an Employment Policy, Industrial Policy and FoW/4IR/AI Policy to be able to Human Capital Development in a Developmental State model, Gauteng has a huge role to play in influencing national government. There is no way we can tackle the creation of sustainable permanent jobs, enterprises of all sizes, seize opportunities in the informal sector which by far is where growth will come from, address SMMEs and township plus rural economies with this alignment and harmonisation of Policies. Gauteng musty be a model of productivity and competitiveness and ensuring that SDG 1 on No Poverty, SDG 2 on Zero Hunger, SD3 on Good Health and Well-being, SDG4 on Quality Education, SDG 5 on Gender Equality, SDG 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG7 on Affordable Clean Energy, SDG 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth together with all the other SDGs tie up for SDG 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions to be realised.
4. Safety for children in terms of trafficking, for women in terms of Gender Based Violence, safety for people on the roads, safety in their homes, communities become a reality with criminals and illegal foreigners being dealt with severely similarly in many ways to how Singapore was built into a safe haven for its people. Zero tolerance for crime and corruption in all its forms, both private sector and public sector. We must have Gauteng very high on the Happiness Index.
5. Investor confidence and foreign direct investment are absolutely key. In addressing all the above, which shall not be at the expense of local development though, shall grow. My relationship with 187 countries from my days at the International Organisation of Employers and the International Labour Organisation shall come in handy.6. We must look closely at growth sectors of the economy and study how we can align these to country Master plans and ensure access to finance via DFI’s such as the IDC is realised by influencing that they become funders of first resort, not last resort in ensuring that entrepreneur, innovation, cooperatives, sustainable enterprises for a sustainable and resilient economy are cultivated at a high and urgent speed.
7. We must look at how we can assist the creative/Arts industries to have decent work with social security being central. The current impasse on the flawed Copyright Amendment Bill with its mischievous “fair use” clause and the harmonisation with the Performance Rights Amendment Bill, recently approved by Parliament do not see the time of day. The abuse that they suffer under the current provincial and national regimes must end.
8. We must investigate the e-hailing system that has Uber, Bolt and others as it is currently extremely exploitative to the alleged driver partners.
9. Lastly, we must find urgent ways of improving the lives of our front-line people, such as nurses, doctors, the police, etc. Incompetent management, bad governance and lack of leadership are the elephant in the room that must tackled.

Professor Mdwaba then concluded to wish: “Eid Mubarak to all our Muslim citizens!!” and the UDM wishes them the same.

Statement issued by:
Mr Yongama Zigebe
President of the United Democratic Movement and Member of Parliament