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27 Apr, 2019
Dedicating Freedom Day 2019, to Thuli Madonsela
South Africa started well in 1994 as we continued on the road of the noble ideals of protecting human rights and promoting the freedom of our people. There is much to be proud of, but the hard reality is that corruption, lies and mismanagement has been tearing at our socioeconomic fabric to the point where this nation has been brought down on its knees. It is for this reason that the United Democratic Movement dedicates Freedom Day 2019 to Professor Thuli Madonsela, our brave former Public Protector. The quiet, but firm style with which she ran her term of office is much to be admired and she earned the hearts of a grateful nation. Her mettle, professionalism and resolve saw Professor Madonsela stare down the lion’s maw when she pronounced on corruption in the highest office of the land and state capture. If not for her, this country would have gone down the drain of dishonesty of the highest order. It is time for South Africans to claim back their country from the corrupt and the delinquent. The 8th of May will be a watershed election and the voter must no longer be fooled by shiny parades and rallies that is held to mask how deep the rot has spread. The UDM wishes all and sundry a blessed Freedom Day. Statement by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP UDM President
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26 Apr, 2018
Freedom Day 2018
Statement by Mr Bongani Msomi, UDM Secretary General Truth be told, we started well in 1994. South Africa built a democratic dispensation based on the noble ideals of protecting human rights and promoting freedom. The struggle movements and leaders can take a bow for breaking down minority rule. But, it is hard to celebrate political freedom, when the majority of our people remains locked out of economic freedom. We of course, at that time, placed political freedom at the pinnacle of our agenda. However, as we ticked the boxes on our constitutionally prescribed checklist, the nation must realise that many of those boxes remains unticked. Because, after 24 years, the nation under ANC-rule has spun its wheels in the mud of corruption, maladministration and lately the rule of a delinquent president. This malodour unfortunately still clings to the status quo. Although we do not want to judge too early, the signals we have seen thus far from the Union Buildings does not auger well for South Africa; with the new president’s appointment of several fishy ministers. Political deals were struck behind closed doors that were in the interest of the ruling party and have not put the people first. So, what has really changed? Not much; the Comrades in Corruption are still at the helm. The very same leaders who presided over South Africa’s slide down the slippery slope of corruption and job shedding had protected their former president at all cost, have decided to “re-deploy” this questionable individual to campaign for the ruling party in the forthcoming elections. The fact is, the ruling party can no longer be trusted, and the public cannot afford to be fooled by the so-called new dawn. This is a leopard that cannot (and will not) change its spots. Come 2019, South Africans must see through the thin veil draped over the ruling party and punish them at the ballot box for their misdeeds. When we celebrate Freedom Day in the future, it will hopefully be a proud moment where all South Africans are starting to enjoy dignity, prosperity and economic freedom, which will truly transform South Africa into a winning nation. Contact: Mr Bongani Msomi UDM Secretary General
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26 Apr, 2018
#UDEMWO on Freedom Day 2018: what are we celebrating?
Although some changes for the better have taken place since 1994, there are far too many areas that require vast improvement; especially when it comes to women and children; their needs and the protection of their rights. 1) Economic inequality, crushing poverty and gender discrimination are still the order of the day and most women (especially the elderly and the young) are worse off in this patriarchal and misogynist world of ours. When it comes to women’s development and their access to economic opportunities there is a vast gap between them and their male counterparts. 2) Young women are attacked at their places of learning by unscrupulous vultures who leave them hurt and often pregnant with no hope of adequately rearing their babies without accessing child grants – even if these babies are loved and nurtured instead of being discarded as the product of rape. 3) Women, young and old alike, have increasingly become more vulnerable to abuse and are not safe even in their own homes, never mind on the street and footpaths of our cities, towns and villages! The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation (UDEMWO) therefore have only one question to ask on 27 April 2018: what are we celebrating? One of the glaring problems is that there is absolutely no synergy within the government departments, which leaves the victims of abuse and crime high and dry, only to again face their tormentors at home after the justice system, has spewed them out. The litany is that, for instance, if the police catches a rapist or a woman-beater (and if the docket does not magically disappear), the suspect is quickly released on bail (for a couple of hundred rands). Then the courts fail women when they give those found guilty, a slap on the wrist or sends them to jail with a meagre sentence (as per the maximum which the law allows). And then, correctional services release these monsters on parole so that they can walk freely in society to further intimidate or abuse their existing victims; or simply become serial offenders as they take their violent, criminal, immoral selves off to other places. After this hot mess, talking about justice, and the support and restoration of the dignity to victims, is a useless exercise. For years, the ministers of women in the presidency have been filled with women, just for the sake of their gender and not because they were capable women. The inaugural holder, Ms Susan Shabangu was a roaring failure. The current incumbent Minister Bathabile Dlamini, is merely a political stop-gap. Without a capable person in this post, the plight of women and children will remain an unfulfilled dream, because no-one is able to crack the whip. Simply using public money to organise an undercover Women’s League gathering to celebrate Women’s Day should be lowest on the agenda. UDEMWO calls on: 1) Parliament to review the relevant legislation that almost seems to contradict the constitution when it comes to the protection of women and children’s rights. UDEMWO believes that a zero-tolerance system should be implemented to deter, punish and rehabilitate offenders, whilst supporting the victims and their families; making sure that justice is served, and their dignity restored. 2) President Ramaphosa to ensure greater synergy between the relevant ministries in the justice cluster. 3) President Ramaphosa to simply fire Minister Dlamini and appoint a capable person in that post. Issued by: 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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28 Apr, 2014
UDM Election Rally in Port Elizabeth Address by UDM President, Mr Bantu Holomisa
• UDM Leaders at all levels of Eastern Cape • UDM public representatives • My fellow South Africans WELCOME Ladies and gentlemen, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) says “thank you” for making the time and effort to attend this rally and listen to our message. To our election teams that have worked themselves to a standstill to make a success of this event – thank you for the hard work guys. CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF FREEDOM – A VIEW OF THE PAST We yesterday celebrated 20 years of our new democracy. It is quite extraordinary that we have come so far as a nation in a relatively short time. We will never forget the tyranny and human rights abuses of the past, because it serves as a reminder of what should never happen again. Our deepest gratitude to the struggle icons, many of whom hailed from the Eastern Cape, for their selfless efforts and sacrifices. CORRUPTION DESTROYS THE GAINS OF OUR FREEDOM At the moment our nation is going nowhere slowly – corruption has become a hallmark of how government operates. Maladministration and ineptitude are at the order of the day. Abuse of state resources have become a way for the ruling elite to line their pocket at your expense. This is true of the ruling party’s government at national, provincial and local levels. We can no longer pussyfoot around these issues… it is a fact that corruption, maladministration and incompetence destroy the gains of our freedom. STATE OF THE EASTERN CAPE This province is heavily under budgeted given the two homelands and townships’ infrastructure that had to be integrated into in the developed infrastructure we inherited in 1994. This has not happened. The infrastructure of the former homelands and townships in the Eastern Cape are in total disrepair. When one enters the townships of Port Elizabeth you might think you have entered a 3rd world country. This is a travesty. Voters should open their eyes and punish the ANC for putting the future of this province and its people on the back burner. THE STATE OF THIS MUNICIPALITY The UDM salutes the struggle leaders who hail from this city. Their contribution to the liberation of our people is well documented and history teaches us that they lead from the front and put the needs of our people before their own. As citizens of this metro, you must take over the good work of your grandmothers and fathers, and your parents. You must take the ruling party’s comrades in corruption of Port Elizabeth to task. These so called public servants spend more time fighting each other, than fighting for the people. The youth of PE must take responsibility for the future of this city; apply your abundant energy to turn the situation around – apply your minds to how we should ensure economic emancipation, good education and health care as well as promoting the check and balances to eradicating corruption. Harness your verve and vitality to erase the damage the ruling party’s cronies have done. Go back to the foundation the forerunners of old left and expose corruption, breathe life into the local economy and leave your own legacy to those who come after you. WHAT ARE THE UDM’s PLANS? Should I, as the UDM’s candidate for the premiership, be given the opportunity to govern, the following critical objectives shall be on the agenda for change: 1. Address the democracy dividend deficiency in the Eastern Cape, so that it becomes a model province in terms of all development goals. 2. Turn the province into key economic growth area in the country, so that it becomes the 4th fastest growing economy in South Africa by 2019. 3. Improve the quality of life of the poorest by bringing essential public services closer to the people and to increase the capacity of all institutions that provide those services, such as healthcare, educational opportunities, food production and security and local employment opportunities. 4. Turn around the performance of provincial government, but in particular the departments of health and education. 5. Provide effective local governance by employing qualified people, with the right skills-sets, in the right places. Proper planning, the appropriate use of resources and performance management and monitoring are key issues. 6. The celebration of corruption, which has somehow developed in a competition to see who outsmarts whom, must be brought to an end. We will therefore implement policies that ensure that the best talented, properly trained and competent persons are appointed; in other words, political deployment will become a thing of the past. CONCLUSION It is true that history tells us where we come from, but it is time for us to focus on the future; it is time for us to clearly identify where we are going. It is time for change. May the 7th, can be the catalyst for that change, but this cannot happen if you don’t take action. The people of this beautiful city, especially our young people, must be the agents of that change and the UDM the vehicle. Vote UDM! Thank you
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08 Oct, 2013
Freedom Day
Address by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP on Freedom Day in the Vhembe Distrtict in Limpopo on 27 April 2013 Programme Director, Deputy President of the UDM Secretary General of the UDM, UDM National Executive Committee Members, UDM Limpopo Provincial Leadership, UDM Public Representatives and members of the Party, People of Vhembe Region, Fellow South Africans; Thank you to all of you, who have come today, to make this celebration possible. The structures of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) in Limpopo have worked very hard to bring us all together; thank you. The commemoration of Freedom Day reminds us of the heavy price our struggle heroes and heroines paid for the freedom we now enjoy. This day gives us an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made since the advent of democracy in 1994 as well as the challenges we face today. Truth be told, we started well in 1994. We built a democratic dispensation based on the noble ideals of protecting human rights and promoting freedom. This, together with the exemplary manner with which we managed the pre-1994 negotiations and the transition that gave birth to a new political dispensation, made South Africa a beacon of hope for Africa and the rest of the world. Indeed, we made tremendous progress since then. However, nineteen years later, a closer look at our country reveals serious regression. Today, South Africans have to put up with a faltering and underperforming economy that seems incapable of growing at the levels required to reduce unemployment, to eradicate poverty and inequality. This underperformance occurs against the background of the ever-increasing gap between the haves and haves-not. Our education system ranks among the worst performers in world. This happens despite the huge amount of resources the country ploughs into it. The poor state of our education fails our children and jeopardises their future. Our primary healthcare system is falling apart. Hospitals and clinics are short-staffed, they have no medicines and patients are treated with disdain. Corruption in the government is rife despite its assurances to the contrary. The Comrades in Corruption loot state resources daily and with impunity through tenderpreneurship and bogus schemes. This handicaps service delivery and results in many violent service delivery riots around the country. Even prospective investors shun South Africa as an investment destination because of the high levels of corruption, and our people pay the price. Government uses every opportunity to abuse power by intimidating those who challenge or disagree with it. The ruling alliance’s overreaction to Bret Murray’s Spear Painting is a case in point. To make matters worse, government officials are appointed based on political affiliation rather than merit. Government prioritises elite projects and spend billions of Rands on projects, such as the Gautrain, instead of ploughing this money into service delivery. Weak leadership paralyses every sphere of government. Nowhere is this more evident than in the high rate of policy turnover; each new minister brings a new policy. With each new appointment, there is poor or no implementation of either the inherited or new government programmes. This creates confusion and instability, because the people do not know what to expect from government and, more importantly, how evaluate its performance. This regime does not respect the rule of law. We see how it reacts when the courts do not rule in its favour. You will recall that in 2009 the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) took an administrative decision to drop all corruption charges against President Zuma paving his way to the Union Buildings. This has caused irreparable damage to the reputation of our justice system, because people now believe that, in our justice system, politically connected and powerful individuals “are more equal than others”. Compare the way in which President Zuma was treated, to that of the former ANC Youth League (ANCYL) President, Julius Malema. State institutions have been used to harass and destroy him. I am not here to defend Mr Malema; he is a shrewd politician he can do that for himself. Contrary to the monster his detractors portray him to be, Mr Malema has carried himself in a dignified manner during this difficult time in his life. In fact, he has thus far displayed more respect for the rule of law than some of the senior leaders of the ruling party. Other challenges facing our Nation today include, but are not limited to, high levels of crime, dysfunctional local government councils and a lack of sustainable development programmes. With the bleak picture I have sketched thus far, it is not difficult to conclude that we are on a slippery slope to a dysfunctional state and anarchy. To turn this situation around, we need to intensify our efforts to ensure that elected leaders consult with the electorate and account for their political decisions and programmes. Improving the efficacy of this vertical form of accountability has numerous benefits. Chief among these benefits is that it enables the people to keep track and evaluate the performance of their government. There are instances where people are afraid to question the performance of government departments due to fear of reprisal. We should use this process to ensure that no one is victimised for demanding delivery. There are also cases where government deliberately misinforms the public, such as the recent controversy around deployment of South African troops to the Central African Republic (CAR) for an unspecified mission. 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. Given the victimisation of our people, as mentioned above, I applaud you for your courage in collecting the service delivery complaints of the people of Limpopo. You did this despite the fact that you might be victimised. A special thanks therefore to the people of the Capricorn, Thulamela and Aganang Municipalities for forwarding their complaints to us. The UDM councillors and the leadership of this province have done a sterling job of encouraging communities to come forward with their service delivery complaints and concerns. I thank you for your hard work. Ladies and gentlemen, this process is gathering momentum. As I am speaking to you, we will be receiving more complaints from the people of this province. A quick look at the list of service delivery complaints from 20 villages in Ward 22 reveals the same regression I mentioned earlier. Tomorrow I will however meet with Chief Lambani and the people of this community at the Chief’s kraal to talk about their worries. As with the other people, with whom we have interacted in this province, the people in these villages complain about (among others) having no water and no electricity; their roads are impassable and their schools and clinics poorly equipped. With such a long list of service delivery complaints, some of which constitute serious human rights violations, we wonder whether the Human Rights Commission is playing its proper role. You wonder whether it has not also just become another employment agency for the ruling party’s cadres. Once we have received all your complaints, we will hand them over to President Zuma for attention. To the UDM structures in the province, these complaints provide a clear indication that our people are unhappy with the current government. You will recall that the UDM was once the main opposition party in this province. The floor-crossing legislation however cost us that status. We need to work hard regain it. We have to crisscross the province to recruit members and to swell our ranks. We must make it clear to all and sundry that the UDM is here to stay and that we have an important role to play in South Africa. We will not surrender, nor will we allow ourselves to be swallowed by another political party. We have to make people understand that efficacy of the service delivery chain would, among other things, be achieved in the face of adequate electoral competition between South Africa’s various political parties. One party dominance breeds arrogance of power, complacency, corruption and poor service delivery. I thank you.
