Admin
13 Nov, 2018
UDMYV welcomes Malusi Gigaba’s resignation
Malusi Gigaba’s terms in office has been fraught with scandals, misconduct and abuse of powers. His list of dubious deeds ranging from granting citizenship to the Guptas, the Firebird aviation debacle, sexual videos and lying under oath is spine chilling. His resignation is long overdue. That said, merely falling on one’s sword is not good enough. We hope that this is not just a stunt to run away and avoid accountability. The United Democratic Movement Youth Vanguard wants ex minister Gigaba to be held accountable for all his wrong doing and the law should now follow its course. We are tired of executives ducking and diving as a tactic to dodge the law. Every punishable crime committed should be effected to set an example for others who are tempted to do the same. No one is above the law. The UDM Youth Vanguard calls on President Ramaphosa to appoint in this position an ethical person of integrity who has the best interest of the people of South Africa at heart. Wishing Malusi Gigaba well in his future endeavours would be hypocritical as we, the youth of South Africa, still expect him to account. At this point in time we hope to see him cooperate with any investigative institution and/or commission. Issued by Mr Yongama Zigebe Gauteng Provincial Secretary UDM Youth Vanguard
Admin
25 Oct, 2017
#MTBSP2017 Mini-budget: Minister Gigaba is reaping what he sowed
Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba’s maiden Medium-Term Budget Policy speech was unimpressive. In fact, it seemed a mere rehash of his predecessors’ old proposals. He was so non-committal, that there is very little hope that we will soon see agencies rate South Africa higher than ‘junk status’. The reaction of the Rand, to his speech, might be a sign of worse things to come. The United Democratic Movement (UDM) notes that South Africa’s current debt stands at R2.32 trillion, whilst the 2020/21 forecast is at a chilling R3,4 trillion. Our debt service cost stands at R146.5 billion per annum, with the projected cost (in just three years’ time) at R223.4 billion. This is cause for serious concern. Minister Gigaba’s lukewarm proposals and vague statements did not speak to this existing, nor the looming – even bigger – financial crisis. The reality of the situation is that Minister Gigaba, and therefore the Country, has become the victim of the mess he created whilst he was still Minister of Public Enterprises. The calamitous management of many State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), like Eskom and SAA, happened on his watch. Might Minister Gigaba have been non-committal in today’s speech, because he is walking on egg shells, trying to appease both factions of the African National Congress going to their elective congress in December? The UDM however does commend Minister Gigaba on the steps he has taken to improve governance at SAA. We hope that things change for the better. Regarding SOEs, the UDM had warned in the past that Government’s over-commitment in terms of contingent liabilities is a recipe for disaster. Those warnings were laughed off and we see Minister Gigaba and his department scrambling and wanting to channel funds away from service delivery. What’s the use of doing a people-driven budget, if you don’t stick to it? Minister Gigaba’s commitment, to combat corruption and curb wasteful expenditure, has the credibility of a cat conducting a commission of inquiry into the disappearance of mice. Statement by: Mr Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP UDM Deputy President and Chief Whip
Admin
31 Mar, 2017
April Fool’s joke? Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle
The United Democratic Movement has noted President Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle. The appointment of Malusi Gigaba as the new minister of finance is disconcerting, because of his clear association with the Gupta family. President Zuma is strengthening his hold on cabinet with the appointment of Sfiso Buthelezi as Gigaba’s deputy and it won’t be surprising if people start dismissing these two as indunas from the palace whose main objective would be to facilitate the further looting of resources. The fact that the Rand tanked yesterday evening, even before President Zuma made any announcement, is a sign that South Africa is in for a rough ride in the next few days up until it is clear what the new minister of finance plans to do. The “sideways promotion” of Faith Muthambi, Nkosinathi Nhleko and Bathabile Dlamini is disappointing, because they have failed in their previous portfolios. Instead of punishing them for their failures, they have been rewarded for showing loyalty to the President. Politically speaking, many of the ministers, who have been removed, still hold position within the African National Congress and, given the noise made by the Communist Party today, it would be interesting to see how the Communist Party ministers will react.
