Admin
12 Feb, 2020
SONA 2020 debate: response by Bantu Holomisa in the National Assembly
Mr President Honourable Speaker Honourable Members Since the change of government in 1994 there have been improvements. Yet, judging by the uneasiness of the people who have been suffering due to poor service delivery, it is difficult to explain to them, when the same leadership which liberated them yesterday are now embroiled in the looting of state resources. It simply means that the noble intentions which were pronounced in 1994 have been hijacked by thugs. Indeed, many people who had hoped that when you, Mr President, ascended to office with your pronunciations that by today there must have been action taken against those who stole the money. Money that could have been used to alleviate the backlogs and imbalances of the past. It is equally worrying that some of those who have been implicated are seemingly regrouping to continue with their looting sprees. It is for that reason that there must be a plan and strategy to improve on the performance of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). Take all these cases, such as the massive Gupta looting, VBS robbing of the poor, municipalities’ monies, Bosasa and the other revelations of the commissions of inquiry… we can’t allow this nonsense to continue! Either the NPA’s leadership must resign, or be fired, and we must employ competent people, or we must request secondment of experts from countries we have bilateral agreements with. Honourable members, the state of our environment needs attention in particular pollution and the lack of enforcement regarding waste management. Mr President, we propose that all vehicle owners or drivers be made liable for people throwing garbage out of car, taxi and truck windows. Shop owners should stop dumping packaging material on our sidewalks. In addition, we propose that one of our public holidays be set aside to launch a cleaning initiative so that our streets and living areas can be made litter free and thus raising the quality of life of our people. Cellphone companies should be lobbied to assist with a communication campaign as they have access to all our phones. It is time that we inculcate a culture of ownership. We must clean up the mess we made; nobody is going to do it for us. Lastly, climate change is a reality of which South Africans should be keenly aware. General desertification, dams that are dried up and soil erosion are at the order of the day. Silting of dams and riverbeds are problematic. Job opportunities can be created if government could launch a programme to plant grass and put other erosion combatting measures in place to preserve the soil in rural areas and to clear silted-up dams and rivers to restore their capacity. I thank you.
Admin
10 May, 2018
Local Government Week Outcomes: address by Mr LB Gaehler, MP (NCOP) in the National Assembly
Honourable Chairperson and Members Notwithstanding the recent outbreak of listeriosis, in which at least 190 people have died, South Africa does not meet the world health standards for food inspectors. According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), we have just one environmental health practitioner per 30, 000 people. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a ratio of one environmental health practitioner for every 10, 000 people. This means South Africa does not have enough people checking the health and safety standards for production. Municipalities, in particular those in rural and small towns are the hardest hit. They must be helped to be proactive, to pre-plan and meet the required standards of at least one environmental health practitioner for every 10, 000 people. The NICD must have more laboratories to deal with this crisis. Chairperson, the municipalities are the culprits with regard to the non-payment of service providers within the regulated 30 days as per the National Treasury Instruction note number 34. This is not only a defiance of government policy, but a brutal onslaught against the poor masses of our people who are trying their best to live a better life, through their own initiative. Chairperson, we suggest that the NCOP institute an urgent investigation of the extent of this crime against our people who are running small businesses. We must know, which municipality is in debt to our poor people and how much is owned. Once that is established, culprits must be reported to the relevant authority for a proper recourse, on behalf of the local hawkers, caterers, B&B owners and many others. Lastly, there are still municipalities and institutions who are hell bent on defying another government policy, that of buying local. Officials go to places like Butterworth yet they sleep and eat in East London, they procure food and other items more than 50kms outside the local area. WHY ARE THE POOR MASSES IN RURAL AREAS BEING ATTACKED LIKE THIS. This new dawn must arrive to the poor too. Municipalities must play the ball and BUY LOCAL. Thank you
Admin
10 May, 2018
2018 Budget Vote 38: Human Settlements – address by Ms CN Majeke, MP in the National Assembly
Honourable Chairperson and members Outcome eight of the outcome-based performance approach that speaks to the mandate of the department adopted in January 2010, places responsibility on the part of the department to provide sustainable human settlements and improved quality living environment. However, visiting ward 28 in Soweto on Sea in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) where houses were built pre-2010, you will find a totally different and devastating reality. This has resulted in the community launching a petition with the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature (ECPL). These citizens are currently registered and counted as beneficiaries of Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses by the human settlements department, yet, their situation can best be described as a glorifie squatter camp. In 2015, the NMBM human settlements department promised that the beneficiaries of the Zanemvula Priority Project would be temporarily removed to enable for the rectification programme to correct the defects. Three years later, these poor citizens continue to live with graves as their neighbours with absolutely no space or hope for economic, social activities and inclusion. For them, to bury their loved one, they have to rely on facilities outside from where they reside. Chairperson, many of the houses and settlements built between 1994 and 2010 are a far cry from the acceptable and current national policy, national norms and standards for housing and human settlements development. In ward 28, our people are crammed in overcrowded and dysfunctional spaces of less than 100 square meters with regular service interruptions. Chairperson, this department has to go back to basics. In this regard, we propose, that: • The department should assess all the houses and settlements that were built between 1994 and 2010, and compare it to the current policy, norms and standards. It must evaluate whether they are consistent with outcome eight, which provides for sustainable human settlements and improved quality of household life. • In the event of discrepancies, as is the case with ward 28, the minister must make policy proposals, consistent with the rectification programme and other relevant legal pre-scripts, to elaborate a plan that the department can and will implement to rectify the anomalies. • In this regard, the minister is invited to make ward 28 a pilot project. Accordingly, the minister should immediately contact the ECPL so that she may have access to the petition that carries the details of this challenge. • As part of attending to this national challenge, the minister, together with her provincial counterpart, should consider making an urgent visit to this ward to see for themselves the real circumstances defining our people in a democracy. Please Minister, consider joining the ECPL during their Public Participation Week on the 28 of May to the 1st of June in NMBM. Ward 28, is the epitome of a lack of broad national housing delivery goals, a lack of monitoring the financial and non-financial performance of provinces and municipalities. It also speaks to a lack of deliberate consultation with all the stakeholders in the housing delivery chain, including civil society and the private sector. Thank you
Admin
09 May, 2018
2018 Budget Vote 14: Basic Education; declaration by Ms CN Majeke, MP in the National Assembly
Honourable Chairperson and Honourable Members Education is the greatest investment into the success of the National Development Plan and the advancement of the South African socio-economic status and basic education is the starting point. Over time the quality and output of the South African basic education system has changed. On the positive side: • Pre-school enrolment has improved; • The proportion of people with aged 20 and above, with no formal schooling, has fallen significantly to 4.8% in 2016 from 13% in 1995; • Matric candidates receiving a bachelor pass have increased from 20.1% in 2008 to 28.7% in 2017; and • Many schools now have clean water and electricity. However, the negatives of this system are overwhelming. • Just under half of children whom enrol in grade one makes it to grade 12; • Roughly 20% of grade 9, 10 and 11 are repeaters, which suggests that they have been poorly prepared in the early grades; • Less than 7% of matric candidates pass math with a grade of 70%; • In the poorest quintile of schools, less than 1% of matric candidates receive a distinction in math; • Only one in three schools have a library and one in five have a science laboratory. The poor quality of math education in South African schools is of great concern. Math, in all probability, is the most important marker in determining whether a young person will enter the labour market or grow to become a professional. Whilst this problem is across the board, the quality is worse in the poorest quintile of schools, leaving no doubt that the inequalities in the schooling system is replicating pre-democratic trends of poverty and inequality in our society. Our economy is evolving in favour of high-skilled tertiary industries, yet political pressure and policy is being used to drive up the cost of unskilled labour. This means that the majority of poor children are unlikely to ever find gainful employment. The current school infrastructure remains the devil in our system of basic education. Schools built out of mud, wood, zinc and asbestos should have been replaced by November 2016. Yet by its own admission the department of education will only meet this expired deadline, six years later. Furthermore, provinces like Eastern Cape add to the educational challenges by being culprits of under-expenditure in this regard. Chairperson, the department must resist its current practice of building schools that become white elephants because there was a lack of proper understanding of the local demographics and no direct participation of the provincial stakeholders which must include all sectors a community. Whilst we support the report, we are doing so under protest, because our system represents the single greatest obstacle to socio-economic advancement of our nation. It replicates patterns of unemployment, poverty, inequality and it denies the majority of young people the chance to make it in life. Additionally, the dismal failure of the department to replace inappropriate school infrastructure, such as pit latrines, has turned schools into graveyards for learners. We impress on the minister to pull up the department’s socks and deliver to the poor people of South Africa. Let us put the people first. Thank you
Admin
10 Aug, 2017
UDM reaction to the DA’s proposed motion for the dissolution of the National Assembly
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) does not support the Democratic Alliance (DA) sponsored motion for the dissolution of the National Assembly. We respect the DA’s right to propose motions like any other political party represented in the National Assembly. Of immediate importance to the UDM, is the state of readiness of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for the 2019 National and Provincial Elections. The IEC reportedly needs R300 million, as well as access to municipalities’ databases to capture voters’ addresses before the Constitutional Court deadline of June next year. The IEC must move with speed to ensure that the voters’ roll is cleaned and that correct addresses of the electorate are factored in. To this end, we call on Government to ensure that the IEC is provided with the money they need to comply with the ruling. The mandate of the current Government comes to an end in 2019, and we are working towards that end. We want to make sure that the 2019 Elections are credible, free and fair.
Admin
13 May, 2016
Speaker of the National Assembly condones abuse of public monies
Statement by Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP in the National Assembly The closing remarks by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms. Baleka Mbete during the debate on the Parliamentary budget are shocking and preposterous. Her condonation of the abuse of public money by the Parliamentary officials, who blew R1m on a holiday spree in London, led by the Secretary of Parliament, is a clear demonstration of arrogance and abuse of power. Ms. Mbete has absolved the Secretary and his officials of any wrong doing. Interestingly, ten minutes before the debate, the she delivered a letter to me, responding to a request I made, on the 14th of April 2016, for an investigation of a possible irregularities related to the so-called benchmarking trip. In her reply she says, “Regarding the request for Parliament to investigate possible irregularities, kindly note that the matter is receiving attention by the Executive Authority. A response will follow in due course”. Hardly, two hours later, the same Speaker says, nothing was wrong with the trip and everything was above board. Where did she get this information when the request for investigation is still being considered? The conduct of the Speaker is the same as that of her travelers in the ruling party, who are led by a President who has neglected his oath of office. It appears, with the permission of the Speaker, that public monies entrusted in Parliament are up for grabs by corrupt politicians and officials as long as they sing to the tune of the corrupt ruling party elite. The Financial Management of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act, 10 of 2009 is very clear on General Financial Management Functions. It instructs the Secretary who is the Accounting Officer of Parliament to ensure that Parliament’s resources are used effectively, efficiently, economically and transparently. The Speaker, without any investigations, says all is above board. What a shame!. End
Admin
11 Sep, 2014
Motion without notice on Bryan Habana in the National Assembly
I move without notice on behalf the Chief Whip of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) move without notice: That the house (1) Notes that Brayan Habana, who was born on the 12 June 1983 in Benoni, Johannesburg, Gauteng has contributed significantly on the field of play, Rugby. (2) Habana has proved without reasonable doubts his talent when in 2007 Rugby World Cup was named one of the best players and at the time he was 24 years old. (3) We recall one his best moments during the final 2007 World Cup tournament where he intercepted the ball from the centre of the field to score a try that took South Africa to the second World Cup victory. (4) The house and the country should note that Habana has played 99 games for South Africa; the match between South Africa and Australia marked 100 games for Habana. (5) This outstanding achievement for Habana should be celebrated by all patriots and continue to unite South Africa as a sporting nation. (6) His contribution to South African Rugby is a shining example to be emulated by generation and generation to come. Thank you
