Admin
10 Oct, 2019
South African Post Office Service Sucks: Poor service delivery
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is disheartened by the poor service rendered by the Post Office, The Tramshed branch in Pretoria (Tshwane) cbd to be precisely has been offline for quite some time. The customers are receiving a raw deal. This post office cannot provide basic services to its customers, for example, one cannot apply for a post box or pay for television licence or do transactions on the atms that are lying there and collecting dusts or certifies documents, etc Not so long ago, Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has promised an improvement and efficiency within the Post Office, none of that has taken place. When the Minister was re-appointed, the UDM had so much confidence on her but now one can see through her that that she was rhetoric when she committed herself in making the post office more efficient and that it will operate like full- fledged commercial bank. Seemingly, her priorities are skewed as her interest is more on 4IR conferences in each month. On the other side she is taking decisions to shut down some of the branches that are most effective branches, like the one at Arcadia, in Pretoria. The unemployed youth is applying and certifying at the Post Office because it is more convenient to get things done at one place, than having to go to the South African Police Service and then go elsewhere to send documents. The pensioners have been encouraged to make use of Post bank facilities but the big question are, how is this going to be possible if the post office can be “Offline” for months? If a post office in the capital city is failing to deliver basic services, how much more in the rural areas? This is not only affecting the communities but the morals of the Post office staff, it is tiring to tell people one thing that “We are offline”. What happened to the principle “Batho-pele?” The UDM calls on the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal services to take serious of her portfolio and mandate of her department. The role that this SOE plays is central in servicing the communities but its performance leaves a lot to be desired.
Admin
28 Jun, 2019
Violent service delivery protests claim lives: this is not on!
The United Democratic Movement has observed that there have been too many service delivery protests around South Africa, prior to elections and after. We hoped to see less of these occurrences, especially after elections, but seemingly they are increasing on a daily basis. We saw what happened when the red ants overran Alexandra in Johannesburg, when the life of a three months old baby was claimed. Yesterday in Philippi (Cape Town), another four-months’ old infant lost her life because of the use of teargas. Not only was an infant deprived of life, but two persons, trying to get away from stone throwers, were killed. This is a travesty. South Africans endure the pain of being neglected by government whilst it continues to pay lip service when it comes to service delivery. Government never honours its promises. Instead of helping people, government responds to them with violence. How long should we see such events? How long should the people of South Africa suffer, when they are only asking for basic necessities such as; shelter, water and roads, to name a few. To the families of those whose lives were lost, may you be comforted. Issued by Mr Bongani Msomi UDM Secretary General
Admin
26 Jan, 2019
Poor service delivery is not the IEC’s problem
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) notes with concern that many voting stations across the country have fallen victim to protest action and violence. It is unforgivable to endanger the lives of the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) personnel and to destroy or damage property. Also, the country can simply not tolerate a situation where our democratic processes are held at ransom, because of people’s frustration and anger with the ruling party. We urge South Africans to not get riled up to the point of violence, over the ruling party’s failures. It is not the IEC’s role to deal with these issues. Although the reasons for our people’s actions are understood, they must understand that their very power rests with registering and voting. The UDM calls on all South Africans to punish the ruling party where it hurts most; at the ballot box. Leave the IEC alone to do its job. If you are unhappy with service delivery in your area, vote wisely and do not vote for a party that has proved its incompetence and don’t care attitude. Issued by: Mr Bongani Msomi UDM Secretary General
Admin
26 Aug, 2014
Link between civil disobedience and poor service delivery
Government has blinkers on when it comes to the consequences of poor service delivery, particularly at local government level. Disingenuous representatives of government stand on their soapboxes shouting that they are doing their jobs. Judging by the volcano of protests against poor service delivery that erupts every now and again in all corners of the country, this is patently untrue. The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is of the view that government either willfully downplays incidents or meets service delivery protests with vicious action using its security organs to silence any dissenting voice. To add insult to injury the ANC brotherhood instantly closes ranks when it comes to criticism levelled at them – even if it is constructive criticism. Much of the civil disobedience we see is a symptom of poor service delivery and it also is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, one can hardly blame a frustrated citizenry – who have no water, electricity, etc. – when they demonstrate and protest. On the other hand, where does one draw the line? We after all do not live in a lawless society and those who break the law must be arrested, make their cases in court and accept the judgements if they are guilty. One can philosophise indefinitely, but there is a fine balance between action and reaction and once the precedence of unmitigated violence has been established it spirals out of control and becomes the norm. What however boggles the mind is: why does government (at all three tiers) refuse to see this and intervene timeously, or even better, do their jobs right in the first instance? It is statements such as “…we don’t know how long the committee will take…” (after Ekurhuleni Mayor Mondli Gungubele announced an audit into Daveyton residents’ housing complaints) that elicits chaos. The problems should have been proactively addressed and the mayor should have had his answers ready. Media Statement by Mr Bongani Msomi, UDM Secretary General
Admin
02 Apr, 2014
Address: by the President to of the United Democratic Movement, Mr Bantu Holomisa at a meeting with Traditional and business leaders as well as Leaders of Religious Groupings, Khanyisa High School, Mthatha
• Traditional leaders • Leaders of religious organisations • Provincial Office Bearers of the UDM in the Eastern Cape • UDM Public Representatives • My fellow South Africans and Transkeians INTRODUCTION We stand at the precipice of what can be a great change in the future of our country – in your futures. We can all agree that many things have gone right in the past 20 years, but the tragedy of the South African story unfortunately lies in the things that have gone wrong. THE STATE OF THE EASTERN CAPE The Eastern Cape is the step-child of a government that does not listen to the cries for help from the people in this province. The ruling party prefers to practice ostrich politics and ignore you. It is common knowledge that the Eastern Cape is heavily under budgeted given the two homelands and townships’ infrastructure that had to be integrated into in the developed infrastructure that was inherited in 1994. This has not happened. For instance, the roads are impassable, there is a shortage of water and no fencing of graze lands and mealie fields, etc. The infrastructure of the former homelands and townships are in a shocking state of disrepair. When you reach the Transkei, the Ciskei and places like Duncan Village, Mdantsane and the townships of Port Elizabeth, it feels as if you have entered a third world. One of the main threats to the Transkei region, for example, is the short supply of water. Any businessperson, in his or her right mind, would think twice before starting any commercial endeavour in towns such as Mthatha, because water supply is either non-existent or erratic. Our buildings are run down; our streets have more holes than tarred surfaces, and they are just plain dirty. If you go down the streets of the cities and towns, the paint flakes from the walls and roofs of the buildings. It is a sad and ugly sight. No-one respects the bylaws and they are definitely not enforced. Our towns are fast becoming slums and is threatening hygiene. It becomes worse when some business persons sleep inside their shops. Our people experience this phenomenon as a cultural shock. Government buildings are in a state of disrepair and our schools and hospitals are falling apart. Who would want to invest in a city or town that bears such scars of abject neglect? We see that there is absolutely no co-ordination between the local and district municipalities, as well as the provincial and national governments. This has resulted in the breakdown of discipline, and anarchy prevails where people build where they want to. Even in the villages people build in commonage areas with not respect for the traditional institutions. Government funds, in other words every cent we pay for tax, are syphoned off to consultants that are appointed to do government’s work through corrupt tender processes. Many small companies who win tenders are ruined because the ruling party and its government do not pay them on time. As a result of this ineptitude many business are forced to close down. This once great region, that produced some of the finest minds and struggle icons in the country, have become an embarrassment to its people. The current leaders of the ruling party is not only blatantly insulting their memory, but their actions are an affront to the people. We have heard how learners in KwaZulu-Natal have benefitted from state of the art computer laboratories with broadband internet access. The question at the top of our minds is: “Why are those children more important than those in the other provinces – the Eastern Cape included?” This is pure discrimination at the expense of our children. Simple. When the ruling party came into power, they threw away the baby with the bathwater and destroyed all the good things they inherited without spending a moment of thought to the consequences. In their lack of wisdom, they took away the incentives that made it attractive for companies to build their factories closer to the people who desperately need a source of income. The policies and programmes that worked in the past were callously left by the wayside, because the ruling party did not have a future vision for the province. Here we think of the units that combatted soil erosion and eradicated alien species, as well as the numerous maintenance and agricultural projects. Lastly, the people of this province have been treated as nothing more than voting cattle. Every five years, just before an election, the ruling party honchos come around and promises heaven and earth. After the results are announced, they suffer from selective amnesia and leave you in the dust of their passing gravy train. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THE EASTERN CAPE? The reality is that should voters reward the ANC with another five years to loot state resources, this province will sink even deeper in the quagmire of underdevelopment and corruption. The Eastern Cape will fall even further behind the rest of the provinces. As we speak they misused over R22 million that was intended to improve schools, hospitals, housing, etc. They diverted the funds to the Madiba’s memorial service, but in in real terms it was used to buy ANC election material. If I had the opportunity to influence things here in the Eastern Cape, and this I can say from experience, the future of this province will be ensured once we return to the original agenda, which is to better the lives of all South Africans – and especially those who live in the Eastern Cape. As leader of the United Democratic Movement (UDM), I am not interested in theories and promises. You will remember that I have successfully done this job in the past and the ethics of good governance was at the top of our list of priorities. I am only interested in practical solutions that will make a real difference to the lives of the people in this province. Collectively we need to speak with one voice and make it clear that the government that comes after this election must to do more and prioritise the development of this province. We need to recapture the lost ground in the area of education. This province was once the fountain of education for the whole country. We need to once more seriously interrogate the lack of discipline and the selling of drugs in our towns and villages CONCLUSION Each of you have the right to say “no” to corruption and poor service delivery. Let us make our voices heard and say: “We will not stand for the looting of state resources”. You have the power to demonstrate to our forefathers and mothers (many of whom paid the ultimate price for our freedom) that you can take charge of your futures and build on their legacy, instead of destroying it. The UDM calls on the traditional leaders, as the custodians of our country’s traditions, norms and future direction, to play a critical role in ensuring that our people’s right to dignity is restored and protected. The UDM also calls on the leaders of religious groupings, who are the moral compass of our nation, to lead their flocks on the path of morality and ethics. Take your rightful position, as you did in the Apartheid years, and remind our people that discrimination on any basis is wrong. We must stand together and fight to realise the dream of the Rainbow Nation. There is hope for South Africa and the UDM can lead real change in your lives. When you make your mark on the 7th of May, I want you to remember, that the power is in your hands. Think of our future and that of our children. I thank you
Admin
04 Oct, 2013
In response to service delivery complaints in Limpopo
TO: His Excellency, Mr JG Zuma, President of the Republic South Africa Minister OC Chabane, Minister in the Presidency for Performance Monitoring, Evaluation and Administration FROM: Bantu Holomisa, MP Dear Sirs I refer to a letter from the Minister Ohm Collins Chabane, Minister in the Presidency for Performance Monitoring, Evaluation and Administration, regarding the abovementioned subject dated 24 July 2013. We also refer to the List of Complaints attached to our original correspondence, dated 29 April 2013, wherein the complaints of the citizens in the Municipalities of Aganang, Capricorn, Greater Giyani, Mogalakwena, Makhado and Thulamela were listed. It is encouraging to hear that there had been a joint meeting of the three sphere’s of government and that this was followed by onsite visits by Department of Monitoring and Evaluation, the Office of the Premier, departments and municipalities from 3 to 7 June 2013. We are however interested in having the details of those visits, i.e. who visited, which areas and when, so that we may correlate this information with the people on the ground. When comparing Minister Chabane’s response with the original list of complaints, we have serous concerns about the lack of detail in the response. The Presidency’s “summary” of the common issues are: Poor road and school infrastructure Lack of water Poor health facilities, such clinics This seem an oversimplification, or too broad a statement, of these communities’ problems and does not address critical matters such as lack of sanitation, housing as well as poor policing and high crime levels. We find it worrying that the aforementioned municipalities seem either unwilling or incapable to provide even the most basic of services to their citizens and ratepayers. The same could be said of the provincial government which does not compare favourably to others. A number of the complaints had been about the lack of communication and accountability of local government councillors and we ask 1) whether that the various Municipal Councils have been made aware that their Councillors are failing at this task and if they have been informed, 2) whether the Presidency received any undertaking that this will considerably improve. We are encouraged that your team has established that the challenges have been highlighted in the District Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), but we enquire about the details and timelines associated with the solutions, so that the information may be disseminated to the complainants. It would also be useful to know which departments have been tasked to serve on the IDP Forum that has been established to track progress on these issues. Hopefully the already failing community projects, as listed in the original complaint, will be comprehensively addressed at this Forum. We request the timetable of meetings of the community structures, ward committees and the economic development forums in the affected areas so that we may inform complainants to attend their meetings. Although we are happy that the Presidency has intervened in this matter, there is far too little information for the communities to be encouraged that they will see changes to their quality of life in the near future. We ask that the Presidency keep up the pressure and provide regular feedback on progress made. Yours sincerely
