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16 Sep, 2025
Safeguarding press freedom while strengthening policing
Statement by Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, MP, UDM Deputy President and Leader in Parliament The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is deeply concerned by recent incidents that expose a disturbing trend in the treatment of journalists by the South African Police Service (SAPS). Press freedom has been one of the cornerstones of our new democracy, enshrined in the Constitution to safeguard transparency, accountability and the people’s right to know. Yet, increasingly, journalists are finding themselves under siege by the very institutions mandated to protect those freedoms. The case of Cape Town journalist Sandiso Phaliso, who was assaulted, harassed, and twice unlawfully deprived of his phone while reporting in Nyanga, is a chilling reminder of how far things have fallen. Despite his press credentials, Phaliso was subjected to violence and intimidation, and to date, his equipment has not been returned. Similarly, in Johannesburg, Julia Evans of the Daily Maverick was wounded by a rubber bullet while covering community protests in Westbury. According to her account, SAPS deployed a flashbang and fired rubber bullets without prior warning, putting the lives of residents, demonstrators and journalists in danger. These incidents cannot be dismissed as isolated. They speak to a broader tendency within SAPS to abandon restraint in favour of brute force. This is particularly troubling because it undermines both public trust in policing and the constitutional guarantee of a free and independent press. It must be said clearly: a police service that bullies journalists, obstructs their work, and ignores the very policies that protect press freedom is a danger to our democracy. The protections guaranteed by Standing Orders and National Instructions are meaningless if they are not enforced in practice. At the same time, the UDM acknowledges the extreme pressures under which our police operate. South Africa is gripped by high levels of violent crime, and SAPS officers often face life-threatening situations. Their frustrations are understandable, but they cannot be allowed to spill over into indiscriminate heavy-handedness. To “shoot first and ask questions later” is to abandon discipline and professionalism, which are the bedrock of effective policing. The balance between firm crime prevention and respect for rights must never be lost. Police officers must be supported with the resources, training and leadership needed to combat crime decisively, but also guided to uphold constitutional values in the execution of their duties. Journalists are not enemies of the police – they are allies of the public in shining a light on injustice and holding everyone, including criminals and government, accountable. When SAPS upholds this balance, it strengthens trust and legitimacy. The UDM therefore calls on the Minister of Police, the National Commissioner, and provincial leadership to urgently reinforce this principle: that in the fight against crime, the police must never lose sight of the Constitution and the freedoms it guarantees. To do so would be to surrender to lawlessness, rather than overcome it.
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08 Mar, 2016
Bantu Holomisa writes to SABC about ANC hijacking of Imvuselelo
Honourable Minister F Muthambi, The Chairperson of the SABC Board, The Provincial Manager of Umhlobo Wenene ANC HIJACKING OF THE SABC – UMHLOBO WENENE IMVUSELELO PROGRAMME The above matter has reference. I am an ardent follower of the Imvuselelo Programme broadcasted by SABC by Umhlobo Wenene Radio Station. Every Sunday evening, I invest time to listen to this spiritually building programme since the time of the late Reverend Lufafa from the then Radio Transkei. When it was integrated into the programmes of Umhlobo Wenene, I continued following it. In the past the programme was purely religious in every aspect. Today, the African National Congress (ANC) Government has hijacked the programme with Members of the Executive Council and Mayors using public money. It has been captured by an unethical ruling party and turned it to be its campaigning platform. After the elections of 2014 it raised eyebrows when this programme went to Bhisho to wash the premier’s feet, even though it was known that he was under investigation, because an amount of R200 000 from monies earmarked for former President Mandela’s funeral ended up in his personal account. Every time the programme airs, you find these Executive Members at centre stage of the church and are given a podium to campaign for their political party. I attended one of these services in Mthatha and it was most repulsive to see the ANC Women’s League Members wearing their uniforms. I was told that when this programme was recently broadcasted from Sterkspruit and Mancam Village in Mqanduli that one would not be amiss to think that it was an ANC gathering. ANC flags and other campaign material were paraded during what is supposed to be a religious gathering for all citizens irrespective of their political affiliation. If you were to listen to the recording of the service in Mancam, the MEC of Social Development made no bones of praising her party and bringing service delivery to the people. She went on praising the role of ANC stalwarts. You tell me if that is not political campaigning. Writing this letter, I also consulted some party leaders who informed me that the same abuse is true of a religious programme on Radio Lesedi called Mafulong a Matala. I fail to understand why the SABC, as the public broadcaster, would allow itself to be used for political gain by a ruling party. If public funds are used for the benefit of the public, the SABC should extend participation to all political parties represented in the area where the programme is held to air views on a specific issue affecting all citizens. It would be important that the SABC goes back to basics and run this programme using its own budget. Programmes like Imvuselelo should not be funded through provincial and/or local fiscus as such will come with conditions that will undermine the independence of the SABC. After all this money they are using is to bring services to the poor, such as roads, water and electricity and not to brainwash them with ANC propaganda. If the SABC charges the Guptas for the breakfast show on SABC TV2 from monies they receive from SEOs, such as Eskom, Transnet, etc. they certainly could afford this expense. SABC should refuse to be used as a mobilising vehicle of the ruling party using the platforms created to develop citizens spiritually. It is a public broadcaster and should be above party politics, at best it should create a separate programme for all political parties to use the public space equally. Should the SABC not stop this blatant bias in Imvuselelo, we shall be forced to instruct our members to attend these services in full party regalia, carrying party material, and insist that they on, the spot, be given a platform – as they do for the ANC – to address any topic they choose. I am sure other political parties would also welcome this opportunity, especially since talk-shows have been suspended by the SABC. Whilst you are pondering our demands in the meantime, could you please forward the schedule of these programmes so that we can tell our members to attend these services. I will always support Imvuselelo in the form that it was originally intended. I however outright reject the fact that the ANC has hijacked religious programmes for their own nefarious objectives. Our message is clear; the ANC must be stopped from hijacking SABC religious programmes. I hope this will be attended to urgently Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP UDM President Copied to: Secretary of the South African Council of Churches Party Political Leaders
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16 Apr, 2014
Holomisa contributes to The Daily Dispatch – Great Election Debate
• Moderator/Programme Director • The leaders of other political parties • Members of the audience • My fellow South Africans INTRODUCTION Thank you to the Daily Dispatch for giving the United Democratic Movement (UDM) the opportunity to discuss our points of view regarding our plans to transform South Africa into a Winning Nation. CORRUPTION FROM TOP TO BOTTOM Although some progress has been made over the past five years, corruption sticks out like a sore thumb. It is undeniable that South Africa finds itself on the slippery slope of more regular incidents of serious corruption. We have become a jaded nation where we only notice the misappropriation of funds if there are billions of Rands involved. We are witnessing a government that more and more resembles the dreaded apartheid regime. Here we think of the dissolution of the Scorpions, the introduction of the Information Bill, undermining press freedom, attacking Chapter 9 institutions and abuse of State Owned Enterprises (such as the SABC). The other alarming reality is that we have a president that does not know how state moneys were used to build his private residence… also, what happened to the so-called “spy tapes”? We are talking about a government that does not have the word “accountability” in their vocabulary. AN UNHEALTHY DEMOCRACY IN ACTION Our democratic constitution seeks to guarantee our freedom, but this can only be achieved if the socio-economic environment allows the Bill of Rights to be manifested i.e. a return to the original agenda to better the lives of all South Africans. As a result of the high rate of unemployment and poverty, our people have taken to the streets to voice their dissatisfaction. Sadly, government does not even bother to listen to their desperate plight and instead dispatches the police to silence them. IS THE PICTURE SO BLEAK THAT WE MIGHT AS WELL THROW IN THE TOWEL? The main question that a voter should ask of him/herself is this: “Do I want to suffer another five years at the hand of a party that loots state resources and celebrates corruption?”. The UDM believes the answer should be “no” and that we can still salvage the situation. WHAT WILL THE UDM DO IF GIVEN THE MANDATED TO GOVERN The UDM fundamentally believes that job creation is the ultimate weapon to combat poverty, but that the economy must be managed properly to achieve this goal. Strong government intervention is required to ensure that we have, amongst others, functioning roads, electrification, water irrigation and reticulation, and an efficient rail network, which are required to ensure economic growth. There are more details on what the UDM offers the nation in our 2014 Election manifesto, which is available on www.udm.org.za, but I would like to raise some salient points: A UDM government commits, amongst others, to: Good governance: a) Restore respect for the rule of law. b) Put in place the necessary checks and balances to ensure that government money is not wasted. c) Instil respect for the separation of powers of government, legislatures and the judiciary. d) Introduce courts dedicated to handle cases of corruption; to swiftly eradicate corruption. The economy and job creation: e) Remove the red-tape that prevent small businesses from flourishing so that our citizens become wealth creators rather than employment seekers. f) Invest in the economy with a properly planned “map of infrastructure development” with emphasis on transparency and cooperation between government and the people. g) To defuse the tensions between the government, labour and the private sector in an effort to harmonise relationships in an open and transparent manner. h) Treat all provinces the same way, instead of the current tendency where budget allocations are biased towards provinces from where powerful individuals hail. Feeding SA – food security and rural development i) Use agriculture as a tool to expand our economy, create jobs and generate wealth, especially in rural areas. j) Prioritise the needs of our commercial and emerging farmers by developing policies that will enable them to fairly compete against their international counterparts. k) Restore the respect due to traditional leaders and create space for them to constructively interact with councillors and involve them in the decision-making processes, especially where development projects are concerned. Education: l) Involve all the relevant stakeholders in curriculum development. m) Translate the large education budget into quality education by developing and maintaining an education system that produces school-leavers and graduates that are equipped with job related and life skills. Health care: n) Bring health care infrastructure and services closer to the poor. o) Ensure that the budget allocation is spent on the services for which it is intended and no “savings” or rollovers will be tolerated. THE EASTERN CAPE IN PARTICULAR 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. The UDM has identified the following key objectives for this province: a) Address the democracy dividend deficiency so that it becomes a model province in terms of all development goals. b) Make the Eastern Cape one of the key economic growth areas in the country, so that it becomes the 4th fastest growing economy in South Africa by 2019. c) Improve on the quality of life of the poorest in the province, by bringing essential public services closer to the people and increase the capacity of the institutions that provide those services e.g. healthcare, education, food security and local employment opportunities. d) In particular, turn around the performance of the departments of health and education. e) Provide effective local governance through appropriate personnel employment, proper planning and utilisation of resources as well as performance management. f) Restore the correct relationships between politicians and officials. g) This province is endowed with the most spectacular and under-utilised resource in the form of our environment. Our environment is a priceless asset; and yes, development is necessary, but not at the expense of our natural heritage. Our environment can be preserved and also be used as a tool to create jobs through tourism. CONCLUSION We cannot afford to sit with our arms folded whilst the majority of our people live in abject poverty – future generations will judge us harshly, because we let things slide on our watch. The UDM election campaign is inspired by hope, and the certainty, that this nation can overcome its challenges and deliver a better future for all South Africans. 7 May is around the corner! Make your vote count! Vote UDM Thank you
Admin
02 Apr, 2014
UDM outrage at R10m tender scam in Buffalo City and asks the Public Protector to investigate
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is outraged at the blatant attempt by the Buffalo City Municipality to sweep under the carpet the R10 million housing scandal implicating a senior African National Congress (ANC) official. Also, it was widely reported that Koko Godlo, whose company was awarded the tender, was appointed by the ANC to head its elections campaign for 2014. The link to the ruling party is clear. It is no wonder that he was just given the R10 million tender without the proper processes being followed. The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has lodged a complaint with the Public Protector in the Eastern Cape and requested an investigation into the matter. The council’s official response to media enquiries shows disdain of public accountability and press freedom. This attitude of the ANC-led municipality confirms our firm view that the people of South Africa, and particularly those in Buffalo City, must use the forthcoming elections to reclaim their freedom. Almost every day the poor citizens of Buffalo City are presented with a range scandals of gross misuse of the people’s money (imali yabahlali) which undermine their freedom yet rates and taxes continue to rocket. The UDM calls on the Mayor to table the report at an urgent council meeting whilst also suspending the fat cats of Buffalo City. It was reported that city officials had salary increases and yet their capacity to deliver is far below average – if it even exists. Each of voter in Buffalo City has the right to say “no” to corruption and poor service delivery. Make your voices heard and say: “We will not stand for the looting of state resources”. There is hope for South Africa and the UDM can lead real change in your lives. Voters need to think about an alternative because the incumbent government has failed our people in the worst way. The UDM is that alternative.
