Admin
05 Feb, 2019
An Alternative State of the Nation: Holomisa addresses the Cape Town Press Club
Address by Mr BH Holomisa, MP and UDM President regarding an Alternative State of the Nation at the Cape Town Press Club • Chairperson • Ladies and gentlemen 1. Introduction We are grateful to be part of this engagement exploring the very important subject of the true state of the nation. We are just three months away from the 6th democratic elections in South Africa, which means that electioneering has begun and that all political parties are roaming the streets with their manifestos. We invite you to the launch of our manifesto on the 16th of February in Port Elizabeth. You can participate through personal attendance, the mainstream media and social media platforms. It is in this manifesto that the United Democratic Movement (UDM) will address the true state of the nation and project our vision for South Africa’s future. 2. The status quo South Africa has fast diminishing hopes of being able to respond to the triple threat of acute poverty, ever-rising unemployment and inequality. Our massive socio-economic problems remain glaring after 25 years into democracy. Furthermore, the pace at which the governing party is developing South Africa, takes a back seat to corruption. The reality is that South Africa is swamped in corruption scandals that extend its poisonous tentacles in almost all state institutions with little hope that there will be consequences. We are a nation of commissions of inquiry, because the governing party has decided to put itself and its corrupt leaders at the top of government’s agenda rather than serving the people. If my numbers are correct, we are currently dealing with three major judicial commissions (NPA – Mokgoro Commission, PIC – Mpati Commission, State Capture – Zondo Commission) and endless other investigation such as those into VBS, the HAWKS and Eskom. These commissions reveal that governance systems have collapsed due to brazen looting. We have also seen that state intelligence and law enforcement agencies have no absolute commitment to hold those accused of wrong-doing accountable. This is as a result of the governing party’s deployment policy. Instead of owning up and showing respect for the nation, the governing party, led by its president and finance minister, further insult the nation and solely place the blame for South Africa’s mess, squarely in the Zuma court when in fact they were also leaders. They attempt to hide behind any of their own goals by attributing it to the legacy of their former leader. South Africans must remember that the removal, of the African National Congress’ (ANC) sponsored head of state, was an initiative of the opposition parties supported by several civil society organisations. This initiative was fiercely opposed by the ANC on all fronts. Be reminded of his nine lives when he was defended by the ANC in nine votes of no-confidence. Whilst the governing party remain haunted by his presence, who is either a critical element, if not the face of their campaign, we must move forward and move with speed. We have not forgotten that more than 80% of the current ANC leadership was in the national executive and this fact was exposed in the Zondo commission when Ngoako Ramatlodi found it extremely difficult to distance the party from the looting that has robbed the nation of its resources. South Africa’s development trajectory has been significantly reversed by the governing party. We have less of their so-called good stories to tell. Instead, we see a rise of lawlessness, would-be whistle blowers are murdered, mud schools still exist, infrastructure keeps on decaying, the economy is faltering, which all present a loss of hope. 3. The PIC fiasco As if the state capture through the state-owned enterprises and departments was not enough, these looters have made a grand visit to the coffers of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF). When we discovered this plot, we were not sure about its depth and scale. Since we succeeded in calling for a judicial commission of inquiry, we can now characterise the thievery at the PIC as nothing different from the grand capture of state by leaders of the governing party and its travellers in the administration of state institutions. Nepotism and patronage are the most dominant methods of bankrupting the PIC, robbing the pensioners whilst filling the bottomless pockets of the connected few. The UDM, as it promised the nation, shall not rest until those who have stolen from the pensioners face the might of the law. In August 2017, I asked Minister Nene a question in parliament, which dealt with the alleged mismanagement and irregularities at the PIC and the PPC board. To date, this question has not been answered. The current minister of finance must not act like his predecessor, he must show maximum interest in bringing stability to this institution. In this regard, Minister Mboweni must deal decisively with corruption, and start by immediately putting in place a credible board, so that the corrupt legacy left by the former board that resigned last Friday is erased. 4. UDM recommendations If there is going to be any meaningful change and hope, South Africa must go back to basics. 1. Thieves who are mainly in the leadership roles of the ruling party at all levels, must be removed from power come May 2019. 2. Those who are mentioned in all the investigations and are alleged to have been on the wrong side of the law, must be thoroughly investigated and subjected to the full might of the law. 3. South Africa must place active citizenry in the development trajectory of the nation. 4. We cannot be indifferent to the battle to bring back hope to our nation. We must through a range of avenues engage all South Africans all of whom have an interest in clean governance, legality and equitable distribution of resources, as a basis for improving our lives. 5. Lastly, we need a major structural change in the economy of South Africa from a consumption driven, exporting economy to a redistributive economy. We need to intensify the productive nature of our economy and for this, we need to find a new industrialisation of our economic model. 5. Conclusion The UDM is certain that the situation of our nation is far from what we define as a winning nation. We have reversed the hope for a winning nation that we brought by the 1994 break-through. We have collective responsibility to reclaim our freedoms. For this to happen, we must change gear and vote for credible leaders. Thank you
Admin
22 Feb, 2018
Subject for Discussion: Debate on the State of the Nation
Address by Mr LB Gaehler, MP (NCOP) in the National Assembly The UDM has been vindicated When His Excellency the President of the Republic of South Africa Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, during his State of the Nation Address 2018 responded positively to the issue of the service providers being paid on time by the government departments, within the policy of thirty days. The United Democratic Movement (UDM) has been advocating the issue of service providers through its public representatives in parliament since 2005 and talking to all departments. The UDM has been calling on the government since 2005 through speeches and members statements to pay service providers within the thirty days, as it is the policy of government. The President has now reiterated that this issue is going to be looked at and rectified as people and political parties has been complaining about this issue. We are very much happy that now the people of South Africa will benefit extremely as there are many South Africans who are doing services for government. The government must always keep its promises; as well, it is also the policy to pay service providers within thirty days. Thank you
Admin
19 Feb, 2018
State of the Nation Address 2018 debate
Contribution by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP and President of the United Democratic Movement on the occasion of the State of the Nation Address 2018 debate in the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa • Honourable Speaker & chairperson of the NCOP • Mister President • Honourable Members 1. Congratulations Mr Ramaphosa! When an opponent has done well, one must applaud and say: “Well done”. Well done on your speech Mr President! Your message has restored hope and put South Africa on the right track for the restoration of our dignity. This opportunity was given to you on a silver platter by the steadfast efforts of the loyal opposition, the media and civil society, while your party’s leadership turned a blind eye to brazen looting of state resources and fiddled while South Africa was burning. Who will forget the hundreds of thousands of South Africans who marched in a united display of dissatisfaction over an ill-suited and irresponsible President of the Republic. 2. Corruption is the lynchpin in giving effect to your SONA vision 3. Madam Speaker, Institutionalised corruption has been exacerbated by political heads usurping the powers of accounting officers in all three tiers of government. And Mr President, there must be consequences for those who have been found guilty of corruption. 4. The work of the State Capture Inquiry The State Capture Inquiry must be beefed up with the inclusion of forensic audit experts and even the Hawks. The Justice Department must be directed to make special provision for prosecuting capacity and the establishment of dedicated courts to expedite justice, as was done in 2010 with the Soccer World Cup. Once the Inquiry identifies an incident of corruption, the Hawks must pounce, the judicial system must take the baton, whilst the Inquiry continues. 5. On a side note Mr President, you mentioned infrastructure development in your speech; and specifically referred to roads, millions of South Africans are forced to travel long distances to work in the cities and mines. These long-distance travels are marred by accidents, death and injury, with some using insensible transport. It might be time for us to consider state of the art, safe, speed trains to decongest roads, decrease accidents and to save time and lives. Also, Mr President, we need to attend to the phenomenon of anarchy in our society, the general lack of discipline and disrespect for the law. 6. Thuma Mina Your call to action resonates with all South Africans Mr President! We all want to see it prosper so that we might thrive as a collective and as individuals. Your call builds on the action initiated by opposition parties and civil society of the course of the past year or so. We all said “we wanna be there” to stay the rot of corruption; and we were there on the streets in our thousands. We commend your consultative style and welcome the initiatives you mentioned in your SONA, but you did not go far enough. There must be a broadening of the collective consultative process and a wide range of topics that should be interrogated and discussed. Call it what you will, an indaba, convention or a summit, but we need to convene under one roof to discuss the critical challenges facing South Africa today. Contrary to the opinion of some political gurus, who said the opposition was exclusively obsessed with getting rid of former president Zuma, we have laid the groundwork for this national dialogue. With the input from some academics, we compiled a draft “Problem Statement”, which was released in August last year, to serve as a fundamental basis for such a dialogue. The identified issues are: • The reinstatement of our Constitutional order and the Rule of Law; • Reaffirmation of our founding vision and values; • Measures to ensure inclusive economic participation and to address inequality; • Reversing our economic decline. • The establishment of a shared consensus on land reform. This should include the rural tenure system, bodies like the Ingonyama Trust, as well as selling of urban land to foreigners. • Review the National Development Plan, with regard to its implementation and outcomes; • Reviving our national morality and the eradication of systemic corruption; • The reformation of our electoral system to enhance accountability and responsiveness; • Review of the powers and functions of the President to resolve the over- concentration of power; • The development of a capable and professional state, which requires fair employment opportunities in government, for all South Africans as opposed to non-professionals being parachuted into positions of power. • The rehabilitation of our international standing based on a human rights approach. • The reinvigoration of our structures and systems of education and training to ensure skills development and meaningful participation in economic and social activities; • Reversing social decay and putting a stop to violence against women and children; • The fostering of reconciliation, social cohesion and nationhood; • Resolving impediments to the progressive realisation of our basic human rights; • Strengthening and ensuring the independence of our Chapter 9 Institutions; • The reformation of party-political funding; • Securing the attainment of all role players towards the attainment of a state of good governance and the values that underpin it; We are here Mr President and we wanna be there to help find sustainable solutions. I thank you
Admin
07 Dec, 2015
UDM National Congress – Discussion document – State of the Nation
In preparation of the 5th UDM National Congress from 11 to 13 December 2015, the UDM issues the following discussion document on the State of the Nation. “A lot has been done since then to change the political, social and economic landscape for the better. It is true that much has been accomplished, but – for instance – when the ANC government claims to have built more houses, they should admit that more people have badly-built houses. And when the ANC government claims to have provided more services, they should admit that more people are receiving bad and unreliable services. When they claim to have built more infrastructure like roads, they should admit that it is just more tolls and more potholes. When did we stop trying to be a world-class nation? To be the best? To excel? To measure ourselves not against the past but against our highest ideals? When did Apartheid become the benchmark… for us to settle for inefficiency, corruption and mediocrity because “at least it’s not Apartheid”?”
Admin
18 Jun, 2014
SONA 2014 – Bantu Holomisa reacts on behalf of UDM
Address by Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP in the National Assembly during the State of the Nation debate (SONA 2014) Chairperson of the NCOP, Mister President and Deputy President, Honourable Members; I wish to thank all the people, who gave us the mandate to once more contribute in building a better South Africa. We will do our best to serve you. Chairperson of the NCOP, To achieve meaningful socio-economic transformation, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) believes that South Africans of all races should engage in a structured debate about our policy direction and priorities. This debate would, in addition to other issues, discuss the need to review the current over reliance on population size as a major determining factor in the allocation of resources. We believe that when allocating resources more emphasis should be placed on the developmental needs and economic disparities of each Province. This will go a long way towards addressing past imbalances and backlogs. Given the increased role the state now plays in the economy, it is important for us to reach some form of consensus about the macroeconomic blue print that will help take the country forward. We call for this because we are of the view that State intervention that results in higher public debt, high inflation and more inefficiency defeats the purpose of the exercise. A discussion on how best Government should pursue our developmental needs and objectives through state intervention would help locate the National Development Plan (NDP) in the right context. It would also ensure that steps are taken to provide the essential policy details necessary for the implementation of the NDP. The recently approved Defence Force Review should also form part of this broader discussion as it together with peacekeeping missions has cost implications for the country. Mister President, We welcome steps Government has taken to ensure sustainable mining and to improve the socio-economic conditions of the mine-workers. We however believe that they do not go far enough. To deal decisively with mining, the UDM calls on Government to set up a Commission on mining to, among others, investigate and advise on the following: a. the socio-economic conditions of the workers and surrounding communities. b. mine-workers’ access, or lack thereof, to a provident fund worth billions of Rands. c. how the workers’ money has been invested, especially in cases where the workers were retrenched, or have retired or passed away. d. the ownership of mines and mineral wealth, the allocation of mining rights, as well as who benefits from these mines and, e. the much talked about beneficiation programme. Finally, to turn around the local government, we believe that Minister Gordhan needs to conduct a proper skills audit to ensure that the right people are employed in the right places. We further call on Minister Gordhan to ensure that politicians are not involved in the awarding of tenders. Nxamalala, we look forward to join you in your cleanup campaign for our environment during Nelson Mandela Day. Thank you.
Admin
12 Apr, 2014
Holomisa speaks at UDM Rally at Gompo Community Hall, Duncan Village, East London
• Leaders of the UDM in the Eastern Cape • UDM public representatives • My fellow South Africans WELCOME The 2014 elections campaign of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) is gaining momentum. Just this morning I addressed a full-hall in Khayelitsha. Tomorrow Mhbazima Shilowa and I will be in Kroonstad in the Free State. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for making the time to listen to what the UDM would do if it was given the opportunity to govern the Eastern Cape. STATE THE NATION Let’s however discuss the state of the nation first. Every five years, South Africans brave the long queues at voting stations to exercise their right to choose the political party which they think will best govern their province and this country. Although some progress has been made over the past five years, corruption sticks out like a sore thumb. It of course has many negative implications for our citizens, but it also results in the South Africa’s downgrading on international ratings indexes and this in turn negatively impacts on direct foreign investment. The main question that voters should ask themselves is this: “Do I want to suffer for another five years at the hand of a party that loots state resources and celebrate corruption?”. It is astounding that the African National Congress (ANC) had the audacity to “reroute” millions of taxpayers’ money into building a lodge for President Zuma; and they go into defence-mode and try to justify ridiculous things, such as the need to have a swimming pool, just in case one of the thatched roofs catches fire. Who are they kidding? President Zuma, is an ANC deployee; in other words the citizen of South Africa did not elect him to power. The next question that springs to mind is: “Why are they treating him differently?” – especially given how they unceremoniously got rid of President Mbeki, albeit for different reasons. Many South Africans are sickened by the flagrant arrogance of the president and his party. They hold the Public Protector in blatant contempt and, without any shame, hurl personal insults at Advocate Madonsela. Seven (7) May is around the corner, and voters should take a critical look at the way the ANC has left our people in the dirt and dust of an inequitable society. We will probably also be in agreement that the various provinces are not treated equally. If you doubt this statement, just compare the budget allocations and distribution of resources in the nine provinces. STATE OF THE EASTERN CAPE It is common knowledge that this province is heavily under budgeted given the two homelands and townships’ infrastructure that had to be integrated into in the developed infrastructure that was passed on in 1994. This has not happened. To mention but a few of the problems: the roads in the Eastern Cape are impassable; there is a shortage of water; no fencing of graze lands and mealie fields, etc. The infrastructure of the former homelands and in townships are in a shocking state of disrepair. When you travel the Transkei, the Ciskei and places like here in Duncan Village, Mdantsane and the townships of Port Elizabeth you might think you have entered a 3rd world country. It boggles the mind that the very organisation that purports to have the best interest of our people at heart, has failed them so spectacularly – it has almost leaves you with the perception that our people are worse off than when they were under the apartheid government. This is a travesty, and the voters should punish the ANC for putting the future of the poor masses on the back burner or they simply stick their heads in the ground and practice ostrich politics. Only the few have struck it lucky sit in the pound seats when it comes dishing out money. It is very ironic that the Comrades in Corruption in government have to hire consultants to do their jobs… and of course many of those consultants are linked in the chain of corruption in that spills over into the private sector. BUT WHAT WILL THE UDM DO DIFFERENTLY? A UDM government shall take the necessary steps to ensure that the following six, critical objectives should be met to turn this province around, they are to: 1. Address the democracy dividend deficiency in the Eastern Cape, so that it becomes a model province in terms of all development goals. 2. 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. 3. Improve the quality of life of the poorest in the province, by bringing essential public services closer to the people and; Also 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. Should you be interested, we will make the detailed information on how we will go about reaching these six goals. 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 members and supporters must hit the ground running. Go out there, paint the Eastern Cape in UDM yellow! Speak to the people and spread the gospel of the UDM. To all of the leaders, party members and people who form part of our campaign teams across the length and breadth of the Eastern Cape, thank you for your commitment thus far. We must now change gears because time is running out! 7 May is around the corner! Good luck in your campaigning. Thank you
Admin
18 Feb, 2014
Speech: Debate on State of the Nation Address by Bantu Holomisa
Mister Speaker, Mister President, Deputy President and Honourable Members, State of the Nation Address debates give South Africans an opportunity to participate in discussions about issues that affect our country. We should therefore not underestimate the value of this important democratic practice in strengthening our democracy. Elsewhere in the world such opportunities do not exist. Mister President, allow me to apologise in advance for not being able to stay for the entire duration of this debate. I have to go to Pretoria to finalise the submission of the Defence Force Service Commission (DFSC) to the Portfolio Committee on Defence. I also need to prepare for my trip to Bloemfontein to attend the National Defence Force Day celebrations. I hope you understand Sir, because you assigned me this task. Mister Speaker, The 2014 State of the Nation Address debate takes place at a time when South Africa marks 20 years of freedom. This gives us an opportunity to reflect on the progress made and the challenges facing South Africa today. We acknowledge the good strides made since the attainment of our freedom. We also fully concur with you, Mister President, that South Africa is a better place to live in today than it was before 1994. However, contrary to popular belief, many South Africans do not have a good story to tell about our twenty years of freedom. Millions of South Africans in townships, rural and peri-urban areas still do not have access to land, houses, water and sanitation. Even in instances where services have been delivered the quality of the final product leaves much to be desired. As we speak, Government has to demolish and rebuild thousands of poorly built RDP houses around the country. There is also a general lack of maintenance of the existing infrastructure in many previously disadvantaged communities, which negatively affects the delivery of water and electricity. The real State of the Nation While the UDM acknowledges the impact of colonial and apartheid legacy on the South African economy, twenty years into our democracy there is clear evidence that poor economic policy choices, economic mismanagement and corruption have negatively affected our economy. Furthermore, over the last twenty years we have witnessed growing levels of tension and mistrust amongst the three main role players: government, labour and business. On the one hand, this mistrust has discouraged big business from investing billions of available cash in our economy. On the other hand, it has often resulted in illegal and violent strikes, which negatively affect the economy, depress the currency and investor sentiment. These strained and often volatile industrial relations have resulted in high unemployment rates. Millions of South Africans are unemployed – the majority of which are youth, while others live in abject poverty. Rising food prices and fuel costs have added to the misery by making it difficult for many South Africans to make ends meet. What adds insult to injury is that our education system fails to give our children the basic education they need to be economically active. In the meantime, levels of inequality increase at an alarming rate. The high levels of inequality are a direct result of corruption and policies that allow the rich to accumulate obscene wealth at the expense of the poor and marginalised. The most painful irony however is that of a former liberation movement that espoused egalitarian principles during the struggle years only to preside over the most grotesque and ever-worsening levels of inequality. Mister Speaker, Government has over the past 20 years taken decisions that have caused the country much embarrassment. Some of these decisions and transactions, which were laced with corruption include, but are not limited to, Sarafina II, the Arms Deal, Hitachi/Chancellor House/Eskom deal, the Dina Pule saga, the IEC and the South African Police Services’ (SAPS) lease agreement scandals, Nkandlagate scandal and so on. While talking about the Nkandlagate scandal, Mister President, we have noted your media comments over the past weekend regarding government’s spending of millions of taxpayer’s money on your private property. There is no doubt that this scandal has brought the country into disrepute. You keep telling us that you had no knowledge of these improvements, but you never tell us what steps you have taken to solve this fiasco. Mister President, had it not been for the media that exposed this scandal, there would have been no Public Works and Public Protector Investigations. We are concerned that in cases where senior ruling party leaders are caught with their hands in the cookie jar junior officials are made to take the blame. Even former President Nelson Mandela admitted to the widespread existence of corruption in the ruling party when he said in August 1998 that: “We have learnt now that even those people with whom we fought the struggle against apartheid’s corruption can themselves be corrupted.” Mister President, it seems other South Africans have a different story to tell. No one can dispute that: “Corruption destroys the gains of our freedom!” It also chases away the investors. Bearing this in mind, Government needs to take active steps to promote and entrench a culture of good governance. To root out corruption, the UDM believes that Government should introduce courts that are dedicated to handle corruption cases. Government should restore the powers of the accounting officers and ensure that there is no political interference. The role of political heads should be confined to that of oversight. The bleak picture I have sketched above about the strong prevalence of institutionalised corruption, reminds South Africans to never again put their eggs in one basket. Fellow South Africans, Over the past few years South Africa has been shaken by violent service delivery protests. People protest to register their dissatisfaction with Government’s dismal service delivery record. In most protests, lawlessness is regrettably celebrated, as both private and public properties are destroyed. What adds fuel to the fire is that the political leadership both at national and provincial levels does not make time to engage communities during protests. They instead rely on councillors and the police to extinguish the fire. We therefore join you, Mister President, in condemning the use of violence by all parties during protests. We will meet again when the new administration delivers its State of the Nation Address and its programme of action for 2014. Thank you.
