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01 Oct, 2019
Vehicle financing: Holomisa asks Wesbank CEO some pointed questions
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF WESBANK, CHRIS DE KOCK Mr Chris de Kock Wesbank Chief Executive Officer Enterprise Road Fairland 2170 Dear Mr De Kock ALLEGED CORRUPTION IN MOTOR VEHICLE SALES: THIRTY MORE PEOPLE CONFIRM SEEMING FRAUDULENT TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING WESBANK FINANCING 1. Introduction Our meeting of the 10th of May 2018 regarding Mr Mzukisi Ndara’s complaint and subsequent correspondence refers. You will recall that I addressed an open letter to you in May last year that contained serious allegations of impropriety and possible fraudulent misconduct occasioned by officials that were acting on behalf of FirstRand Bank, trading as Wesbank. The vehicle sale deal that was concluded with Mr Ndara, on the face of it, carried fraudulent misrepresentations that have led to untold financial harm and prejudice to him and his family for fifteen years; this year. The letter I wrote to you was also posted on my social media platforms provoking a flurry of activity largely condemning the conduct of the bank. 2. Context You consequently invited Mr Ndara and I to a meeting to discuss this matter further. We met at Wesbank’s headquarters at Fairlands in Johannesburg. Apart from you absolving the bank of all responsibility, and partly blaming the dealership, you were unable to debunk the authenticity of what Mr Ndara contended. Instead, pursuant to him narrating what had transpired, during and post the conclusion of his vehicle sale deal you said that “if it is true what you are saying, and its accurate, then I must sympathise with you because you will have been done a grave injustice”. In order to eliminate in your statement, the suspensive condition “if” Mr Ndara took the trouble to furnish your legal officer, Mr McLellan, with the documents that relate to his matter, his utterances when he saw them, was “it is the first time I am seeing these documents”. This is yet another statement that begs the question: Does FirstRand bank value its reputation as a corporate citizen in this country and if so, why doesn’t it redress what are clearly gross violations of Mr Ndara’s constitutional rights? Sir, I have had to answer this question myself. Shocking as this may be, scary as this may sound, the balance of probabilities points to Wesbank having used this approach as its modus operandi to seemingly swindle a significant number of South Africans from their hard-earned money. It came as a shock to the system, when Mr Ndara told me that Mr Prishen Ramsamay and Mrs Cheryl Moosa contacted him to say that they had been trying to locate him since the time I had posted the first letter to you. There are now at least thirty other people who have been party to vehicle sales transactions borne out of alleged fraudulent misrepresentations; destroying many people’s lives in the process. All these seemingly fraudulent transactions that were initiated at the BMW Melrose Arch Dealership in Sandton were predictably all financed by Wesbank. The shocking details of some of these transactions are contained here below. This group of ordinary South Africans whose demographics constitute a rainbow nation, have come together under the banner “Crusaders for Justice” Stop Bank Corruption. 3. Legislative framework In my first letter to you, whilst I am by no means a legal eagle, I ventured an opinion that asserts that, on the face of it, you do not require intimate insights of jurisprudence to understand that a bank cannot approve finance for a new car and the customer receives and pays for a used vehicle, in order to discern fraud. Surely it is not that difficult. My opinion aside, the first reason that points to Wesbank having possibly gone rogue is simply the nature of the transactions they have concluded with the members of Crusaders for Justice. Some of these transactions have violated so many provisions of the National Credit Act of 2007 and its forerunner, the Credit Agreements Act of 1980. The National Credit Act (Act No. 34 of 2005) Section 90 is entitled: “Unlawful provisions of Credit Agreement” and it reads as follows; 90. (1) A credit agreement must not contain an unlawful provision’ (2) A provision of a credit agreement is unlawful if – (a) its general purpose or effect is to – (i) defeat the purposes or policies of this Act; (ii) deceive the consumer; or (iii) subject the consumer to fraudulent conduct; (b) it directly or indirectly purports to – (i) waive or deprive a consumer of a right set out in this Act; (ii) avoid a credit provider’s obligation or duty in terms of this Act (iii) set aside or override the effect of any provision of this Act (iv) authorise the credit provider to; (aa) do anything that is unlawful in terms of this Act; or (bb) fail to do anything that is required in terms of this Act; (e) it purports to make the agreement subject to a supplementary agreement, or sign a document, prohibited by section 91 (a) (g) it purports to exempt the credit provider from liability, or limit such liability for- (i) any act, omission or representation by a person acting on behalf of the credit provider. In summary, all these provisions refer to a credit provider, and in everyday language a credit provider referred to above is a bank. Banks in terms of the law must not violate any of the provisions above. Hence, we can boldly say, FirstRand Bank has seemingly broken the law in many instances and on many occasions. The Bank is not above the law. 4. What has the bank done? Wesbank’s modus operandi is as follows; at least according to the lived experiences of the members of Crusaders for Justice; • Most people were induced into these unlawful deals or contracts; the National Credit Act also deals with inducement as being unlawful. • There are seemingly fraudulent misrepresentations in most, if not all these deals, with the following examples: ? The dealership processed a car for finance as if it is brand-new and this is approved by the bank, yet the vehicle is used. The consumer is invoiced for a brand-new car, whilst the dealership agents and the bank are aware that there appears to be misrepresentation; in fact, there is alleged fraud (as in Mr Ndara’s case). ? There is a member of Crusaders for Justice, who was a first-time buyer but, in his contract, the bank purports that he traded in a vehicle and yet that is not the case (as in the case of Devy De Klerk). ? The most common of these alleged unlawful practices, we have come to learn, is what is called loading or adding onto the price of a vehicle, what is normally known as “extras”. An extra in a vehicle, is a material enhancement the customer requests of his/her own volition over and above the cost of the vehicle i.e. an additional item, at an additional cost. Extras under normal circumstances would be things like cruise control, bull bars, metallic paint, sunroofs, air-conditioning, boot spoilers, etc. The buyer would then be advised of the price of each of these extras so that he/she can make an informed decision on whether it was desired. Some members of the Crusaders for Justice had all manner of extras added on to their contracts without them even knowing that they were so-called extras. These include Group Life Insurance at R25,900 (M Ndara) and a digital braking system at a cost of virtually R60,000 (Cheryl Moosa). In some cases, some of the contracts were padded with these fictitious extras to an additional total amount of R150,000 per vehicle. ? The National Credit Act also refers to consumers being induced into signing supplementary agreements, as if these were obligatory. And, unwittingly through trust and naivety, people sign only to find they are being defrauded and further prejudiced. There are some that are paying instalments of R30,000 for having concluded car deals, in some cases up to R50,000 (Mr Siva Pather). Sir, I have taken the trouble to write to you again. As previously, giving you the benefit of doubt to say, you may not be aware, maybe Mr Ndara’s matter was an isolated incident. However, with these latest revelations, nothing can be left to chance. This needs to be probed as it now comes across as a deliberate and planned scheme to rob people who least suspect that a reputable bank is capable of such. 5. Do the banks know? I have in my possession a High Court judgement handed down on the 16th of May 2013 by the KwaZulu-Natal High Court, in Durban, Case No 2142/2009 in the matter between: FIRSTRAND BANK LIMITED t/a WESBANK as plaintiff and DUAL DISCOUNT WHOLESALERS CC as defendant. In a nutshell, Wesbank in this case took to court a dealership in Durban that had misrepresented the price of a vehicle, as a result of which Wesbank paid more than the value of the car and ended up charging a consumer through instalments more than what the car was worth. Simple and straightforward. When the consumer discontinued payments the bank repossessed the vehicle and, in that process, discovered that in this contract there was fraudulent misrepresentation regarding the price of the vehicle, so they invoked what is called a “master agreement” that regulates transactions between dealerships and banks. These master agreements ironically protect the consumer against such conduct. Needless to say, Wesbank was successful in this action and the dealership carried liability. What defies logic is the principles that underpin this case have not been applied to all these complaints lodged by this group of people. And this is clearly a precedent that demonstrates what should obtain and what steps should have been taken against all dealerships by the bank. 6. Conclusion In our meeting you harped on the fact that you have a judgement against Mr Ndara on case number 3180/2013 underway at the Grahamstown High Court, wherein on the 3 March 2015 Judge Elna Revelas upheld the bank’s Special Plea of Prescription against Mr Ndara’s application against the Bank. Further to that, the Bank obtained a judgement on the 18th of August 2015, dismissing Mr Ndara’s Application for Leave to Appeal Judge Revelas’ decision. A new team of lawyers for Mr Ndara discovered in May 2018 that the judgement the Bank had obtained in August of 2015 was sought through underhanded means, it was erroneously sought and granted in the absence of Mr Ndara’s legal team and without even a Notice of Set Down served on them. Invariably it was set aside by Judge Buyiswa Majiki in August of 2018. The Bank’s appeal of the same judgement was dismissed with costs on the 12th of March this year. Sir, with due respect, is all this necessary? What do we make of the sacrosanct corporate governance associated with the banks in this country which you purport to subscribe to? It is now an open secret that Mr Ndara’s saga is a drop in the ocean, as clearly there are many, many others whose documentation is in our possession. I am now appealing to the shareholders of FirstRand Bank to assist you to do what is right for the benefit of us all. Redress for all these people who have been done wrong is the first step in my view that is non-negotiable. I also call upon the South African public, political and leadership of all self-respecting organisations to call out First Rand Bank for these unlawful acts against ordinary citizens. The all-round condemnation of anyone who was involved in the VBS scandal is commendable. Corruption is corruption by any other name, so let us join the call for Wesbank to be held accountable and answer openly and honestly to these accusations. After all, Wesbank operates on a license granted by government, and is regulated like all other companies in this country. Mr De Kock, I shall eagerly await your response to this matter before we take it further. We look forward to your response. Mr Bantu Holomisa, MP UDM President
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18 Sep, 2019
Violence against women and children, and crime in South Africa
Honourable Speaker, Mr President and Deputy President, Honourable Ministers and Deputy Ministers, Honourable Members. 1. Introduction The United Democratic Movement (UDM) commends the fact that Parliament is debating solutions to gender-based violence, child abuse, rampant crime in general, as well as lawlessness. We are here today in response to the brave women of this country who said: “No more!”. This House and the Executive must prioritize finding solutions, even if it means that we must reconsider budget allocations as the President has already indicated. 2. Safety and security: a constitutional mandate Everyone living in this country must, at all times, be protected and should feel safe in their homes and on our streets. For the Executive to act decisively and to make manifest the constitutional mandate of safety and security for the people, it might mean that our civil liberties could be affected. 3. Proposed SADC accord One other matter which I would like to raise is that of striking an accord between SADC countries to address security and home affairs issues. Cross-border crime, moving stolen vehicles and livestock, as well as the burning of trade-goods, should be a thing of the past. Our economies must be protected, for if one country is unstable, all are affected. 4. Xenophobia Regarding the recent xenophobic attacks, we condemn it in the strongest terms. I however wish to mention that South Africa is the only country that does not have refugee camps, with non-South Africans being integrated into our society since 1994. We indeed have people from the rest of the continent, Europe, America and the Far East who live peacefully, and prosper in South Africa. 5. Closing Mr President, if one looks at the vast amounts of money that is syphoned away through corruption, our obsolete military equipment, poor training and equipping of our security services and the criminal justice system, it is clear that we still have much work to do. I thank you.
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18 Sep, 2019
University of Zululand : Vulnerability of Students
The United Democratic Movement notes with concern the vulnerability of students who resides in private accommodations that are not part of the university’s residences and it supports the initiative of students for embarking on a protest demonstration. The students opt to lodge or stay at private accommodation because the university is failing to provide with them adequate accommodation in its residences. They do not have a choice but for them to be near the campus, they have to look for accommodation where ever they can find refuge. In most cases, this scenario compromises their safety. What is more disturbing, these attacks to students by thugs have been going on for decades now, yet, the University has failed to come up with a lasting solution. Other than being attacked, students are being robbed of their belongings while attending lectures at day broad light. The UDM is of the view that the University must come closer to the owners of these properties which are being used by the students and form partnership with them which will among other things ensure that students are always in a safe environment. The University must take full responsibility of the safety of the students irrespective whether they stay inside or outside campus. One of the options that the university may be required to do, is to assess and check whether these properties are fit for habitation of the students. The Management of the University of Zululand cannot abdicate from its obligation of taking care of the welfare of the students. The UDM calls on Vice Chancellor Mrs Xoliswa Mtose to attend to this matter promptly. Parents are sending their children to school for a better future, only to return home heartbroken or dead. Issued By: Mr Bongani Msomi UDM Secretary General
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10 Sep, 2019
Open Letter to President Ramaphosa: gender-based violence
Dear Mr President Recently, the country has been ravaged by news of gender based violence, women being abducted, raped and murdered. This is an everyday life for women in this country hence now we have the #AmInext movement, because honestly we are constantly stressing about who is going to be a victim of these atrocities ravaging our communities. The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation call on you Mr President, to speedily act on this, as women are under attack, the time for speeches and dialogues around these issues is over. We would like to see a government that implements change and not just talk about it. One of the things we would like to see is co-operation between the Departments or Ministries that fall under the cluster of peace and security. There seems to be no synergy and this is a contributing factor to the rise in violence in this country. If the SAPS manage to arrest the criminal; Justice will release him either on bail or on lack of evidence; if Justice sentence the criminal, Correctional Services will release him on parole. The UDEMWO call upon the government either amend the laws of this country as the law is currently favouring the criminals at the expense of the victims, or bring back the death penalty. Had it not been for Luyanda Botha, the late Uyinene Mrhwetyana’s murderer being released on parole from his previous convictions, the young girl would be still alive, pursuing her dreams. The question still remains, how did Luyanda end up working for a state owned enterprise with criminal records? Mr President, The Government continues to fail us! The Department of Women’s voice is not being heard, Minister Maite-Nkoana Mashabane is not vocal and not seen taking part in bringing about solution in the threatening situation, which is claiming lives of women especially in the past week. UDEMWO believes that when one tramples the other person’s rights, he must forfeit his rights. Enough with the lip service, Action must be taken NOW! Issued by Thandi Nontenja UDEMWO Secretary
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03 Sep, 2019
Violence against women: Punishment of women abusers is a laughing stock
The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organization is disheartened by violence against women and children that is currently taking place throughout South Africa, Uyinene Mrwetyana a young girl who had a bright future was deprived an opportunity to achieve her goals and dreams, she didn’t just die, she was brutally murdered. Jeighandre Jegels a boxing champion from the Eastern Cape was also killed by her Police Officer boyfriend. A body of a young lady who was raped and murdered was discovered yesterday in a school premises at Kwa Mashu, north of Durban The UDEMWO calls on the African National Congress government to stop gambling with young women’s lives, just two years ago, we lost Karabo Mokoena and nothing was done, the government had to wait for next victims to act as if they care. In the case of Mrwetyana, it is alleged that the perpetrator has a criminal record, which takes us back to the call made by UDEMWO that government departments should work in a synergy. Early paroles dished out to criminals perpetuate criminal acts against women and children. On a daily basis women and children go missing, simply because they are not protected by the government. They are soft targets for the perpetrators. The state security agencies are to blame, they do not seem to have a plan to fight and curb the scourge. As much as some of these crime offenders face jail time, it seems this type of sentence do not act as a deterrent factor. The UDEMWO believe it is high time that a referendum is conducted to determine whether a death penalty should be brought back or our courts continue to meter out these sentences that are not effective. Women and children deserve better and the government must make it a point that they are protected twenty four hours a day where they are, in their homes or streets. The UDEMWO is calling upon the government and relevant departments to effectively prioritise the safety of women and children. The government MUST STOP this habit of quickly sending condolences to the families of the victims but must act fast and swiftly in apprehending and putting perpetrators behind bars. Ms Thandi Nontenja UDEMWO Secretary
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23 Aug, 2019
Old SA flag: the Equality Court missed an opportunity
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) notes with concern the recent ruling by the Equality Court on the matter between The National Mandela Foundation Trust and with Afriforum NPC and others. The UDM is of the view that the relief sought and eventually acceded to by the Deputy Judge President of the High Court was very generous and too broad. The idea of allowing a flag which was used as a symbol of subjugation for the majority of the people of this country to continue to be used for genuine journalistic, academic or artistic purpose is problematic. This might be construed differently by other people, especially those that had the audacity to challenge the relief sought by the applicant in the matter. The issue might arise with regards to the interpretation of these instances, where this flag can perhaps be used, hence the arrogance we saw on Twitter from Afriforum’s leader Ernst Roets tweeting in promoting or popularizing the flag just after the decision had been made by the Equality Court. The UDM is of the firm belief that the flag with all the other symbols or traces of the colonial rule must be banned from the public view. Those that sort to display these symbols of apartheid ought to be punished in terms of the law. Apartheid is now a criminal offence in this country. The flag and other symbols of apartheid belong to the museums. They are to be used for history purposes and generations to come to see where we come from as a nation. The South African society must be strict and firm with democracy the country which was achieved through sacrifice by many and some paid with their own lives. The UDM has a strong view that these symbols of apartheid must not be tolerated as they can bring a negative impact on what has been done or achieved to realise social cohesion in our beloved country. Issued by: Mr Bongani Msomi UDM Secretary General
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31 Aug, 2019
Reflection on the deployment of the SANDF in the Western Cape
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) is aware that it has been several weeks since the deployment of the soldiers in some of the gang war areas in the Western Cape and the sad part is that the killings or the number of people being killed brutally in the area has not gone down. This in a way compels one to perhaps reflect on whether deployment was bad idea or not and one can easily say it was, due to the fact that the ruthless killings are still happening and the number of people being murdered especially during the weekend keeps on going up despite the deployment. The UDM believes that the deployment was not a bad thing to be done, the error done was perhaps in how it was done. One of the questions that keeps coming up, around different areas is whether leaders in these different communities were consulted with regards to the deployment. This is a very important step in ensuring that the deployment is not in vain as these leaders know the ins and outs of their communities and therefore could assist in dealing with the different areas as the dynamics are not the same. Another issue is that different stakeholders must be involved in the fight against crime as the South African Police Services and South African National Defence Force (SANDF) cannot do such alone. A lot of investment ought to be made in research especially in understanding townships where the crime rate is very high. One of the contributing factors of crime in the townships is the contestation around resources and space. This now speaks to the fact that the Ministry of Police and of Defence cannot win the battle alone, there must also be a lot co-operation between the different government departments and also spheres of government such as the legislature, executive and the judiciary. These must keep one another accountable at all times to ensure better service delivery for the people as ‘service delivery’ is a contributing factor to the crime rates in the country. The South African Police Service (SAPS) should work conjointly with SANDF to make sure no stone is left unturned in curbing the high rate of violent crimes in Western Cape. In closing the deployment of the soldiers in the different areas in the Western Cape does not mean that SAPS is to abdicate from its duty to protect and defend vulnerable law-abiding citizens, police officers must continue performing their tasks. Mr Bongani Msomi UDM Secretary General
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20 Aug, 2019
Eastern Cape Legislature: Mr Bongani Mahlati, MPL’s contribution the Vote on Public Works
Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker Honourable Premier and members of the executive Honourable Members of the Legislature Officials present here Distinguish Guests And visitors at the gallery be greeted in Jesus naame Madam Speaker the United Democratic Movement (UDM) welcomes the report, however Honourable Speaker, government must find a comprehensive approach on how to improve and monitor the irregular expenditure that has been increasing over the past years in this department. I am concerned about how this has happened whereas there is a committee that was monitoring the work of the department. Why this matter had been escalated for a long time, and nothing drastically has happened. We are convinced, as the UDM, that something drastically must happen, and government must take steps against those people affected and come up with a clear plan and strategies of how to curb this challenge. “Noko, noko, ingathi kukhona okutshaya amanzi la” Madam Speaker, the speech of the MEC mentions of the recruitment and training of only a hundred learners in National Youth Service. Taking the level of unemployment, the shortage of skilled youth in the Eastern Cape, I think this is a drop in the ocean. I am of the view that it also needs monitoring since the African National Congress has the history of employing their card carrier members. I don’t think this hundred will be even enough for my ward, let alone a region. Remember our youth is our future, we need to invest more to them. The UDM condemns the neglect of government properties. Most government buildings are dilapidated, unsafe and unfit for use thus putting our people at risk. The department must come up with the plan and strategies of how are they will maintain the standard of our buildings. The department must decrease in utilising private companies and nayo leyo inento eshaya amanzi apha kubasebenzi bedepartment. The UDM supports the budget. I thank you
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20 Aug, 2019
Bantu Holomisa’s address at the Colloquium on Civil Military Relations in South Africa
• Honourable Chairperson • Honourable Minister and Deputy Minister • Secretary of Defence • Fellow Committee Members and Parliamentarians • Ladies and gentlemen 1. Thank you Allow me this opportunity to thank our Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, Mr VC Xaba, MP, for the opportunity to address you today. 2. Introduction In a time of war, the politics and society are willing to accept that the military has a just cause and its own set of values and standards, because we believe that they act for a higher good. The majority of the populace is happy to believe that the military is acting on its behalf and that it will do so with honour and justness. We have two familiar examples in our history where this is true: The South African Border War and the Armed Struggle. In both cases “the people”, or at the very least, certain sections of society, approved of, and supported and believed in, those armed actions. However, upon the dawn of true democracy, government was challenged by the necessity to make a paradigm shift, in which the South African National Defence Force simultaneously had to build an institution that is transparent, accountable and representative of the societal demographics. In addition, the former statutory and non-statutory armies had to be moulded into one united force. Both tall orders and as I discovered in my work with the Defence Force Service Commission, we, after 25 years, are still struggling to get right. As a quick example, many defence force men and women, who came from the various former armed forces retained their force numbers. There is no uniformity in the system and it has led to discrimination in promotions. We can, however, all agree that there must be a balance between having a well-funded and strong military to defend the state’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and well-being of its citizenry, and one that is subservient enough to not threaten the state and the people. But most of all, we need to guard against a military that is abused by government to quash dissent and destroy human rights and freedoms. We just have to look at our own history to understand how serious such a situation can be. 3. Parliament and laws keep us from running the risk of repeating the past The relationship between the military and civil society is sometimes a fickle one. On the continent, it has happened that the people look to the military to almost “save” them from the abuse of severe governmental corruption and looting of resources. In South Africa, there has for good reason, been a marked constitutional shift from “doing things the old way”, where military decisions were taken at security council level without consulting parliament. Which, in a certain way, meant that the military held government and the people at ransom. We can be thankful that our constitution now dictates that parliament has an imperative role to play in terms of monitoring our defence force’s readiness and sanctioning military action should the country be in imminent danger. Parliament must be kept abreast of the goings-on in the military, such as budget and operational needs, which talks to civilian oversight in its strongest and purest form. The laws governing the military and defence reviews (1998 and 2012/3) are the tools used to ensure that the civil-military relations in South Africa are healthy, trustable and that this relationship is kept stable and intact. 4. What could the business of the defence force be if we are not at war Not all threats are what we could traditionally consider the business of a defence force. The role of the defence force is not only to protect our people from outside military threats as, sometimes, the problem arises from within our borders. That is why the military should from time to time work in support of the police. Serious crime in various guises threaten the internal safety of our citizens and the security of our country. • There is a form of “economic espionage” where the intellectual property of Denel and Armscor is pillaged. • South Africans with links to foreign countries make use of our porous borders to fuel the drug trade to where it has become a pandemic. • Hijacked vehicles find their way across our borders in a matter of hours. Aside from the obvious role the defence force, for instance, plays in peacekeeping operations and emergency assist in case of natural disasters, it is clear that we need to let our minds go to see where the defence force can also play a meaningful role. 5. Secretary of Defence: is the civilian component inside the department effective? I want to zone into a very specific mechanism of civilian oversight in terms of the department of defence. As the system stands, for day-to-day administration and the coordination of strategic processes, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans relies on the Defence Secretariat; which is the civilian component within the department. The system of having a Secretary of Defence primarily works well in developed countries, which have their own military conscription programmes, which in turn means there is a general understanding of how the military works. There is therefore a deep appreciation for the basic underpinnings of defence, which are speed, control and discipline. Even so, normally, the person who holds the post of Secretary of Defence has likely studied defence as a profession and is steeped in military culture. We need to understand that in a country where this is not the case, this leads to tensions. For instance, during my period of service on the Defence Force Service Commission, many frustrations were registered with us regarding the Secretary of Defence. On our tours across the country, interacting with the defence professionals and military careerists, the delays in decision-making and implementation was a hot topic. Commanders reported that they were constantly embarrassed when they were forced to go to the rank and file to try and explain why certain decisions were not yet implemented. This is not military culture. The Defence Force Service Commission quite often heard of scenarios where the office of the Secretary for Defence was blamed for delays. It seemed to them that the Secretary spent far too much time outside the country, for whatever reason, and was not preoccupied with making the defence force a well-oiled machine. We can all agree that the work of our defence force is by its very nature based on its ability and need to make quick decisions and ensure effective implementation. It is therefore counter-intuitive, that a civilian non-professional would be the lynchpin in this process. As currently implemented, civilian oversight has evolved into the appointment of civilians in the highest decision-making positions in a manner that undermines the ability of the security forces to manage their operations effectively. In my view, we need to take a look at the practicality of the current system of civilian oversight in the department of defence. Do we still need the Secretary of Defence to be an accounting officer? I personally favour that the commander of the defence force plays this role. Civilian oversight can reside with the office of the minister with constant liaison with parliament. Because, after all, how can the Secretary of Defence play the role of oversight and be the accounting officer? It’s just not common sense. In addition, it would be good if the defence force leadership could directly indicate their budgetary requirements to National Treasury. This will go a long way in making it an effective force that can serve this country well, and keep us safe. 6. Closing We can all agree that there is a careful, if not sometimes precarious, balance between the legislature, civil society and the military. Given our country’s history, it is all the more important that we continue to maintain this balance that we have struck over the past 25 years, but we must also be realistic about what works and what does not. It is of no use to cling to that which does not work at the expense of our country’s safety and the ability of the defence force to fulfil its constitutional mandate, in particular that “The defence force must be structured and managed as a disciplined military force”. I thank you.
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16 Aug, 2019
Eastern Cape Legislature: Mr Mncedisi Filtane, MPL’s contribution to the debate on violence against women and femicide
Eastern Cape Legislature: Mr Mncedisi Filtane, MPL’s contribution to the debate on violence against women and femicide on 16 August 2019 A very emotional issue indeed. The United Democratic Movement supports the support given by this House to fighting violence against women. Accordingly, we propose that the Zizipho Apleni be invited to come and address this house. We shall have made a powerful statement to our women that we are wholly against their abuse women by men. Not all men ill-treat woman, but men need to get together and maybe form a men’s parliament where they can freely deliberate on issues of this nature and others. The idea is to adopt a holistic approach to all issues. I had the opportunity to see and experience first-hand, the power and brilliance of women in my very first five years of work. My attitude about the digits and intelligence of women has never changed. Women should be encouraged to just walk away from a relationship if it goes to sour. The justice system alone won’t help as it is just too soft. Rather a social change is needed.
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15 Aug, 2019
Eastern Cape Legislature: Mr Mncedisi Filtane, MPL’s contribution Vote: transport
1. Transportation plays a very critical role in the economy and livelihoods in our province. It’s all about moving goods and passengers. 2. The hot and cold relationship that this department has with the taxi industry remains, not just a matter of ongoing concern, but a risk to the above-mentioned scenario. Finally, a lasting solution needs to be found. 3. The atrocious conditions of the majority of road networks, mainly in the rural areas, makes it least interesting and attractive to venture out there for any purpose at all. Yet we are in a predominately rural province. This inhibits the development and growth of the rural economies. These conditions have a direct and significant impact on the drive towards urbanisation. The consequence of which is the burdening of local government with early arrivals of urban dwellers. 4. As a member of the economic cluster, the department is expected to play a significant role in the creation of both work and business opportunities. However, the MEC sends contradicting messages in her policy speech. On page 4, she starts off by pencilling: “We will implement a procurement strategy that seeks to contribute to SMME and Local Economic Development”. Then four paragraphs further down, she laments the fact that road infrastructure is driven, in the main, by external service providers instead of the department’s internal teams. “We want to ensure that external service providers complement our internal teams instead of the current scenario where they do the bulk of our work”. Asazi ke ukuba masise eyiphi Komkhulu. Then she goes on to pain the Eastern Cape economy by telling us that she has splurged R252 million on one or a same suppliers of plant items. Had that budget been spent on actual operations, so many of local entrepreneurs would have benefited. As a result, so much of our taxes are going to be tied up in depreciating machinery which must be maintained. whereas this would have been the responsibility of the private sector. 5. The much-anticipated roads masterplan has yet to be presented to the committee. Consequently, there is just no indication of the direction which this department is going. No details are being availed at all about the roads which are going to be improved. This feud situation lends itself very much vulnerable for the mishandling of funds. 6. There are no new road-making methodologies being explored yet some have been available from as far back as 2006. 7. Further signs of a confused department are in programme for transport regulation. A whopping R2,5 million has been set aside for road safety prayers, but the budget for the Law Enforcement function has been reduced by 9.2%. It looks like this department is more ready for prayers, which lend no technical expertise on traffic management. To put an icing on the ongoing confusion there is a budget of R50 m for no specific activity. Cash is just being splashed about. Hayi kumnandi Kwa Transport VHAA!!!
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15 Aug, 2019
Eastern Cape Legislature: Mr Mncedisi Filtane, MPL’s contribution Vote: Education
1. The MEC’s commitment to further improve the matric results is most appreciated. The United Democratic Movement commits to support all efforts that will take our Eastern Cape learners to greater heights. However, education always exists in a world in transition. Accordingly teaching methods and curricula have got to constantly change to adapt to the changing environment both inside the classroom as well as in the outside world. 2. Let’s look at the past, present and the future, there are critical factors here: (i) The purpose of education (ii) The curriculum (iii) The teacher (iv) The classroom (v) The community environment which the learning and teaching takes place (vi) The workplace 3. (i) All the above are driven by two things, namely: • The brain, which produces systems and • The budget, which pays for goods and services. (ii)(a) The brain gets sharper with more use and the budget gets diminished with more use. 4. Let’s look at how best to optimise the budget in order to address the core functions of this department, which are teaching and learning. Here the guiding principles should be that you can’t do it alone. (i) Welcome to the science laboratory where we are going to • Mix • Synthesise • Filter and • Crystalize (ii) When you do that within the lab (i.e. the brain) each one of the original products (ideas) loses some of its originality in order to accommodate the necessary partner (i.e. a different and new idea). Philosophical rigidity is not going to help us here. (iii) Such a process has taken place in the right room temperature, crystal clear ideas will be the outcome. 5. Here are some suggestions which hopefully, will clear the congestion (of activities) in this department. (i) (a) The MEC for Education is loaded with many functions which are no more than merely supporters of the core functions of the department. (b) These are: feeding scheme, infrastructure, social services, and security. (ii) The legislative committee researcher has identified self-provision of infrastructure as a huge drawback and time consumer in this department. Even the DG Department volunteered a statement and said on the evening of the 16th July: ‘’I must confess that I spend most of my time on infrastructure issues’’ This was during committee proceedings. (iii) The results of the synthesis here is that the premier is called upon, suggestively though to re-assign the infrastructure function to public works. This will be in accordance with the latest National policy position. Here section 137 of the constitution the premier mandates to do so. However minor but critical and urgent repairs may still be a function of this department. But routine maintenance should also go to public works. (iv) There should be a direct link between the natural attractions of scholars, the curriculum and the potential career of the learner. Their interest should be identified quite early. Then they should be linked to potential funders on a group basis. (v) Teachers should be subjected to psychometric tests, at least bi-annually. They seem to have lots of personal challenges that tend to demoralise them. (vi) The depreciating socio-economic factors in society are the root cause of population migration from area to area. The department should keep a live barometer of these societal changes and prepare itself accordingly. (vii) Health, social and nutritional services should be totally outsourced to the relevant departments. This department should be a mere recipient of these services, instead of having to manage them. This will relieve the DG so he can focus on improving teaching and learning.
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15 Aug, 2019
Eastern Cape Legislature: Mr Bongani Mahlati, MPL’s contribution the budget debate on Cogta
Honourable Speaker Honourable Premier Honourable Members of the Executive Council Honourable Members of the Legislature Government officials Distinguished guests Ladies and gentleman I greet you all in the name of the Mighty Lord Jesus Christ (i) Honourable MEC you said that your priorities have been embedded into the B2B programme that your government adopted in the 5th term to consolidate support to municipalities and traditional institutions. It is only municipalities benefiting; neglecting traditional leaders, because ward committees and councillors are African National Congress (ANC) children. These must not be separated, because chiefs are to be informed of everything happening in their areas. (ii) People had to voice out their grievances because they belong to the municipalities which is ruled by the ANC. The reason why the people are protesting is because you don’t fulfil your promises; you only need them during the election period; making too many promises because you need their votes. (iii) ANC ward committees and ward councillors must not favour their ANC party members. They must service everybody in the community irrespective of party affiliation. (iv) The service delivery is the main concern because of the challenges ranging from water and sanitation to electricity. Some of the municipalities are still using bucket system or have no sanitation at all. (v) Madam Speaker, the MEC is talking about free FBG which consists of provision of free water, sanitation, electricity and refuse removal to indigent households, while our people are crying over paying high rates, access to clean water. Government does not care about rate payers, they are only interested in their taxes. (vi) This “we will” recitation is not nice to our ears; you were singing this recitation since 1994. And I understand the house resolutions and findings are not being implemented. Next year you will be talking the same thing. Your government is government of many dreams yet can’t accomplish any of them. Please don’t dream whilst our country is drowning in the sea. The government needs to prioritise implementation, rather than these empty promises in order to stop these occurring service delivery protests (vii) The Central Supplier Database (CDS) of the Eastern Cape shows an increased number of government officials who are doing business with government, yet the MEC is talking about good governance and says that the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is at work to fight corruption and maladministration. As the UDM we want see the suspension and dismissal of those corrupt officials found abusing government resources and they must not be paid during their suspension and their case must be finished within four months. And pre-screening is a must, because this will lead to the collapse of our government. The UDM supports the budget. I thank you
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15 Aug, 2019
Eastern Cape Legislature: Mr Bongani Mahlati, MPL’s contribution the budget debate on Health
Honourable Speaker, Honourable Premier and Honourable Members of the Executive, Honourable members and government officials, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) is of the view that the budget of R25,189 billion allocated to the department of Health, if it is utilised effectively and efficiently, can go a long way in improving the quality of health services to the people of the Eastern Cape. There is an alarming increase in the number of legal claims against this department as a result of failures to comply with certain procedures laid down in the treatment of patients. This is consuming millions of rands and this department has now become a lucrative business centre of the legal profession. Honourable Speaker, the department cites a 13 % vacancy rate. This unemployment rate is affecting this department because our youth gets frustrated and become the victims of substance abuse and harmful use of alcohol, thus putting strain on the budget of this department. The shortage of medical doctors, nurses and staff general is core problem in this department. Shortage of human resource is the results of working long hours and non-payment of their over time, this will affect the morale of the staff and that will lead to unnecessary protests. The UDM calls the government for the training of more nurses and medical doctors, as well as the provision of porters in hospitals should be addressed as matter of extreme urgency in those hospitals which lack the services of these officers. The Honourable MEC talks of infrastructure backlog dating back to the times of homelands; what have you done over this democracy when you failed to maintain the hospitals built in the homelands. Our hospitals and clinics are dilapidated and we believe it is not because there is no money for maintenance of these properties. What delays the progress is the implication of management and officials in epidemic corruption and maladministration. The UDM is of the view that the department must tighten the security system in our hospitals. Our doctors, nurses and patients are being the victims of rape and robbery.
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14 Aug, 2019
UDMYV: Return of “drug mule” Babsie Nobanda
The United Democratic Movement Youth Vanguard would like to congratulate Nolubabalo “Babsie” Nobanda for taking her destiny into her own hands whilst imprisoned in Thailand for drug smuggling. She is returning home with a degree in communications obtained from the University of South Africa. However, we are concerned that she is coming back to a country with an alarming 29% youth unemployment, which is one of the major contributing factors to our young people finding themselves in conflict with the law and in dire trouble as Ms Nobanda did. The South African government needs to heed the call of the United Democratic Movement for an urgent Economic Indaba, where all stakeholders can converge under one roof and come up with a solution to the major economic and socio-economic challenges facing this country. Government alone will not in any way help the youth of South Africa out of poverty and unemployment. We call on all South Africans to stand up for their own country and take it back into our own hands and build it with greatness. Let us have a country where our youth are not forced to make irrevocable decisions to their own detriment, as Ms Nobanda did. Ms Noloyiso Nontenja National Task Team Secretary
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13 Aug, 2019
Eastern Cape Legislature: Mr Mncedisi Filtane, MPL’s contribution Vote: Social Development
Honourable Speaker and Deputy Speaker Honourable Premier and members of the executive Honourable Members of the Legislature Officials present here Distinguished Guests And visitors at the gallery be greeted in Jesus name The increase of the total budget for 2019/20 financial year is appreciated and will make a difference especially in Social Welfare Services, as most of our people, including youth, survive on this grant. Madam Speaker and Honourable Members, the issue of the serious shortage of social workers whilst there is high rate of unemployed social work graduates is becoming a crisis. The United Democratic Movement (UDM) request the department to prioritize the filling of the vacant post for social workers. How can there be a shortage of social workers and at the same time there is high rate of unemployed social work graduates, this government is really sick, wayenyanisile omnye utata xa wayesithi ugovernment wase Eastern Cape use ICU. Madam Speaker the UDM is concerned about the issue of OSD that the department did not budget for the OSD payments amounting to R51, 3 million hence the MEC committed to compensate all the qualifying OSD officials in this financial year yet there is no budget for that, with what? How will that be done? If there is no budget allocated for that, and you will find out that it takes a decade to pay those affected, this demoralising the morale of the workers. The UDM demands the department to come up with the solutions and speed-up payment of OSD qualifying officials. And in future there must be a budget allocation for such. Madam Speaker the UDM applauds the initiative by the department to strengthen the way it assesses the performance of NGOs and NPOs delivery services to the department, but we are worried about the limited budget for these organisations; how will the department expect these to perform and deliver without a budget. And these organisations suffered a lot with late payments or no payment at all. The Department was faced with number of challenges that led to 727 employees being displaced. How does this happen? Is it because of the nepotism? How can you expect one to perform his/her duties without the right qualifications? This promotes poor service delivery.
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13 Aug, 2019
Eastern Cape Legislature: Mr Mncedisi Filtane, MPL’s contribution Vote 12: Treasury
1. Having tried to juxtapose the MEC‘s policy speech with his department’s operational plan driven by such a minute budget, I could only conclude that the Eastern Cape government is going nowhere. When you reduce, by as much as 25%, the budget of Treasury, what do you expect to achieve in the sickly fiscal environment? If the whole province projects a revenue of R6 billion but commits to just R1, 4 billion then psychologically, those tasked during operations with collecting the dream R6bn, will immediately drop their efforts by whopping 80%. Ndokhe ndibone xa kusenzeka umlingo. Poor fiscal management continues to kill our provinces political, social and economic dreams. One suspects that political instability within the ruling party plays a big role in the mismanagement of allocated funds, hence the recurrence of irregular wasteful and non- expenditure of budgets. 2. Treasury should incentivise and reward departments that show great strides in tight fiscal control. Not only had that but even challenge departments in the economic cluster to produce an X number of jobs for every X R3 spent. Treasury should actually have a special internal unit that focuses on two things: ? The constant link between departmental expenditure and jobs created and sustained. ? Fiscus spent which results in enterprise ownership by Eastern Cape citizens. The fiscus continues to be plundered by the people from outside the province. Our fiscus should be used to create equity for the citizens of this province. The development of the invoice-tracking mechanism is much appreciated. It cannot be that it is practically impossible to simply put a stop to civil servants who do business with the state. As things stand there are officials who make sure that their invoices are fast tracked for payment? Surely this can be stopped. We implore Treasury to ensure that there is consequence management for those who plunder state resources. The additional powers conferred on the Auditor General should be utilised not only to deter potential thieves but severely punish the devilish beneficiaries. 3. Despite the policy position declared by the National Minister of Finance that tax collection has to be increased, yet in the Eastern Cape the source and base of an increased tax revenue seems to have be given very shy attention. There are no bold steps within the Economic Cluster to increase the tax base. This assertion is based on the type of projected jobs. Labourers earn low wages; it is the middle and upper class as well as businesses that form a solid tax revenue base. The MEC for Finance in his budget speech puts that emphasis on infrastructure development and agricultural economy. We know the bulk of the infrastructure budget goes to contractors and the goods they procure. Less than 25% goes to professionals. So, we would need to make sure that both the supplies and contractors are locally based in order to drive that budget to local suppliers. Agriculture we all know that this sector contributes just around 2% to the GDP consequently its contribution to our tax base is understandably low. In order for it to improve its contribution to our tax base, the export market would need to be tapped into in, a big way at that. There you talking billions. Another potential revenue base is by creating, at municipal level, to an environment in which professionals like doctors’ consultants, teachers etc. would feel comfortable to live and work. But alas the conditions are just too atrocious in most of these municipalities. Hence the brain and fiscal emigration to other provinces, where there are better living conditions. 4. Did it occur to the executive of the Eastern Cape that you are sending a very negative message to investors, when you reduce the budget of such a strategic department by whole 25%? The UDM takes this opportunity to implore the powers that be to review this situation. Add to that the small change allocated to the department of economic development, then potential investors get a clear message of just, how not serious you are on the economy.
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08 Aug, 2019
Women’s Day: 25 years on and women are still under attack
The United Democratic Movement Women’s Organisation would like to wish every woman out there, a good Woman’s Day. We are the mothers and daughters; we are well-able and there is absolutely nothing a woman cannot do. However, how do we celebrate Women’s Month if there is, in fact, nothing to celebrate? Twenty-five years down the line and women in this country still live with a target on their backs; as somehow lesser human beings, only there to be beaten, raped and killed. The ruling party, which should be leading the women’s cause, has done nothing much to change women’s lives when it comes to addressing the scourge of abuse. Paying lip-service is simply not enough and having a useless ministry of women is a waste of time. For instance, in our rural villages, women accused of witchcraft are made to face mobs of killers and our government sits with its arms folded. Where are government’s far-reaching programmes needed to stem the tide of women abuse? Women are the thread that hold our societies together and the ruling party government does not seem to care about their wellbeing, their livelihood or their safety. This is unacceptable and we cannot tolerate this any longer.
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01 Aug, 2019
Bantu Holomisa, MP and UDM President’s address at the BPI Foundation’s 2019 Summit
Bantu Holomisa, MP and UDM President’s address at the BPI Foundation’s 2019 Summit on 1 and 2 August 2019 at the Midrand Conference Centre Topic of discussion: “The oneness and shared success we seek and should aspire to as a new nation and developing country, while battling with deep wounds of our historical atrocities” • Our hosts at the BPI Foundation • Fellow speakers • Ladies and gentlemen 1. Thank you Thank you to the BPI Foundation for allowing me to talk to you today and share the stage with a variety of great minds discussing an interesting array of topics. It’s an honour. 2. Talking about history To say that South Africa still bears the scars of colonialization and Apartheid is obvious; but it still bears saying. To nay-say this history and its impact on the South Africa of today is denialist and foolish. Some say history is just that; history. But good or bad, history keeps us aware of what should never be repeated and what worked. It also teaches us what our priorities should be. I mention this specifically, because if we had – for instance – tackled the land issue timeously, we could have avoided the entire drama that is playing out at the moment. It could have gone a long way in addressing some of the economic ills of our time. If we keep history at the back of our minds, we know where we come from so that we can know where we are going. The reason I make these points is that we need to think constructively about creating a prosperous country. Yes, we must be sensitive, but we can make an active choice to not wallow in our past. We can decide to roll up our sleeves and work towards making South Africa a winning nation. I say this, because our children and future generations will hold us responsible for the decisions we make. Each of us alive today must make the best choices possible for a prosperous South Africa. 3. Leadership in post-Apartheid South Africa I think we started off with this project we called “The New South Africa” on the right track. But we got lost or waylaid, especially in the past ten years or so. But let me quickly add, in all fairness, that 25 years is not a long time in terms of what established, modern democracies look like. We might lay the blame for this ambushed project at several possible doors, but to my mind being a politician, much of the blame can be apportioned to weak and/or corrupt leadership – starting at the highest level, right down to local government. You will agree with me that, if the commander of the army is directionless and corrupt, the lower command and troops will follow instructions; or worse, follow suit. We see evidence of this mind-set and institutionalised corruption in the testimony we hear at both the Zondo and the Mpati Commissions. Our newspapers are flooded with tales of people in positions of power who have succumbed to wrongdoing, including those in the private sector. Given that greediness, reward and compensation were the prime policies of past 25 years, you will find that the poor are progressively more agitated by empty promises. In some corners these policies are called deployment and patronage, but it not only ransacked government coffers in the process, it also elbowed-out people with skills and experience. However, this behaviour has not escaped the notice of the poor. One cannot deny that, in simple terms, the poor of today is different from the poor of the past who were easily manipulated. I think this is evidenced by the sheer number of satellite dishes one sees in the villages, townships and informal settlements. Gone are the days where the poor’s only source of information is party propaganda. They are now more informed and better educated about their rights and the basic services they are entitled to. Even if you watch their interviews on television, you can hear that people are articulating themselves well. South Africa has been burning for some years now, with people more aggressively protesting about service delivery. It is worrying though that once they start resisting law enforcement, and we have already seen this happen, it looks as if we are entering the second stage of the revolution. More often than not, anger and frustration boil over with private and government buildings and property being damaged or destroyed. In all seriousness, we are staring anarchy and lawlessness in the face. This is where one starts to ask whether the centre is holding. Do the people who have been given a mandate to run this country, know what they are doing? I think that South Africans are not going to wait another 30 years to read through the lies and recognise that they are being led by clueless and corrupt leaders. One thing that is certain, when the ANC was given power in 1994, they might have been politically ready, but not in terms of technocracy and the civil service. They were caught off guard. We know this, because some of those people, who hail from the same political party, are now subject to the commissions of inquiry. 4. Eradicating corruption If one likens corruption to a boil, it is best to lance it, as soon as possible… even if it’s painful. It is therefore better that we have the Zondo and Mpati Commissions at this point in time – let all the pus be drained, so that we can start afresh. The only wish I would have had, is that this process should have started sooner. Having said that, I would also wish that these commissions be given enough time to get to the bottom of the rot and that no-one should be spared. The next important step, to my mind, is that the guilty must be brought to book. I made a suggestion to the President (in the recent Budget Vote on the Presidency) to have a meeting with the commissions, to assist in what I called “Phase 2” of the process. In this proposed meeting, I suggested that the President discuss with the commissions, how law enforcement agencies and the auditor general, could be involved in giving them some bite to their bark. The final, long-lasting outcomes of these commissions could be: 1) upping the checks and balances to deter the would-be corrupt and 2) creating special instruments, like dedicated courts that only deal with corruption. 5. Is it possible to build a nation? I want to quote a translation of an academic article that I was recently shown, written by one H.O. Terblanche about Port Elizabeth in the 1920’s and 1930’s. “Two factors were mainly responsible for the impoverished rural Afrikaner’s trek to the city, namely rural impoverishment and urban industrialisation. Most of the poor whites were unskilled or semi-skilled workers. White unemployment was rife in Port Elizabeth during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Only a small percentage of the whites owned their own homes. Overcrowding was a common phenomenon. Korsten and Sidwell was in actual fact one big slum. The health conditions were shocking. Community poverty also adversely affected the urban Afrikaner as regards education. Many impoverished Afrikaners in the city thus developed a feeling of inferiority.” Without trying to be controversial, does this description not sound familiar? It is as if this article describes modern day South Africa, almost a century later, for blacks. There is a lesson to be drawn from this part of the history of the Afrikaner i.e. how they managed to pull themselves up by their socks and actively did something about their problems. They had their own Marshal Plan and implemented it with great success. They did this without fear or shame; so why is our government shy of doing the same and on the same scale? Maybe corruption is too much of a debilitating factor, but the past has proven that transforming a nation, in a relatively short space of time, is doable. 6. Hosting an Economic Indaba One of the problems we have, in the running of our economy, is that many family owned companies have either fled our shores or have closed down, because government withdrew incentives or because their owners left because of our high crime levels. Some did not agree with the political changes after 1994. These companies were responsible for generating and sustaining thousands and thousands of jobs. If we expect our population of 57 million people to be sustained through companies currently on the playing field, we are wasting our time. The situation is also aggravated by the brain-drain, which, these days has no colour. We are losing far too many South Africans to other economies in the world. These are the kind of matters which should pressurise government into taking the lead in organising an economic indaba, where all stakeholders can meet, to emerge with a Marshall Plan for the South Africa of today. 7. Conclusion The desire to live in an equal, peaceful and prosperous South Africa is undoubtfully universal, irrespective of which political party one votes for. The question is how do we get there. Maybe, with the few ideas I’ve mentioned, we can achieve this. I thank you
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30 Jul, 2019
Youth unemployment can only be solved at an Economic Indaba
Second quarter stats have shown that youth unemployment has risen significantly and President Cyril Ramaphosa has cautioned the citizens of this country to prepare themselves for more job losses. These pronouncements come just after the President’s famous promise of the creation of two million jobs in ten years’ time. President Ramaphosa cannot make beautiful statements in his SONA and budget speech address to only come to us a little later, saying things are not going to work out as he promised. Surely the President knew of the likelihood of job losses whilst he was making his speeches? Is this some form of warped reverse psychology? We, in part, suffer this fate because of the African National Congress’ selfish factional battles at play in the public discourse. We have our President battling the Public Protector, and ministers and prominent public figures slinging mud at each other. It is the country that suffers because of this public posturing and ugly spats. Young people of South Africa, we are in a crisis and we need to stand up against pretence and empty promises. If we stand idly by, we will go straight to the pit holes of poverty that will take many more years to overcome. We cannot allow this any further. The United Democratic Movement Youth Vanguard reiterates the call that the United Democratic Movement made in its manifesto that an urgent Economic Indaba is needed to find ways to stop this country from degenerating any further. If the incumbent leadership is serious about taking South Africa forward, we need a New Era Codesa (Economic Indaba) and soon. Issued by: Mr Yongama Zigebe Gauteng Provincial Secretary, UDM Youth Vanguard
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25 Jul, 2019
Butterworth school closure threatens children’s future
The United Democratic Movement is aware of the shutdown of Zanokhanyo Junior Secondary School in Butterworth because of dilapidation. This illustrates the failure by the Eastern Cape and National Department of Education. On a daily basis, the ANC-led government emphasizes how important education is, but the condition of schools in the villages leaves a lot to be desired. Government does not walk the talk. The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces that still have mud classrooms, in some instances teaching and learning take place under the trees. The pupils are exposed to adverse weather conditions and puts them at a learning disadvantage. President Ramaphosa has promised that his government will improve conditions in our schools but nothing has been done thus far. Instead Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga is busy introducing new subjects like Swahili or Mandarin into our curriculum as if all is normal. We understand that the government means well by this gesture, but it demonstrates that its priorities are skewed. The UDM believes in a government that is proactive, that does not wait until something terrible happens before it acts. We want a government that focuses on basic necessities such as teaching material and the development or maintenance of school infrastructure. This will be enough to boost the morale and motivate educators to do their job and learners to concentrate on their work. The United Democratic Movement urges the provincial government to do all in its power to get Zanokhanya Junior School renovated with the R1.5bn that is available; and reopen it with immediate effect as the future of 471 pupils is at stake. Mr Bongani Msomi UDM Secretary General
