Text of prepared speech by COPE President Mosiuoa Lekota during the snap debate on the Gupta family wedding plane landing, Parliament, May 22 2013

Mosiuoa Lekota MP

The panel of Ministers have reported that the President was not in charge and that they as Ministers, appointed by the President, knew nothing, detected nothing and authorised nothing. Therefore they could own up to nothing. As an executive, the President and the ministers, are disengaged from the very act of governing. Their senior officials, we learn, autonomously and brazenly run day to day government affairs. It wasn't so in my time as Minister.

According to the Ministers, not only do they not know anything, they are unwilling to enforce the law. The Immigration Act, 13 of 2002 explicitly states that "no-one" may enter into the Republic other than at a port of entry. Any person therefore landing at Waterkloof, which is not a designated port of entry, would have required a certificate from the Director General or a written exemption from the Minister of Home Affairs in terms of Section 9(3)(c) of the Act. As neither of the required documents was produced, those who "knowingly assisted" unauthorised persons to enter the Republic illegally committed an offence and should have been arrested. This was not done and the ministers washed their hands off everything.

Astonishingly, the Minister of Justice asserted that name dropping was solely to blame. This speaks loudly to the general malaise and drift manifesting in our country.

For that reason anything goes, where anybody who is a friend of the President, can approach anyone in government, for anything, at any time, and officials will feel compelled enough, with mere name dropping and nothing else, to give consent on their own. This is what we are being asked to accept by the ministers of "WHITEWASH" feeding us this "HOGWASH".

To show further how farcical the situation is, the Times reported today that "only 48 hours after Justice Minister Jeff Radebe (had) announced that criminal charges were to be pursued against high-ranking police officers ... the numerous charges have been dropped and the suspensions lifted".

Government pronouncements are full of sound and fury signifying nothing because the "centre cannot hold" any longer.

The barefaced disregard for law and authority within government is astonishing though no longer surprising. The failure of the Intelligence service to detect the wide scale and underhand arrangements is common, even in the Central African Republic. Furthermore, police complicity in obeying unlawful orders is simply alarming. And an executive willing, wilfully, to walk all over the Constitution is utterly shameful.

Today, there are those who are sitting on that side of the House who can no longer discern between right and wrong. Once, they fought for truth with bravery and courage.

Speaker, may I point out that Shakespeare's Macbeth, having stepped too far in blood, saw no possibility of turning back at midpoint. This government having gone too far in the direction it has, can no longer turn back to "ensure accountability, responsiveness and openness" as provided for in the founding provision of the Constitution. It therefore needs the State Information Bill to preserve itself.

The harder government tries to extricate itself from the scandal, the deeper it is sliding into the hole.

The USA had "Watergate". The RSA version is "Waterkloof". Both are self-inflicted injury of a serious type.

Today, I want to say very bluntly to the ruling party to take heed of the warning of Abraham Lincoln, namely: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time".

We therefore say to the executive, take heed and give us the truth. Only truth will set you free. Furthermore, act on the truth without fear or favour.

Speaker, our country is at the cross roads and the nation waits for effective leadership guided by our Constitution and effectively implementing our statutes!

Issued by COPE, May 22 2013

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