We must fight those who fight the poor in SA

1. Introduction

We know the governing party supports fraternal parties who deal with “deviation” from the party line using a combination of the midnight knock on the door and the Gulag.

We are, therefore, delighted to see the new finance minister is still on his ministerial perch after his “deviation” from the party line calling for the shutdown of South African Airways.

We can only hope that the new finance minister continues to speak truth to power to a governing party that is stuck in the past trying to build a smokestack economy in a digitised world.

2. Sozzled

However, no matter how humiliating it must have been to be shot down for his “deviation” from the party line, nothing can justify his midnight meltdown on Twitter.

The real question remains whether the new finance minister, who has a reputation for consuming vast quantities of good food, good wine and good cigars, was sozzled when he took to Twitter.

The minister’s midnight meltdown was so serious that it culminated in a sit down with the South African National Editors Forum.

We need the minister:

- to apologise and to be open and honest about the reasons for his midnight meltdown; and

- to get a grip and start acting like a finance minister who is capable of dealing with the economic crisis

3. Poor

We are here to debate the increase in VAT from 14% to 15%.

President Cyril Ramaphosa needed the money:

- to pay for his bloated Cabinet;

- to bail out the South African Post Office;

- to bail out South African Express; and

- to bail out South African Airways

Which means the poor are bailing out the ANC who have mismanaged the economy for more than a decade.

And which is why people who are battling to make ends meet and people who are battling to put bread on the table are worse off.

4. Conclusion

Today the ANC, who claim to represent the poor, will vote “yes” to support an increase in VAT, which will make life harder for the poor.

Worse, the SACP, who claim to represent the poor, will vote “yes” to support an increase in VAT, which will make life harder for the poor.

Which is why we must continue to fight those who fight the poor and which is why the DA will vote “no” and oppose an increase in VAT in South Africa.

Issued by David Maynier, DA Shadow Minister of Finance, 21 November 2018