STRAIGHT TALK

18 March 2024

Last week, the DA took immediate legal action to stop unlawful land grabs on municipal property next to Lourier Park in Bloemfontein. This was after the ANC-run Mangaung Metro turned a blind eye to the court interdict against land invasion of this area. We are committed to using the court oversight process to ensure the law is upheld there.

Residents of the surrounding communities are understandably distraught by illegal land invasions on their doorstep, which threaten their security of tenure and social cohesion. But we should all be deeply concerned about this creeping lawlessness. Allowing lawless land grabs undermines the rule of law and sets a dangerous precedent that can spread like wildfire, fueling anarchy and an unravelling of the social fabric.

By taking quick, decisive steps to uphold the law, the DA is living our values and demonstrating them in action. The DA is committed to delivering housing, title deeds and land reform within the confines of the law, which is the only way to deliver them successfully, fairly and peacefully – and within a growing economy that attracts investment.

In sharp contrast, the lawlessness on display in Bloemfontein shows what is in store for the whole country under an ANC/EFF Doomsday coalition. Where the DA and our partners in the Multi-Party Charter stand for the rule of law, nonracialism, a market economy, and the separation of party and state – the essential preconditions for a successful constitutional democracy and the only set of values that can deliver peace and prosperity to South Africa – the Doomsday coalition stands for the exact opposite.

On Wednesday, the parties to the Multi-Party Charter held a joint press conference in Cape Town, to confirm our commitment and unveil our plan to achieve law and order in South Africa. The Brenthurst poll released last Friday confirms that the Multi-Party Charter is the largest political grouping outside the ANC.

The poll also confirmed what many others have already suggested: that the ANC will fall well below 50% in the election on 29 May 2024. This election therefore presents a crucial opportunity for law-abiding South Africans to unite behind the MPC and build a new majority around the values of the constitution, starting with the rule of law.

They can rest assured that the DA will be at the forefront of rescuing South Africa from chaos and lawlessness. Voting DA on 29 May 2024 is the most powerful way to bring law and order to South Africa, and thereby secure the foundations for peace and prosperity for all.

Yours sincerely

John Steenhuisen