DA TAKES EXCEPTION TO INFLAMMATORY AND RACIST AND MOTIONS IN LEGISLATURE
The DA notes with grave concern the two motions raised by the ANC Chief Whip, Mzoleli Mrara in the provincial legislature today. These motions cause more harm than good with regard to the issue of Xenophobia and reconciliation in our society (see below)
I have written to the Speaker, Noxolo Kiviet and the Leader of Government Business, MEC Helen Sauls-August, to ask them to address various concerns that arise from these two ill-conceived motions (see below)
It seems scarcely conceivable that the pillars of reconciliation and the concept of South Africa being a rainbow nation, espoused and championed by the late former President Nelson Mandela should be so quickly forgotten or relegated for short term political gain by the party that Nelson Mandela made "famous".
The ANC should take more care in appointing its cadres of questionable moral and leadership quality in positions of public prominence.
The DA will reserve its right to refer these two motions to the Human Rights Commission, pending a response or action from the Speaker and the Leader of Government Business.
Text of the two motions:
NOTICE OF MOTION IN TERMS OF RULE 131 OF THE STANDING RULES
I give notice in terms of Rule 131 that Iwill move that this House:
NOTING
i) The continuous tensions between the foreign nationals and our communities resulting into conflicts.
ii) The systematic take-over of black businesses in rural areas and small town; e.g
The emergence of Spaza Shops, General Dealers, Cheap Clothing Shops; that are not licensed;
iii) The Suffocation of SMME's by the unregulated and unlicensed traders
RESOLVE
(i) Local Municipalities to develop by-laws that regulates these foreign nationals to avoid conflicts in communities
(ii) The Minister of small business sector to develop laws to be enforced by Provincial Legislature to revive, re-open and subsidise SMMES to withstand this challenge by also supporting shop owners and street vendors.
(iii) Identify land for the trading of registered and licenced foreign nationals and protect them against victimisation. Build structures to integrate them into our communities but also disarm them as they possess dangerous illegal weapons
I thank you
M. Mrara
Chief Whip of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature
***
NOTICE OF MOTION
I give notice in terms of Rule 131 of the Standing Rules that I will move, that this House:
NOTING:
i) The release of one of the notorious murderers. DE Kock and former head of Vlakplaas long before the end of his term.
ii) That the Province of the Eastern Cape in general and black townships in particular e.g Port Elizabeth, Mdantsane, Umtata were declared as the most dangerous places to live in and suffered a great deal in the hands of apartheid securocrats led by De Kock, Vortes Sasson etc.
iii) Through his instructions we lost countless activists across in all black townships in the Province. The killers of Cradock Four. PEBCO Three, Cosas Two, Nonyamezelo Mxenge, Masacres and many who disappeared to date. We have observed that its only blacks who must forgive and whites are not ready to reconcile hence they are resisting to share their wealth.
Resolve that:
i) His release has caused anger and mixed feelings to our people and should assist our Province and many families to discover the remains of their loved ones and close this Chapter. The NPA Task Team must prioritise Eastern Cape.
ii) De Kock must disclose all the apartheid perpetrators and murderers who failed to appear before the truth and reconciliation commission in this Province who some of them are occupying strategic positions in these white political parties.
iii) The NPA Task Team through his assistance must re-open all inquest as from the 1970's, 1980's to date including the inquest of the brutal killing of Steve Biko in 1977.
iv) People like Derby Lewis, Bernard, Vortes Sasson must rot in prison until they disclose their political handlers.
I thank you.
M.MRARA
***
ANC CHIEF WHIP
Text of the letter from Athol Trollip MPL, DA Eastern Cape leader to the The Speaker of the Eastern Cape legislature, Ms Noxolo Kiviet, and Leader of Government Business, MEC Helen Sauls-August, February 4 2015
4 February 2015
The Speaker,
Ms Noxolo Kiviet
Leader of Government Businesss
MEC Helen Sauls August
Dear Speaker and MEC
RE: THE ANC CHIEF WHIP
I direct this to both of you to request you to intervene in the matter regarding members moving motions without notice and members moving reckless motions with notice.
Yesterday the house experienced an embarrassing situation where the Chief Whip moved two motions without notice without observing the provisions of the Rules (Rule No 130, 130.1, 130.7) and in disregard to the established convention of this house. The result of the Chief Whip (who should be the custodian of our rules) ignoring these provisions resulted in us opposing at least one of the motions without notice that could or should have been supported had he taken the necessary steps to inform all parties in the house before tabling the motion.
I raise this as these are our Rules and we undermine them at our collective peril and reduce the processes of this institution to the unnecessary consequences of ad-hocrity.
The second issue deals with the two motions, with notice, moved today by the ANC Chief Whip. The first one dealing with the recent instances of xenophobia in our county is seriously problematic. Not only does he make outrageous allegations about foreign business owners and their trading in South African society, he also makes the unbelievable allegation that they "should be disarmed as they possess dangerous illegal weapons."
These allegations and statements hold the grave potential to further incite xenophobia and jeopardize the lives and wellbeing of more foreign nationals and South African citizens caught in the resultant conflict and "crossfire". This motion is not only ill conceived, it is misguided and most incendiary. (This motion combined with the recent statements of Minister Zulu is not conducive to promoting peace in our Country)
The second motion dealing with the pardon of political prisoners is also laced with reckless innuendo
and personal invective. Not to mention the fact that the motion was very clumsily compiled and asks the NPA to contravene its constitutional mandate. This is compounded by the fact that the recently pardoned political prisoner, Eugene De Kock was actually pardoned by the ANC Minister of justice based on the advice of the Parole board, no one else.
I would have expected much more from a senior ANC politician who is entrusted with the responsibility of being the Chief Whip of the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. I would be obliged if these matters could be canvassed with the Chief Whip and the entire ANC caucus and that the Speaker uses her authority as per Rule no 131.3 to address the issues of concern in this regard.
Sincerely
Athol Trollip, MPL
DA Leader - Eastern Cape
Issued by DA Eastern Cape leader, Athol Trollip, February 4 2015
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