DA First Year in office report card from COSATU

Zille report card  [F grade for delivery - A grade for talking]

A year has passed since the DA came to office in the W Cape, and it's is hard to see what has changed. The Premier has spectacularly failed in providing leadership that brings all of the social partners and political parties to a partnership, that collaborates. The social cohesion that is a requirement of stable and growing economic and social development is no more developed than when she took office a year ago. The lack of visionary leadership that inspires the people behind a programme that responds to the social injury , is obvious to all. The equal opportunity society is exposed as just a sophisticated model of preserving apartheid beneficiaries privileges.  As it provides the perfect cover for the male brigade of  MEC to talk service delivery, whilst nothing actually unfolds on the ground. Even the supposed improvement of administration , has seen a violation of the laws of SA , by refusing to reinstate  director Manyati, who was dismissed unfairly, as part of a political purge.

ON EDUCATION [F - Grade]

The huge inequalities of education between the kids in the shadows of table mountain and the kids on the Cape Flats still flourishes. We have seen no grand plan to equalize the resources at schools , or assisting the setting up of early learning centre's in poorer communities. Just an attempt to put the blame on someone else , by attacking teachers.

ON HEALTH CARE [F Grade]

Botox is still dished out to the middle and upper class woman at the private hospitals in drums, whilst working family woman cannot get the desperately needed cervical cancer facilities. There is still long queue's at day hospitals , whilst access to the private hospitals are denied those without money , in spite of them having spare capacity. The many new areas are still denied any plans for hospitals to be built , and there are no plans in place from the DA.

THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT [F Grade]

The first IRT route was built in the west corridor of Milnerton where public transport demand is the lowest. The taxi are still as erratic as ever with no regard for the DA as they do not have a clue as to social engagement and negotiations in a democracy. The trains are still underfunded and there has never been any comments from the MEC before he took up the portfolio , and I am not sure if he will suddenly develop passion for the sector. The bulk of the transport funding still goes to the wealthy and the DA is not making any radical changes here to prioritize the needs of public transport.

THE RURAL AND AGRICULTURE SECTOR [E Grade]

Workers are still treated like slaves on most farms with evictions in this province twice the national average. There is no plan or expression of outrage from the MEC tasked for this area, instead calling for support for farmers in the global related economic turbulence.

ECONOMIC DEPARTMENT [D Grade]

Tourism is doing well and the back of the world cup , but the rest of the economy appears to be beyond the ability of the equal opportunity society logic. The range of industrial and trade support measures that our trading partners provide is beyond the comprehension of the MEC. So factories continue closing and the DA says its natural market forces that we must accept, whilst those workers are plunged into destitution.

THE HOUSING SITUATION [F Grade]

This is self evidence as people struggle to survive in the absence of the building of sufficient house construction. The integration of communities is not a priority of this administration , as they are silent on the attempts by the wealthy to keep out poor communities who won a land claims case. This administration is in support of the status quo and not going to force integration on race and class , so white wealthy interest are still safe in the W/Cape.

The rest of the MEC have largely been invisible as a result of them not having a vision or plan of action to impress or deliver.

A year has passed and communities have very little to be impressed about in the area of actual delivery. There is just an incredible focus on managing and implementing the inadequate and underfunded plans, that will not deliver. There has been no innovation and vision , no grand statement that, responds to the social injury and directs the administrations vision. 20 % of the term of office of the DA has passed and if they stay on the present path they would have done less than the NNP to advance transformation and delivery, by the end of their 5 years.

Statement issued by Tony Ehrenreich, COSATU Western Cape provincial secretary, May 6 2010

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