Misrepresentations and malfeasance continues under a miscreant ANC-run government in the Free State

22 February 2019

On Tuesday we were subjected to a SOPA that in terms of time and monotonous content far exceeded the bounds of frugality. The Premier spent much time on the predictable references to our Apartheid past, and then went on to present numbers at length, numbers about teachers, learners, schools, bursaries, hospitals, clinics, doctors, nurses, houses, police officials and even numbers about police vehicles among many others.

We know and acknowledge our history. A history of racial inequality, a history of violent imperialism and concentration camps, and a history of places like Vlakplaas and Quatro. This recent history may still be fresh in the minds of our older generations, but discussions with younger generations indicate that they are somewhat puzzled by the ANC’s obsession with this, especially since the same ANC are failing to ensure relevant education, quality healthcare, a conducive environment that creates employment, housing, basic services and a better future for them.

Early in her address, the Premier made the following bizarre comment:

“Our people should continue to believe in the course of freedom and democracy. Above all, our people should find compassion, humility, honesty, respect and trust in the glory of the ANC, its leadership and government.”

I am going to unpack this statement in terms of ANC leadership and government with reference to the following aspects that she mentioned in this comment:

freedom and democracy,

compassion,

humility,

honesty,

respect

I will supply some insight into why her comment is in fact bizarre beyond any stretch of imagination.

I will start with the words: “Our people should continue to believe in the course of freedom and democracy”.

The DA agrees with the Premier that our people must believe in these principles, but it remains bizarre coming from her. Bizarre because her party, the ANC fought for freedom and democracy, and then once in power have shown a total disregard for these important constitutionally enshrined principles. While pretending to champion these principles they have in fact championed the National Democratic Revolution, spearheaded by the factionalist cadre policy, to plunder our peoples resources.  Here in the Free State we have seen how cadre deployment is used by the governing faction of the ANC to ensure that senior positions in government are filed with ANC cadres, and tenders are allocated to the politically connected few with generous purse strings.

The many service delivery protests in the Free State are a result of ANC-run municipalities and councilor’s undermining democratic institutions such as councils to achieve their financial objectives at taxpayers’ expense.

We have experienced first-hand in this Legislature, the seat of our democracy in the Free State, how cadre deployed committee chairs and presiding officers have served the financial interests of their political puppet masters in the executive by obstructing the opposition in attempts to cover up corruption and mismanagement.

If any voter still believes that the ANC believe in freedom and democracy, then they deserve to be forever dependent on government for handouts that will soon dry-up as investors flee these economically unfriendly conditions and our tax base continues to shrink.

Just ask the people of Zimbabwe why they have deserted the once so-called bread basket of Africa in droves and they will tell you that they also once believed the myth that leaders of a liberation movement truly believe in freedom and democracy.

As far back as 1996, Jacob Zuma himself said that the ANC is more important than the constitution. And in defense of his involvement in a R6,6 billion BEE Telkom deal, ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama proudly said: “I did not join the struggle to be poor”.

The Premier said the people will find “compassion… in the glory of the ANC, its leadership and government”.

Just ask the families of the workers who were shot dead due to the lack of political will to deal with their issues at Marikana if the ANC-run government is compassionate?

Ask the families of the disabled victims of Esidemeni whether the ANC-run government is compassionate?

Ask the family and community of Setsoto whether the death of Andries Tatane, who was protesting with others for access to his constitutional right to water, whether the ANC is compassionate?

Ask the victims of our failing health-care system in the Free State whether they feel that they are treated with compassion by the ANC-run government?

Ask the poor farmers who have been subjected to the corrupt land reform Vrede Dairy project, that only benefitted the Guptas and ANC cadres, whether they have been treated with compassion?

Ask the family of Moses Tshake who was an employee in the Department of Agriculture’s finance section and was brutally kidnapped, tortured and murdered after questioning the Vrede Dairy project whether his treatment was compassionate?

Ask the police men and women who are sent to act against protesting friends and family who have legitimate concerns about the lack of service delivery whether they feel compassion from their ANC-run government.

The Premier said that people will find “humility… in the glory of the ANC, its leadership and government”.

Humility means that you work tirelessly to promote the interests of the voters who put you in power without the expectation of much reward. Everything that you possess as a politician should be regarded as a loan from the voters and you have an opportunity, during your term of office, to pay back this loan through humble service to the voters who have put you in power.

There is nothing humble about expensive official vehicles with blue light brigades at the cost of basic services that endanger the lives of our road users.

There is nothing humble about a lavish SOPA that probably cost more than R4 million, complete with a praise singer, that only boosts the egos of the Premier and Speaker.

There is nothing humble about ANC mayors and councilors who insult residents who have legitimate concerns while hiding behind a shield of police officials.

The Premier said that people will find “honesty… in the glory of the ANC, its leadership and government”.

This comment was probably the highlight of the circus.

While the full extent of state capture and the hundreds of billions rands of corruption, that has robbed our people of opportunities, is unfolding in front of us like an abhorrent soap opera every day, it is difficult to determine if we should laugh or cry over this comment about ANC honesty by the Premier.

State capture was in fact invented and perfected in the Free State and exported to our national government by Ace Magashule.

The Free State is known for state capture and massive corruption. Allow me to mention a mere fraction of such dealings as examples:

- the over R300 million Vrede Dairy Project,

- the R120 million Ramkraal scandal,

- the R150 million Vogelfontein housing project scandal at Bethlehem,

- the R1 billion housing scandal involving Hlasudi Motsoeneng and Fikile Mbalula’s wife under the direction of Mosebenzi Zwane,

- the Winnie Mandela House heritage site scandal at Brandfort,

- land and property purchasing and renting scandals and

- the appointment of politicians facing criminal charges into the executive.

How can the current Premier speak of honesty in ANC leadership and government while she herself is part of the problem. Here I would just like to cite one example, namely the R300 million grass cutting tenders in the Free State that include the following companies:

- ME Construction, owned by Ezekiel Magashule, a younger brother of the then premier and current ANC Secretary General,

- Botlokwa Holdings, owned by Thoko Malembe, a daughter of Ace Magashule who has also benefited from a R150-million Vogelfontein RDP housing project near Bethlehem,

- Juda in Zion Trading, owned by Katleho Mochela, the daughter of Joey Mochela, mayor of Parys, and

- MDBS Trading, which is owned by Sibusiso and Duduza Ntombela, the sons of Premier Sisi Ntombela.

We are also aware of cash for tender payments that continue to be made to senior ANC cadres in this province. Hence my “Yes or NO” question to the Premier that I pose again today:

Will the Premier state whether she has ever received any cash for tenders from any contractor, yes or no?

The Premier said that people will find “respect… in the glory of the ANC, its leadership and government”.

Respect is earned and should not be taken for granted. The ANC have shown, even in this Legislature, that they have no respect for the Rules and Orders or decorum of the House. They have, through the rampant corruption and state capture at local, provincial and national government levels, shown a total disregard and lack of respect for the voters that put them in power.

The ANC have institutionalized lawlessness and immorality in government and society and the Premier arrogantly demands respect from citizens, especially since her ANC-run government have shown a total disregard for the social contract between themselves and voters.

When I saw all the ANC cadres dressed up at SOPA with their sense of entitlement and their disregard for the voters and taxpayers who paid for their lavish outfits, expensive watches and luxury vehicles, I was reminded of an egg salad at a picnic, while it may look good, it is already planning to be rotten.

The Premier said that people will find “trust in the glory of the ANC, its leadership and government”.

The Premier stated last year that she has performance contracts with her MEC’s that include time frames. How can the people of the Free State trust her when Honourable Mohasa has been absent from her post with full salary and benefits as MEC for Economic and Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs since she was appointed into this position. She has not been missing in action, she has been missing and out of action for about a year.

Trust is earned, not just given. The ANC leadership and government expect citizens to trust them with their money when in fact they show a total disregard for this money that, unlike ANC politicians, our people work very hard for. Allow me to use the Auditor-General’s (AG) 2016/17 report as an example:

Irregular expenditure in the Free State remains very high at R3,9 billion rand. In this respect the AG indicated that:

“The provincial government did not promote accountability for its spending in a manner that would have a positive impact on people’s lives and allowed money intended for this purpose to be misused”.

Unauthorised expenditure of R515 million was incurred in the Free State and the AG called on the provincial government to show dedication to the fundamental principles needed to improve accountability. This is clearly lacking within a provincial government that just redeploys corrupt cadres and politicians without any regard for the damage they cause to the lives and hopes of our people who are constantly embroiled in a daily struggle for survival

Our people, especially young people are angry. Angry because they expect SOPA offer them hope. But at this SOPA they heard little that gives them hope for a better future.

They heard many numbers in SOPA. They heard numbers about bursaries, but half of our young people today did not finish matric and if they are very fortunate, they can only hope for an EPWP job, which in most instances is reserved for ANC supporters.

They heard the number of 9976 young people who received bursaries between 2009 and 2018, but of these only 783 have jobs and a further 2723 graduates have no jobs. Under our current regime, tertiary education is no longer a means to a job and improved remuneration, but a way to escape from the streets for a few years while awaiting their inevitable return. Many families now depend on bursary holders as their only source of income and survival.

The former Premier Ace Magashule initiated Operation Hlasela that was meant to speed up service delivery, but we know that it was used to conflate party and state, bypass tender procedures and boost the Father Christmas image of Magashule. It appears that our current Premier is intent on continuing with this programme that clearly confuses activity with productivity.

In fact Ace Magashule remains the administrator of the Free State Provincial Government’s tender whatsapp group.

With all this in mind our voters will rightly ask what the DA as the official opposition in the Free State legislature are offering them.

As an opposition in this Legislature, the DA has a proven track record of fighting to defend our people’s freedom and democracy by strengthening our democratic institutions, even through legal action when necessary.

The DA is also the only party in the country that has a proven track record of government at provincial level. In this respect the DA-run Western Cape has the lowest unemployment in the country with a 24,8% growth in employment between 2009 and 2018, at 83% the province has the highest number of clean audits in the country, 82% of the 2018 provincial pro-poor budget was spent on indigent communities and between 2009 and 2018 over 508 000 new jobs were created in this province, to name but a very few of the many other substantial achievements.

The DA is also the only party in the Free State to offer voters a comprehensive alternative provincial plan of action to improve service delivery in the province. This plan is driven by our determined and compassionate Premier Candidate who is a mother and grandmother, Honourable Patricia Kopane.

The DA in the Free State has carried out a strategic assessment of where we are and what needs to be done to meet the current economic challenges in the province going forward. The DA’s offer to voters in the Free State is an alternative government that will improve service delivery, create opportunities, grow the economy and generate employment. In developing this offer, the following are already in place:

- An understanding of the challenges that a post-ANC government will have to overcome.

- The quantification of objectives that can give expression to the concept of an Open Opportunity Society for All based on Freedom, Fairness and Diversity.

- Identification of key interventions that can achieve the determined objectives.

- The design of a management model that will allow our interventions to be implemented effectively and progress to be measured.

A DA-led government in the Free State will tackle poverty and unemployment head on.

The DA believes that redress for past inequalities and current mismanagement begins with strategies to create opportunities for all our people in the province through creating an environment that attracts private sector investment through prioritizing service and infrastructure delivery as well as empowering people to utilise opportunities through improved skills development and education.

The DA has a vision for a prosperous Free State Province. A Free State in which every person has an opportunity to reach his or her potential, depending on their own personal efforts to do so. Such a Free State requires a nurturing government, an environment which levels the playing field of opportunities, and an economic approach that encourages and sustains job creating investment. This is not beyond the potential of our Free State province.

In conclusion, with an election only weeks away, I would like to reiterate that in a democracy you get the government that you vote for, but you also deserve the government that you vote for.

If you vote for a party that allows the constant smell of raw sewerage to consume your neighborhood, then keep quiet and live with the stench, because ANC-run governments literally stink of corruption induced poor service delivery.

The Free State has a viable alternative government in waiting, it only takes a visit to a voting station on 8 May 2019 to change your destiny and that of your children and grandchildren by voting for the DA.

Issued by Roy Jankielsohn, Leader of the Official Opposition in the Free State Legislature, 22 February 2019